I posted a solution on my old site and as the post had and continued
to receive feedback and appreciation, I thought it may be useful to re-post the solution and previous comments on this new site. Here it all is:
I recently purchased Joe Vitale’s Attractor Factor (2nd Edition) from Audible.co.uk with the intention of using it on my Sony Walkman which plays MP3 files.
To download the audio I had to install Audible’s Download Manager and Media Manager
which I found a bit strange as I thought MP3 audio files were MP3 audio files and
could simply be downloaded and used as one desired.
After downloading the file I found that this was not the case. The download was
one huge 92MB file with a .AA extension. Having worked in software development for
over 25 years I was quite surprised to come across a file extension that I had not
seen before. And before you ask, I did not get excited about it, just surprised.
Anyway, the next thing to do was to get the audio onto my Walkman, so I loaded
the Audible Manager program and there it was; 1 huge 92MB 6 Hour 42 minute audio
file. Where were the chapters?… was my first thought. I clicked around a bit but
could not find the chapters and then thought that I was going off track.
You can add mobile devices to the Audible Manager so I clicked on the “Add New
Device” link and found that the program wanted to connect to Audible’s site to download
a list of supported devices. So I clicked OK and a long list of devices came up.
I thought “great”, the Walkman is most definitely going to be in there somewhere
and I found only one relevant entry called “Sony Handhelds” which I thought was
appropriate as my Walkman is a handheld.
I installed the Sony device entry and the device name appeared as “Sony CLIE
Handheld”. Not knowing what CLIE was I simply assumed that it was some generic abbreviation for Sony handhelds.
I attached my Walkman to the USB port on my computer, clicked on the Sony CLIE
Handheld device entry and waited for the available space pie graph in Audible Manager
to show the available space. This did not happen. I tried clicking around Audible
Manager a bit more but simply could not get it to “see” my Walkman.
So I thought I’d call Audible in the morning to see what I was doing wrong.
THE MORNING:
Sharply at 10:10am, shortly after Audible open their phone lines, I called the company
and told them about my problem. As soon as they heard the words Sony Walkman, the
support person’s voice got quite stern and said that THAT was the problem. Audible
did not support Sony Walkman’s.
Thinking this was quite odd as Sony Walkman’s are very popular, and trying not to be judgemental about what they supported, I told them that I specifically bought the audio to play on my Walkman and hence could I have a refund as the file was no use to me.
That’s when the stern energy got stronger, and they said as I had downloaded the audio file they could not give me a refund but told me that I could write an audio CD of the file.
I wasn’t very happy about this as I only realised that the Walkman was not supported
after I downloaded the file but according to Audible, that was that. I had to keep
the file. They did give me a bit of advice – to contact Sony and ask them to let
Audible support Walkman’s. Who’s business is Audible? Theirs or mine?
If I did not already know that I could convert a CD to MP3 format files then
I would have really lost it with Audible as just before writing this article, I
had a look at their site again and still can’t find anywhere on it that says they
don’t support Sony Walkmans.
So if you’re having similar issues here’s the formula to convert Audible .AA
files to MP3 files, for free.
1) Make sure you have downloaded the .AA file onto your computer using the Audible
Download Manager (I had v 6.6.0.0) and you have to install, if not already installed,
the AudibleManager (I had v 5.5.0.0 ).
2) Install iTunes if you don’t have it installed already. ( I had v 8.0.1.11).
3) Load iTunes, Go to the File Menu and click on “Add File to Libary” on the
menu, then locate and open the .AA file.
4) Go to the “Recently Added” Menu item in the iTunes Playlists menu, and you
should see your .AA file, perhaps with a cover thumbnail image. Click on it.
5) At the bottom right of the iTunes window you should see a Burn button. Click
on it and you will see a pop-up “Burn Settings” box.
6) In the box, make sure you have “Audio CD” selected and then set any preferences
you want for your Audio CD and then click the “Burn” button.
7) iTunes may say that you will be writing multiple CDs or words to that effect,
simply agree and carry on.
8) Insert the blank CDs when iTunes requests them on the top message bar.
9) Once all the CDs have been written, download FreeRIP from http://www.freerip.com which is a Free CD ripping/conversion program. Install and open it.
10) Now, as I had already set the encoding options on it which work great for
me, I have simply put a snapshot of the settings below so that you can see what
mine were compared to the default.
In FreeRIP go to the File menu, then Settings, then Options and click on the
Encoding Tab and you should the default settings and mine are shown below.
NOTE: You may also want to go to the Output Tab and set where the MP3 files will
be saved on your computer.
Once you have changed the settings, click OK.
11) Now simply insert each of your CDs and you will see the list of tracks appear
in FreeRIP. Make sure they are all ticked and then go to the RIP menu and click
on “Rip Selected Tracks to MP3? and wait for the files to be converted and saved.
12) Repeat step 11 for each CD.
That’s it. If you have any feedback then leave a comment below.
Have fun.
I had 132 Comments to the original above Post on the old site as below.
You can leave your feedback at the bottom of the page by clicking here.
Comments:
- By ellwood at 1:54am on Nov 29, 2008 (GMT/UTC)
Thank you so much! This indeed works. I tried using Goldwave and Tunebite but I could not convert .aa files to mp3. It occurred to me that I could rip any other CD – but didn’t try it until I read this.Sure enough – this sequence works beautifully.
1. Load the .aa file(s) into Itunes
2. Burn them to CD
3. Rip them back to MP3?s or any other format with just about anything. I used EAC which is also free.Unfortunately it costs you quite a few CDs just to get mp3?s. I canceled my audible.com membership and will buy further audiobooks from Amazon for less money and less trouble. - By Miguel at 4:40pm on Dec 15, 2008 (GMT/UTC)
I just subscribed to the audible service and now I’m going to cancel the service, The reason why, I just ran into the same problem you did with my Walkman player. Thank you so much for the info you saved me lots of time. - By Bharat Karavadra at 8:59am on Dec 16, 2008 (GMT/UTC)
Thank you ellwood and Miguel for your good words.
