How to convert a karaoke mpeg file with multiplex audio tracks

[Mauialan]

How to convert a karaoke mpeg file with multiplex audio tracks (with and without vocals), to AVI or WMV, without losing the multiplex audio tracks?
I read another post but the scenario was different than my request. Thank you in advance!

[LigH.de]

What is the issue? That it contains several audio tracks, and simple converters only take care of one of them?

A MediaInfo report of such a file would be useful; but in general: Use a converter which supports converting and managing several audio tracks per media file (and that may even require some more manual efforts, like first extracting existing tracks, then converting, and then adding them to the copy one after another), and use a target container which supports multiple audio tracks.

Or, do not convert at all, but use a Media Player which helps you selecting each of the contained audio tracks separately (the Microsoft Windows Media Player is about the only one which fails here).

By the way, "multiplexing" already happens when a media file contains more than one track. Like, not only the video. Already one single audio track has to be multiplexed (woven) with the video track.

[Mauialan]

Thank you for your reply LigH.de! The file contains two audio tracks. I can select the non-vocal audio track, using VLC but I would like to play the song with a computer Karaoke program I have by CAVS that does not play mpeg files. I converted the files to a WMV format but when I play the file with the CAVS program, the non-vocal track is not there.

[LigH.de]

So, which converter did you use? It probably just took the first available audio track. You will need a converter which lets you at least select one of several audio tracks, or even process all of them.

One of the main problems may be WMV as target format. Not many freeware converters support WMV, some ffmpeg based converters can. I am not sure which can help. Maybe TEncoder. In case of despair, it has to be used as command line tool.

[Mauialan]

I did this a while back and I don't remember which converter i used. Is AVI better than WMV?

[LigH.de]

AVI is just a container. And it is way older than WMV (or ASF). But the AVI container and the content formats it may contain may be more widely supported. There are ways to support several audio tracks in AVI containers, known for many years; but WMV will probably support several tracks too, if the converter can handle that. Video and audio quality in WMV and WMA tracks can be quite good if you spend enough bitrate. Just like e.g. Xvid video and MP3 audio tracks in AVI. There is not so much difference.

I know a few more tools which are able to add more than one audio track to an AVI container. There are e.g.: VirtualDubMod, AviMux GUI ... and, of course, ffmpeg at the command line. You just may need to convert the audio tracks separately first. To know which tools to prefer, it would help to know more about the source file.

[Mauialan]

Thank you, I apologize for my lack of knowledge in this field. The files I have are for Asian Karaoke songs and I have A LOT of them, so I am hoping I can find a program that will batch convert the files. Will VirtualDubMod and AviMux GUI do this?

[LigH.de]

If they all have the same structure, then there is no better choice than ffmpeg for a batch conversion.

If we can have a MediaInfo analysis, someone can probably handcraft a complete command line for you to convert them all in a loop, e.g. each to an AVI with Xvid (CQ 3) and MP3 with 2 audio tracks...

[Mauialan]

Here's info from one of my files.