---
title: How to convert mp3 files for use as on-hold music
date: 2014-12-05
topics: phones,audio
---

If you administer your company’s VoIP system, you probably want to change the
default on-hold music. Our company just started using a new system this year and
the hold music was awful; it sounded like a 2nd grade piano recital. And
whatever you do, you don’t want to make your callers suffer through any more of
[this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6g4dkBF5anU).

Most phone systems don’t let you use plain-old MP3 files, but you can convert
any song to the necessary format.

First, get yourself suitable music. Something instrumental, without any exotic
highs and lows. Try [this instrumental version of *Save the Last Dance For
Me*](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004Y430YQ/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B004Y430YQ&linkCode=as2&tag=thloya-20&linkId=AYWBOT32QQYWLHPS),
for example.

Next, [get ffmpeg](https://www.ffmpeg.org/download.html), the classic
command-line utility for converting audio files to other formats.

For simplicity’s sake, put your MP3 file of choice in the same folder as your
extracted ffmpeg executable file, and make sure the filename doesn’t contain any
spaces. Then, open a command line/terminal and run this command:

```
ffmpeg -i YOURFILE.mp3 -ar 8000 -ac 1 -ab 64 YOURFILE.wav -ar 8000 -ac 1 -ab 64 -f mulaw YOURFILE.pcm -map 0:0 -map 0:0
```

This will create two files, a `.wav` file and a `.pcm` file. Try using the
`.wav` file first, if not, the other one should do the job.

Final note: all music sounds like ass over a phone line.