I often get single AIFs and Wavs files from people I would like to encode from finder instantly to archive to mp3 for sharing and saving space.
In the encoder I note the "High-Quality" menu item is only 128 kbps, which obviously is audibly destructive in the high mids and treble: Not even good enough for basic auditioning purposes.
How can I set this to at least 192 or a proper higher quality setting?
Many thanks!
The Automator Encode to MPEG Audio action uses an internal AppleScript quagmire that uses certain arguments to the command-line tool, afconvert. This tool is poorly documented, even when you run it from the Terminal with either of the following switch invocations:
afconvert -h
afconvert -hf
But, it does support a slew of features and your best bet for encoding from .aiff or .wav to .mp3 is to use the following search string in a browser to locate examples of its usage. You can get 192K with it.
macOS afconvert aiff wav mp3
I am not an authority on this tool, and do not want to be considering its complexity. The ffmpeg tool installed from a package manager can also do the conversion.
Once you find a command-line setting from the web that does the correct conversions, then you place it in an Automator Quick Action/Service (Run Shell Script/Run AppleScript) so that you can right-click on a target audio file in the Finder and apply the Quick Action conversion directly.
There are any number of third-party apps that can convert audio files to up to 320kb/s mp3s.
MediaHuman Audio Converter, ff-Works, etc.
Thanks!
Yes I have a few of them including Logic Pro.
As I said, I want to be able to do this from the finder and have the file in the same place in a matter of seconds.
So I just need to change the rate of the existing function.
Great stuff, thanks!
I don't dip into this much but have done when nothing else will work.
What a shame there's no simple way to set the option to make a usable mp3 in 2020. Even deriving it from logic or itunes would have helped.
You're welcome.
No idea how to do that if at all from the Finder.
NP
Right click an uncompressed audio file, services > Encode selected audio files
😎
Not what I meant. I meant I don't how to change the bit format from the Finder.
Ah, Haha.
Crossed wires!
Not a problem. :)
VikingOSX proposes the right approach.
You can see what command line parameters calls the Automator Action/Service does in the Console. This can help to create the proper syntax for your needs.
You may also find the following link useful:
http://www.macosxautomation.com/index.html
The site seems in an interim state of "under construction". I believe it is the original source of the Encode to MP3 Automator workflow.
WD
Shortcut: "Encode to MPEG Audio"
