BEST WAYS TO CONVERT WMA TO MP3 ON MAC AND WINDOWS

Introduction

Have you ever come across WMA files and wondered what they were? I am sure you have. Well, WMA is an audio file format just like MP3.

Both are lossy formats, meaning they remove a percentage of the data in order to minimize the size of the finished file. But of course, there are quite a few differences between these formats.

MP3 is a common industry standard, whereas WMA is a Microsoft-developed and implemented technology. Additionally, when compared to MP3, WMA offers better sound at lower bitrates, resulting in smaller file sizes. But again, you’ll need to obtain third-party software or convert your WMA files into a new format if you want to open them on anything other than Windows.

So, in case you are using any other platform other than Windows, you may need to change the WMA file to MP3. In this article, we will discuss a few of the methods you can adopt in order to convert WMA to MP3. But before we begin the discussion about the methods, we would like you to get a basic understanding of what exactly these file formats are.

What is a WMA file?

A Windows Media Audio (WMA) file is one that has the.wma ending. The format was devised by Microsoft to sidestep the copyright concerns that plagued the MP3 format.

Microsoft introduced WMA in 1999 to compete with MP3 and Apple’s AAC compression technologies. WMA has evolved from its original lossy format into a variety of sub-formats, ranging from low-bandwidth voice audio to lossless multi-channel surround sound.

WMA retains a higher degree of quality at lower bitrates than MP3, particularly when comparing bitrates less than 64 kbps.

Because WMA is a patented format, it is supported by fewer programs than the more frequently adopted MP3.

What is an MP3 file?

MP3 is a technical standard, and MPEG Audio Layer-3 is a compressed audio file format founded by MPEG (which stands for the Moving Picture Experts Group). A file extension and compression technique for compressing a sound series into a tiny file while maintaining comparable audio quality to a CD. MP3 files are commonly used to store a song or the entire CD data and require less disc space. Because MP3 files take up very little storage space, a computer may save a large number of music files, possibly hundreds or thousands.

Prior to the invention of MP3, music producers made money by keeping music on CDs and selling them to music fans. The music on a CD is uncompressed and of excellent quality. However, there is a flaw with it. To keep the music in excellent quality, a CD takes up a lot of space; a 3-minute song takes up roughly 32 megabytes. It can take up to two hours to download a track.

Later, MP3 was created, which uses lossy data compression to encode data via inexact approximation and partial data discarding, resulting in a significant reduction in file size when compared to uncompressed audio. A 32-megabyte CD song can be reduced down to 3 MB using MP3.

This is why the music business has been altered by MP3. It enables users to download and store songs fast on their PC and mobile device.

What are the best ways to convert WMA to MP3?

On Mac

Cisdem Video Converter

Using specialized and feature-rich software for converting WMA files to MP3 on a Mac is the best option. Cisdem Video Converter is one such application that will enable you to complete video/audio-related chores as rapidly as feasible.

It not only converts WMA to MP3 without sacrificing quality, but it also accepts practically all file formats, including M4A, MP3, MKV, MOV, MTS, MP4, YouTube, MP4, AVI, iPhone, and so on and so forth.

It also lets users download clips from over 1000 file-sharing websites and convert encrypted DVD content to WMA, MP3, and MP4 codecs.

Best characteristics:

1. Covers a wide range of media formats for input and output

2. Select the sampling rate, bitrate, and sample size for the output audio.

3. Encode video in HEVC/H.265 with the same image quality as before.

4. Previous to transcoding, combine numerous WMA audio files.

5. Use the built-in editor to improve your videos.

6. Convert DVDs to common file formats for use on mobile devices.

7. Download videos in SD, HD, and UHD from YouTube, Facebook, and other sites.

8. Files are processed in mass.

Step 1: Open WMA files on your computer.

Download and run Cisdem WMA to MP3 Converter on your Mac.

Drag & drop WMA files into the software from the main interface. Alternatively, you can use the button in the upper-right corner to add files from Media Browser.

Step 2: Choose MP3 as the output format.

When you click the format icon, a drop-down menu with tabs such as “General Video,” “General Audio,” “4K Video, Apple Device,” “Tablet,” and so on will display.

Select the MP3 format from the “General Audio” menu.

Step 3: Customize the encoding options (optional)

When you select the icon next to the file type you want, an “Advanced Settings” panel will appear, giving you choice over the output audio characteristics.

Step 4: On a Mac, convert numerous WMA files to MP3 files.

Your WMA files would be changed to MP3 files in groups if you select the conversion icon in the bottom right-hand corner.

On Windows

VLC Media Player

The VideoLAN team created VLC, which is an open-source audio and video player.

It can play MP4, WAV, WMV, DIVX, MP3, AAC, WMA, and other file types on Mac and Windows, as well as convert them to WebM, OGG, ASF, TS, CD, MP4, MP3, FLAC, and other formats.

Without malware, advertisements, or user monitoring, use these instructions to convert WMA files to MP3 on Mac as well as Windows using VLC.

1. VLC media player should be launched. On the status bar at the top of the Windows screen, select “File” > “Convert/Stream.”

2. Drop the WMA file into a designated place or click the “Open media” button to add the WMA when a new window appears.

3. Select “Audio - MP3” from the drop-down menu.

4. Select “Save as File” > “Browser” from the drop-down menu.

5. Pick a good place to store WMA as MP3 on Windows and rename your MP3 file (xxx.mp3).

VLC, on the other hand, is mostly used for video and audio playing. Its converting feature isn’t really useful. VLC’s capabilities are limited. You can’t download or distribute videos, nor can you rip DVDs using it. Furthermore, many users have stated that the interface might be improved.

How to convert WMA to MP3 online on Mac as well as Windows?

There are plenty of online converters available on the world wide web. But you could use our audio converting tool, Safe Audio Converter. It is an online tool, which is completely free to use as well. Our highly responsive design generates the desired output in no time, and the tool has been created in such a way that anyone can use it.

You don’t have to be concerned because the complete process is happening in your browser and no files are sent to our servers. As a result, your files are completely safe. It is completely free and online, which means you can use it as often as you need to, without having to pay anything and without having to install anything. It can run on a variety of platforms, including Mac, Linux, Android, and iPhone, and it also works well in a variety of browsers. We don’t believe in sacrificing quality. We ensure that the file’s quality is preserved while converting WMA to MP3.

Using our tool is very simple. All you have to do is choose an audio file by clicking the “Choose Audio File” button or pick Dropbox/Google Drive from the drop-down menu. Select the audio track (WMA) from your device that you want to convert.

Place the audio file on the site. The audio track will be processed by our software in a few seconds.

The track will then be converted from WMA to MP3 by our software.

A “Download” button displays on the screen once the conversion is complete. To save your content to your device automatically, click Download. That’s all there is to it!