Do you have your favorite audio album only in FLAC format and needs to transfer it to iPod? One thing to know is that a FLAC file is a lossless audio codec. Unlike MP3, this means that no audio information is lost when you convert your files into this format. It may seem that FLAC is better than MP3 and WMA, and it really is. But the MP3-encoder produces smaller files, which is much more important for a player with a limited amount of memory. In addition, the FLAC format is not supported by iPod and other portable audio players. Thus, it makes no sense to use FLAC on portable devices. What things you need for the conversion? Of course - the right converter which considers all differences in format.
1 Key format differences
We have already written about the technical differences between formats, now it's time to evaluate what they affect.
In the first place are the differences in the number of supported channels - FLAC supports multi-channel sound, up to 7.1 format, MP3 is limited only to stereo sound. Multichannel formats are mainly used in films, and if we are talking about music, then even studio albums are released in the usual two-channel mode. So in practice this difference is not significant.
The second key difference is the supported sampling rates. FLAC supports almost any frequency, while MP3 has an upper limit of 48000Hz. Obviously, MP3 is absolutely unacceptable for high-definition sound. As for FLAC files with the usual frequencies of 44.1 kHz and 48 kHz, the differences will depend on the degree of compression.
I will not mention the bit depth of the formats, since this parameter is very conditional for lossy compression. Therefore, let's immediately move on to the compression itself. The main advantage of lossy compression is smaller file size. And the higher the bit depth of FLAC samples, the more noticeable this will be. The quality indicator is a subjective assessment and fully depends not only on the listener, but also on the equipment and surroundings. Conventionally, we can assume that on a mobile device in a street environment, the difference in sound quality between FLAC and MP3 is unnoticeable.
2 Finer Points of Converting
Having assessed the main differences, you can move on to the list of requirements for an audio converter.
First of all, the converter should avoid changing the basic audio parameters - sampling frequency, number of channels and sample bit depth. Exactly as long as this is possible. Otherwise, all conversions must be done automatically, taking into account the characteristics of each format.
For example, if your FLAC file has a sampling frequency of 88200Hz, then you should not change the frequency to the next 48000Hz, but rather select 44100Hz so that the divisor is an integer.
The second nuance is copying audio tags. FLAC uses its own format, which is not compatible with the widely used MP3 ID3. While there are usually no problems copying basic fields, cover images are often lost.
Otherwise, the criteria for choosing a converter will be the same as for other formats - performance, support for the maximum number of audio formats and metadata, reliability and convenience. In my opinion, all this is harmoniously combined in Audio Converter Plus.
3 Step-by-step guide to convert FLAC audio to MP3
- Download and install Audio Converter Plus from the link above.
- Launch Audio Converter Plus and add FLAC files to the conversion list. At the stage of adding files, the converter checks their parameters and excludes damaged or non-standard files.
- Select the output folder and output format - MP3, optimal bitrate for portable devices is in the range of 128-192 kbps.
- Open Settings and turn on the "Transfer Audio Tags" option. It will read Vorbis comments from the FLAC file and save them to the MP3 file as an ID3v2 tag.
- Enable the "Keep directory structure" option. This will allow you to distribute the output MP3 files into folders, as was the case with the original FLAC files.
- Start the conversion by clicking the "Convert" button. After this, a progress window will appear, but there is little point in watching it. It's easier to send the conversion process into the background and go about your usual business.
4 Summary
At first glance, there is nothing complicated about converting audio formats. There are a huge variety of converters, both desktop and online, that are ready to practically convert FLAC to MP3 automatically. The result may be corrupted metadata and poor audio quality. Personally, I often encountered squiggles instead of letters in song titles and loss of covers. Therefore, I believe that you can spend a little time learning the basics of audio conversion once and save yourself from such problems once and for all.