convert .wav file to MP3 file

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Dear Sirs,
I am trying to record some sentences in English to help Spanish speakers to learn to pronounce English properly. I have discovered the Sound Recorder on my computer (Win XP SP2) and successfully recorded a couple files. However, when I burn the recorded files to a CD so that it can be passed around, the CD can only be played on a computer. I was thinking that if the files were MP3 files, more people could use the CD, since most people here (Costa Rica) don’t have computers.
I did a Google search and found many listings, but I am scared to download files from an unknown site.
Does anyone know a safe site I can download a program from? Or is there a good inexpensive program that I could understand easily, available?
Thank you,
Julia

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Julia,
What sites were you thinking of downloading the files that seemed good to you?
Maybe we can advise you from there.

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I’m wondering if you have tried to play the CD in a CD player ?? From what I know about Sound Recorder, it records and saves files in the .wav format. If you then use Windows Media Player to burn the files to CD you should have an option to make the CD playable in any CD player.

Do you know what the files you are working with are ??

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There are many programs that can make an audio CD (which will play in any audio CD player) from WAV or MP3 files. The audio CD format also is sometimes called CDA.

I use Apple’s iTunes program for making audio CDs, but as noted above, recent versions of Windows Media Player also can do the job: Windows Media > Burn Your Own CDs.

Good luck!

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As others have already mentioned, Windows Media Player should do what you want. However, if you would like to use something with more options and perhaps a little easier layout, then take a look at this program called, Audacity. It is highly acclaimed and widely used. I personally have found it to be more than sufficient for my simple needs.

Jeff

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I’m fond of Audacity myself (as a recorder and sound editor), but it doesn’t burn CDs.

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Hi, all!
Thank you so much for your responses. I am just now getting back ‘with it’, so to speak – I didn’t mean to ignore your help (I have a slight brain injury from a car accident and sometimes the ol’ brain just doesn’t ‘equate’ too well)
I have read all the messages and tried to familiarize myself again with the difficulty I am having. From that and from your messages, hopefully I can make sense here. Let’s see, now…
It appears to me that my question is not the same one anymore. jscher in his message indicates that CDA files can be used by any player.
I used Nero Smart to burn the recorded .wav files onto a CD (that’s the application I can use). That turned the .wav files into .cda files. Is it necessary to burn a CD from WMP instead? When I tried to play it on my CD player, it gave me the message, ‘CD not finalized’. When I went back into Nero, there was a box that needed checking that said ‘Finalize CD’. (I haven’t been able to find that again, but I’m sure my brain will get there).
Seeing that message, I thought that maybe I just needed to check that box to make the CD playable on any CD , but then, I need to be able to add to the CD. Will ‘finalizing’ it make it impossible to put more on the CD?
Actually, come to think of it, when I went back to add more, Nero said I couldn’t add anything. Normally, I can add anything at any time. Maybe it’s different when files are .from the Windows Sound Recorder? I have 560 sentences to record in English, so I can’t imagine that I can do that all at one time.
Also, the ‘burn’ didn’t bring my file names over. Instead of giving me the names, like English Sentences #1-#12, it changed it to ‘track 01’, etc. That won’t work at all, since the CD is intended to allow people to hear English sentences being spoken while they are looking at the written sentences. When they go back to listen again, they need to be able to select the sentences they want to hear. How can I rename the tracks to show which sentences are in each file – or how can I make the SW bring over the filename as it appears in the WAV files?
Does this make enough sense for someone to help me do this?
Thank you,
Julia

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I’m no expert on CD-burning, but it sounds like I’m in a position to offer you a little clarification. More knowledgable Loungers may end up chiming in with more specifics.

There’s a big difference between an Audio CD designed to be played on an “ordinary” CD player (with files in .CDA format) and a Data CD for computer use (which can have files in .WAV format or .MP3 format or whatever format). Your latest post says you want the user to be able to “select the sentences they want to hear” from the CD titles, but an Audio CD doesn’t let you do that, right? Or rather, you have to be looking at the booklet that accompanies the CD (or the CD’s label), rather than looking at something that shows up on the CD player’s “screen.”

Now, in fact, there’s a feature called “CD text” that can be added to an Audio CD, and I’d be surprised if recent versions of Nero couldn’t do that, although I’m a Roxio user myself. But a garden-variety CD player can’t make use of that feature.

It sounds to me like what you’ll want to do is this: (1) Use Nero to burn all the files (all at the same time) to an Audio CD (and be sure to check the “finalize” box when you do it); and (2) Create a separate piece of paper (or something in more of a CD-booklet format, if you want to and can) that identifies the tracks so the user will know that a particular sentence is, say, Track 27.

As a final note, there may well be a limit to the number of tracks you can put on a single Audio CD. And even if Nero doesn’t limit you, you may find that different garden-variety CD players have different limitations in that regard. I’m pretty sure you’ll run into trouble if you try to put 560 tracks on a single CD, if that’s what you’re trying to do.