In the digital age that we are living in and with the current use of mp3 file formats and sony walkmans, I really do find it very strange that such popular formats are not supported by Audible. - By Ed at 4:02pm on Dec 28, 2008 (GMT/UTC)
Thanks for your solution, but it seems a bit too complicated and complex for me to do. I too called audible.com and must have gotten the same curt operator who told me it was all SONY’s fault. Come on, why does audible.com, now owned by Amazon not want to come to terms wih SONY to sell their books. Both companies are childish and hurting their supporters. It’s time for them to allow SONY MP3s to download the books. - By Bharat Karavadra at 5:14pm on Dec 28, 2008 (GMT/UTC)
Hi Ed,I understand that the article is quite long and even though there are 12 steps – they are very precise steps which you will find that you can do some within seconds.Once you have downloaded and installed the Audible, iTunes and FreeRip Software, it should only take about 5 minutes to start creating the CD’s and then only about 5 minutes maximum to start creating the MP3 files.Give it a go when you have a spare half hour. - By Sheila at 12:12am on Jan 3, 2009 (GMT/UTC)
Same exact thing happened to me. I only bought the Sony Walkman for 2 purposes – 1) to listen to audio books, and 2) to listen to the radio. If the audiobooks aren’t going to work I don’t know what to do. Should I return it? Or is there some other way I can download audiobooks onto this device? Also, Audible.com told me that when you turn the Sony off, it resumes at the beginning of the book; is this accurate? The associate told me that’s why the Sony isn’t a compatible device with them. I just don’t know who to believe!! Please help me if you can. Thank you. - By Bharat Karavadra at 2:20pm on Jan 3, 2009 (GMT/UTC)
Hi Sheila,
There’s nothing wrong with your Walkman – it has been created to listen to music, audio books and in your case the radio.It has been created to support one or more popular music formats such as MP3 but companies like Audible for some reason do not want to distribute their audio in MP3 format.So, don’t return your Walkman, as you probably won’t find a better name than Sony, but make sure that when you buy audio books they are in CD format or MP3 format.I’m not sure whether your Walkman supports the CD format, but with the FreeRIP software I mentioned above you can convert CD’s to MP3 format.And yes, it may be true that when you switch off the Walkman, it may start at the beginning of the track. This is not really an issue apart from when audio books are created with only one file. So if you had an an audio book which was 3 hours long and in one file, if the Walkman started at the beginning when turning it back on then you would have to have remembered and forward to where you left off. This is nothing to do with your Walkman, it’s simply how and whether audio books or music are split into chapters which makes them easier to digest/listen to and forward or rewind to. Again this is to do with who created the audio book and nothing to do with your Walkman.It’s a bit like having a CD with only one hour long track that you cannot skip to parts of. If that’s how it’s been created then yes you may have to start again when you switch on your device. With such an issue, you may want to download a music editing program such as Audacity at http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ - By Sheila at 12:53am on Jan 4, 2009 (GMT/UTC)
Thank you so much for your simple and honest explanation. As a result, I will not return my Walkman and will be able to listen to audiobooks as planned. I appreciate your honesty and your time in clarifying this.
Sheila. - By Bharat Karavadra at 11:12am on Jan 4, 2009 (GMT/UTC)
Not a problem Sheile – Thank you for using the site.
Best Wishes to You and Yours. - By jl at 9:36pm on Jan 18, 2009 (GMT/UTC)
Terrible – not only do I refuse to infest my PC with that worm of a program program iTunes, but who wants to burn 6 or 7 CDs, then rip 6 or 7 CDs, only to listen to an audio file that you already downloaded. Audible is garbage! - By Bharat Karavadra at 8:19am on Jan 19, 2009 (GMT/UTC)
Hi jl,
Yes the thought of burning and perhaps wasting a few CD’s was not idweal especially as I simply wanted the MP3 file, but it was the lowest cost and only solution that I could find to do convert Audible files to MP3. - By Gwen Smart at 7:45am on Jan 20, 2009 (GMT/UTC)
I can’t believe my luck! My experience was identical, with two exceptions. The book I had paid for and downloaded was Dawn French’s ‘Dear Fatty’ but I had not contacted Sony. I can’t remember now what I put into the Search Engine, but was astonished to find your Blog at about number two. I’m no technological whizz by any stretch of imagination and found your instructions simple to follow. I just had to remember to give each disc a different Album name. Thanks very much indeed. - By Bharat Karavadra at 1:26pm on Jan 20, 2009 (GMT/UTC)
Thank you Gwen for finding my method of conerting audible files useful.I don’t remember why or if I had to rename each disc a different album name. If you can post feedback about your experience then I’m sure other people would find it useful. - By mota at 8:44pm on Feb 10, 2009 (GMT/UTC)
You don’t need to burn that CDs. You can use Nero Essentials with audible and make nrg images instead burning CDs. Than you mount those images in Daemon Tools or similar program and then rip them as is described in step 11. - By Bharat Karavadra at 8:58am on Feb 11, 2009 (GMT/UTC)
Thank you mota. Your idea will do away with having to waste CDs (unless you actually want to play them on your CD player).As far as I know Nero Essentials has now been included into Nero 9 which is not a free product, but it’s a great on.So, for a free solution, you could use somehting like Alcohol Free edition or MagiDisc, or some other virtual CD/DVD software. Try searching download.com for “CD emulation”. - By Fred Bueno at 9:31pm on Feb 15, 2009 (GMT/UTC)
There’s a lot easier and FREE way to do it now. This is NOT an AD as I don’t have any connection to the software provider, OK?! Download “iturns’ (free version) http://www.dvdnextcopyiturns.com/, install the software, start it and then follow the usual procedure of burning CDs via itunes (arghh!) but now, select iturns as the burner. itunes will ‘record’ the CDs to iturns that will, in fact, automatically convert the recording to 192 kbps MP3 files! - By Bharat Karavadra at 1:44pm on Feb 16, 2009
(GMT/UTC)Hi Fred,
Thanks for the information.
For all readers – I think Fred may have given a way to create MP3 files without having to create CDs first, however you may still need to import your audbile audio giles into iTunes first. - By Jason Bell at 12:28am on Feb 25, 2009 (GMT/UTC)
That sounds like an almost acceptable alternative. I read all of the above comments with a sinking heart, thinking that I’d made a big mistake buying the Walkman. I have 25 Audible audiobooks and did not relish the hundreds of CDs it would have taken, not to mention the hideous amount of time. I’ll start the conversion task tomorrow – Thank you Fred and thank you Bharat for this Blog. - By Helen at 4:16pm on Mar 4, 2009 (GMT/UTC)
Thank you. I can finally listen to my audible books! - By Paul at 9:57pm on Mar 4, 2009 (GMT/UTC)
OK I thought I was smart, but I can’t find the burn button on any of my itunes windows. The audible books are already in my library, so when I open audiobooks in my library the only think in the bottom right corner is the genius button. - By Bharat Karavadra at 9:47am on Mar 5, 2009 (GMT/UTC)Hi Paul,On the left menu you should have 3 main menu items – LIBRARY, STORE and PLAYLISTS.It’s is under playlists that your Audible audio should appear and as far as I am aware, it is only here that the Burn button appears at the bottom right.
- By Paul at 6:48pm on Mar 5, 2009 (GMT/UTC)
Thanks Bharat – you are of course correct!! I’ve now found it and am excited to try to convert - By Phil at 11:35pm on Mar 6, 2009 (GMT/UTC)
Thanks Bharat,
Burning with iTunes even works for downloads that aren’t flagged with the ‘CD Burnable’ icon on the Audible site. These failed with a license error when I tried to burn them with Windows Media Player, so it’s good to have a solution. - By Bharat Karavadra at 1:34pm on Mar 7, 2009 (GMT/UTC)
That’s cool Phil – so it sounds as if all Audible files can be burned to CD, and then if required re-coded to MP3 format. - By Ian Malins at 2:37pm on Mar 11, 2009 (GMT/UTC)Thanks for all the above info about using iturns seems to work well. However, is there any limit on the size of the book file. I have an audio book 8 hours in length and the system described above seems to stop after files of 3 hours have been converted to MP3. Any suggestions welcomed
- By Bharat Karavadra at 4:21pm on Mar 11, 2009 (GMT/UTC)
Hi Ian,I’m sorry but I’m not quite sure where you say the process stops.Which program are you using to do what (where it stops)? - By Ian Malins at 10:57am on Mar 13, 2009 (GMT/UTC)As per the advice above I have used iturns http://www.dvdnextcopyiturns.com/to burn an audio book which has been downloaded from audible.co.uk. to itunes. The book is 8hours long but only the first 3 hours is converted to MP3. Also if you try to burn it again it says it is a one time only process and cannot be repeated. Any idea why the who 8 hours in not converted is there some sort of limit on the size of the original file?
