Converting DRM Protected WMA to MP3 - Procedure Explained
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The procedure itself is simple. The first step is to burn your WMA files to CD, which can be accomplished in Windows Media Player. (This tutorial is based on Media Player version 10, so things might look slightly different if you’re using some other version). To burn your CD you will need to open Media Player in the "full" view and select the "burn" tab. Now simply drag the files you want to convert into the Burn List window and make sure the boxes are all checked. You should see something like this:
Now make sure you have a blank writable CD in your burner and click the Start Burn button. Assuming you have a license for CD burning, Media player will convert the tracks to CD audio format and burn them to the CD.
You now have a standard audio CD which you can play in any CD player – it’s worth doing this just to be sure. However, this won’t help you listen to the tracks on your iPod or other MP3 player. To do this there is a further step, which involves extracting the audio from the CD and saving it to MP3 format.
Once again there are a number of software options for achieving this, including Media Player itself and iTunes. Many third-party alternatives also exist, some of which will be familiar to you, such as Winamp and Music Match Jukebox; some less so, including the well-regarded Audiograbber.
It doesn’t matter greatly which you choose, as they all do a similar job. The main difference between them is the control you have over the process and the accuracy of the audio extraction. Another factor to consider is the ripper’s integration with online CD databases, which save lots of typing by looking up the CD’s artist and track details and including these in its track naming scheme.
Next: Other Processes >>
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