Convert MP3 file to WAV in Mac Mini

Yes, this problem can easily be solved by using a video converter, like Zamzar (online) , Joyoshare Video Converter (offline video converter). If you only need to convert a few videos to FLV, you can use Zamzar. If you have batch videos, you are suggested to use the offline or desktop video converter, which supports to convert videos in batch with high speed.

After reviewing my post and doing some more googleing and reading, I think I can refine my my questions.

Is the codec that decodes an MP3 file that has not been converted to Apple Lossless the same codec that decodes an MP3 file that has been converted to Apple Lossless?

JPO

Musicman07, I appreciate your feedback. And I don’t dispute what you say. Indeed the more I learn the more I realize any improvements I am hearing is due to my imagination. And as I said earlier, my imagination has certainly led me astray in other matters.

But there is one thing I don’t understand. You said, others have said, that the software “fills in the blanks” When does this occur? Does the Apple Lossless converter expand the MP3 file as it encodes or decodes? Or is the expansion done later by different software?

And is the software that expands a lossy file that has not been encoded into lossless, the same software that expands a lossy file that has been encoded into lossless?

Let me say I’m not trying to advocate converting MP3s to “lossless”. I’m just asking others to help me along in my understanding. For me PC audio seems like black boxes nested inside black boxes. I open one black box just to find another. And I’m not certain I’ve gotten the first box open. Anyway, any feedback is appreciated.

Thanks,
JPO

Just to clarify I should have said "converting the MP3 file to "a" lossless format", rather than using "another". That reads like MP3 is lossless, as the remainder of my post implies it most definitely is a lossy format.

Jpod, it is true that converting the MP3 file to another lossless format should not make the file worse, possible but unlikely as you point out. However, there is no way to incorporate the orginal musical information back into the file once it has been compressed in a lossy format. What's lost is lost. What will happen is the software will fill in the blanks, so to speak, when you expand the file size. This may sound good, perhaps even better to you, but it will not be true to the original recording. This still falls into the garbage in garbage out category. You can dress up the pig, but it will still be a pig. The only guarantee is that your file size will increase exponentially. Once you have an MP3 leave it that. Try to stay with lossless if at all possible.

Been away. Thought I would post again to this very interesting thread.

First to Jax2. I appreciate your feedback. Honestly, in regards to this matter, I don’t care what others think. If MP3s converted to Apple Lossless sound good to me I’ll probably continue to convert them. I’m not seeking the blessings of others, I’m seeking their knowledge. In this particular case I’m trying, in my own way to learn more about PC Audio by exploring this mundane, but to me, perplexing part of it.

To Mlsstl and Etep29: Yeah, what you guys said. Maybe playback of an Apple Lossless file that was previously an MP3 file might sound better (for reasons unknown to me) than playback of the original MP3 file. But I’m starting to doubt whether any improvement, or degradation, can occur.

The more I learn (if learning is mostly failure) the more I realize the converter (even while using sophisticated techniques) doesn’t do much. It merely encodes a PCM byte to a shorter code, stores the shorter code, and decodes the shorter code to a PCM byte before playback. So, almost 100% of the time, the decoded PCM byte is identical to the encoded PCM byte.

As I understand it, there is a very small possibility of error, a very small possibility that the decoded byte is not identical to the encoded byte, but such errors would occur rarely and randomly and would not effect sound quality in any systematic way.

If this is all correct ( and considering the source it may not be) there is no improvement or degradation involved in conversion. So if there is any change in sound quality it would be following conversion. And this is where I stop (if indeed I’ve covered any ground at all). Is it possible that PCM bytes in an MP3 file are played back in a substantially different way than PCM bytes decoded from an Apple Lossless file?

JPO

It is possible that an MP3 converted to ALL or other loseless format might sound better than the original MP3 due to the software that decodes it. The new file will not have any more musical information though

There are some cases where only mp3s are available -- such as long out of print (& out of license issues perhaps) album that is "out there" in mp3 only, or certain bootleg cuts (legal issues aside) that exist in mp3 only. Is there any way to "enhance" the sound of these files?

In a previous thread, "Lossy to Lossless" I reported that when I converted some old MP3s to Apples Lossless, they sounded better. I have not done any blind tests, but have converted about 50 of them and listened to most several times. I stand by my original claim. The MP3s I have converted to Apple Lossless have better definition and sound punchier.

If it sounds better to YOU, that's where it should end for YOU. Why would it make any difference what others think?