- By Brian at 1:27pm on Mar 18, 2009 (GMT/UTC)
I am deployed in Afghanistan and the internet is spotty at times and I ended up sending Audible the same trouble ticket four times because my browser would time out and I did not know if it went through or not. I received three responses that boiled down to; one Audible is waiting on Sony to update their firmware so ?Sony Walkman? model brand can be added to Audible’s list of supported devices or two they would be happy to e-mail me a list of supported devices that I could buy. Yea let me just run down to the local store and buy a new device that supports there file format. No wait I can?t do that hence why I explained in the second ? forth trouble ticket why they might be receiving multiple queries from me. Thanks for nothing Audible. Thank you Bharat Karavadra for the work around. - By VJ at 6:20am on Mar 19, 2009 (GMT/UTC)
This is sooo irritating. UI urge customers to buy amazon AUDIO CD Books and not audible. com .aa junk. Right now I am needing 3 of 4 books most are 4.5 hour and one is 8hr 50min.
after I get through copying these I am going to have to break them down on chapters and sub chapters (Ug this is soo flipp’n retarded to get what I need) I’m glad they didn’t fornicate the 4th book I needed as I had to get it from Amazon.com direct as a real audio cd set (Yay I actually have chapters and index on this one) grumble brumble audible ##$!@@#@# grumble. I should sell my efforts and give the MP3s away… (PS the author actually gives permission to copy and share it at the end of one of the books ROFLOL , Audible ripoff.. ) - By RJ at 3:00am on Mar 21, 2009 (GMT/UTC)
I’m an audible member for some years. I’m no expert. I use Tunebite to convert my books for a friend. Download from pirate bay, although i did purchase mine before finding pirate bay. One snag, it removes encription at real time only, if you stated itunes as default on joining audible, if u set default as media player then it converts twice as fast. I download books direct from my friens computer onto my ipod no prob but Tune bite will not recognise file when I try to unlock them. Hope this helps. - By ck at 6:19pm on Apr 7, 2009 (GMT/UTC)
hi ian..I tried it too but in my case..I couldn’t find the file after using iturns.. so I just did it bharat’s way, that is, burned it to a dvd through itunes. Its much more convenient. I manage to burn a 14 hour audiobook in a single dvd in mp3 format. I’m now dowloading the freerip software..hope this helpsThanks bharat!! - By Aaron at 8:57am on Apr 8, 2009 (GMT/UTC)
My Sony Ericsson W910i came with Audible built in i thought the idea of this was great, i immediately set out and made a subscription on Audible.co.uk only to be struck by the same problem! Why did Audible come built into my phone if it doesn’t work?I can download the files over my mobiles HSDPA internet, in 1 hour segments but thats it. :SNot really very practical.To the author, if you can find any way of getting them .aa files into MP3 so i can quickly send them to my Walkman phone (without wasting hundreds of CD’s and downloading iTunes, could you please tell us. - By Will at 1:51pm on Jul 4, 2009 (GMT/UTC)
I recorded the Audible audiobooks (also useless on my mp3 player) using Audacity - By Magnus at 10:12pm on Jul 26, 2009 (GMT/UTC)
I wish that I had read your article before I bought an audiobook from Audible, so that I could have chosen another supplier.Many thanks to you for writing this article and helping others, like me, in the same situation.After having converted the aa files to mp3 files I will deinstall AudibleManager, write an email to Audible expressing my disappointment and cancel my account with them. I encourage all of you to do the same. - By Jim at 7:44pm on Jul 29, 2009 (GMT/UTC)
To avoid using a stack of cds for the books, why not use Nero along with audible and create an iso, then load the iso to a virtual drive with power iso or magic iso (or something similar)? The computer won’t know if it is looking at a physical disc or an alotment of ones and zeroes on the local HDD. - By Kelvin at 4:16pm on Aug 10, 2009 (GMT/UTC)
perhaps i was fortunate as I uncovered this problem before spending.on the downside I’m an absolute technophobe so if anyone feels inclibed to break down these instructions feel freeI’m on kelvinh99@yahoo.co.ukhow much space does a good book take? - By Mohammed at 12:39pm on Aug 21, 2009 (GMT/UTC)
I also faced the same problem, I bought a sony walkman to listen to my audio books which I downloaded from audible.com but unfortunately they were not supported??!! - By Casey at 2:14pm on Sep 17, 2009 (GMT/UTC)
I think a cheaper solution if you want audible might be one of the devices that support the format. I have a Creative Zen, 4gig that I picked up two years ago now for $60 and I know it is alot cheaper now. It is a matter of deciding what your time is worth and the cost of CDs. I love my audible and $15 a month for a new book does not seem bad. I have also used the 1 cent promotions, and enjoyed some of the free chapters. I haven’t looked at the walkman but can tell you going with complete system can have its benifits. I have a MS Zune too and some parts of the software drives me nuts but I am totally hooked on the automated podcast part, it removes what I have listened to and puts the new on. I believe Ipods with Itunes have simular benifits. - By Bharat Karavadra at 5:56pm on Sep 17, 2009 (GMT/UTC)
Hi Casey, Thanks for your suggestion about having a device that supports the format, however this post was started with an assumption that one does not have a device that supports the format.So, if you have a device that supports the audible format then according to Casey you should have no issues with putting the audio format from audible onto your device.However, if you don’t have a device that supports the audible format then you can either go through the process that I wrote about to convert it to MP3, or purchase a device that supports the audible format. - By Monica at 9:24pm on Oct 11, 2009 (GMT/UTC)
Hi,I followed the original instructions above for a big book (around 16h / 17h, though they were 2 .aa files of approx 121 Mb each). I’m already on 9 cds and counting, do you think I might be doing something wrong? - By Bharat Karavadra at 9:36pm on Oct 11, 2009 (GMT/UTC)
Monica,
The average length of CD audio is about 75 minutes. So if the book is 17 hours then that 17 x 60 minutes = 1020 minutes. Divide 1020 by 75 = 13 and a half CD’s. So if you’re on CD 9 then you should have about another 5 CD’s to go.Yes, that’s a big book.Bharat - By Marie Pappania at 4:43am on Oct 23, 2009 (GMT/UTC)
Hi. I got to the part were I need to burn via itunes, but how do I change it to burn using iturns? - By Marie Pappania at 2:31am on Oct 25, 2009 (GMT/UTC)
Ok pls help me. I burned the file via iturns, but now it’s an oog file. How do I convert that to an mp3 file? - By Bharat Karavadra at 3:45pm on Oct 25, 2009 (GMT/UTC)
Hi Marie,I really don;t know what iturns is and the output of an oog file.Please follow the instructions above when burning the audio files from itunes.Bharat - By Charles Boyce at 5:06pm on Oct 26, 2009 (GMT/UTC)
I had the same problem with my Go Gear MP3 player, it said it was supported but wont recognise to transfer files, so I’m stuck with the tracks on my PC which is useless as I purchased them to be portable. I had the same response, very unhelpfull, hopefully they will go out of business when the book companies realise people wont deal with them. I would never purchase from this compnay again, but I still keep getting emails from them. - By Bharat Karavadra at 5:26pm on Oct 26, 2009 (GMT/UTC)
Hi Charles,If you use the process above, you should be able to get the files converted to mp3 format and onto your Go Gear player, as long you can transfer files from your PC to your Go Gear using drag and drop.Bharat - By Alan at 10:48pm on Nov 4, 2009 (GMT/UTC)
Bharat,Thank you for publishing this fantastic blog. I would never have worked out this solution on my own.I find it frustrating that we have yet another example of an audio technology which has been designed with only iPod users in mind. It is heartening to know that I am not the only person in the world who wishes to use a Sony product, rather than selling my soul to the A**le Corporation. - By Bharat Karavadra at 1:45pm on Nov 5, 2009 (GMT/UTC)
