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  1. May thanks to the VideoHelp admins for adding AAX Audio Converter to the software list.

    There are already a number of tools around which allow you to convert your Audible audiobooks in AAX files to an open audio format, MP3 or M4A/M4B in particular. Several of them take advantage of FFmpeg, which supports AAX file processing for some time now.

    However, none of these tools came anywhere near to the workflow I was used to for a number of years. I still followed the official procedure with Apple iTunes, produced (virtual) CDs, encoded to MP3, and post-processed with mp3DirectCut and Mp3tag. What I always liked were the short tracks iTunes created, albeit cut mid-word every 8 minutes. I let Mp3tag create a playlist, put tracks and playlist onto a USB stick and could play it everywhere, with almost any audio hard- and software.
    But it involved a lot of manual work and the result still wasn't perfect. So, after looking at the various existing tools and not being really convinced by any of them, I decided to write my own and also to publish it, for the benefit of others. I called it AAX Audio Converter. In March last year, I released version 1.0 on GitHub, as Free and Open Source Software (FOSS).

    People responded positively, downloaded it quite a few times and provided encouraging feedback. Several users came back with ideas for new features, and meanwhile we have reached version 1.11.

    Please allow me to also introduce it to you readers here on the VideoHelp forum.

    Click image for larger version

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    • Windows platform.
    • Audible activation code needed or Audible Manager/App installed and activated. (Does not circumvent DRM!)
    • Can split the original AAX file into chapters and each chapter into shorter tracks of roughly equal length (or completely ignore the chapters).
    • Output is MP3 or M4A/M4B (= MP4 audio).
    • Creates structured output: Author, book title, chapter, track.
    • Creates playlist.
    • Automatically merges multi-part books.
    • Preserves all meta-info, aka tags.
    • Supports named chapters, for AAX files downloaded with the Audible App.
    • Various customization options.
    • Employs versatile FFmpeg for all audio processing.
    • Parallelizes the work where possible, using every available CPU core, for maximum throughput.

    Project website on GitHub: https://github.com/audiamus/AaxAudioConverter

    Direct download of the setup package: AaxAudioConverter-1.11-Setup.exe

    User guide (also included in the setup package): AaxAudioConverter.pdf
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  2. A short tutorial
    1. Download your books with the Audible App or Audible Manager / Download Helper.
    2. Open AAX Audio Converter, on the same machine where the Audible App or Download Manager is installed.
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      [Attachment 53103 - Click to enlarge]

    3. Click [Add]. Navigate to your source folder, select all the AAX files you want to process and click OK. After a moment the files will show up in the list. (You can also simply drag the AAX files onto the AAX Audio Converter window.)
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      [Attachment 53104 - Click to enlarge]

    4. Choose the conversion format, MP3 or M4A (MP4) and the mode, whether to split into chapters or even split the chapters into shorter tracks. The default settings should be fine to start with.
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      [Attachment 53105 - Click to enlarge]

    5. Choose file and tag naming options. Again, the default settings should be good enough to get going.
    6. Choose the output folder [Save to]. If you skip this step, the program will ask for it when conversion is started for the first time. By default, it will be set to your music folder.
    7. Select the books you want to convert in the list, or Ctrl+A to select them all. For a multi-part book in particular, make sure all parts are selected, as AAX Audio Converter will merge the parts into a single playlist.
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      [Attachment 53106 - Click to enlarge]

    8. Click [Convert]. AAX Audio Converter will start processing the books. A status line and two progress bars will report processing activity. Much of the work will be done in parallel, utilizing all available CPU cores.
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      [Attachment 53107 - Click to enlarge]

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      [Attachment 53108 - Click to enlarge]

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      [Attachment 53109 - Click to enlarge]

    9. A message box will pop up once the conversion is completed. Clicking OK on this message box will launch the default media player on your system to play the first book. (Can be deactivated in the settings.)
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      [Attachment 53110 - Click to enlarge]

    10. The output structure can be customized. By default, it will be based on author and book title. Each book conversion that creates more that one audio file will also produce a playlist (M3U). Cover art and book abstract will be preserved and become part of each track. You can also customize the title tag. Any tag post-processing you may have used in the past, with tools like Mp3Tag, should no longer be needed.
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      [Attachment 53111 - Click to enlarge]
    Last edited by audiamus; 4th May 2020 at 15:25.
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