The Tippopotamus: Converting to mp3 with dBpoweramp

IMHO, by far the easiest way to convert tracks to mp3 is to use dBpoweramp. It a no-fuss piece of software that integrates with your context (right click) menu. I tend to opt for open-source software, but this is one I decided to pay for as its functionality is simple and effective.

After you have installed the software (there is a 30 day trial and the free version will convert a number of formats, but not *.wma files) you must make sure you have the right codecs installed. You do this by visiting the dBpoweramp 'Codec Central'. Here you can get the requisite codecs for whatever file type you need to convert from and to. I have the following installed:

mp3
m4a
m4b
Wave
Ogg Vorbis
Windows Media Audio

Here's how I go about converting the files to mp3:

1. Navigate to any tracks and context click on them (you can select multiple tracks if you want to convert a whole album. Select 'Convert To':

2. You can then select the file type you want to convert to from the drop down menu:

I always choose 'mp3 (Lame) here for my music, unless I am converting an audio book, in which case I choose 'm4b (Audio Book)' which remembers the position I am at when I listen to them on my iPhone.

3. Next, I always check the bit rate of my source files. This can sometimes be done with a context click on the file in question and searching its properties (right click on the file and choose Properties, the pick the Summary tab).

For some file types, this may not be populated. Hence, I sometimes actually go about converting a single track a few times with different bitrates until I see an approximately similar file size. There are probably simpler ways to do this, but it only usually takes one or two goes.

4. I then choose this bitrate using the slider on the dBpoweramp window so that it matches the source file. dBpoweramp can apparently do conversions between formats without loosing any of the quality that it is already compressed at, hence it's always important to choose the same bitrate or less.