Alan, I think the difficulty in converting audible audio files into MP3 format has been deliberately created so that the audio files are protected and cannot be copied.However any audio that can be played on a computer can be copied (no matter how good the file protection is) by simply playing it on your computer and plugging the sound output into your sound input (microphone or line in) and then using and audio recorder to simply record it and then saving it as the file type that you desire. In this case, an mp3 file. It’s just that this method takes a while – simply the time length of the audio file as you have to play it all and record it at the same time. - By Sean at 7:25pm on Nov 10, 2009 (GMT/UTC)
Hello Bharat,
Thankyou or sharing your experience. I am in the same position with my Sony Walkman. I am about to follow your procedure to convert a 17 hour audio book, but before I begin, Can I ask? Why do you not use Itunes to rip the CDs once they are burned?Thanks,Sean - By Bharat Karavadra at 10:13am on Nov 11, 2009 (GMT/UTC)
Hi Sean,
Once you’ve burned the CD’s with iTunes, you don’t use iTunes anymore. Use FreeRip to turn the CD’s into MP3 files using step 9 onwards in the main post above. - By Jaimi at 10:45am on Nov 13, 2009 (GMT/UTC)
Hi
Great Post, About time someone started revealing this to the public. First off, the reason audible uses .aa is its compresstion ratio. A 50mb .aa file is roughly equivalent to a 500mb mp3…do you really want to download half gig files just to listen to a book? probably not. Second, everything you listed can be done with itunes…yes you need the audible manager to get the files from audible, but the burning,and the ripping can be done all in itunes and it will create un-protected mp3 for use on any device.downloading addition software is unnecessary.Audible also offers to allow you to back up your purchases by making a copy, and if you happen to have NERO then your all set too. I also suggest that if you plan on doing this proceedure often, get some re-writeable cd’s and use them over and over, cause you really just want the data, not stacks of cd’s lying around. - By Richard Tatum at 6:05pm on Nov 27, 2009 (GMT/UTC)
Fantastic. Very clear instructions. You would not believe the trouble I have had trying to listen to an Audible book that I paid for, but could not convert to make it play on my Sansa MP3 player. OK, it takes quite a long time to go through the whole process, but before I saw your posting, I was on the point of giving up altogether. Thanks again. - By Derik at 1:17am on Dec 3, 2009 (GMT/UTC)
Hi Bharat,When I tried to burn to a disc through iTunes I got this error message:“cannot be burned because burning is disabled for this track.”Any tips for getting around this?Thanks. - By sully at 7:31pm on Jan 1, 2010 (GMT/UTC)
There is a much easier and cheaper way of converting audio files to mp3. You need an mp3 recorder installed on your pc to record directly from your soundboard – ie: what-you-hear-is-what-you-get. I use TotalRecorder Pro but I believe Audacity is available free of charge. Disable all system sounds (e-mail alerts etc) and start playback on Audible Manager and record on TR or Audacity simultaneously. Check recording level for loudness/distortion and output file settings (MP3 128 bit 44 100 Hz) Allow to run for a couple of minutes and check playback quality/transferibility of the output file. If it works (and it should work) just play and record and let it run overnight until the entire file is copied. Save the converted file and divide it into convenient shorter files – TR has this facility – I assume Audacity does too. Works like a charm and the only minor inconvenience is that it takes the length of the audiobook to record. - By Bharat Karavadra at 8:24pm on Jan 1, 2010 (GMT/UTC)
Sully,Yes your method also works as I have mentioned in my comment above, and yes you need to disable all sounds otherwise any sounds that your operating system makes will also be recorded. I used this method, and also using Audacity, but I found it a bit tricky to figure out which sound output port to connect to which sound input port and set the appropriate ports in the sound settings and Audacity. However, if you have patience then a bit of trial and error will do the trick. Then I had to create the correct sound balance levels to maintain a good level of recording without it being to low or to high so that it got distorted. Again trial and error will help. And yes again, you have to wait for the time to play all the audio for it to record, but you can simply put an alarm on when you know the length and then even if you have recorded silence at the start and end, you can use Audacity to crop both “ends”.I hope that helps. - By sully at 10:16pm on Jan 1, 2010 (GMT/UTC)
Apologies Bharat if I repeated your ideas. As a regular user of Total Recorder I am fairly familiar with its settings. There is no issue with ports – only to set optimal recording volume which can be set to automatic. Splitting files is also a simple matter. All in all, this is much simpler and cheaper than burning 15 cds.On another issue – my HTC Touch smartphone is fully Audible player compatible and my legitimately purchased Audible downloads are a joy to listen to on this player using bookmarks. I wonder whether anyone has found a way to play mp3 files on Audible player (or to convert mp3 to aac)?Best Regards,
Sully - By Bharat Karavadra at 8:31am on Jan 2, 2010 (GMT/UTC)
No need to apologise Scully – I was simply agreeing with what you suggested and it was a good suggestion as CD’s are not wasted.And, I only tend to use mp3 audio so my general mission is to convert all audio to mp3, so if anyone has any suggestions about converting mp3 to aac then they will be welcomed, especially by Scully. - By Liz at 4:39pm on Feb 25, 2010 (GMT/UTC)
Hi. For those concerned about having to use loads of CDs for this . . . I used Nero 9 and just one CD-RW. I burned the first disc, ripped it to MP3, then overwrote the CD with the next disc. Did this for the 9 CDs worth of book I was converting, then wiped the disc to leave it blank and ready for next time!Seeemples! - By Dasia at 10:25pm on Feb 26, 2010 (GMT/UTC)
Thanks to everyone for the helpful suggestions!I’ve just blogged about this problem, check it out: http://dasiahasablog.blogspot.com/2010/02/rainbow-is-not-dirty-word.htmlI think we should all raise awareness of how ridiculously restrictive Audible’s .aa format is! Share files, not blood pressure meds ;) - By Bill Gates at 1:04pm on Mar 1, 2010 (GMT/UTC)
Try; soundtaxi pro – software that converts most formats to most formats circumventing DRM – working nicely for me on aa files. Beg, borrow or steal as your conscience allows… - By Alicia at 8:20pm on Mar 7, 2010 (GMT/UTC)
Hi, thanks so much for this site. It is so frustrating that after you spend money at Audible you will not be able to use their product. I spent the whole day trying to convert .aa files into MP3?s and then to M4B’s. Hopefully now it is going to work.I have downloaded ITurns and now burning the book to ITurns.. - By philreed at 10:54pm on Mar 23, 2010 (GMT/UTC)
just downloaded latest version of iTunes – 23.3.10 – has Audible wised up to all this – in iTunes, click on ‘Burn Disc’ ok, but then message box ‘None of these files can be burned to an MP3 CD’ reason given ‘is an Audible file and can not be burned to an MP3 CD.’ - By Bharat Karavadra at 8:31am on Mar 24, 2010 (GMT/UTC)
Hi Phil,See step 6 – can you make sure you have “AUDIO CD” selected and not anything else. I can run you through it step by step at the moment as I do not have anything in my iTunes playlist. - By EPayne at 10:51pm on Apr 3, 2010 (GMT/UTC)
Thank you for your information. I fell into the same trap, and now have a Sony Walkman that isn’t supported by Audible.com. However, after putting my audio book onto CD’s and downloading FreeRip, I found a problem that I haven’t seen in all the comments. After I inserted my CD, and initiated FreeRip, I get a list of tracks in German that have nothing to do with what is on the CD. I have actually listened to the CD and the book that I wanted is there. What am I missing? - By Bharat Karavadra at 7:13am on Apr 4, 2010 (GMT/UTC)
Hi EPayne,
