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Author Topic: Why did FLAC to MP3 conversion fail but FLAC to WMA is okay?  (Read 4471 times)

CountryBumkin

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I added a bunch of music to a USB stick (FAT32) to take along on a road trip, and then found out that FLAC files would not paly on my car's stereo system. Since I had my laptop with me (with MC loaded) I figured it wouldn't be too hard to convert the FLAC files to MP3. However all of the conversions failed. Then I tried to convert the FLAC to WMA format, and that worked. So everything worked out.

But why did the conversion to MP3 fail? Did I mess up a step?
Thanks
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kstuart

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Re: Why did FLAC to MP3 conversion fail but FLAC to WMA is okay?
« Reply #1 on: May 11, 2015, 12:16:23 pm »

What was the error message?

CountryBumkin

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Re: Why did FLAC to MP3 conversion fail but FLAC to WMA is okay?
« Reply #2 on: May 11, 2015, 12:34:17 pm »

No error message. It said "Failed" next to each music file when I displayed the results of the conversion process.
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zenpmd

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Re: Why did FLAC to MP3 conversion fail but FLAC to WMA is okay?
« Reply #3 on: May 11, 2015, 01:02:13 pm »

Sorry to derail but is there a simple way to convert flacs into mp3?
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CountryBumkin

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Re: Why did FLAC to MP3 conversion fail but FLAC to WMA is okay?
« Reply #4 on: May 11, 2015, 02:35:59 pm »

Well I thought so (the JRiver "conversion tool" lets one choose to convert FLAC to MP3) but it didn't work.
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blgentry

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Re: Why did FLAC to MP3 conversion fail but FLAC to WMA is okay?
« Reply #5 on: May 11, 2015, 05:14:51 pm »

I just tried this myself with one album of 10 FLAC files.  I converted to MP3 with the default "normal" compression and directed them to a specific directory.

The conversion happened with no errors and I was able to play the files it produced using an external media player (outside of JRiver).

Sorry it didn't work for you, but it certainly works on my system (20.0.94 Mac OSX).

Brian.
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CountryBumkin

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Re: Why did FLAC to MP3 conversion fail but FLAC to WMA is okay?
« Reply #6 on: May 12, 2015, 06:51:03 am »

Thanks for testing Brian.
I figured it was something that I did wrong - I just don't know what. Now that I'm back from vacation, I don't need to convert anymore, but I'll play around with it some more so I'll know how to do this the next time.

Too bad MC, just says "Failed" and doesn't give a reason why it failed.
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fitbrit

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Re: Why did FLAC to MP3 conversion fail but FLAC to WMA is okay?
« Reply #7 on: May 14, 2015, 12:50:31 pm »

Maybe it was just commenting on you not knowing the car stereo doesn't play flac? :)
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glynor

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Re: Why did FLAC to MP3 conversion fail but FLAC to WMA is okay?
« Reply #8 on: May 14, 2015, 09:24:43 pm »

I convert from FLAC to MP3 all the time.

The log probably would have said why.
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glynor

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Re: Why did FLAC to MP3 conversion fail but FLAC to WMA is okay?
« Reply #10 on: May 15, 2015, 01:33:36 am »

Hah, kstuart.  ;)

Ooh, actually, I think I've got it:

The first time you convert to MP3 on a given machine, it downloads lame.  Was the laptop offline at the time, and had never been used to rip or encode an MP3 before?

I dunno, and aside from making a clean VM install (which I'm entirely too lazy for) I probably can't test it, as all of mine have probably gotten it so far. But, I don't know what that failure state (no network connection when trying to download lame) would look like.
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CountryBumkin

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Re: Why did FLAC to MP3 conversion fail but FLAC to WMA is okay?
« Reply #11 on: May 15, 2015, 04:59:30 am »

That's it!
I was on vacation so i didn't have continuous internet access. I never did a format conversion before on the laptop so I would not have had the "lame" software on my laptop.

I can test this on my laptop now that I'm home.
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CountryBumkin

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Re: Why did FLAC to MP3 conversion fail but FLAC to WMA is okay?
« Reply #12 on: May 15, 2015, 05:28:05 am »

Just tested again.

                           Not connected to internet - Fail


                          Connected to interent - Complete.



Thanks!!

PS. This is the kind of info that should be in the Wiki (or better yet, have MC download all the third-party software it needs at initial install).
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kstuart

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Re: Why did FLAC to MP3 conversion fail but FLAC to WMA is okay?
« Reply #13 on: May 15, 2015, 01:28:27 pm »

I will repeat a request for a hidden option to download all possibly needed downloads.

Previously the thought was to avoid the family sitting in front of the TV screen, waiting to watch a video while MC20 downloads something it needs.

Now add the thought that one might be away from internet access.

syndromeofadown

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Re: Why did FLAC to MP3 conversion fail but FLAC to WMA is okay?
« Reply #14 on: May 15, 2015, 02:08:58 pm »

Quote
I will repeat a request for a hidden option to download all possibly needed downloads.
I suggest a non-hidden, or default, option to download/update decoders, encoders, and lav.
I have suggested this a couple times before.
Quote
Give an option to update LAV filters while updating MC.
Currently if you forget to play a movie before leaving an internet connection it means no more ROHQ.

I am always recommending JRiver to friends. The problem is that most of them don't have internet.
Typically they are off the grid with 2G cell phone service(no data). A common problem is that they update there PC once in a while when in town and when they get home their video doesn't work anymore.
So they go back to using VLC.

Another issue is that a lot of people are still using ipods. I recommend they do conversions from FLAC with MC but then they have issues with non-downloaded encoders.

A lot of them are coming around and are now using MC for most of their playback and converting but it has taken years.
They expect MC to just work and when it doesn't they use whatever else they happen to have installed because it does work.

I think an option to download all components while updating will become more important in the near future as people start to replace ipads and androids with windows tablets for portable use.
I will be travelling to Europe soon and will not have internet at any of the places I am going (in the countryside). I have to make sure MC is good to go on my tablet because the only chance I will have to download components is at McDonalds, and I don't want to go to McDonalds.

Not everyone lives in a city. People without internet have a hard time requesting features like this, because they don't have internet.
Maybe JRiver will receive some letters in the mail.

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mwillems

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Re: Why did FLAC to MP3 conversion fail but FLAC to WMA is okay?
« Reply #15 on: May 15, 2015, 02:25:09 pm »

+1 for an option to download everything in advance for all the reasons listed above. 
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CountryBumkin

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Re: Why did FLAC to MP3 conversion fail but FLAC to WMA is okay?
« Reply #16 on: May 15, 2015, 03:11:05 pm »

+1

It really stinks when you are going a long trip (think 3+ hour plane ride) so you take your laptop with a couple of movies and a new install of MC but forget to play/start one movie before you leave the house.
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flac.rules

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Re: Why did FLAC to MP3 conversion fail but FLAC to WMA is okay?
« Reply #17 on: July 08, 2015, 10:30:30 am »

+1

It really stinks when you are going a long trip (think 3+ hour plane ride) so you take your laptop with a couple of movies and a new install of MC but forget to play/start one movie before you leave the house.

Yeah, I have been burned by this on plane-rides as well, a download everything-function would be nice.
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