How to Convert FLAC Files to MP3 Files in OS X
The FLAC audio format provides for high-quality, noncompressed music files. But these files cannot be listened to on portable audio players such as iPods and iPhones. The solution is to convert the FLAC file into the MP3 audio format, since MP3 is compatible with and can be played on all of the mobile players. This conversion can be easily done on a Macintosh in OS X and in no way affects the original FLAC files.
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Instructions
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Download the xACT audio software from the website linked in Resources. Click on the xACT audio software when the download is complete and follow the directions to install the software.
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Run the xACT audio software. Select the "Decode" tab at the top left of the xACT window that has now appeared. Click the "Add" button at the lower left of the xACT window, navigate to a FLAC file and highlight it in the window that has now appeared. Press the "Add Files" button at the lower right of the window to load the FLAC file and close the window.
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Select the "WAV" button to the right of the FLAC file in the xACT window and press the "Decode" button below it.
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Select the location to save the file in the window that has now appeared and then click "Choose" at the lower right of the window. The file will now be converted and saved to the location you have specified (e.g., the desktop).
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Close xACT. The MP3 file can now be used in iTunes or an MP3 player or an iPod among other devices. Archive or delete the FLAC audio file.
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Tips & Warnings
FLAC audio files are of better quality than MP3 files and so provide a greater audio experience. That makes them worth keeping and listening to, even if they can't be played on an iPod.
Because there is always the chance of a file getting corrupted, it is safer to make a copy of the FLAC file and convert that copy. Should there be a problem, the original file will have been untouched.
References
Resources
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