To use it, you’ll need to install ffmpeg in the Terminal (I used Homebrew, Google for instructions), then you may need to change the path to ffmpeg in the script itself (see the line “# Define the full path to ffmpeg”), which you can find by running the command “which ffmpeg” in the Terminal.
I honestly used ChatGTP to do almost all the heavy lifting with this, so I’m not able to provide any support. Use at your own risk, and if you need help, Google, as they say, is your friend!
Hope some of you find this useful. In the meantime, I’ll keep my fingers crossed for audio file importing in Dorico 6
This is one thing I’ve never been able to succeed at, no matter how many times I try setting VLC’s conversion parameters to match the supported formats:
EDIT — Initial set-up trouble and solution, for (the benefit of?) anyone else who tries and struggles:
However, I just downloaded your app(let?) and encounter this when I try to use it:
Should this be “plug and play” (assuming ffmpeg’s installed, I mean)? Is this a general Mac OS Privacy & Security setting that I can’t find?
ADDENDUM: Actually I got past the Automator issue…somehow. (Basically I quit Automator and then your file could be recognized.)
But…looks like I am in a bit over my head in terms of installing things like FFmpeg. Apparently I have now installed the Intel version 7.0.2 on my M1 Mac… .
| EDIT:
Aha! In Automator’s Get Info window I told the Mac to launch Automator in Rosetta.
| /EDIT
I feel like such a newb. I’ll try not to take Dante to heart and abandon all hope when I press enter here.
As a non-“power user” used to being coddled by software installers that take care of everything for me, I ignorantly misunderstood that “installing” FFmpeg simply results — as far as I can tell — in the addition of a (Mac Terminal) Unix Executable File.
|EDIT
“How I Got It Working,” by Judd Danby:
In my case, the FFmpeg file was placed in my default downloads folder, as shown in the second line in terminal:
Last login: Sat Aug 17 13:48:50 on ttys000
judddanby@Mac-Studio ~ % /Users/judddanby/Downloads/ffmpeg ; exit;
To make Andy Thompson’s automation work:
I copied and pasted /Users/judddanby/Downloads/ffmpeg into his script:
If you’re using Windows, VLC will do this… MS Forms and ( I think) Google Forms will accept video files but not audio ones, so I used this to batch convert from MP3 to MP4.
I don’t follow you, @kenneth_gaw. I’m a Mac user trying to use @andythompson’s Mac Automator (“script”? “applet”? “application”? “other”?) linked in the OP. Am I missing something in your reply?
FWIW I’m on an M3 Max running ffmpeg 7.0.2. Automator app is a Universal app.
Once it’s installed, running the terminal command “which ffmpeg” will show you the full path to your ffmpeg installation. (Mine is “/opt/homebrew/bin/ffmpeg”, for example.)
Also, I edited my earlier post to hide things inside a collapsed-details section, as I now have it working. I thought while it was fresh in my experience I’d leave a trail of breadcrumbs for others who, like me, are unversed in any terminal other than Greyhound.
One more question: can a user “hand-move” a Terminal file anywhere and simply update the path to match in your script? (Again, I’m a basic “download-the-installer-package-double-click-and-sip-my-coffee-while-it-does-eveything-for-me” kind of Mac user.)
ADDENDUM: I was able to move the ffmpeg executable file by dragging it to another folder. Then I moved Andy Thompson’s Automator app into my Dorico projects folder and modified the path. Still works!
.
In Automator’s Get Info window I told the Mac to launch Automator in Rosetta.
