A Colorful Conversion Tool

Say you need a fast, simple, and reliable converter for your audio or SWF media files, but you don’t know which one of the lot to pick. Given that the range of possibilities is so wide, you probably don’t have enough time to look around and test every converter to see if it's good for the job or not. If that be the case with you, we might just have the solution to your problem: the Colorful Audio Converter. The application has a lot of useful features besides its interesting interface. You can download it for free and use it in demo mode, which is a bit frustrating because, with the trial version, you can only convert the first 5 minutes of the media file.

Should you be interested in a purchase, the full featured application costs around $26. If we take in consideration the app's name, we would be tempted to believe it came in strong hues and rainbow-like colors. However, this is not the case, as the interface is cool and fresh looking, while also coming with a few joyful animations. Nothing crowded or overwhelming about it.

The main window displays the basic steps (3) in converting a media file. Just follow the indications of every stage and, in no time, you'll have your file converted. First, you have to add the song or video you want to convert – and here we must mention that the application can support almost any audio format or SWF flash file. Go right ahead and select your songs using the Add option. If you change your mind, simply click Remove or Clear, and then start adding other files. A good thing about this tool is that you can batch convert without having to redo the process over and over again for every single file.

The app instantly recognizes the file format, displaying all the basic info, such as location, video or audio format, file bit rate, size and frame rate. The Preview option enables the application to function exactly as a player does, so you can listen to your songs or preview your video files. This is a very useful feature because it lets you know that the converter has recognized the files and that these are not corrupted, or simply not supported. After adding the file, you will proceed to step 2, where you have to select from the list the format you need your file to be: MP3, OGG, WAV or WMA. If you don't know exactly what these acronyms stand for, just look underneath them and you will find there the exact definitions and explanations for each.

Another plus when speaking about this tool concerns the output quality of the file. It has some presets options meant to be used by beginners but, also here, you can choose between a low, normal, better or excellent quality. Nevertheless, if you know exactly the type of bitrate or sample rate your songs or videos need to have, you can go right ahead and customize the sound quality by yourself. You can even create your own preset, by simply selecting the values for very field, such as sample rate, channels, audio bitrate, clicking on Save As, and inputting the caption (the name you want the application to display) of your new preset. This feature can really simplify your job and optimize your time.

To start the conversion process, hit Start and step 3, the last one, is initialized. When the procedure starts, a log file is also displayed, allowing you to see the exact steps taken and the options selected. Should you change your mind, you can always cancel the process, and start all over again without losing data or damaging the files. All in all, the overall impression about this application is a positive one. It's very easy to use, it keeps it simple and offers you enough options for a good quality conversion.

However, the interface displays some spelling errors that may generate confusion: trail (instead of trial) and convertion (for conversion). The demo mode could also pose some problems in that it limits the basic function of the application, and you cannot test it on videos or songs longer than 5 minutes. We also should add that the price does not reflect the features of the app and that, for 26 bucks, you can get a pretty advanced converter that will support even more audio and video formats.

The Good

If you need a simple and easy to use converter, look no more because you have found it. The preview options and the customizable quality output make Colorful Audio Converter worthy of a try at the very least.

The Bad

Although Colorful Audio Converter is simple to use and has a nice design, the demo mode is limitative, in that you are unable to test it with bigger files. Moreover, several English spelling errors have been detected, while the $26 price tag is not at all justified, especially when taking into consideration the free converting tools out there.

The Truth

Overall, Colorful Audio Converter is an interesting tool that can present you with great results and a good conversion quality. You can give it a try just for fun, to see if all the above applies to you as well. Either way, the price is not at all adequate, because, in the end, what we’re dealing with is quite a simple converter. There are hundreds of free utilities that do exactly the same as this one, if not even more.