Using WMA with DRM in P2E

[Fried]

Hi Everyone

What a terrific program! I can hardly wait to use it. Unfortunately, I am not even out of the gate and I find myself outwitting Microsoftness. Please bear with me as this music file biz is all new to me, and obviously more complex than I had thought.

I have hundreds of WMA files that I've created over the past two years unknowingly under DRM (Digital Rights Management) which I then copied onto my new computer's hard drive, which apparently broke the license keys, which had to be updated using some Internet connection back to MS which would not run because my "Netscape browser did not have the necessary Windows Media Services plug-in installed" which I was able to get around by... Anyway, the WMA file can now be played by WMP9. I then launch P2E and it says I need to load an MP3 and not an WMA file for the music. I google for a WMA to MP3 converter (Fast Audio Converter) and it says it cannot convert the file because it is protected by DRM. I am very confused at this point. And also extremely angry with MS (not the first time) as I have wasted alot of time simply trying to get a copy of a file of music I have legally purchased to play on my computer and load it into P2E.

Could someone please outline for me how to make a WMA file protected under DRM useable in P2E? I am running XP SP2. Or would it be easier to simply recapture the music off my CDs I intend to use as mp3 and if so, how would I do that?

Many thanks!

Fried

Dallas

[JRR]

Fried:

Welcome to PTE, once you get yor sound issues sorted out, you will enjoy it.

I can not assist on the WMA and DRM issues, but to capture (a.k.a. "rip") your CD tracks as MP3, one program to use is dBpowerAMP.

You can get it free from here

I find it very easy to use.

If you want to use more than one music track (i.e. a longer show with two pieces of music) you can load them both into PTE, or a better way is to mix them in a music editor so you can get a nice join between the two.

An easy one to use, free also, is AUDACITY. You can get it here.

Pls note you will need to get a "lame.dll" file to save files as mp3's. The audacity site explains where to get it and what to do with it.

A good tips site for PTE is: Guido's site

Good luck

[Conflow]

Hi Fried,

A program that I have been using for years is 'AudioCrusher' (one word) from www.sysdeck.de.

Its also available as 'Freeware' from www.webattack.comsimply go to this site and type AudioCrusher in the Search Window and Clk. the Freeware Only button.

The program has a lot going for it in that its very simple to use and also uses Digital Extraction of the origional WMA materials and uses a number of in-built encoders for Raw Audio, MP3,Wav and many more. It also auto-identifies the 'Playing CD Drive' and comes complete with its own internal Player so you can hear the Music as you convert it.

Most importantly, it doesn't "Hog" your PC Resources nor plaster itself into every Music File on the PC which other programs do ~

Regards,

Brian.Conflow.

[Fried]

Thanks everyone! I'll give the suggestions a look later tonight. After posting, I copied a track off one of my CDs as an MP3 and loaded it into P2E. It was great. Perfect for what I'm hoping to do.