BonkEnc 1.0.16

Rated 50/50 by joeypent69 at Dec 9, 2010

Converts .M4a files to .Mp3 files and keeps the meta tag data, does it in batches! oh and it has multi core support, my core i7 ripped through a 12 track album in less than a minuet. the user interface is a little rough around the edges.

Rated 50/50 by Mainer8 at Dec 18, 2010

Fast processing, no problems with x64, handles many audio formats None that I could identify. Downloaded primarily to convert FLAC to MP3 for my iPod (damn you Steve Jobs). Worked flawlessly...great sound quality at high bit rates. No extra baggage installed like many "Free" programs. Recommended.

Rated 40/50 by dkunkelm at Dec 23, 2010

This program still is great. Reliable when you need it to re-encode an audio file. The name - I think it may be confusing sometimes. Not really a con but it might be to some users... I like this program. I got dbPoweramp & use that as my main audio conversion tool. Sometimes that won't encode the file so I give Fre:ac a shot at it. Usually works for me. Name change kind of throws me off sometimes. Guess I'm used to it being BonkEnc. I don't mind much (what's in a name?). As long as it continues to do what it's supposed to do & functions correctly, I'm happy with it.

Rated 50/50 by kirkz71 at Jan 12, 2011

Did everything I needed, and does it extremely fast! Converts .M4a files to .Mp3 files and keeps the meta tag data. Highly recommended. Other programs out there cost from $30 to $60 dollars for the same thing. This one is free! None at all. If you need to convert music files from your device, this one will do it.

Rated 50/50 by robert_g at Feb 26, 2011

Rips CDs to MP4 None that I've found yet Needed something to rip CDs to MP4 for my son's DSi. This did the job.

Rated 50/50 by robbertzzz at Mar 12, 2011

Finally, a free program that can convert flac to any other file type. Updating the program also goes very smoothly, and it just does what it should do. Great program. The interface looks quite outdated, like it came from the time windows 98 was the newest thing out there...

Rated 10/50 by tmlpjj at Apr 5, 2011

It worked the first time. Second time it bombed out. I tried their uninstaller and got red flagged. Then I used advanced system care uninstaller, and ASC could not find FREAC to uninstall. This is a BAD program for my computer. Updated on Apr 5, 2011

Rated 50/50 by freakingnutcase at Apr 7, 2011

Many formatsHighly customizableFREE Batch processing with all the info you need right in front of youConvert to input folder, rename Many more good stuff which I can't think of right now Sure it has some glitches and It doesn't look that great but sound aint about looks.I dare you find something better for this price, I guarantee you won't. Trust me best converter out there, don't waste your time looking.

Rated 50/50 by FstrthnU at Apr 8, 2011

Relatively simple interfaceWorks with tons of formatsFastDoesn't use much resources for the job (lightweight)Doesn't overload you with optionsgives lots of info quick and easyDrag-and drop capability Maybe it could look a little nicer, but that's a small price to pay for ease of use and navigation. I mean, the window bar is windows-98 style, but I'll take easy over too complex any day It's not totally revolutionary or perfect, it just gets the job it's designed to do well.

Rated 20/50 by DudeBoyz at Apr 10, 2011

1.0.16 is the last version that I have had success with. Both 1.0.17 and now 1.0.18 I have had problems with, so I will stick with 1.0.16 and probably go no further for the foreseeable future. I liked it better when the product was called Bonk Encoder anyway, and 1.0.16 was, I believe, the last version still named Bonk Encoder. Not sure where this product is going, but it seems to be leaving me, and stability, behind. :)

Rated 50/50 by DanABQ at May 4, 2011

This converter seems to work. script capable. open source. Decent speed. I have a Latitude D630 Core 2 Duo, with XP Pro. Converted 200min of WMA from DVD into MP3 in a 15-20minute time-frame (with nothing else running). No fancy pictures I would highly recommend this piece of open source rather than use the other free converters on CNET. At least I know what goes into this product, and it is free. However, if you need really fast speed or additional fancy features, look elsewhere and perhaps pay a little bit.

Rated 50/50 by pjafrombbay at May 11, 2011

DudeBoyz I have had no problems running fre:ac on my AMD + Windows 7 Home Premium x64 based PC. It is IMHO one of the best CD rippers available. The fact that it is free is just a bonus. I have just up-graded to this latest version but not tried it yet. That said, I have no reason to believe it will cause any problems. I hardly ever give software products a 5* rating but this one deserves it. Regards, Peter

Rated 30/50 by DudeBoyz at May 12, 2011

1019 is performing better than 1018 to be sure, with no crashes when dragging and dropping to the joblist, but 1016 is still working faster and it seems better. But it does appear 1019 is getting back on track. Historically, I'm one of this apps biggest fans - it just veered off course a bit over time is all. Until and unless this app gets to be as good as 1016, I can't grade it higher.

Rated 50/50 by anomoly at May 12, 2011

I've always loved this program but the last two times I grabbed the zip version from the site, the plugins folder is renamed differently from the last version I grabbed. Doesn't matter really because it still works.