Need help with applescript to convert audio files using ffmpeg

Scripting Forums AppleScript | Mac OS X
#1

Hi

I have installed ffmpeg using MacPorts and am trying to work out a script that will convert audio files in a specified folder to mp3 files, outputting the converted files as mp3 files in another folder.

So far the script looks like this:

set convertPath to "Macintosh HD:opt:local:bin:ffmpeg"
set convertCommand to quoted form of POSIX path of convertPath & " -i {infile} -f mp3 -ar 44100 -ab 128 -acodec mp3 - "

tell application "Finder"
	set inPath to "Macintosh HD:Users:nick:Desktop:new:"
	set outPath to "Macintosh HD:Users:nick:Desktop:new2:"
	set myFiles to (files of entire contents of inPath whose name ends with ".m4a") as alias list
	
	repeat with i from 1 to count of myFiles
		do shell script convertCommand
	end repeat
	
end tell

With this script I am getting the error : “Can’t make every file of «class ects» of “Macintosh HD:Users:nick:Desktop:new:” whose name ends with “.m4a” into type alias list.”

Another issue is that I am not sure how to define the do shell script command so that it outputs an MP3 file in the output directory.

Could someone help me get this working?

Thanks

Nick

#2

Hi,

inPath is a literal string, not a folder specifier, add the keyword folder

 set myFiles to (files of entire contents of folder inPath whose name ends with ".m4a") as alias list
#3

thanks Stephan

that got me past the set myFiles error. now on to the next error I predicted. I get the following error for the do shell script command:

Finder got an error: FFmpeg version 0.6, Copyright (c) 2000-2010 the FFmpeg developers
built on Sep 26 2010 15:17:18 with gcc 4.2.1 (Apple Inc. build 5646)
configuration: --prefix=/opt/local --enable-gpl --enable-postproc --enable-swscale --enable-avfilter --enable-avfilter-lavf --enable-libmp3lame --enable-libvorbis --enable-libtheora --enable-libdirac --enable-libschroedinger --enable-libfaac --enable-libfaad --enable-libxvid --enable-libx264 --enable-libvpx --enable-libspeex --enable-nonfree --mandir=/opt/local/share/man --enable-shared --enable-pthreads --disable-indevs --cc=/usr/bin/gcc-4.2 --arch=x86_64
libavutil 50.15. 1 / 50.15. 1
libavcodec 52.72. 2 / 52.72. 2
libavformat 52.64. 2 / 52.64. 2
libavdevice 52. 2. 0 / 52. 2. 0
libavfilter 1.19. 0 / 1.19. 0
libswscale 1.11. 0 / 1.11. 0
libpostproc 51. 2. 0 / 51. 2. 0
{infile}: No such file or directory

#4

what is infile? infile is not defined

#5

good point.

I was using a command line that works in another app, but probably not suited to the script.

I googled convert mp3 with ffmpeg and the following command was listed for converting from aac to mp3 preserving metadata. I actually want to convert from .m4a (Apple Lossless) but I’m sure it can be adapted:

ffmpeg -i audio1.aac -ar 22050 -ab 32 -map_meta_data audio1.mp3:audio1.aac audio1.mp3

I am not sure how to enter this command in the script. In a previous script I got working to convert images using ImageMagick and ‘do shell script’ the following line worked:

do shell script convertCommand & quoted form of POSIX path of thisImage & space & quoted form of POSIX path of outPath

But I’m not sure how to adapt this/put this all together for the current script

Nick