Your scenario sounds very odd – it might be an issue with how the index/directory of the CD was written or is being read – try writing another CD to see if it happens.Either way – the number of tracks that appear in Free RIP and the number of tracks on the CD (and what it says on the box or description of the CD) usually match – so if the numbers are out then something definitely is not right with how the CD is written or being read.If the number of tracks are the same and you still get the odd names – just go through the process of creating the mp3?s and then click on each mp3 file to play it to ensure that it was what it is supposed to be (a few seconds of each track will tell you) and then simply re-label the files to what they are supposed to be called.However mp3 files have tags and if the tags have the german or other names – they will appear on your walkman and not the names that you called the files. So, you will need to use MP3 Tag editing software to change the tags to the names of the tracks. You should be able to find a free on download.com – I use Tag Scanner but this is over complex for your needs.I hope that helps. - By Gary at 1:08pm on Apr 11, 2010 (GMT/UTC)
Thank you so very much for this info! Not only is the information provided in a clear, straightforward way (with no jargon or “techspeak” – if I could understand that stuff I probably wouldn’t need to be asking for help!) but it ACTUALLY WORKS! Cheers … - By Bharat Karavadra at 6:08pm on Apr 11, 2010 (GMT/UTC)
Thank you Gary,For your appreciation. - By Eddie at 10:12pm on Apr 21, 2010 (GMT/UTC)
Audible is actually anti-consumer, as we pay for the audiobooks but can’t play them on any mp3 player of our choosing. It’s shocking and just another control mechanism rather than their claim of protecting the authors rights. We’ve already paid. That’s why I cancelled my subscription to audible.Anyway, I used to have to re-record the books using audacity as I didn’t want to burn tons of cd’s and the rip them using media player.I encourage everyone to complain to audible, swamp their inbox with emails demanding our right to use our paid for products in the way we want to use them. Cancel your subscription. That’ll make them change their stupid drm policy. - By Preston at 8:02am on May 3, 2010 (GMT/UTC)
5 stars!!!
Like you I have been desperately looking to convert audible uk downloads to mp3. Like you I had the exact same experience. I was getting very frustrated and then you popped up. Thank you!! - By Bharat Karavadra at 8:28am on May 3, 2010 (GMT/UTC)
Thank you Preston,I’m glad the above article and comments have proved useful for you. - By Jaybones at 1:34pm on May 5, 2010 (GMT/UTC)
I just happened on this blog and read these comments about Audible and ‘aa’ format. I don’t understand the problem. Hasn’t anyone ever heard of ‘SoundTaxi’ software???Kindest…..Jay - By Bharat Karavadra at 2:53pm on May 5, 2010 (GMT/UTC)
Hi Jay,The root of the issue is mentioned above, but in brief when I purchased an Audible file I could not save it on to my Sony Walkman to listen to after choosing the option of Sony Handhelds (which the Sony Walkman is) within the Audible Manager software, and when I mentioned the issue with Audible – they told me that I could not save it to my Walkman as it was not supported. A Sony Walkman is a Sony Handheld and probably one of the most common Sony Handhelds, and that was MY issue.You can perhaps ask other what there issue was, or is. - By Jaybones at 6:22pm on May 5, 2010 (GMT/UTC)
Hi Bharat,Understand what your issue was but it seems that you can convert the ‘aa’ files direstly to ‘mp3? files and after the conversion, the newly created files can be handled without alot of trouble. I’m sure that there could be other issues I don’t understand and if that’s the case, please forgive me.Thanks, Jay - By Bharat Karavadra at 7:36pm on May 5, 2010 (GMT/UTC)
I’m sorry but I really don’t understand what you are saying Jay. I could not convert .aa files to mp3 directly and neither could others as per the comments above.Can you please elaborate on your statement ” it seems that you can convert the ‘aa’ files direstly to ‘mp3? files” on how people can freely convert .aa files to mp3 format? - By Donna at 12:22pm on May 13, 2010 (GMT/UTC)
Thanks so much for saving me from a meltdown. I am furious at having paid for an audiobook, something new for me as I usually download them for free from my library, and was furious that I wasn’t told prior to purchasing that it wouldn’t work on my walkman! You have saved me what I’m sure would be a frustrating discussion with Audible customer service. I’m trying the iturns avenue first, wanting to save CDs, but will go forth with your method if that doesn’t work. I’m getting this book one way or another. Thanks again. - By Bharat Karavadra at 2:14pm on May 13, 2010 (GMT/UTC)
Hi Donna,I’m glad the above post has been useful. I haven’t tried the iturns method myself – I hope it goes well, otherwise the process I describe above by using CD’s should work OK. - By anne at 2:36pm on Jun 4, 2010 (GMT/UTC)
I also have the Sony Walkman and found the same problem as everyone else 18 cd’s I numbered the cd and the page number (02/07)and after what seemed forever this worked. Anyway I wanted another book from Audible as the original is out of print but this time when on the 6th and 7th cd(book in two parts)I keep getting an error message I phoned Audible who cancelled the original download and resent it,once again I can only get to the 6th cd before the error message I have checked the the pc and it all the parts seem to be there. How can I get this on to my Walkman. Any suggestions would be most helpful. Thanks Anne - By Bharat Karavadra at 6:32pm on Jun 4, 2010 (GMT/UTC)
Hi Anne,As you seem to have done it once with 18CD audio file, I can only assume it’s something to do with the second audio file.What is the error message that you get? - By anne at 7:15pm on Jun 5, 2010 (GMT/UTC)
Thanks I phoned Audible again and they sent the book once again. The staff at Audible have been helpful and explained how to get the part that was missing without burning all the CD’s I wonder if it is worth all the hassel to get the book on to the Walkman I might end up buying an other mp3 player thats compatable but I dont want the ipod Anne - By Bharat Karavadra at 8:52am on Jun 6, 2010 (GMT/UTC)
Hi Anne,Whether you purchase another mp3 player or not is your choice – it depends on your needs. However, remember that the mp3 format is the most dominant and accepted audio format which should be supported by any device claiming to play the mp3 format and hence I personally do not see why the Walkman, which is also a dominant and accepted mp3 player, was not supported by audible and hence having to find a way to convert audible files to mp3 format.So in brief, mp3 format is mp3 format and an mp3 player is an mp3 player, and so suppliers selling or giving away audio files claiming that they can be converted to another audio format should seriously consider the mp3 format and all mp3 players. - By Christopher at 9:30am on Jul 6, 2010 (GMT/UTC)
I appreciate your problems with Audible. I am checking forums to verify that a new Sony walkman would support my normal usage, including Audible books. As my search is in response to Audible’s lack of support for Android handset (the help line suggested I stay with my old iPhone), I am not surprised by Audible’s lack of support for one of the most popular mp3 players on the market.Audible obviously feel that supporting Apple’s phones and mp3 players is enough and customers should not be allowed to choose who makes their mp3 player (or phone). - By Bharat Karavadra at 9:41am on Jul 6, 2010 (GMT/UTC)
Hi Christopher,I don’t think it’s about customers not being able to choose their mp3 player, but more so that one of the world’s most common and well know mp3 players is the Sony Walkman which plays probably the de facto standard in digital audio files, namely mp3, and hence Audible is losing out on a huge market. Perhaps they have valid reasons but they should make them clear, rather than just hide them away and not express the truth of the matter, whatever that may be. - By Glen at 3:39pm on Jul 11, 2010 (GMT/UTC)
Hi All,
What a great blog. I sifted through all the info and gleaned enough info to be able to listen to my .aa files. (Curse you Audible). Many thanks to all who contributed. I used this method, DOWNLOAD TO ITUNES, BURN TO CD-RW OVER AND OVER, RIP TO MP3 USING WINDOWS MEDIA PLAYER, SPLIT FILES USING “SLICE” AUDIO FILE SPLITTER, (IT’S FREE !) JOB DONE…..YAY!!!!!!. Cheers again. - By Bharat Karavadra at 6:34pm on Jul 11, 2010 (GMT/UTC)
Thanks Glen,You seem to have a new method using Windows Media Player and Slice, the latter of which I have not heard of.I hope you all can make use of Glen’s method. - By Glen at 10:17pm on Jul 14, 2010 (GMT/UTC)
Hi All….Again.
