# Converting .--- into .mp3

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/converting-into-mp3/118497>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 11, 2002, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/converting-into-mp3/118497 "2002-07-11T20:43:08Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Sympatha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c57346/32.png) [@Sympatha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sympatha)\
**Post date:** [July 11, 2002, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/converting-into-mp3/118497/1 "2002-07-11T20:43:08Z")

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Would anyone know a program (favorably freeware) that can convert .wma, .ra, and the like into .mp3s? Any help would be appreciated.

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**Author:** ![DougC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@DougC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DougC)\
**Post date:** [July 11, 2002, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/converting-into-mp3/118497/2 "2002-07-11T20:57:57Z")

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    - For converting .wma’s and .wav’s to MP3, try Tucows or Shareware Music Machine for free/trial programs.

- For .ra files… these are RealAudio files, and I don’t recall anything that will extract directly. The file standard belongs to Real, you see. You can capture it on the soundcard or with a program such as Total Recorder (that records “what you hear”) and then save it as a .wav, then convert it to an MP3.
- Also: most all good MP3 convertors cost money, because they use a codec they have to license from somebody else. - DougC

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**Author:** ![mblackwell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5fc32e/32.png) [@mblackwell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mblackwell)\
**Post date:** [July 11, 2002, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/converting-into-mp3/118497/3 "2002-07-11T21:21:05Z")

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There is a program called TINRA that will convert RealMedia video files into monsterously huge AVIs. I have never tried it with an ra file, but it might work. Then you could extract the wav from the sound-only avi using Virtualdub, then convert the wav to mp3. Probably wouldn’t work right, just an idea.

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**Author:** ![erislover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/71e660/32.png) [@erislover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erislover)\
**Post date:** [July 11, 2002, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/converting-into-mp3/118497/4 "2002-07-11T22:43:30Z")

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[http://www.dbpoweramp.com/](http://www.dbpoweramp.com/)

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**Author:** ![Sympatha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c57346/32.png) [@Sympatha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sympatha)\
**Post date:** [July 12, 2002, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/converting-into-mp3/118497/5 "2002-07-12T00:13:06Z")

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Thank you all, I will try these methods ASAP. Woo!