How to Convert a .wav file to .mp3?

Special Interest Groups Audio Processing
1

Looked/asked on wiki and got 19 responses.
Only one addressed the conversion, and it implied the conversion
Should be done in iTunes?

Question: Can we do the conversion to .mp3 in Audacity?
And if yes, HOW?

Dell Vestro 400, Intel Core 2, 2GB, SD RAM, Windows XP
Audacity 2.0.0

2

Yes you can.

  1. Install Audacity 2.0 ( Audacity ® | Downloads )
  2. Install LAME (follow these instructions carefully: http://manual.audacityteam.org/man/FAQ:Installation_and_Plug-Ins#How_do_I_download_and_install_the_LAME_MP3_encoder.3F )
  3. Install FFmpeg ( http://manual.audacityteam.org/index.php?title=FAQ:Installation_and_Plug-Ins#installffmpeg )
  4. Import the file that you want to convert.
  5. Export the file and select MP3 as the file type.

See here for the MP3 export options: http://manual.audacityteam.org/man/MP3_Export_Options

However, if you only want to convert files to MP3 and don’t need to do any editing, there are other programs that are better suited to the task such as Foobar2000 (Windows), LamedropXPD (Windows), Sound Converter (Linux), SoX (cross-platform command line program).

3

Creating an MP3 requires coder software which is purchased copyright software. The “lame” work-alike software is available for Audacity but can’t be included and has to be installed separately like the FFMpeg software for other sound formats.

You should get and install lame and FFMpeg from the Audacity download site. Do not use other packages from other web sites.

http://audacityteam.org/download/

Pick your computer type and follow the links.

And Yes, if you have iTunes for either Mac or Windows, you can convert any sound file to MP3, M4A, or any of the other compressed formats they support. Select the sound format in Preferences and then right-click the sound file.

Koz