An up-to-date overview of free software and its makers
Projects on the Move
© parisod@snowmelody, Fotolia
If you want to convert a bunch of audio files into another format and prefer to steer clear of the command line, the Gnac graphical tool might do the trick. Also, the Gourmet Recipe Manager helps out in the kitchen.
People with a good sense of hearing often cringe when forced to listen to MP3-compressed music files, and this is understandable: MP3 is a lossy compression method. Converting an audio file to MP3 format can save up to 90 percent disk space, but it will affect the quality. Although the MP3 format theoretically only loses sound components that are inaudible to the human ear, you might still miss them if you listen carefully.
Of course, there are many alternatives to MP3. AAC and Vorbis files save more disk space while giving you the same or superior audio quality. Vorbis has the additional advantage, compared with MP3 and AAC, of being patent free. Today, many portable audio players support the Vorbis file format. The Xiph.org foundation [1], which developed the Vorbis format, also has a lossy compression method for voice recordings dubbed Speex. If you prefer to avoid quality loss of any kind, a loss-free compression approach like Flac will fit the bill perfectly.
Audio formats thus exist for almost any application you can imagine. But choosing from one of these formats can pose a problem for users. How do you convert your painstakingly digitized CD collection to the right format?
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
ONLYOFFICE v9 Embraces AI
Like nearly all office suites on the market (except LibreOffice), ONLYOFFICE has decided to go the AI route.
-
Two Local Privilege Escalation Flaws Discovered in Linux
Qualys researchers have discovered two local privilege escalation vulnerabilities that allow hackers to gain root privileges on major Linux distributions.
-
New TUXEDO InfinityBook Pro Powered by AMD Ryzen AI 300
The TUXEDO InfinityBook Pro 14 Gen10 offers serious power that is ready for your business, development, or entertainment needs.
-
Danish Ministry of Digital Affairs Transitions to Linux
Another major organization has decided to kick Microsoft Windows and Office to the curb in favor of Linux.
-
Linux Mint 20 Reaches EOL
With Linux Mint 20 at its end of life, the time has arrived to upgrade to Linux Mint 22.
-
TuxCare Announces Support for AlmaLinux 9.2
Thanks to TuxCare, AlmaLinux 9.2 (and soon version 9.6) now enjoys years of ongoing patching and compliance.
-
Go-Based Botnet Attacking IoT Devices
Using an SSH credential brute-force attack, the Go-based PumaBot is exploiting IoT devices everywhere.
-
Plasma 6.5 Promises Better Memory Optimization
With the stable Plasma 6.4 on the horizon, KDE has a few new tricks up its sleeve for Plasma 6.5.
-
KaOS 2025.05 Officially Qt5 Free
If you're a fan of independent Linux distributions, the team behind KaOS is proud to announce the latest iteration that includes kernel 6.14 and KDE's Plasma 6.3.5.
-
Linux Kernel 6.15 Now Available
The latest Linux kernel is now available with several new features/improvements and the usual bug fixes.