Audio Converter & Mixer

Sound is an important resource when using a computer, especially since a lot of content is dedicated to entertainment. Different tools allow the processing of sound from various files, with custom playback intervals. For instance, Audio Converter & Mixer helps you extract audio from various file types and export to CD quality.

As far as the visual design is concerned, Audio Converter & Mixer comes with its own panels and button textures, trying to make a first good impression. Accommodation is a walk in the park, with a large list showing all files you add, as well as an upper toolbar to easily access and handle all controls.

File support is pretty impressive, and you’re able to extract sound from both audio and video files under formats like MP3, WAV, AC3, OGG, MPA, MP2, AU, AIF, SND, as well as AVI, MPG, VOB, DAT, MP4, DIVX, OGM, QT, MOV, WMA, WMV, and ASF. You’re free to add one or more files either through a drag and drop operation, or using the browse dialog.

One of the core functions is conversion, but disappointingly enough, the only available format for export is WAV, which can take quite the amount of disk space if too consistent. The settings panel lets you choose a location and name for the new file, as well as several quality settings like samples per second, channels, and bits per second.

The other core function is to bundle all added files into a single one. There is some degree of control over the operation in the sense that you can manually write the start and end time for each file, so you don’t simply create a large audio file to play multiple tracks from start to end. You need to rely on an external player to grab precise time values though, because there aren’t any playback controls here.

To sum it up, Audio Converter & Mixer is a little underprepared for what it really wants to deliver. Without built-in playback controls, it’s pretty difficult to get a grasp of how much you need to cut from each audio file, while the conversion counterpart leaves much to be desired since you can only save new files as WAV.