Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Free itunes m4p to mp3 converter

This is topic Free itunes m4p to mp3 converter in forum Film-Yak at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Michael Schaffer (Member # 1204) on 01-03-2007, 03:10 AM:

Does anybody know a good free converter that can handle those pesky itunes files and convert them to normal mp3 or other unprotected audio formats?

BTW, do you also have the problem that itunes sometimes takes literally minutes to start up? Somtetimes, or actually *most* of the time, when I use itunes, I doubleclick on the symbol and it doesn't start. When I doubleclick several times, it eventually shows up after 2 minutes or so. Yes, I have de- and reinstalled itunes completely and I have the latest version. Very strange.

Posted by Jennifer Pan (Member # 2035) on 01-03-2007, 03:30 AM:

Runs fine on my Mac and PC.

When I import CDs into iTunes I have it set to be compressed as mp3 so I don't have do it later. I haven't come across any actual freeware conversions. But the ghetto approach I take with protected files is burning the audio file on to a CD then import the CD into iTunes. I have plenty of blank CDs so burning them isn't that big of a deal to me, just fill up the entire CD. It gives me a hard copy of the files if I ever need a backup for whatever reasons.

Posted by Peter Brown (Member # 3272) on 01-03-2007, 03:52 AM:

Hi Michael,

Do you have a large iTunes library? It can take a while to start up as it has to load and parse the library XML file, which for a sizable library (>100GB) is about 30MB. It does rather sound as though you've got another problem, though.

If it was my library, I'd back it all up sharpish, then delete the XML files, and get iTunes to regenerate them (it'll do it automatically on startup if they don't exist, I think). That might help, though it's a black art at times. [Confused]

Posted by Jarryd Beard (Member # 2543) on 01-04-2007, 07:41 PM:

iTunes takes a long time to start up when my iPod is plugged in. For some reason, it's always updating hundreds of files on the iPod, even if nothing changed from the previous time it was plugged in. If I eject and plug it back in, same thing. Once it begins updating, iTunes runs fine. iTunes just takes a long time when it first begins to sync with my iPod. I figured it might have something to do with the fact that I don't have any USB 2.0 ports. Try starting iTunes with your iPod unplugged. Mine starts fine when I do that.

Posted by System Notices (Member # 2357) on 12-06-2009, 08:40 PM:

It has been 1067 days since the last post.

Posted by Barry Floyd (Member # 385) on 12-06-2009, 08:40 PM:

I'm loooking for a converter program to basically to the exact opposite. I'm looking for a converter that will convert either MP3's or WMA's to MP4 or M4a.

My son has a Nintendo DSi, and it will only play MP4's or M4a's. We don't do I-tunes. We rip from our own store-bought CD's.

All the ones I can find on-line will only convert 20% - 50% of the file, then hold the rest hostage until you pay $19.95 or more. Any suggestions...

Posted by John Wilson (Member # 269) on 12-06-2009, 09:06 PM:

Easiest I use is Quick Media Converter.

http://cocoonsoftware.com/

Don't click on the sponsor link by mistake. Version 4.0.0.0 is downloadable from the link on the left.

Posted by Barry Floyd (Member # 385) on 12-06-2009, 10:25 PM:

John....
On behalf of my 9 year old son... Thank You - Thank You, Thank You! [thumbsup]

Posted by John Wilson (Member # 269) on 12-07-2009, 12:10 AM:

My pleasure. [Cool]

Posted by Greg Anderson (Member # 235) on 12-07-2009, 10:24 AM:

quote: Barry Floyd
We don't do I-tunes. We rip from our own store-bought CD's.

You can rip your own store-bought CDs using iTunes. And iTunes can easily convert audio file formats. And iTunes is free. The phrase "We don't do iTunes" almost implies that it's poison or something. There's no reason to be afraid of iTunes.

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 12-07-2009, 10:53 AM:

I think iTunes is a pain the ass because it tries to "own" and then hide your music files. It's also a pain because of its odd synchronizing behaviors. Delete a music file off your iPod in the wrong way and iTunes will delete every instance of it from your library.

At least with the other "media players" out there you can see and manage your individual music files in Apple's Finder or Windows Explorer.

Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 12-07-2009, 11:14 AM:

And it's bizarre how sometimes you could have added files to itunes then when you sync, it suddenly starts copying over a bunch of other songs that were never updated/changed.

Posted by Greg Anderson (Member # 235) on 12-07-2009, 01:18 PM:

I can't dispute your difficulties with iTunes, except to say that I haven't had those problems myself. I've been using iTunes for over 8 years, so I started before the first iPod was even available! It's still the software I prefer to organize my music files. I can sympathize with the notion that once you're used to organizing using specific software it's really, really annoying to try to switch to organizing with different software. And that's the main reason I eventually bought an iPod rather than some other company's portable MP3 player.

I wouldn't say that iTunes "owns" my music files. I can find them easily in the "My Music" folder anyway, but I don't need to. Between iTunes and the iPod, everthing is where I can use it. And did I mention that it does a great job of converting file formats?

Posted by Mark Lensenmayer (Member # 134) on 12-07-2009, 06:40 PM:

I've tried ITunes, and I just didn't like how it worked. I now use the pay version of MEDIA MONKEY which handles everything I can throw at it. I'm very happy with it.

There is a free version that does almost everything the pay version does.

Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 12-08-2009, 10:47 AM:

I use VideoLan as my media player

Posted by Barry Floyd (Member # 385) on 12-08-2009, 12:41 PM:

I've got nothing against I-Tunes.... I've just never used it. I always thought it was for buying and downloading songs to an IPOD specific device.

Before we built the drive-in, I worked as a mobile disc jockey for 18+ years, and have amassed a huge music library that currently just sits in the garage. I like the ability to go out and find a CD from my collection, rip it on the computer, then dump it to my phone. I don't own a dedicated MP3 player, so I just use the capabilities of my LG cell phone.

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 12-08-2009, 09:10 PM:

Anything you put into the iTunes library, it thinks belongs to it, as Bobby pointed out. So much so that our sound director had his iPod thing stolen and when he tryied to resync the library on his computer to his new device, he got a message saying he was making an illegal copy and it wouldn't allow him to pay anything in the library on his computer after that.

This is why the Apple headquarters has 6 foot think doors on their windowless, fortified building....to protect them from Users who show up with Uzis.