Just thought I’d clear up some info on “SLICE”
This MP3 splitter software will cut your files into any length you require, 1 Second and upwards. It uses simple drag and drop methods with quite a few other options you will find useful It can be downloaded from the NCH Software site. I have used a lot of thier programs, which are excellent and safe for you and your pc, and yes, it is FREE with no strings attached. I know it sounds like a lot of messing about but it’s worth it in the end. It takes me roughly 15-20 mins to get 4 hours of Audible.aa files from I-tunes (hmmph !!) to ANY MP3 player I choose. I hope this extra info has helped……Enjoy,
Regards…..GLEN. - By Bharat Karavadra at 8:06am on Jul 15, 2010 (GMT/UTC)
Thanks for the info Glen. - By laurie McLaughlin at 10:50am on Sep 3, 2010 (GMT/UTC)
hi bharat,you have a gift for clear communication! i read your blog looking for a way to convert my audible books into smaller files on my Mac. i listen when i go to bed and they never shut off, unlike when i get an audiobook from the library and can make a playlist out of each CD. i found many good ideas but nothing that was quick or free. then i searched audible.com and found this. i don’t know if they changed something since you began your blog or not, I know you mentioned using AudibleManager, but they say that you can transfer your audio to a MP3 Player.“To enjoy content directly from your computer, you will need to install the AudibleManager Software.
With AudibleManager you can:
Listen right from your computer
Transfer audio to a MP3 Player, Kindle, Mobile Phone, Or GPS.”here’s where i found this:http://www.audible.com/sw?pageFlowType=PC_WIZARDi hope this helps.laurie - By Bharat Karavadra at 11:28am on Sep 3, 2010 (GMT/UTC)
Laurie,Thank you for your kind words and that you found some use in them and also in the outcome in being able to listen to your audio when and where you want. - By Liesebieke at 6:14pm on Sep 4, 2010 (GMT/UTC)
Thank you for posting this so detailed that a beginner like myself understands it too!
Well done, now I am able to listen to my aqudio book on the train, which was impossible with the Audible file type as my mobile phone would not recognize the file type!
Thank you once again! - By Bharat Karavadra at 9:16am on Sep 5, 2010 (GMT/UTC)
Thank you Liesebieke,I’m glad that you can now use the audio files on your mobile phone. - By Brian at 8:10am on Sep 11, 2010 (GMT/UTC)
Sony’s resume where you left it when they turn off. Audible are wrong that they start again. - By Bharat Karavadra at 8:51am on Sep 11, 2010 (GMT/UTC)
Sorry Brian, I do not quite understand your comment – can you please elaborate. Thank you. - By Sam at 4:21am on Sep 23, 2010 (GMT/UTC)
After downloading the audiobook using Audible’s software, this is what I’ve been doing:Using Audacity – which is free for the FULL version, not a trail version, is small and unobtrusive – to import the files as ‘raw data.’Once the file’s imported that way, I click ‘export’ and save it as an MP3.Then I copy it over to my phone’s folder (with the phone connected to the computer, of course).Both import and export takes from a few seconds up to 2 minutes, depending on how long the track is, and then copying takes another few seconds.This way you don’t need to burn a disc, either a virtual image one or a real one. Just download with Audible, import then export with Audacity, and copy over. - By Bharat Karavadra at 12:37pm on Sep 23, 2010 (GMT/UTC)
Hi Sam,Thank you for your suggestion – it seems much more simple and has less waste in terms of having to create CDs.When I first attempted to find a way to create MP3?s from the Audible format, I either assumed or discovered the Audible files that I had were protected in some way and could not be imported but if they’re not and your method works with Audible files then I pay my respects to you.If anyone can test Sam’s method and report their finding and success then I would be happy to publish Sam’s method as a better alternative. - By Sheila at 9:01pm on Oct 20, 2010 (GMT/UTC)
I couldn’t get the audacity to work. It imported as an unreadable file. However, I forked out the 20 bucks for SoundTaxi, and it is super awesome! Converts VERY fast and played on my player with no problem. Thanks for you help, Bharat, and to all those who commented and left suggestions! - By Bharat Karavadra at 3:37pm on Oct 21, 2010 (GMT/UTC)
Hi Sheila,Thank you for your comment. Did you try my method or any others that did work? - By Danny at 10:45am on Oct 31, 2010 (GMT/UTC)
OR… you could just go to one of the two major companies that sell Audio books in MP3 file format…emusic.com (subscription) or http://www.weread4you.com(no subscriptions)… - By Bharat Karavadra at 12:32pm on Oct 31, 2010 (GMT/UTC)
Thanks for suggesting the sites Danny, as I had not heard of them before.I’m sure I did a good Google search for what I was looking for in terms of audio and they did not appear and hence had to go to Audible as they seemed to be the only stockist at the time. - By RobJay at 7:26pm on Nov 19, 2010 (GMT/UTC)
Bharat,I too have the Sony walkman and was surprised to find Audible did not support it. I mean come on! Didn’t Sony start the miniature music device industry ? Thanks for your tip. I have canceled my Audible membership as you said they were no help at all. Thanks again - By Carol Reigh at 1:48am on Dec 17, 2010 (GMT/UTC)
thanks for all that helpful information as i just bought a walkman specifically because it kept my place while on pause and then prceeded to Audible and downloaded a book to no avail. you saved me much grief and frustration. not sure i can do all you suggested but i do know i can return my Walkman for something that will work with audible books. thanks again for taking the time to write all this. It was extremely helpful. i don’t have the computer savy that you do. - By VB at 3:05pm on Dec 17, 2010 (GMT/UTC)
Thank so much for this – you’ve just saved Christmas! - By Claire at 12:20am on Jan 22, 2011 (GMT/UTC)
Arhhh! I have just done the same thing! When they say ‘MP3? I thought it meant it would have the .mp3 suffix. I can’t seem to play it on my computer or my device and have bought a lot of stuff. Surely they are breaking some rule by not stating this before you buy? Comsumer Direct here I come!.. - By Bharat Karavadra at 2:34pmS on Jan 22, 2011 (GMT/UTC)Hi Claire,
When I purchased audio files from Audible, as far as I can remember as it was a long time ago now I purchased on the basis that they supported Sony Walkmans but mine was not supported, but they refused to give a refund.
