If you've ever downloaded an MP3, and don't happen to have a Rio or some other portable MP3 walkman device, then you've probably wanted to convert the MP3 into a WAV file. Or, perhaps you have a WAV file of your friends new band, but would like to make an MP3 of it; just how do you go about doing it?

There are many options out there to do either of these operations, but there are very few that allow you to do both. In an effort to help the general public, and capitalize off of the work of other (namely Microsoft's ACM), I've release ACM Convert; a simple to use MP3->WAV WAV->MP3 converter! It gives you full access to the ACM codec's configuration, giving you the maximum flexibility available!

So, how do you use it? Simple, load up the program, select Encode or Decode, then select the MP3 codec you want to use (if one doesn't show up, you need to get one, which is detailed later on in the file), then load up the wave file you want to encode (using 'Select File'), and then choose the appropriate encoding format; if it's a stereo file, choose a format that says stereo, etc. When you load up the WAV file, it will display it's properties in the panel to the left, to make this step easier! Then, once everything is configured, just hit 'Convert', and away you go! If something is not set up properly, it will report 'Error: Unable to start conversion (or encoder) driver', if this happens, it means that the incoming format (either channels, sample rate, or sample depth are not compatible with the format you've selected, and it needs to be converted in another package (such as CoolEdit or WaveLab).

To convert an MP3 file into a WAV, just select 'Decode', select the MP3 codec you want, then select 'Select File' and load up the MP3 file you want. Just as with the WAV file, it will display any relevant information in the panel to the right to help you select the correct format... The just hit 'Convert' and away you go!

In either case, the output file has the same name, it just get's the extension replaced; so if it was called 'song.wav' it will be encoded to 'song.mp3', like- wise 'song.mp3' will be decoded to 'song.wav'. If the decoded song does not sound correct (ie, it sounds too fast or slow), they you probably selected the wrong output format, and need to generate it again.

In order to use ACM Convert *AT ALL*, you MUST have ACM installed (which you more than likely do if you have either the Media player in your system, or IE4 or greater), as well as an ACM MP3 codec... Microsoft has an encoder available in their NetShow distribution (linked below). So, make sure to install the Windows Media player, and THEN install Microsoft Netshow. If for some reason the encoder doesn't show up, just try installing Netshow again; it tends to be a little flaky on the install.

     Microsoft Windows Media (ACM)

     Microsoft Netshow v3.01 (MP3 Encoder)

     Commercially available ACM Encoder

If you do run into any problems on getting it working (ie, getting it to see the encoder plugin), then download my other ACM utility called 'ACM Properties' which will show you EVERY ACM codec installed on your system... If you see an MP3 encoder in there (it will identify the format as MP3), and it doesn't show up in ACM Convert, then please let me know! If you can't get either apps to see any plugins, then you don't have ACM installed, and you need to download the Media Player and install it. If you see plugins but no MP3 encoder, then you don't have one installed (it doesn't by default), and you're going to need to download the NetShow 3.01 distribution, or buy the Opticom one. If you have ANY other problems related to getting it going - DO NOT EMAIL ME!!!!!!! I will just throw them in the trash because there is NOTHING I can do for you. The above process should help you identify whatever the problem is, and what you can do to correct it. If, however, the program crashes, or something like that happens, then please don't hesitate to contact me.