There are several reasons why you may need to convert a file format –

1. To reduce the file size so that you can upload/email it easily

2. To make the file compatible with a particular player

3. To extract audio from a video file, etc.

Here are 3 tools, ranging from paid to free, that can be used to convert file formats:

Wavepad

This application from NCH can play and converts more than 30 audio & video file formats (including wav, mp3, wma, mp2, m4a, ogg, avi, mid, flac, mov, amr, aac, mpga, dct, au, aif/aiff, raw, dvf, vox, cda, gsm, dss, sri, shn, dss, msv, wmv, and others).

It also allows editing audio and video files at the time of conversion – like amplifying, cutting out unimportant parts of a recording and reducing noise.

The application allows a lot of import flexibility such as the ability to extract audio from video files and extracting audio from DVDs.

Wavepad comes with a free 14-day trial period and costs $79.99 after that.

Excellent for heavy users or people working with not-so-common file formats.

Audacity

This is a free, open source program that can be used to convert files to MP3 and WAV format.  Its file export function is very easy to use (see how to convert file formats using Audacity).

The downside is that it works with a limited file formats (.aup, .wav, .aiff, .mp3, Sun Au/NeXT, IRCAM, and Off Vorbis) and cannot exact files directly from a DVD. (You may find some workarounds if you research online).

Great for specific file-types.

iTunes

iTunes can be used to convert files to MP3, AAC, AIFF and WAV formats.

To convert a file, select it in iTunes and then choose the appropriate conversion option under the Advanced menu.

Good for occasional file conversion needs.

Are there any file format converters that you’ve used and would like to recommend?