Converting Audio Files Using Winamp
Sometimes you may get Windows Media or OGG Audio Files and your audio program will not play them. There are several expensive audio editing programs that convert files. However, this tip explains how to use Winamp (a freeware program), to convert files.
1. Open up Winamp from the programs menu or the desktop.
2. Find the file that you want to convert and open it up in Winamp, either by pressing enter on it or through the open file dialogue.
3. Ok, now press the letter v to stop it, we don't want it to keep playing.
4. Now here's where the fun starts. Go to the preferences, by pressing control plus p of course.
5. Go to the plugins section and then choose output in the tree view.
6. Now tab over to the list of plugins, and focus on the one called the Nullsoft Discwriter plugin. Your version number may vary but it all comes to the same.
7. Now, it's time to configure it so that we can tell what type of file to convert to. Tab to the configure button.
8. Now you're going to be in a dialogue with some buttons in it. The first one will determine where your output file, that is to say your converted file will be saved. You may hear something like, output file location c:\doccuments and settings...my music button. If you press that button, a dialogue will pop up and you can then determine where your file will be saved.
9. Now that you've done that, you'll be back in the dialogue, and the next thing you'll see is a checkbox that says, output to directory containing source files, and by default, this is unchecked. This is so that you can have your converted file in exactly the same folder as the original file was. Check that if you want the file to go there. I would do that for simplicities sake. You can always move it later.
10. Next checkbox you'll see says, display save as dialogue for every file. This is so that if you're converting an entire list of files, you'll be able to determine where each file goes. I would imagine that you would probably want them all to go in the same folder, but maybe not? So check that if you like. I normally leave it as is because usually I'm only converting one file. This is unchecked by default.
11. Next up, we have a combo box that determines if there are numbers at the beginning of your outputted file name. The choices you have are, disabled, 1 digit, 2 digits, 3 digits and 4 digits. It would be hard to imagine why anyone would actually want 4 digits, that is unless you're converting literally thousands of files, which is seldom done. If converting something from an album it's best to have at least a number at the beginning of the file name, 01, or 02, depending on where you are in the playlist of files. But if you want to disable this, you can.
12. Next there is a combo box that determines the title format, the one by default is % title %. This means you get the % which equals the first 2 numbers like I mentioned before, artist name, title and then the track name. I would keep that as is.
13. Next you must choose an output file type. The choice is set to auto recommended. This is so you can choose different file formats.
14. Tab again and there is a checkbox that says enable single mode. Leave this unchecked.
15. Tab once and there is a checkbox that determines wether or not Winamp actually remembers what file you convert to a lot, so if you convert to mp3 a lot, leave this checkbox checked so you can just perform the final few steps.
16. Tab once again and you'll land on a button that determines what file you can actually convert your file to. For mine in particular, this button says "MPEG layer 3 192KBPS., 44.1 K Hertz, stereo." This is usually what I convert to, but if you want something different, you can press this button and change the file type, bitrate and sampling rate of your file. Note that if you don't have the radium codec installed, you won't be able to convert to anything higher than 56k, 22.50 k hertz stereo. The lame encoder will fix this too, and the lame encoder should be very easy to find if you do a little hunting around.
17. It's time to actually do the conversion! So tab past that next checkbox. It's unknown what the thread priority hack refers to, so just press ok and you'll be in the preferences again. Close the preferences in the usual way.
18. Press the letter x which will essentially play your file. But you won't hear any sound because it is being converted. That's just how this plugin works because it moves very quickly. If you want to know the status of your conversion, press the hotkey which reads your title bar, insert t for JAWS and control shift t for Window-eyes, or whatever one you use. You will know your file is converted when you hear the name of your file, followed by Winamp stopped. Note that while the file conversion happens, you may notice that software speech is slower to respond, and sometimes it just doesn't happen at all, but like I say the conversions happen very quickly.
19. If you followed all the steps above, congratulations, you just converted your first file with Winamp. Believe me, subsequent conversions won't be such a long process, especially if you have the checkbox to remember your file type preferences.
20. Before you listen to your newly created file, you have to switch your output plugin back to the one you ordinarily use. This is because the hotkey for starting a conversion is x as you noticed above. This is also the play hotkey Command. If you attempt to listen to another file, you'll just be creating more files and you'll have a lot of stuff on your hard drive you don't want. So, move down to step 21 to change things back.
21. Open the preferences again by pressing control plus the letter p.
22. Tab over to the list of plugins and then choose the plugin you used before. This is done by arrowing down to the plugin and leaving this choice highlighted. I would bet it's either the Nullsoft waveout plugin or the direct sound one. But the idea here is to change it back to whatever plugin you were using before. Converting the file.
23. Once you have made the change by highlighting the plugin you used before, tab to the close button and you can now go back to rockin' with Winamp!
24. When you want to convert a file again, all you'll need to do is switch to the discwriter plugin, play your file by pressing the letter x and Winamp will convert it. Then all you have to do is switch back to your regular plugin.