Responding for myself; I said the conversion MAY sound worse. You are asking the software to fill in all of the information that has been stripped of the file in the first place, without any access to that information. In doing so it basically makes up all the stuff that it's adding based upon what is already there in the highly compressed version. If you can live with that, and it sounds better to you, have at it.

I cannot imagine why anyone would do that unless the mp3 was all they had access to (as in a file straight off the Internet from iTunes). I don't buy any music that way. If there is music that interests me I'll buy the disc and rip the files in a lossless format. Disc space is cheap and my iPod holds 60gb of music so I find no reason to compromise the music for the minor convenience of downloading.

On another note pertinent to the original query; I'm pretty sure that WAV files do not support tagging so you may lose some of the metadata like album artwork in doing that conversion. Apple Lossless does support metadata so that would not be an issue. I'm not entirely clear on this issue so someone with more knowledge should chime in.

In a previous thread, "Lossy to Lossless" I reported that when I converted some old MP3s to Apples Lossless, they sounded better. I have not done any blind tests, but have converted about 50 of them and listened to most several times. I stand by my original claim. The MP3s I have converted to Apple Lossless have better definition and sound punchier.

They do not sound as good as CDs ripped directly to Apple Lossless. And I know nothing is being added, or necesarily taken away, they are still lossy files.

In the previous thread referred to above, Mlsstl suggested it might be that, in my system, the codec that converts Apple Lossless to audio is different, and maybe better, than the codec that converts MP3 to audio. I tend to think this may be the case. But am wondering what others think.

Also, is it true that converting an MP3 to Apple Lossless would always make it sound worse than the original MP3?

Houstonreef, are you saying that a WAV file of an MP3 source sounds better to you than the original MP3?
Forgive me if I am stating the obvious, but it's the quality of the source material that defines how good any given file format (native or lossless) will sound. Furthermore, MP3 and AAC are lossy formats which subtract data from the full resolution source. Ideally, you should rip from CD to WAV, AIFF (for Mac), FLAC, or ALL (for Mac). The last two are lossless compression formats, and are bit perfect.

On a MacMini in iTunes, your best bet next to WAV is Apple Lossless. Supposedly it is a lossless compression scheme (so no data is lost), while, as already pointed out, it takes up practically half the space of a WAV file. If you want to find out which is best for your system+room+music+ears just rip a few different cuts in the various formats and have someone else play them back for you taking note of your observations to see if you can tell the difference...or just play them back yourself.

houston,

Formats:

WAV and AIFF should sound identical to the orightincal CD. both are 1 to 1 copies of original (if CD). in iTunes, AIFF has the advantage of linking cover art -where WAV will not allow that.
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"Apple lossless" will be nearly identical to the original but will be about 60-70% file size.
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AAC is a compressed so data is thrown away. In a system that is very detailed the 320kbps setting soundsvery good. the 128bps sounds OK.

besides wav, to save space you might try flac or aac. i'm not really familiar with macs so maybe somebody can chime in regarding the appropriate formats.

Thanks All, beside wav, what formats is the best in comparision to wav. To my ears, wav is sonicly better than mp3.

Yes, it is possible to convert like Sfar describes- using "Convert to xxxx ..." but like Jax2 says: why would you?

the mp3 is an audio format which has removed data to make it smaller. converting it to another format WAV or AIFF or AAC or Apple lossless will not recover that data, how could it? the removed data (mp3) is gone gone gone.

best to set the desired format and re-import the music from CD or purchase higher quality online music.

Why would you ever want to do that? Not only will it not create a "better" sounding file, as has been pointed out, it may actually sound worse. Essentially the software is having to make an educated guess at filling in all the blanks, as it were. It's kind of like trying to up-rez a low resolution jpeg off the Internet-it can be done but you'll likely be introducing all sorts of distortions. You can certainly go the other direction and convert WAV to MP3 but can't imagine any reason to do what you've asked.

Sorry, I made a mistake. It's the 'Importing' tab where you choose WAV format, not the 'Burning' tab. My apologies for the confusion.

Open iTunes, go to the 'Preferences' dialog box, click on 'Advanced', then the 'Burning' tab. Choose WAV as the format for disc burning. Close the Preferences box.

In your music library, select any mp3 file, or multiple files, and got to the 'Advanced' menu item at the top of the screen. You will see the option to convert your selections to WAV.

The key is to first choose the format you want the files in using the 'Burning' option in advanced preferences. Then the 'convert to' option under the Advanced menu item will always be the format you've chosen.

As 4est says, though, converting to WAV isn't going to create a better sounding file, just a much bigger one.

Try "max", I think it does the convert for that, however your data is reduced and gone...