# MP4 to MP3 format **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 21, 2005, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mp4-to-mp3-format/295618 "2005-03-21T19:35:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2005, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mp4-to-mp3-format/295618/1 "2005-03-21T19:35:14Z")
I have an MP3 player, which is not an iPod. I do, however, use iTunes, and, whenever you rip a CD or buy something from the iTunes store, it’s apparently in MP4 format, which my player doesn’t support. Anyone know of any software (freeware/shareware preferable but not critical) that’ll convert file formats like that? ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2005, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mp4-to-mp3-format/295618/2 "2005-03-21T20:51:27Z")
Pretty much you’re limited to burning to CD, and then ripping into the format you want. Maybe some of the virtual CD utilities in Windows (I imagine Windows, since you’re not using an iPod) can eliminate the need for physically burning CD’s very slowly. Also check for some fair play type DRM removers in Google. I won’t post names or links out of respect for the SDMB policies. ---
**Author:** ![1010011010](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/ea666f/32.png) [@1010011010](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/1010011010)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2005, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mp4-to-mp3-format/295618/3 "2005-03-21T21:17:27Z")
If all else fails, you can play the song on your computer while recording in another program. This is the so-called “analog hole” that renders all attempts at copy protection irrelevant. No matter how foolproof the system, if anyone can play the music, someone will also be able to make a DRM-free recording of it, too. It might not be “perfect digital quality” but, come on, the most common bitrate is 128kbps! Also, even if your player did support AAC, it probably still wouldn’t play the music you bought and paid for through iTunes, since it has digital restrictions. Can your player decode OGG? ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2005, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mp4-to-mp3-format/295618/4 "2005-03-21T22:21:09Z")
Hey NinjaChick, I think[JHymn](http://www.hymn-project.org/jhymndoc/) will do exactly what you are looking for. ---
**Author:** ![Anachronism](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e56c9b/32.png) [@Anachronism](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anachronism)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2005, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mp4-to-mp3-format/295618/5 "2005-03-21T22:29:53Z")
Itunes has the option to rip to .mp3 (from a CD). You can also convert unprotected acc files to mp3. You can not convert music purchesed from the iTunes store but as a work around you can burn it to a CD then rip it as mp3 (you are allowed a couple burns with eaxh purchesed song, I can’t remembver how many), of course there will be some quality loss this way. Itunes files are m4a format, but I belive it is the same as mp4, I had some mp4 files that I changed the extension to m4a and they still worked. ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2005, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mp4-to-mp3-format/295618/6 "2005-03-22T00:36:01Z")
> [@1010011010](#): > > This is the so-called “analog hole” that renders all attempts at copy protection irrelevant. No matter how foolproof the system, if anyone can play the music, someone will also be able to make a DRM-free recording of it, too. It might not be “perfect digital quality” but, come on, the most common bitrate is 128kbps! There is DRM that can theoretically plug the analog hole. It’s called digital watermarking. You can impose a sound on top of a recorded piece that humans are theoretically unable to hear but can be picked up by recording devices and can survive numerous manglings. If a player picks up such a signature, then it refuses to play the track. Kind of like the little red dot scheme for preventing piracy of movies that crashed and burned. It hasn’t really taken off because ardent audiophiles swear they can hear the signature over the music. Whether they really can or not is debatable given audiophiles traditional revulsion for double blind testing but the perception was enough to stop it being marketed. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2005, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mp4-to-mp3-format/295618/7 "2005-03-22T00:48:57Z")
> [@Shalmanese](#): > > You can impose a sound on top of a recorded piece that humans are theoretically unable to hear but can be picked up by recording devices and can survive numerous manglings. If a player picks up such a signature, then it refuses to play the track. Never could work, though. What’s to stop me from writing a player that doesn’t bother looking for the watermark? ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2005, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mp4-to-mp3-format/295618/8 "2005-03-22T01:11:05Z")
Ah…I think that I’ve got what I need now, without needing to just forget about my purchased music, or needing to delete old files and re-rip all my CDs using (_shudder_) RealPlayer. Thanks, all. ---
**Author:** ![ZebraShaSha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/eada6e/32.png) [@ZebraShaSha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZebraShaSha)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2005, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mp4-to-mp3-format/295618/9 "2005-03-22T02:03:16Z")
As one final suggestion, [http://www.dbpoweramp.com/](http://www.dbpoweramp.com/) is the general go-to type of music converter for almost all musical formats. ---
**Author:** ![rexnervous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e9c0ed/32.png) [@rexnervous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rexnervous)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2005, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mp4-to-mp3-format/295618/10 "2005-03-22T02:16:18Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > Hey NinjaChick, > > I think[JHymn](http://www.hymn-project.org/jhymndoc/) will do exactly what you are looking for. This is the exact tool you need. I had the same issue last week, signed up to iTunes to **purchase** two songs I wanted to have on my .mp3 player I use at the gym. Little did I realize iTunes doesn’t support any portable player but iPod (stupid, stupid idea, though normally I admire Apple). About an hour of research led me to Jhymn. Worked like a charm. ---
**Author:** ![1010011010](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/ea666f/32.png) [@1010011010](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/1010011010)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2005, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mp4-to-mp3-format/295618/11 "2005-03-22T02:24:17Z")
It’s not like RealPlayer is your only other option to rip/encode. I use [WinDAC](http://www.windac.de/eng/index.shtml), personally. ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2005, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mp4-to-mp3-format/295618/12 "2005-03-23T04:19:52Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > Never could work, though. What’s to stop me from writing a player that doesn’t bother looking for the watermark? Well, this is where TCPA aka NGCE aka Palladium comes into play. The hardware could prevent you from accessing the speakers if it detects watermarked content. ---
**Author:** ![11811](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/9d8465/32.png) [@11811](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/11811)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2005, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mp4-to-mp3-format/295618/13 "2005-03-23T12:38:35Z")
> [@Shalmanese](#): > > Well, this is where TCPA aka NGCE aka Palladium comes into play. The hardware could prevent you from accessing the speakers if it detects watermarked content. In iTunes preferences, the “Importing” preferences let you choose between AAC (the MP4 format), AIFF, Apple Lossless, MP3, or WAVE. 11811 ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2005, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mp4-to-mp3-format/295618/14 "2005-03-23T13:59:14Z")
> [@Shalmanese](#): > > Well, this is where TCPA aka NGCE aka Palladium comes into play. The hardware could prevent you from accessing the speakers if it detects watermarked content. That’s assuming people will accept trusted computing and buy machines that support it. People are stupid en masse in general, so I suppose it’s inevitable… Nah… there’ll always be a market – even if it’s a black market – for hardware without trusted computing restrictions. But you know something, **Shalmanese** , you make a good, scary point!