Using FFmpeg & the Command Line To Repurpose Video Content into a Podcast — Rob Kleiman
Published: 2024-06-14 15:43:37

---
title: Using FFmpeg & the Command Line To Repurpose Video Content into a Podcast — Rob Kleiman
published: true
date: 2024-06-14 00:00:58 UTC
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canonical_url: https://medium.com/@rkconnections/using-ffmpeg-the-command-line-to-repurpose-video-content-into-a-podcast-rob-kleiman-c97592058e4f
---

### The Adventure Begins

Embark on a thrilling journey with me as we delve deep into the heart of podcast hacks, armed with a tool known as FFmpeg. In this post, I’ll guide you through a quick way I pulled multiple MP3 files from a YT playlist and merged them to seamlessly string together cohesive episodes for my audio podcast, Megashift.

So here’s a scenario: you recorded video interviews, published them into a playlist on YouTube, but now you want to turn those video snippets into a series of longer audio files so you can upload them publish it as an audio-only podcast. Well, here’s the solution of the day-using FFmpeg and the command line to do exactly that.

### The Journey Starts with Your First Step

### Step 1: Grab Your Audio

Did you know PullTube is a macOS application that allows users to download videos and audio from various websites? It provides a way to paste the URL of the video or audio they want to download and then choose the desired format and quality. PullTube supports various video and audio formats, including MP4, FLV, WebM, MP3, and M4A.

You can potentially use a tool like PullTube or another to grab your media-granted you have the usage and copyright rights to do so. Grab your files and save them in the order in which you want them to be compiled. I recommend adding incremental numbers to the filenames (me-1, me-2, me-3, etc.).

### Unveiling FFmpeg

Our adventure with FFmpeg now begins — it’s a versatile and powerful multimedia processing tool revered by developers and audio enthusiasts alike. But before we can wield its awesome power, we must first summon it into our realm.

Utilize the FFmpeg tool to merge multiple audio files into a single MP3 file for easier uploading. Here’s a breakdown of how to do it in the terminal.

### Installation of FFmpeg

Install FFmpeg using package managers like apt-get and brew. This is necessary to have the required tools for audio processing.

bash sudo apt-get install ffmpeg brew install ffmpeg

With a few keystrokes, we install FFmpeg using the trusty apt-get and brew package managers, ensuring that we have the necessary arsenal at our disposal.

### Charting Our Course: Navigating the Audio Seas

**Navigating to directories** :

We navigate to various directories using the cd command where each of ther audio files were stored.

Armed with FFmpeg, we set sail down the river of audio files on our comptuter. With deft navigation skills, we can traverse directories in search of the audio treasures that await us.

bash cd /Users/myMachine/Downloads/enas

With each cd command, we draw closer to our destination, ready to unearth the raw materials that will soon be transformed into podcasting gold.

### Uniting the Fragments: Merging MP3 Files with FFmpeg

**Merging audio files** :

They used the ffmpeg command with the -f concat option to specify the format as concatenated.

- The -safe 0 flag is used to disable safe mode, which allows the use of absolute paths in the concat demuxer.
- The -i [filename] specifies the input file, and they provided a text file (e.g., enas.txt) that contains the list of audio files to be merged.
- The -c copy flag specifies that the codec should be copied from the input to the output without re-encoding, which helps to retain the original quality.
- They provided an output file name (e.g., enasaudio.mp3) to store the merged audio.

At long last, we stand at the precipice of greatness, armed with FFmpeg’s legendary concatenation prowess. With a flick of the wrist and a command on the lips, we merge individual MP3 files into cohesive episodes that will captivate audiences far and wide.

bash ffmpeg -f concat -safe 0 -i enas.txt -c copy enasaudio.mp3

**Repeating the process** :

We then repeate the merging process for multiple sets of audio files located in different directories.

bash ffmpeg -f concat -safe 0 -i enas.txt -c copy enasaudio2.mp3 With a symphony of commands, we orchestrate the merging of audio files, seamlessly weaving together fragments of sound into a tapestry of auditory delight.

### Ascension to the Podcasting Pantheon

Armed with our newly compiled episodes, we’re ready to share them with the world. With a few final commands, we upload our files to the platform of choice. Who’s ready to inspire some listeners?

### Conclusion: FFmpeg, the Hero of Our Story

In conclusion, FFmpeg emerged as the unsung hero of our podcasting jounrey and solving this specific technical issue. We were empowered to transcend the boundaries of audio production with its cool capabilities. With FFmpeg by our side, we addressed the weird challenge of merging MP3 files into one. The adventure awaits-are you ready to seize it?

Listen here!

[Acast Embed Player (377a84a64c1c2ad341d434d7b5fd740d87cc6381)](https://embed.acast.com/65ff13e1da1b9c0016000eec?theme=light&feed=true)

_Originally published at_ [_https://robkleiman.net_](https://robkleiman.net/writing/using-ffmpeg-amp-the-command-line-to-repurpose-video-content-into-a-podcast) _on June 14, 2024._