You have great MP3 files stored on your computer, but alas, you cannot listen to it on your iPod because the audio format is not supported. These days people want to be able to listen to music on multiple computers, handheld and television set devices. While most multimedia gadgets support paying audio files, these products do not support all audio file formats.

For example, you can only play AAC files on your iPod or other Apple devices. Most audio files are available in MP3 format, so you will need some way to convert between different file formats. You may also own audio in the format of video, like music videos. If you want music videos to play on your, say, iPod Shuffle, you will need to convert the video files into audio format.

Fortunately, there is a work around this issue. Thanks to the internet, there are now a number of software programs that support file format conversions. You can easily convert video to audio for listening on music players. If you can audio files in obscure digital formats, you can easily use an audio file converter software program to make the file playable on modern devices. Scroll below for a list of such free audio converter software you can easily obtain:

Free Studio

Free Studio is a giant umbrella software for a number of different converter programs. But you will get one user interface to convert supported audio file formats. The software and the audio converter is completely free. You can purchase other services the program offers for a premium price, but there’s no need to pay to convert an MP3 file to an AAC file. This program is quite handy as it allows you to designate the quality of the output audio. You can also add tags to files to make them easier to search later. You can import files from Windows, and even automatically shut down the computer after a long session of converting. Free Studio accepts input formats including MP3, AAC, AC3, RM, TTA, WAV, WMA, MPC and many more. Output formats include M4B, FLAC, AMR, ALAC, AAC and MP3.

Switch Sound File Converter

This free audio conversion software is very convenient if you want to convert audio files in large batches of folders. It has a very user-friendly interface, including settings like drag and drop features. Advanced settings are also available to professional users. You can convert audio from one format to another, and also extract audio tracks from video formats. If you want to listen to a track from a video CD or DVD, you can extract the track using this software. Plus, this software can also record audio from online live streams. There are over 40 input file formats, including the less frequently used MOH, MPC, RAM, RMJ and REC formats. You will get access to dozens of output formats as well. Switch Sound File Converter is available for Mac OS users as well.

SUPER

As the name suggests, this is a superior audio file converter that you don’t’ have to pay for. 3 SUPER is quite popular because it supports a host of input and output file formats. If you want to convert an audio file in a little known format to a popular format like MP3, this is the program you should use. This software also supports extracting audio files from video files formats. SUPER has more advanced options than other software on this list. The UI can look a bit professional but do not be put off by that. This program is just as easy to use as the other software on this list. SUPER works best on Windows operating systems.

FileZigZag

This is a web-based audio converter software. It’s so easy to use even a toddler can convert audio using this program. All you have to do is upload the audio file you need converting, pick the output format, and provide your email address. In a minute or so, you will get an email with a link to download the converted audio file. FileZigZag is easy enough to use, but the issue is speed. How fast the uploading and the downloading will go depending on how speedy your connection is. Also, longer audio files will take longer to upload, convert and download. But the software is relatively quick when converting standard 3 to 4 minute audio files. Also, this software works on just about any OS with a web browser.

Zamzar

Zamzar is another web-based audio converter. It supports a more than a dozen of file formats for input and output. If you want to quickly convert an audio file or two, this program will be most convenient. But it’s not necessarily recommended for heavy converting tasks. Zamzar has a 50MB size limit for uploaded files. Individual music files tend to be smaller, but you can cap the limit when you upload multiple files at once. But the program is flexible and is supported on all major web browsers.

Freemake Audio Converter

One of the coolest features of this freeware program is that you can upload multiple audio files and combine it to a single larger output file. It’s much like combining several PDF pages into one. You can also convert audio files individually in bulk. This program supports all the major audio format and you will not run into any problems using it. You can download it off the internet for free, but be careful with the installer. It will try to install other programs too, so make sure to uncheck all unnecessary checkboxes before finalizing the download.

MediaHuman Audio Converter

MediaHuman is a simple drag and drop converter without man advance features to complicate the user interface. It’s great for making playlists. You can automatically add your converted files to iTunes and search for album art online to include.

When downloading any of the above freeware, make sure the software comes from a trusted source. Uncheck all boxes before downloading to make sure you are not installing junkware. Have a virus guard installed on your computer to make sure nothing unwanted gets installed.

Once you have made sure the download is safe, you can use the above software to convert any audio, or even video, file into the audio format you want.