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M4A is the file extension for MPEG-4 Audio, the audio part of your MPEG-4 videos. Apple has used the M4a (small "a") designation for several of the low-loss audio formats it's sold for years at the iTunes Store. To add to the confusion, some have digital rights management encryption, and some don't. To make a long story short, compatibility is the issue, especially for people with large MP3 collections. Maniac Tools' Free M4a to MP3 Converter does what its name indicates: it converts M4a, AAC, 3GP, and MP4 Audio files to MP3s (or WAVs) that are compatible with most media players and portables. While we're on the subject of compatibility, we should point out that Free M4A to MP3 Converter doesn't convert or play M4B files used by audiobooks.
Free M4a to MP3 Converter's simple user interface is easy to understand. It has a two-tiered toolbar, but only the top row contains buttons that activate Free M4a to MP3 Converter's features, the Add, Remove, Play, and Convert buttons. The bottom row links to other Manic utilities functionally related to Free M4a to MP3 Converter, such as ID3 Tag Editor, MP3 Splitter/Joiner, and Movienizer. We didn't try these downloads. But the M4a tool proved easy to use and capable. We changed the destination from Explorer's Music folder to our own destination; we could also specify whether we wanted the tool to save converted files in the destination folder or somewhere else. Under Output Formats, clicking the Setup button opened a simple tool for setting MP3 audio quality and some general preferences. While all this was really pretty easy, there's a good Help file. A Notifications Area on the program's menu bar popped up with notice of more of the developer's tools.
When we'd set Free M4a to MP3 Converter's options, we merely had to add our files, select the output format, and press Convert. Many a music collection contains some orphan files awaiting conversion, and we found a few without too much trouble. The converted MP3s played normally and sounded great, too, in our usual media player, though Free M4a to MP3 Converter plays files, too.
Free M4a to MP3 Converter - Convert files in M4a/AAC format to MP3 - Download Video Previews:Publisher's Description
From ManiacTools:
The race of audio formats has never ended or slowed down. Quite the opposite, it's just revving up and often confuses people by the variety of formats they have to choose from. So far, MP3 has been the most popular format in the world, but Apple's iTunes is catching up quickly with their M4A/AAC music due to the astounding sales volumes of their multimedia gadgets and the popularity of their online music distribution services. If you would like to be able to easily convert M4A/AAC music into MP3 and are seeking a simple, fast and affordable tool, Free M4A to MP3 Converter should be your first candidate for a permanent place in your software arsenal. The name of the software speaks for itself--it's free and narrowly focused. It allows you to convert m4a to MP3, convert AAC to MP3/WAV and listen to the converted music with the help of the built-in player. Using the program is a child's game--just browse your computer for m4a and aac audio, add the necessary files to the conversion list (or simply drag them from the Explorer and drop onto the working area of the application), specify the output location and the output audio parameters and click the "Convert" button on the toolbar. Free M4a to MP3 Converter also supports M4B files, which are usually used for audio books, so you won't have any problems converting this rather rare format into MP3, which can be played on virtually any audio device these days. If your original m4a or AAC audio had any tags with song-related information, they will be preserved as well, as the software supports tag inheritance during conversion. The program is currently available in 11 languages that you can switch on the go. For a free, stable and fast M4A conversion tool, look no further than Free M4a to MP3 Converter. Offering a functional minimum of features, it is perfect for what it was created for. Try it out to forget about the problem of converting your M4A/M4B/AAC audio into good old MP3 forever. You will never regret it.
What's new in this version: Version 7.2 improves work with MP3 tags, fixes M4a to MP3 converter for some files.
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All versions:
4.2 starsout of 103 votes
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Current version:
4.0 starsout of 6 votes
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My rating:
Write review
Results 1-6 of 6
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"Works great"
Version: Free M4a to MP3 Converter 7.2
Pros
Easy to use, Quick
Cons
Tries to market other stuff to you, but I suppose that's the downside to freeware.
Summary
Does just what it's supposed to
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"Nifty program."
Version: Free M4a to MP3 Converter 7.2
Pros
It works. It's easy to use, did what it said it would. No problems.
Cons
Can't think of any.
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"Does what it advertises."
Version: Free M4a to MP3 Converter 7.2
Pros
Streamlined conversion between M4a and MP3 without much messing around.
Cons
I suppose it's to be expected, but tries to convince you to install additional "useful tools".
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"Not Sure About 1/6/2013 Review..."
Version: Free M4a to MP3 Converter 7.2
Pros
Slick, Easy and it Works!
Cons
No Problems at All!
Summary
Not sure about the reviewer on 1/6/2013 that was not happy with the download because it cost extra money. I downloaded on 1/26/2013 and successfully converted an iTunes M4a file of Whitney Houston music to an MP3 with no problem and no additional charges. My advice: GO FOR IT! Slick and easy with no problems at all!
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"Ratings are self serving junk"
Version: Free M4a to MP3 Converter 7.2
Pros
None. CNET tells me this is free - it is NOT! You will not find out until after you use it that it puts an audio tag on your file. To get rid of it you have activate (buy!!!) something. I am tired of software companies misleading me and wasting my time. I'm writing my congressman. Hopfully they will get on your case real soon!
Cons
See above - thanks
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"Totally Brilliant!"
Version: Free M4a to MP3 Converter 7.2
Pros
A complete newbie to these processes. This download saved me! I wanted to download Itunes downloads to an MP3 player, but their files are M4a!!!! So found this on the web and hey presto! Was very easy to use and quick as well. Happy days :0)
Cons
None so far and hopefully it stays that way!
Results 1-6 of 6