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Hi, Steve? (St3333ve)
Thanks for responding. Let’s see. First we’re dealing with how an Audio CD works, right? From what I read, once I ‘finalize’ the disk, it should play in anything, but I shouldn’t ‘finalize’ until I am ready to burn all the sentences at one time. In other words (I remembered this after my last post), I can tape all the sentences onto my computer first, check them, change them, etc., then burn them to a CD and finalize it. So I presume that I cannot add anything to a CD once it is finalized.
On my CD player ( it’s picky what it plays – certainly not MP3), I can put in a CD and tell it to repeat a track, the disc or all disks. If I recall properly, the CD player I had purchased a couple years ago, even though a portable Sony single CD player, I think there was something on it that allowed me to play a single track over and over. But I don’t know what the cheaper CD players offer here – I’ll be finding out. I’m sure we might be dealing with ‘garden variety’ CD players.
In order for the CD to be used with the sheets that contain the sentences, I will have to create a listing of which sentences each track contains, and that it will not be possible to have the CD burner capture the name of the file it burns (but that sure seems weird to me). But I will do what is necessary because it is needed.
There will not be 560 tracks, since each track allows me to record at least 10 sentences, which would mean 56 tracks – is that a number that most CD players might be able to handle? I can make it a 2-CD package if necessary..
So I gather it doesn’t matter what program I use to burn the CD with – Nero Smart or WMP.
Am I understanding what you are telling me?
Thanks much,
Julia

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Your latest post sounds pretty much right to me. You’re correct that a “finalized” CD is one that you can’t add any more tracks to, and it’s necessary to “finalize” a CD before it will play in garden-variety CD players.

I believe most CD players have an ability to play the same track over and over. And I suspect (though I’m not entirely sure) that most garden-variety CD players can handle a CD with 56 tracks.

Virtually all my CD-burning has been with Roxio, but Nero has a great reputation so you should be OK with either Nero or WMP. If I were you, I’d probably choose whichever one seems to you to have the most intuitive interface for setting up your project and burning it. Blank CDs are cheap, needless to say, so you might try setting up your project in both programs, burn a test CD or two and then decide which program you like better.

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Hi Julia,

You might want to take a look at these tutorials. This one is general in nature and covers the entire process, with detailed instructions for each step. While this one is particular to Nero. HTH

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Hi Doc,

The first tutorial you pointed to is also using Nero; the Burning Rom component of the suite. The second tutorial is a guide for using Nero Express, the Authoring component of the same Nero suite. Based on my experience with both I think Julia is better off with Nero Burning Rom.

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Hi Jan,

I pointed her to Nero tutorials because she indicated that she has Nero. The first link is more general in the sense that it covers CD burning from beginning to end, but it does use Nero as the program of choice. The second link is strictly Nero and short, but to the point. You’re correct that both use Nero Express, and that’s what I use most of the time. For Julia’s application, the Burning ROM part of Nero might serve her better, but I really can’t say. I like Express for it’s speed and simplicity. A Chocolate and vanilla thing I suppose.

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Thanks for all the info. I saved the ‘how to burn’ file and will read that. The other file – the step by step from country music, I couldn’t seem to print, even when I clicked on ‘print this page’. I have used Neros Express before and it was simple enough for me to use. I opened the Nero Burning Rom, but haven’t taken the time yet to work with it. Because of my brain problem, I do need something very simple, but I also need to be sure everyone can use this and be able to copy the CD I give them, so that it can be given to other people. Can you tell me why switching to Nero Burning Rom might better serve my needs?
I’m going to ‘finalize’ the original disk I burned, and see if it works on my CD player, then give it to Katia to check on hers. That will give me a start. I only burned 25 sentences onto it, as a practice disk.
Thank goodness I happen to have a good program for this! I have never figured out WMP – it scares me. My brain can’t handle so many things in the same window and it confuses me.
I am very glad that there will be no problem having 56 tracks on a CD.
Please know that all of you are very appreciated ‘out here’!
Thanks again,
Julia

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Julia,

I’ve attached a Rich Text document I created of the Step-by-Step tutorial for you. I hope it is of some help. I will see if I can find or create something with pictures of each step. I find that type of tutorial most effective.

Nero is very helpful when creating a CD in that it shows you graphically how much space you’ve used and how much space you have left on the CD. The number of tracks is not important, so you could conceivably have 100 or more. Just the amount of CD space you’ve used matters. If you simply add your tracks to the CD from a pre-created list or grouping of tracks, be certain to rename each track (if necessary) and be sure they are in the order on the CD that you want, then you should not have any problems burning the CD and then using the software to print out a list of the tracks as they will play on the CD.

Good luck with this, and if you have any further questions or problems, stop back and we’ll try to help out.

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Thank you very much, ‘Doc’!
I have saved the file and will read it.
I had just come back to say that I tried to ‘finalize’ the practice disk I had created, and I couldn’t find any place that said ‘finalize’. I know I saw it once, but…? I had downloaded the latest upgrade of Nero, in hopes that I could ensure being able to do what I needed. Looks like it’s just more complicated and I felt lost. It’ll probably be better when I read what you attached.
From what you say, I can, in fact, rename the tracks to what I want them to say – that would be wonderful. I will be burning from the recordings that are saved to my HD. Wait a minute I am re-reading what you said. Won’t the sw pick up the same order I double-click them? And if the sw changes the name, how would I tell which track is which sentences? Do I rename each time I add something? I thought I had to add them all first. Oh, boy. Does the file show how to print out the list of the tracks? I’ve never figured out anything but to burn a CD.
Hmmm. I think I better read your file first – maybe that will answer all these. Looks like I may use a few more disks practising.
Thanks, Doc!
Julia

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I’ve just done a little Googling, and it’s now my understanding that you can’t put more than 99 tracks on an Audio CD. Hopefully that means that just about every CD player is designed to handle at least 56, but I don’t know that for certain.

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