How to convert APE to WMA with FormatFactory

How to convert APE to WMA with FormatFactory How to convert APE to WMA with FormatFactory

If you enjoy listening to music in the highest possible quality, then you might know what the APE format is. APE, also known as Monkey's Audio is an audio format that uses a lossless compression method, which means that the audio data is encoded without any discarding any of the original file's quality. However, this makes APE files occupy more space on your hard disk, compared to lossy audio formats, such as Microsoft's WMA. This type of file is commonly used when ripping audio CDs and digitizing vinyl records or cassette tapes. WMA is a very popular audio format (second only to MP3) and it is a great choice for users that work solely on a Windows-based environment, as this type of file is supported by all Windows applications.
Transforming your APE audio files into WMA can prove to be quite useful in various situations. For example, if you want to save some disk space, you can easily change the format of your entire APE music collection into WMA (with some quality loss). Or you can turn your APE music files into WMA so that you can upload them to your Windows-based mobile device. These are just two of the many reasons for converting APE audio files into WMA.
Now, I will show you how to change Monkey's Audio files into WMA format using FormatFactory 3.3 (Freeware) by Free Time, because it is a very powerful media converter that comes with lots of features and all of it free of charge. It comes with batch conversion capabilities, offers support for a great number of formats, it is very well organized and much more.

Tutorial assets

You will need to download the following software to follow along with this tutorial.

Download FormatFactory

You might want to be careful during the installation, as the program will ask you if you want to download and install additional software (adware).

The following step-by-step guide will describe the entire conversion process

Step 1

After launching the application, select the "Audio" tab from the left part of the interface (as seen in the image below).

Audio tab

Step 2

From the "Audio" tab, click on the "-> WMA" button. Doing this will open a new window.

Step 3

Add the desired APE files and select the output folder. You can either individually add them by clicking on the "Add File" button or add an entire folder by pressing the "Add Folder" button.

Add File or Folder

Advanced Steps

Step 3.1

You can change the quality of the WMA output file by clicking on the "Output settings" button and modifying the desired parameters (see image).

Output settings

Step 3.2

Convert only a part of the loaded audio file (cut the audio file). You can do that by clicking on the "Set Range" button and choosing the start and end time.

Cut the audio file

Step 4

After adding all the desired APE files, click the "Ok" button to return to the main interface.

Step 5

Click on the start button located at the bottom of the interface to start the conversion.

Extras

a. Merge multiple APE files to be converted to a single WMA file. In order to do that, click on the "Advanced" tab (left part of the main interface) and select the "Audio Joiner".

Advanced tab

b. Select to shut down computer after the conversion process or automatically open the output folder after the task is finished (choose the "Options" menu from the menu bar).

Options menu

Conclusion

After the conversion is finished, you will hear an audio notification (besides the completed status displayed on the main interface) and you will find your WMA audio files in the output folder provided at "Step 3". You can manually browse your computer or instantly open it by clicking on the "Output Folder" button from the program's menu bar. Changing APE files into WMA format with FormatFactory 3.3 (Freeware) might seem a bit complicated, at first, but, if you follow the step-by-step guide, you should have no problem completing the task. If you want to search for other applications that can help you with this conversion task, then feel free to browse the tools found in the "Alternative Downloads" section.

Feature-rich.
Support for batch conversion.
Free to use.
Support for almost all known media formats.
Editing capabilities.

Can seem to be a bit complicated to use.

Alternative downloads

FairStars Audio Converter $24.95 windows Media file conversion tool to convert WAV, RealMedia(RM, RA... Download
FormatFactory free windows FormatFactory comes with a set of multimedia file processing tools. Download
Free Audio Converter free windows All-in-one audio converter and extractor, you can also convert files in batches. Download
Xilisoft Audio Converter Pro $39.95 windows Powerful all-in-one professional audio converter for audio conversion... Download