How to convert FLAC files to MP3: Have you just finished downloading a music album and have you noticed that the downloaded ones are not standard MP3 songs, but rather “strange” files with the FLAC extension? There is nothing to worry about, believe me.
FLAC format files are songs and sounds encoded through a lossless free audio codec: the Free Lossless Audio Codec which, for the same size, ensures higher quality than that used for MP3s. Its only flaw – if we want to call it that – is that it is not adequately supported by all the players on the market.
In light of what has just been said, I thought to offer you today’s guide, in which we will see together how to convert FLAC to MP3 thanks to some free software for Windows and Mac OS X: choose the one that seems most suitable to your needs and / or easier to use and find out how to make the most of it by following the instructions below. I assure you that in no time you will be able to convert any FLAC file to MP3 and play it on all the devices you want. Happy reading and enjoy!
Fre: ac (Windows / Mac / Linux)
The first software that I recommend you try is Fre: ac , a free and open source audio converter compatible with Windows, Mac OS X and Linux.
To download it to your PC, connected to its website and click first on the Downloads item located in the left sidebar and then on the freac-xxexe link located next to the wording Self extracting installer (on the page that opens). Then, open the installation package of the program (eg freac – 1.0.26.exe ) and complete the setup by clicking in sequence on the Yes , Next , Yes , Next buttons for another four consecutive times and Finish .
When the procedure is complete, start Fre: ac and drag the FLAC files to be transformed into MP3 in the application window. Then click on the arrow located next to the green icon with the play symbol (top) and select the LAME MP3 encoder item from the menu that opens. The selected songs will be converted completely automatically and saved in the Music folder of your PC.
To change the destination folder of the files, click on the Browse button located at the bottom right. To adjust the audio codec settings, instead, use the gear icon located at the top left. In the window that opens, if you want to manually adjust the quality of the output files, choose the Custom settings item from the Use drop-down menu .
Do you have a Mac? In this case you can download Fre: ac by connecting to the application’s website and clicking first on the Downloads item located in the left sidebar and then on the freac-xx-macosx.dmg link . To install the program, open the dmg package that contains it and copy the Freac icon to the Applications folder of OS X.
That’s all. For the rest, the operation of the program is identical to what has just been seen for Windows systems, you must follow the same indications that I have given you before.
MediaHuman Audio Converter (Windows / Mac)
MediaHuman Audio Converter is another free software compatible with Windows and Mac OS X that allows you to convert FLAC files to MP3 in just a few clicks while preserving the quality of the original files (as far as possible).
To download it to your PC, connected to its website and click on the Download button located at the bottom left. Then open the installation package called MHAudioConverter.exe and click the Yes button . Then accept the conditions of use of the program, putting the check mark next to the item I accept the terms of the license agreement , and click in sequence on Next for four consecutive times and then on Install and Finish to complete the setup.
When the operation is complete, you just have to start MediaHuman Audio Converter and drag the FLAC files to be transformed into MP3 in the software window. Then expand the Format drop-down menu located at the top, select the MP3 and stereo, 44100Hz, 320kbps (or lower quality) items from the menus in the box that opens and press first on Close and then on the button with the two arrows located at the top right to start the conversion.
By default, songs converted by MediaHuman Audio Converter are saved in the MusicConverted by MediaHuman folder on your computer. If you want to change the destination path, first click on the wrench icon located at the top right and then on the button […] which is located under the Output folder item .
If you use a Mac, you can download MediaHuman Audio Converter by clicking on the Download button on the program website, while to install the software you just have to open the dmg package that contains it and drag its icon to the Applications folder of OS X. how the software works is the same as we have just seen together on Windows systems, you can follow the same procedure.
TAudioConverter (Windows)
TAudioConverter is a free and open source converter that supports all major audio file formats: FLAC, MP3, AAC, AAC HE, AC3, MusePack, Ogg Vorbis, Opus, WMA, DTS, ALAC, Monkey’s Audio, TAK, TTA, WavPack , AIFF and PCM. It works with all newer versions of Windows and is multithreaded, so it can use multiple encoders simultaneously to reduce processing time.
To download TAudioConverter on your PC, connected to its official website and click first on the Downloads item located in the left sidebar and then on the links fosshub.com, stable releases Visit and Download TAudioConverter Windows Installer 64bit (in the pages that open ). If you use a 32-bit operating system you must click on the Download TAudioConverter Windows Installer 32bit item and not on the “Download TAudioConverter Windows Installer 64bit” item.
When the download is complete, open the installation package of TAudioConverter (eg TAC (xx) setup_64bit.exe )
and click first on Yes and then on OK and Next . Then put the check mark next to the item I accept the terms of the license agreement and complete the program setup by clicking first on Next for five consecutive times and then on Install and Finish .
Now you just have to start TAudioConverter and drag the FLAC files to convert to MP3 in the main program window. Then select the MP3 – 320 kbps – Stereo – 44100Hz (or lower quality) item from the Presets drop-down menu and click the Start button located at the top right to start the conversion.
By default, the converted tracks are saved in your computer’s My Documents / TAC folder . To change the path, click on the Browse button located at the bottom right.
Media.io (Online)
You only have to convert a few songs and, to do so, don’t you want to install other applications on your computer? Then I believe that the best solution for you is Media io , an online service that allows you to convert all the main audio file formats directly from the browser (without requiring special plugins). It also does not require any registration.
Its operation is very simple. After connecting to its main page, click on the Select file to convert item and select the FLAC files you want to convert to MP3. Then click on the MP3 button (.mp3 file) and select the desired output quality from those available: low 96 kbit / s , Normal 128 kbit / s , High 192 kbit / s or Extreme 320 kbit / s .
Finally, press the Convert button and wait for your songs to be loaded and converted: it shouldn’t take long. Once the procedure is complete, click on the Download button and the MP3s generated by Media.io will be automatically downloaded to your computer.