Convert audio files in Ubuntu with Sound Converter
“Linux lacks good multimedia applications“. How many times have we heard this! This was my perception as well. Not that I do my living based on these tools but I do use them often at home. Atleast, many of us might be in a need to convert audio/video from one format to another and rip tracks out of audio cds.
Traditionally I use softwares like Any Video Converter, Format Factory to convert audio/video files but unfortunately they are available only on Windows and I had to boot into my old Windows XP in order to use them. I thought I had no other choice and also since those tools did the job for me, I was eventually using them whenever the need arises. Fortunately there are some good tools in linux as well.
My search for a good audio/video converter continued and even thought of using those popular windows tools on Ubuntu using Wine after reading the article, Best Linux Ubuntu Video/Audio Converter: Format Factory and WINE.
I was almost sold if not for this comprehensive guide from ubuntu forums. At the first look, the article might look a bit overwhelming, but it contains a wealth of information covering many aspects. I was primarily interested in just a audio converter and I all I had to do was execute this simple command
sudo apt-get install soundconverter audacity oggconvert
All these three are audio converting tools where audacity provides audio editing capabilities as well. You might also need sound-juicer to extract audio files from cd. Installing that is pretty straightforward:
sudo apt-get install sound-juicer
Converting files are only two steps away. Click “Add File” button to add the files you would like to convert. Once you have added the necessary files, click “Convert”.
By default, Sound Converter converts audio files to the opensource “ogg” format. If you want the default output to be “mp3″, you need to first install some additional libraries. Then you need to edit the preferences and change the output format “mp3″ (under the section “Type of result”).
I am using Sound Converter quite regularly now and I am quite impressed with it. How about you? What tools do you use to convert audio files? It will be great if you can share your experiences as well.
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Your theme looks very good, what is it? I especially like what the controls look like.
And thanks for the software tip.
I use Nimbus look and feel. I’m sticking to it for quite some time.
Never heard of ffmpeg?:)
Depending on your needs, there are also solutions to keep multiple formats available: via mp3fs, ampache or Amarok:
http://brunovernay.blogspot.com/2009/07/store-flac-broadcast-mp3-mp3fs-and.html