- Quick specs
- Price: Free to try (30-day trial); $18.00 to buy
- Operating system: Windows Vista, Windows Me, Windows NT, Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows 98
- Date added: February 15, 2007
- Total Downloads: 16,352,561
- Downloads last week: 4,888
- See full specifications
A newer version of dBpoweramp Music Converter is available.
(Download doesn't provide access to previous versions of this program.)
- CNET editors' rating: stars
- Average user rating: stars out of 823 votes
See all user reviews
CNET editors' review
Reviewed by: CNET Staff
This mostly standard audio utility simply converts files and rips CDs, but it works without a hitch. dBpowerAmp Music Converter has separate interfaces for extracting audio from discs and batch converting tunes. In our tests, the program showed good speed. It can even rip some protected audio CDs and includes a basic player.
It queries CD information from the Web and can automatically create subfolders and name tracks. To keep the download size small, it only includes MP3 (LAME) and WAV codecs, though you can easily download and install additional components from the publisher's site. Similar to other utilities in this genre, dBpowerAmp Music Converter lets you determine the audio quality of your new files, though it also offers an ample number of presets.
Also, unlike some competing programs, this demo will let you rip or transform as many files as you like for a full month. Most people who rip and convert audio files occasionally will find something to like about dBpowerAmp Music Converter, particularly novices.
Watch the CNET video review of dBpoweramp Music Converter:
Publisher's description
From Illustrate :dBpoweramp Music Converter nicknamed the Swiss knife of audio: Digitally rip audio CDs (secure, fast, AccurateRip). Convert audio formats while preserving ID tags. Windows Integration: audio info tips and columns. DSP Effects. ID tag editing [Power Pack]. Practically every audio type is supported, including mp3, mp4, m4a, Windows Media Audio (WMA), OGG Vorbis, AAC, Monkey's Audio, and FLAC (from Codec Central).
Version 12 is Unicode and vista compatible. Also includes secure ripper that uniquely combines accurate ripping with speed. Partnered with All Media Guide (AMG) to provide premiere metadata. All codecs updated to latest versions, with support for Album art and ratings.
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User reviews of dBpoweramp Music Converter 12
- Average user rating: 3.3 stars out of 823 votes
- My rating: 0 stars Write review
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Showing 5 of 8 user reviewsSee all 8 user reviews
This software version | All versions -
7 out of 10 people found this review helpful
Version: dBpoweramp Music Converter 12
Pros: After what seems like (and may have indeed been) years of hearing good things about this, I finally decided to try it.
I can only say I was very disappointed. Of the seven formats I use, only MP3 was included in the package, the rest had to be downloaded as plug-ins---now, I DON'T take a point off for this, since I believe strongly in extensible software with minimal default features, but it makes no sense not to even include Ogg in the base package of a program like this.
Cons: Then I find they claim they must charge $14 for MP3 encoding beyond 30 days---even though they use LAME, which is free and open-source---there may be some valid legal reason for this, but I haven't the foggiest notion what that might be; I can think of many LAME-aware programs that are free. And no, I don't encode to MP3 often anymore, preferring other formats, but when I do, I use LAME, and it's free.
Finally, the size of the program when installed is absolutely unwieldy, at least in contrast to the converter/encoder I normally use, Multi-Frontend.
And it's Multi-Frontend I'll be sticking with, after having tried dBpowerAMP, which seems to me a pretty, but overrated program.
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13 out of 26 people found this review helpful
Version: dBpoweramp Music Converter 12
Pros: They don't call this the "Swiss Army Knife" of digital audio for nothing. This program can do practically anything necessary, from ripping to tagging to converting, and does it all with a small footprint, shell integration, and amazing accuracy. Plus, for full use, the $14 price tag is negligible--not only the most reasonable price I've seen recently, but full functionality without registration for most uses. This is, doubtless, the best audio shareware available.
Cons: The only thing I've found that this program CAN'T do is repair audio files. But it doesn't claim to do that, so it's not really a "con."
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8 out of 18 people found this review helpful
Version: dBpoweramp Music Converter 12
"I think the program is fairly ugly and unclear about options"
Pros: Does not support iTunes ? Plus, the fee now is $18 instead of $14 - AND the high-end Reference version does NOT include free lifetime upgrades. You pay $28 for the top of the line professional version and you only get "Free minor version upgrades"?
Cons: I have some mp3 files that my new thing won't
play. And? Compupic won't play one or more of
'um either.
I used both the batch converter and the music con-
verter to try to get info for a specific file that
played fine so's to get the DarningMySocks thing
to work.
Couldn't.
And so, big sigh, I used a default set of settings
that is in my mind but not in the batch converter
as a default and it did good--the 3 converts I've
checked seemed fine.
I'm rating this as a 1 because the dynamic rename
is greyed out, explorer-crashing, and things from that.
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14 out of 27 people found this review helpful
Version: dBpoweramp Music Converter 12
"Why to pay for this bad program ?"
Pros: I thought it would be good.
Cons: Crashes too often. Rendered my newly installed Windows Vista useless.
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11 out of 23 people found this review helpful
Version: dBpoweramp Music Converter 12
Pros: its still a good program for a quick conversion from wav to mp3 or flac and ape files
Cons: since installing it again after a computer crash,i have NOT been able to reinstall the ogg vorbis codec nor will it allow me to.
its either the illustrate site which never has a solution or the stupid codec itself.its buggy!and thats sad cause it used to be number one for me!
- See all 8 user reviews Write review
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