If Audible now claim to sell MP3?s then MP3?s are MP3?s and should play on any device supporting MP3 and from what I am aware of I cannot believe any digitla audio playback device now not supporting MP3?s.
Good Luck. - By Kelly at 9:47pm on Jan 22, 2011 (GMT/UTC)
They do claim to sell MP3?s. I’m still working through the process of burning and ripping, but thanks for the info…I don’t suppose you have a process for converting videos too? - By Bharat Karavadra at 6:58pm on Jan 29, 2011 (GMT/UTC)
Hi Kelly,
Sorry for the delay in getting back to you but I’ve been quite busy.
What sort of videos do you need to convert into what sort of videos. In other words what format to what format?
Bharat - By mark at 2:06pm on Feb 4, 2011 (GMT/UTC)
I also found audacity failed. It imported as a corrupted file, but Sound Taxi is awsome. Import the file and i entered my audible password to open the file, then after conversion to mp3 saved it on my hardrive. it plays just like any other mp3 now, but for some reason doesn’t ask for a password any more ;) - By Mike H. at 4:05pm on Feb 18, 2011 (GMT/UTC)
I gave the iTurns download from Audible to iTunes to iTurns a try with my new Sony Walkman and it didn’t work downloading a book, and in trying to do this one 6-hour audio book tried to load, ate up 6 GB of space, and doesn’t play. I bought the Sony Walkman to download from Audible.com and am very disappointed it’s a bust. What a waste of $115. My 4 GB Sansa Disk works perfectly, I should have stuck with Sansa. - By nick at 2:32pm on Feb 21, 2011 (GMT/UTC)
Just wish I had found this BEFORE purchasing from Audible! Whoever is in the right it seems to me that the company should clearly warn that the files are not compatible with Sony. Fine if they say its Sony’s fault just so long as they stop continuing to allow people to buy their product in perfectly good faith when they (Audible) must know that this is a recurring problem. - By Ruth S at 6:52pm on Mar 5, 2011 (GMT/UTC)
I wrote to Sony who wrote back saying they have no plans at all to make any further products compatible with Audible. Over to Audible, I have three credits sitting waiting, so I am hoping for a refund.
Your instructions worked perfectly for me but too much faffing on each time I want a book, I am going to look elsewhere.
Thanks for a great set of instructions. - By M.D. Miles at 3:14am on Mar 6, 2011 (GMT/UTC)
Thanks Bharat, I can just use Nero instead of iTunes right? I detest Apple, and all of it’s “Big Brother” software. I truly appreciate the time you have put into educating us… ;-) - By Bharat Karavadra at 11:50am on Mar 7, 2011 (GMT/UTC)
M.D. Miles,
Thank you for your appreciation. - By Barn at 11:35am on Mar 14, 2011 (GMT/UTC)
I tried burning the files using Iturns, yet when I try I get a message from itunes saying failed because it cannot be burned to mp3 cd.Any ideas? Thanks - By Theresa at 7:21pm on Mar 18, 2011 (GMT/UTC)
Help – audible doesn’t support my mp3 Player and my i-tune doesn’t burn because it cannot find my burner Ashampoo – says it is none there…
Isn’t there a converter software out there for the sh… audible files? - By Paul Clarke at 4:23pm on Mar 27, 2011 (GMT/UTC)
I boght 3 Iain M Rankin books – that’s nearly 40 full cd’s not really something I’m going to bother doing.
I bought DRM Buster and copied them directly to MP3 (it needs to use I-tune app to do it) does it in 1-1 time – but at least I didn’t need to keep changing the CD every 70 minutes and could do half a book a night for a week until it was done. - By mc at 3:44am on Apr 14, 2011 (GMT/UTC)
Thanks for the help. There are numerous sites that offer this. I’ve found another way of converting mp3 files. Try this http://mp3filesconvert.com - By priyesh at 10:16am on Apr 17, 2011 (GMT/UTC)
i have sony ercisson k530i handset ! it has audible software inbuilt in it !! recently i had downloaded free audio-book (1hr) from audible !!
but after playing on my handset it says u need to register for the audio-book !! i did the same but it shows invalid account details !!
pls help !!note- i already register on audible.com !! - By lyna at 11:24am on May 23, 2011 (GMT/UTC)
I got the same results Barn did – tried burning using Iturns but got a message saying that my file was an Audible file and it cannot be burned to an MP3 CD.What else can I do now? My excitement at purchasing my very first e-book is now very slowly, but surely, turning to extreme annoyance. - By Soulcatcher at 11:33pm on May 25, 2011 (GMT/UTC)
I just like to say “Thank You All” It
Does what its says on the tin !!!
I used CD-RW`s save on discs and used CDEX (freeware) to rip the files to Mp3.
Now i can play The Fry Chronicles where i like and on what i like not where or how Audible tells me too
Again a Big Thank You To Everyone Here
………….Soulcatcher - By Soulcatcher at 8:03am on May 27, 2011 (GMT/UTC)
Hi lyna,
6) In the box, make sure you have “Audio CD” selected and then set any preferences you want for your Audio CD and then click the “Burn” button.7) iTunes may say that you will be writing multiple CDs or words to that effect, simply agree and carry on.8) Insert the blank CDs when iTunes requests them on the top message bar.after you a burnt your cd`s then you MP3 them.
