Why do I have to convert M4A files?
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This forum is for Audacity on Windows.
Please state which version of Windows you are using,
and the exact three-section version number of Audacity from "Help menu > About Audacity".
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This forum is for Audacity on Windows.Please state which version of Windows you are using,
and the exact three-section version number of Audacity from "Help menu > About Audacity".
Audacity 1.2.x and 1.3.x are obsolete and no longer supported. If you still have those versions, please upgrade at https://www.audacityteam.org/download/.
The old forums for those versions are now closed, but you can still read the archives of the 1.2.x and 1.3.x forums.
Why do I have to convert M4A files?
With Audacity for Windows, although I have the lame library installed, Audacity tells me that I need to convert M4A files into WAV in order to import them. Audacity for Mac does not show this message. Why is this so?
Re: Why do I have to convert M4A files?
You don't have to "convert" them first.
If you haven't done so already, download and install FFmpeg. It adds support for many/most audio formats.
FYI - Audacity works with uncompressed PCM data so when you open a compressed file with Audacity (and with FFmpeg when needed) it gets decompressed. If you re-export with lossy compression (MP3, M4A, etc.) save you are going through another generation of lossy compression. Ideally, you should start with a lossless file and compress ONCE. If that's not possible, try to minimize the number of times it's compressed.
LAME is ONLY for creating (or exporting to) MP3. It's not used for creating M4A files and it's not used for opening/decompressing MP3s.
If you haven't done so already, download and install FFmpeg. It adds support for many/most audio formats.
FYI - Audacity works with uncompressed PCM data so when you open a compressed file with Audacity (and with FFmpeg when needed) it gets decompressed. If you re-export with lossy compression (MP3, M4A, etc.) save you are going through another generation of lossy compression. Ideally, you should start with a lossless file and compress ONCE. If that's not possible, try to minimize the number of times it's compressed.
LAME is ONLY for creating (or exporting to) MP3. It's not used for creating M4A files and it's not used for opening/decompressing MP3s.
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kozikowski
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Re: Why do I have to convert M4A files?
I can see the question marks floating over your head. There are two different FFMpegs. 64-bit and 32-bit. I don't think you can cross them. The fact that just your Windows doesn't work can mean it's the wrong one.
Koz
Koz