FLAC,SHN converter

[bear]

My hard drive on my laptop just shit the bed and I replaced it so Im in the process of loading everything back on there. I forget what I had as a file converter. Can anyone point me in the right direction to find a free file converter that works on FLAC, SHN, MP# and WAV files? Thanks.

I have a PC.

[tim]

I use dbPowerAmp music converter.

[pete]

FooBar (http://www.foobar2000.org/) is my favorite. Plays just about everything (you need to download a plugin for shorten), and converts nearly anything directly into damn near anything else. Plus it's lightweight and highly configurable.

[bitchtits]

yea Dbpoweramp is the best thats what ive used for years

[Phrazz]

There are many reasons why dbPowerAmp is the shiznitz (for the PC). One major reason is that it will convert from any audio format to every other audio format and has file explorer built-ins so you can just right-click to do this quickly. It also has AccurateRip, which uses digital checksums to make perfectly flawless MP3 rips (at fixed bit rates, don't think it's so easy to checksum VBRs). The paid version gives you a RAM-resident ripper that is much faster (and is worth the $36, though the free version is fast enough for most people). There are some real nice skins, including one with a 1/3 octave EQ/spectrum analyzer with a snappy VU meter (peak/hold and clip lights, etc).

There are some oddities that I haven't been able to figure out...like when you drag 'n' drop a SHN file it plays a random MP3 (apparently, maybe since I moved around and reconverted parts of my library...might have to drop and reload it in its entirety to fix that).

dbPowerAmp also supports most major MP3 players, also with drag 'n' drop. It takes a bit of work to get all the CODEC plug-ins and skins installed, but is well worth the time.

P.S.: Get a cheap external, download all your packages to an Install/ folder, then when your main HD dies again it'll be easy to reinstall. With a big enough external you can make a clone image of your internal HD (TeraByte drives are pretty cheap these days ;-}). Laptop internals are only good for a couple/three years if you take your laptop on the road even just once a week.

[edits to previous posts for clarity]