14 DAY TRIAL // Converting audio files to other formats has become a common task and there are lots of applications that can help you perform this operation. Most of them are very much alike, but there are some featuring interesting capabilities like audio normalization and changing audio tags.
Switch Sound Converter is an application that helps you convert between multiple audio formats with ease, preview the audio files before conversion and encode them to any other supported format with a mouse click.
Switch Sound Converter is a small (1.4 MB), easy-to-install, ad-supported utility that will, unfortunately, try to install the Conduit toolbar upon its launch. Because it will bring no additional functionality to the app you're trying to install, you should choose not to install the toolbar.
The Looks
The main window of the application is simple and similar to other multimedia converters. Here you can add the files you want to convert, preview them using the integrated audio player or start the conversion process with just one mouse click.
Switch Sound Converter's development team did a good job at including the most important features in the main window. Considering the basic interface and support for batch conversion, the app was clearly created to convert audio files as swiftly as possible.
The Works
Working with Switch Sound Converter is very easy, since all you have to do is add files/folders by using the Add File(s)/Folder buttons or via drag and drop. After adding the items you want to convert, all you have to do is select the desired format, an output location and then press the Convert button.
Advanced users can also delve inside the encoding engine's options, which, based on the audio format, include the number of channels, sample rate, compression rate, bitrate or stereo encoding.
By default, the application comes with support for 19 different formats. While some of them are quite popular (flac, aac, ogg, aiff or mp3), Switch Sound Converter also includes support for more exotic ones like vox, wpl, or gsm. If you want to preview a selected track before converting it, you can rely on the integrated player.
Although basic, it helps you listen to any track and even allows you to navigate through it with ease. Unfortunately, you can't skip to the next song, so if you want to preview another one, you just have to access the conversion window again, after closing the player.
The tool's functionality is limited to converting media files, there aren't any additional modules for editing your audio files, you just add and convert them. However, you can send the files directly to Wavepad, an audio editing tool created by the same developer, where you can cut, trim or apply other modifications to your file. Once Wavepad is closed, you'll automatically return to Switch Sound Converter.
The conversion process is fast and the output is clear. Depending on the format and file size, it took 3-15 seconds in order to successfully convert a file.
We've tested the Switch Sound Converter app using a large number of audio formats, and, each time, the conversion result provided a clear sound and no discernible quality loss. More so, by using the ability to batch convert files, you can sit back and relax while the application converts your music.
You will also be able to choose if the original files will be overwritten or a suffix will be applied to the output file names, thus making sure the conversion runs smoothly and none of the original files is lost.
Moreover, Switch Sound Converter can be set up to ignore any conversion errors, or prompt the user for actions, if any error occurs. It can also connect to an Internet database and retrieve album details for any audio CD you choose to convert.
Additionally, you can edit the metadata for each of the selected files. The number of properties you can modify is quite large and includes fields like title, artist, album, composer, year, track number, play count, bpm or the album art. We found this feature to be quite useful, since similar apps are lacking it altogether.
Switch Sound Converter comes with a useful feature, audio normalization, which brings the audio gain to a target level. The normalization process is passive and it can be noticed when listening to a song in the player or to a converted file.
The Good
The Bad
The Truth
Switch Sound Converter is surely one of the simplest audio converting solutions out there. It combines ease of use with fast conversion speeds and support for a large array of formats. It's a great tool for anyone in need of a reliable music converter. Try it now and see if it suits your needs.
Here are some snapshots of the application in action:
