MAMEWorld Forums - The Loony Bin - Re: ...But what I am still looking for recommendations on...

> > ...is an audio file batch converter.
> >
> > One that can retain tags from the m4a files ripped long ago when it converts them
> > to... anything more widely accepted (flac, ogg, mp3?).
> >
> > One that isn't filled with malware and other badness.
> >
> > One that's free.
>
> You'll probably have a hard time finding a batch audio converter fitting the first
> requirement. I would try another approach.
>
> For example, I would see if I could export the tag info in any way to somewhere else,
> be it a text file or inside the filename itself. Then convert the files (your choice
> of converter, lately I hardly use any although Freemake Audio Coverter saves the day
> for me when I need that stuff). And then get the tag info inside the files again,
> with any of the many batch taggers out there. I've used TagScanner which IIRC is free
> and can parse information from the filename. In the case of a text file, it would be
> possible to use a command-line driven approach because there are also command line
> applications to work with MP3 and other files tags.
>
> But that's how I would do it, I don't know if these ideas could be of any help to
> you.

Yeah, you really only need to do a big batch once, unless you keep changing.

Hrm. I can have MediaMonkey auto-name from tag and auto-tag from name, I've done both to get where I am now. Some of these have album art in the tags that isn't exactly easy to come by though; that's the part I'm concerned about.
I've a 3-disk set called "It's Only Rock 'n Roll," each disk featuring one of the central figures of the birth of the genre. Finding the set? I haven't been able to. I think I may have scanned the covers myself long ago.

"Someone" who "won't be named" by me once posted "somewhere" a large number of versions of a tainted song about love, and I have several of those still; a couple I had to actually create cover art for. Those should be mp3s though.

I'll need to go through and make sure they all have separate images. MM seems to be doing that on its own, but I need to check them. Even then, the "folder.jpg" files I'm seeing are only 200x200.

Maybe there isn't much of a problem then, beyond the really long cycles required to %$#@ the names, convert them, and then clean them again. I hope there aren't any with special characters....