Convert WMA audio files

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Revision as of 10:18, 23 April 2010 by Greenea (Talk | contribs)

What is a WMA file?

Windows Media Audio (WMA) is an audio data compression technology developed by Microsoft. See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.wma It is also the default file format for the Olympus Digital recorders available through media loan

How do I convert WMA files to something useful?

Windows

You don't need to convert these files as they are native to Windows and will play under Express Scribe.

Macintosh

Options for 10.6 users
Options for 10.5 or older:
Alert: As of Dec 2009, there is a conflict between the latest version of Switch and Flip4Mac causing it to crash while trying to convert wma files. Make sure you use a previous version of Flip4mac 2.2.3.7 seems to be working.
Using Switch

Once installed (or if you're in one of the campus' computer labs where these applications are already installed):

  1. Drag your .wma file into Switch
  2. select the output format that you desire from the drop down menu (i.e. .wav or .mp3)
  3. Pay attention to the output folder. This is where your converted file is going to be saved
  4. highlight your file in the main window and select Convert


Online Media file conversion

If none of these works for you there's always mediaconverter.org, a handy, free site where you can convert media files to and from almost every useful format. It's a bit slow, and you can't do batch conversion, but it'll work in a pinch.