The ability to convert sound files from one format to another is one of the most powerful features of Total Recorder. There are many situations in which you may need your sound in a particular format (for example, you want to put it onto an audio CD or a portable music player). In the past, you needed a number of specialized programs to convert between different formats.

• Direct Conversion
• Conversion by re-recording

Direct Conversion

Direct conversion is the conversion between “standard” formats. Total Recorder considers the following formats as “standard”:

• PCM (uncompressed)
• MPEG Layer 3 (MP3)
• Windows Media Audio (wma)
• Ogg Vorbis
• FLAC
• Any format for which a valid and fully functional Windows codec is present on your computer and that is accessible to all of the programs.

To perform direct conversion from one audio format to another, take the following steps:

1. Start Total Recorder.
2. From the File menu, select Open, and then select the file you want to convert.
3. From the File menu, select Save As:
4. Type the desired file name.
5. Click the Change button.
6. Select the desired format and attributes of the target file:
7. Click OK.
8. Click the Save button. The conversion process starts and a progress bar should appear.

Conversion by re-recording .

Conversion by re-recording is a conversion from a “non-standard” proprietary format to one of the “standard” formats above. You can play a file with a proprietary player and record it with Total Recorder.

The whole process is very similar to simple recording, but because of Total Recorder's virtual driver, the process in many cases can be done much faster than the time required to play the file.

To convert an audio file into another format by re-recording, take the following steps:

1. Start Total Recorder.
2. Press the Recording Source and Parameters button:
3. Select Software.
4. Press the Advanced button. The Advanced parameters for Software recording dialog appears:

   
5. Select Accelerate recording. Press OK.
6. Select the Convert using "Recording format" specified below check box.
7. Click the Change button:
8. Select the format and attributes you want and press OK twice to return to the main window.
9. Click the Record button. The advantage of the virtual driver method is that Total Recorder will not actually record unless there is sound being played.
10. Start the program to play the file you want to convert. As soon as it starts playing, Total Recorder starts capturing sound. You should see the levels changing. However, you should not hear any sound.
11. When the playback completes, press Stop. From the File menu, select Save As, and specify the file name and the folder in which you want to store the file.

Please see Selecting an Optimal Recording Format Tutorial for additional information.