I Used CDEX to convert them to mp3
hope that helps you
Soulcatcher - By Nicole at 11:10am on Jun 6, 2011 (GMT/UTC)
Hi
It doesn’t even take half an hour, guy. Thanks! - By Michael Stephens at 9:54pm on Jun 14, 2011 (GMT/UTC)
A couple of things: This situation is not entirely Audible’s fault. They are trying (through DRM) to protect the intellectual property of the authors and publishers; MP3s do not have any copy protection. Sony is unwilling to license the .aa format as they want to push their own products. Many MP3 players do not save their place in an MP3 file and must be started over form the beginning of the program and fast forwarded to the place where you left off.The absolute best product for listening to audio books is any flavor of the Creative Zen. It plays both MP3 files and the Audible.aa format and it saves your place in the book when you turn it off. If you want to stop listening to the book and play some music you can set a bookmark. I am an audio book fanatic and I have been using Creative Zen players for 8 years and they are absolutely the best! - By Gyress at 7:15am on Jun 15, 2011 (GMT/UTC)
Wow. I have been an audible listener for many years, fortuate enough to have a player “supported by audible”. However I’ve been trying to convert my files to MP3 for a friend and was getting frustrated. Thanks a million to all of you that have posted suggestions on how to do this. I was just loading my supported player with the .aa (and .aax) files, plugging the headphones jack into the “aux” input of my PC and recording the book with audacity. Then just exporting the recording as MP3 (modifying the lengnth as needed). It is time consuming, but it works.I can’t wait to try some of the suggestions posted here.Gyress - By Julie at 4:10am on Jun 22, 2011 (GMT/UTC)
I too am annoyed that audible.com does not support Sony Walkman. I bought my Walkman to play audio books. It works beautifully with books I check out from Netlibrary and Overdrive, through the public library system. The Walkman DOES NOT start at the beginning each time you turn it off, then back on. It remembers your place, unless you have added or removed files. The Walkman I have supports the DRM format that NetLibrary and Overdrive use for both MP3 and WMA formats. Audible.com should get with it! - By Tara at 2:35am on Jul 10, 2011 (GMT/UTC)
Okay, I’ve read all these comments and am still frustrated. I don’t have a Sony – I actually have an iPod – but I listen to audiobooks in my car and want to listen to them on an MP3 CD so I don’t have to change out 12 CDs. I’m pretty technically knowledgeable, and I tried a variety of things before finding this forum. I don’t want to burn a CD to rip for all the MP3s because this defeats the purpose. (I actually mentioned in my raging email to Audible that I could have done that if I was trying to steal their stuff for someone else!) The various programs mentioned in these comments all appear to be Windows programs, and I have a Mac. I have Audacity, as well as Final Cut Pro and a few other programs. I tried importing the .aa files into all of them in various ways without success. Short of playing my audiobook overnight and recording onto Audacity from there (which I can’t do because it will keep my infant son and husband up – we have a small apartment) – does anyone have any suggestions for a Mac user who just wants to burn a bloody MP3 CD of Audible content that I legally purchased? - By Tara at 5:42am on Jul 10, 2011 (GMT/UTC)
Well, as it turns out, I’ve managed to find an answer! A friend suggested Audio Hijack Pro. It does essentially the same thing as an earlier recommendation on here where it records from a file in real time. However, it goes directly through the application, so you can have your computer on mute (or even set the application to mute) and have it recording in the background without anyone noticing. I don’t mind the real-time delay because at least I’m not ripping a ton of CDs and I can let it run overnight. A bonus: you can set it to start a new track every X minutes/hrs/MB/GB as it records. So you can build in your own tracks. (This is nice because my file is 8 hours long and I can now have it in 15 minute increments.) If anyone else has a Mac and is interested, the site is here: http://www.rogueamoeba.com/audiohijackpro/ - By Chris Dev at 10:00am on Jul 19, 2011 (GMT/UTC)
Hi. Thanks for the info. What a waste of time Audible is !
In this day and age every single MP3 player should be allowed to play the files. - By Wal LAst at 10:43pm on Aug 9, 2011 (GMT/UTC)
It somehow works with 6 hrs – but I’ve just bought 24 hrs audio book – I use to burn my mp3 on DVD to listen in the car without changing CDs under way – the audible way of businnes is not the way I’d recommend to anybody. They do promise mp3 books – they deliver aax – clear, plain lie - By aa at 8:03am on Aug 26, 2011 (GMT/UTC)
This whole audiobook format problem is very frustrating and stupid. Two devices I own both are not compatible with audible.com files, and they do not play .aac format. But apparently I have only two choices – iTunes or audible.com, which means I can listen to the books I purchase only using my computer – what silliness.
audible.com is downright treacherous that they never tell you that your device may not be compatible with the file before you actually make the purchase – on two occasions I paid for a book only to find out that the device was not compatible. ..hello? shouldn’t I be informed about this kind of situation before I pay near 20 dollars?
And the website is very user-unfriendly, frustrating to navigate, and lacking information. I am not sure what amazon.com is doing with this – you have to brush it up on the standard if you’ve actually purchased it! - By Kingsley at 12:37pm on Aug 31, 2011 (GMT/UTC)
Hi All,
Oh holy moly, you cannot believe the frustrations I have had after spending what I thought was good money with audible. I have a philips go gear mix 2GB MP3 player and like most people here, I have had the same problems with my MP3 player not recognising these f***ing .aa files from audible. Someone should take these people to the claims court for leading us all down the garden path and telling us lies. To you Bharat, thanks you so much for your simple (for idiots like me) explaination of how to convert these .aa files to MP3, it worked for me exactly as you said, thank you again. One thing though, when I downloaded Freerip the files were identifed as Adagio Strings from Samuel Barber (whoever he is?) but yet they play my book, The Golfers Mind by Bob Rotella. Strange but I dont really care. Thanks again to all, keep up the good work and one thing is for sure, I wont be buying ANYTHING again from Audible! - By David at 8:51am on Sep 6, 2011 (GMT/UTC)
Don’t bother with Foxtab as some people here clain it can’t read audible files so can’t convert them. I’ve spent the last 4 hours trying to make Foxtab see the files. - By tom at 1:57am on Oct 13, 2011 (GMT/UTC)
Love my sony and want to use for books too. Need a workaround, right? Thinking about this way… buy an el-cheapo mp3 that IS compatible with aa, put the book there, then pass the audio output into pc, and convert the audio file to mp3. Put the mp3 files onto the sony. BUT, the issue remains, how to chapterize? I’ve been doing the cd thingie a lot and most books have skips, jumps and repeated lines, especially between cds. I have hopes this other way will work. Yours to try, yours to keep if it works. Just let us know about your attempts - By Michael at 11:16am on Oct 15, 2011 (GMT/UTC)
Tara, I’m sorry that I didn’t read you already had an Ipod. That really simplifies things. All you have to do is buy an FM radio adapter. Get one that plugs into your cars cigarette lighter and charges your ipod at the same time it plays it over your designated radio station. It’s much more convenient that way.
A comment from Claire:
Dear Bharat,
you’re great!!! I was gobsmacked, when I realised AFTER purchase, that I
didn’t get a mp3 file of my book, but an aa-file I’ve never heard about.
I’ve read your story and I thought, it was mine!!! You ‘how to’ worked
fine. I followed step-by-step and finally got my mp3 files.
Thank you so much,
Claire
I’m testing the first new comment for this post with some wonderful feedback from Teresa Montero:
Hi Bharat, I just rec’d my brand new Sony Walkman, purchased from Amazon
incidentally, and after several frustrating hours of failing to download my
purchased books from Audible (almost the only game in town!), I decided to
return the player. Finding your site allows me to keep a very nice MP3
player purchased at a very good price. In the Amazon customer reviews, I did
read something about how to download books through iTunes as a podcast,
which will allow you to stop and start without searching for your left-off
“place” but hadn’t a clue how to accomplish this simple task — I understand
so little of computers other than straightforward operation and appreciate
how simply you have described the process of converting the files to a
usable format. Thank you so very much for sharing your solution and for the
updates contained throughout the comments over the many months since your
first posting. There’s a lot of smart people out there and I’m grateful how
nice they are and willing to help the rest of us!
Teresa