Converting FLAC to MP3

This guide assumes you are running Windows.

Prerequisites

You will need:

• foobar2000
• LAME 3.99.5

Converting

• Note: if you plan to burn these MP3 files to a CD for playback in your car, make sure the files do not have a sample rate of 48khz (if they are, this is stated on the page where you downloaded the recording from). If the recording you wish to burn has a sample rate of 48khz, follow the Sample Rate Conversion guide from the Converting to MP3 format section instead.

1. Install foobar2000. The default settings are sufficient, just advance through the pages.
2. Extract LAME to somewhere you'll remember it, for example, a subfolder called "LAME" in your music directory.
3. Open foobar2000.
4. Drag and drop the files you wish to convert.
   • If the tracks are not already selected, select them all.
5. Right click anywhere in the selected area.
6. Mouse over "Convert", then click "..."
   1. Click "Output format".
   2. From the list, select "MP3 (LAME)". Click "Edit".
   3. Drag the slider to the left until it says "~190kbps (*), V2". This setting results in files which are significantly smaller than the original, yet should sound the same as the lossless (FLAC) files.
   4. Click "OK", then click "Back".
7. Click "Convert".
   1. When asked to locate LAME, browse to the directory you extracted LAME to in step 2 and click OK.
   2. When asked to pick a directory to place the converted files in, create a directory and double click it, then click OK.
   3. Wait for the files to finish converting. This may take several minutes depending on your computer's speed, and how long the recording being converted is.
8. You now have high quality MP3 files of whichever recording you converted. These MP3 files will play without a problem on your portable device of choice, and will play in most vehicles' CD players if burned on to a CD-R as part of a data disc.
   • If you need to convert more recordings, start the process again from step 5, but instead click [last used] in the "Converter" context menu.
   • Please do not distribute MP3 files of lossless recordings publicly, but feel free to give copies of the files to your friends who may appreciate the recording.