Fre:AC User Reviews
Results 1-2 of 2
-
"Good, free, batch converter, maintains folder structure"
Version: Fre:AC 1.0.20a
Pros
* Able to batch convert/transcode audio files and duplicate hierarchical folder structure!!!
* Also able to flatten hierarchical folders to single folder.
* Fast and lightweight.
* Flexible settings for quality, file-naming, ID3-tags, etc.
* Pretty intuitive user interface.
* Free and open-source.
* Community forum can answer questions.
* Can automatically create a playlist from the transcoded selection.
* Can rename files based on ID3-tag info.
* Has song-information database lookup.
* Can save and load batch encoding jobs so that you can quickly re-run batch jobs with different settings.Cons
* I couldn't find an online manual or tutorial but the program is very intuitive and there is an online forum that you can search or ask if you have questions.
Summary
Years ago I ripped my 500+ CDs to WMA lossless (using Windows Media Player) to my home-theatre-PC so that I can have high quality (SPDIF-to-amp) audio in my house. However, those lossless files are too big for portable devices (like smartphones) so I wanted to batch convert (transcode) to a compressed, portable format like MP3. But I wanted to duplicate the same directory structure (artist-folders/album-subfolders) in the new portable music directory. There are several paid programs (like DB PowerAmp) that can do this, but Fre:AC is the only free, open-source program that I found that can do this.
Oops! Contrary to my "Con" point above, there is actually a built-in barebones manual that can be accesses by hitting the "Help" button in the upper right hand corner of Fre:AC.
If you're interested, here's how...
1) Drag your source music directory onto Fre:AC and choose your desired output format (MP3, WMA, MP4, AAC, FLAC, Ogg, Bonc, etc.) and quality level.
2) Under "General settings setup" ("Encoders" tab) browse to your desired output directory (folder).
3) Enter the following output "Filename pattern": <directory>\<filename>
Duplicating the folder structure wasn't intuitive, but everything else about Fre:AC was very intuitive. No manual needed.
If you don't want to duplicate the outputted folder structure, by default, Fre:AC will "flatten" the source directory by outputting all transcoded songs from the source directory (and its subfolders) into one target directory.
Fre:AC has a bunch of other nice features, some of which I described in the "Pros:" bullet points above.
Fre:AC works great and does everything that I need.
Happy transcoding!
Updated on May 30, 2012 -
"Da*m good ripper"
Version: Fre:AC 1.0.20a
Pros
Quick quick quick and did a fine job. Clean rip, enough options to please the majority, it's FREE and did I mention fast?
Cons
No real instructions, but doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out this one
Results 1-2 of 2
Add Your Review
Submit your reply
E-mail this review
Report offensive content
You must be 13 years of age or older to submit personal information to CNET Networks. In compliance with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998, CNET Networks does not accept name and e-mail address information from users who are under 13 years of age.
All submitted ratings and written comments become the sole property of CNET Networks, Inc. (CNET) and may be used at CNET Networks' sole discretion. Ratings and written comments are generally posted within two to four business days in batch groups, not in real time. However, CNET Networks reserves the right to remove or refuse to post any submission for any reason. You acknowledge that you, not CNET Networks, are responsible for the contents of your submission.
CNET Networks is not responsible for the content of the publisher's descriptions or user reviews on this site. We encourage you to determine whether this product or your intended use is legal. We do not encourage or condone the use of any software in violation of applicable laws. CNET Download.com does not sell, resell, or license any of the products listed on the site. We cannot be held liable for issues that arise from the download or use of these products.
