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[Ch1k3n]

Hello!

Does anyone know of any good FREE Program that converts MP4 (or any video) to MP3?
I don't know how to do it with Audacity, if it's possible to do it with audacity, can you tell me how?

Thanks!

[Thomas Matta]

iTunes does it....

[Eastcheap]

Does anyone know of any good FREE Program that converts MP4 (or any video) to MP3?
I don't know how to do it with Audacity, if it's possible to do it with audacity, can you tell me how?

You need a version of audacity that uses the ffmpeg libraries (more info HERE).  With that, you should be able to import a video file the same as you would an audio file.

If you want more flexibility, you might try a static ffmpeg build from
http://ffmpeg.zeranoe.com/builds/.  By way of example, the typical .mp4 file contains H264 video and AAC audio.  If you merely want to listen to the audio on a device that supports AAC (e.g. something running rockbox or beginning with the letter "i"), you can extract the audio without modification with a command like:

  ffmpeg -vn -i somevideo.mp4 -acodec copy myaudio.m4a

ffmpeg also can do all sorts of A/V transcoding.  It's way too complicated to go into in detail, but if you must convert to mp3 (sigh), you could use:

  ffmpeg -vn -i somevideo.mp4 -acodec libmp3lame -ab (desired bitrate) myaudio.mp3

assuming that LAME is built in, or just:

  ffmpeg -vn -i somevideo.mp4 myaudio.wav

for a PCM .wav file you can then process with audacity or something else.

[ParLawGod]

Any Video Converter is a free program that will do that for you. Open up the file, select your output format (MP3), and click "convert." Simple and easy!

http://www.any-video-converter.com/products/for_video_free/

[Ch1k3n]

You need a version of audacity that uses the ffmpeg libraries (more info HERE).  With that, you should be able to import a video file the same as you would an audio file.

If you want more flexibility, you might try a static ffmpeg build from
http://ffmpeg.zeranoe.com/builds/.  By way of example, the typical .mp4 file contains H264 video and AAC audio.  If you merely want to listen to the audio on a device that supports AAC (e.g. something running rockbox or beginning with the letter "i"), you can extract the audio without modification with a command like:

  ffmpeg -vn -i somevideo.mp4 -acodec copy myaudio.m4a

ffmpeg also can do all sorts of A/V transcoding.  It's way too complicated to go into in detail, but if you must convert to mp3 (sigh), you could use:

  ffmpeg -vn -i somevideo.mp4 -acodec libmp3lame -ab (desired bitrate) myaudio.mp3

assuming that LAME is built in, or just:

  ffmpeg -vn -i somevideo.mp4 myaudio.wav

for a PCM .wav file you can then process with audacity or something else.

Ok, I downloaded the ffmpeg but I'm not sure what to do with it now..... can you help me?

[SilverBone]

Ok, I downloaded the ffmpeg but I'm not sure what to do with it now..... can you help me?

Did you look at the information in the link that Eastcheap provided?

http://manual.audacityteam.org/man/FAQ:Installation_and_Plug-Ins#installffmpeg

[Ch1k3n]

yeah. I saw those instructions, but my preferences screen doesn't look like that. It has tabs on the top and it doesn't have a "Libraries" tab.

[Matt K]

I believe Handbrake also does what you want.

[Eastcheap]

yeah. I saw those instructions, but my preferences screen doesn't look like that. It has tabs on the top and it doesn't have a "Libraries" tab.

What version of audacity? (Support for ffmpeg 0.6/0.7 requires at least 1.3.13.)

If you're upgrading from a 1.2 version, you may also need to download the LAME libraries mentioned elsewhere in the FAQ.

[Ch1k3n]

ahh yes I have version 1.2.6, and haven't downloaded LAME yet. let me try that first and i'll report back