Convert XSPF to APE

Understanding xspf and ape file formats

XSPF (XML Shareable Playlist Format) is a playlist file format based on XML, designed for sharing lists of media files. It does not contain actual audio data, but rather references to audio files, such as MP3, FLAC, or APE, stored elsewhere on your device or online.

APE (Monkey's Audio) is a lossless audio compression format. Files with the .ape extension contain actual audio data, offering high-quality sound with reduced file size compared to uncompressed formats like WAV.

Can you convert xspf to ape directly?

Direct conversion from XSPF to APE is not possible because XSPF is a playlist format, not an audio format. To obtain APE files from an XSPF playlist, you must:

• Extract the audio file paths from the XSPF playlist.
• Convert the referenced audio files (e.g., MP3, FLAC) to APE format.

How to extract audio files from an xspf playlist

Open the XSPF file with a text editor or a media player that supports XSPF (such as VLC Media Player). Locate the file paths or URLs of the audio tracks listed in the playlist.

How to convert audio files to ape format

Once you have the source audio files, you can convert them to APE using dedicated audio converters. The recommended software is fre:ac or Foobar2000 with the Monkey's Audio plugin.

Using fre:ac

1. Download and install fre:ac.
2. Open fre:ac and add your audio files (from the XSPF playlist) to the job list.
3. Set the output format to Monkey's Audio (.ape).
4. Click Start encoding to begin the conversion.

Using Foobar2000

1. Install Foobar2000 and the Monkey's Audio plugin.
2. Open Foobar2000 and load the audio files referenced in your XSPF playlist.
3. Select the files, right-click, and choose Convert → ....
4. Set the output format to APE and follow the prompts to convert.

Summary

While you cannot convert an XSPF playlist file directly to an APE audio file, you can use the playlist to locate your audio tracks and then convert those tracks to APE format using software like fre:ac or Foobar2000.