reducing bitrate

Does anyone have an easy recommendation for reducing the bitrate of a WMA file (without having to cut the WMA file to CD & re-rip)?  I’d prefer free (and something I may already have loaded would be ideal).  I know I could cut it to CD & re-rip with WMP, but want to avoid wasting a CD.

Someone gave me a WMA sample file that the ClipZip doesn’t play.  I looked at the properties and it’s 800+Kbps - so lossless WMA apparently?  I’ve never messed with high bitrates before & had to look it up in the Zip manual to find out there was a bitrate limit.

Yes thats WMA Lossless if the bitrate is that high. You can convert it with Windows Media Player I think, or lots of other software like foobar2000, dbpoweramp, etc.

Thanks - I’ve thought of a couple other software packages I have which may be useful.  In WMP, I couldn’t figure out how to reduce bitrate without cutting a CD first. 

At this point, it’s an acedemic exercise, anyway, I don’t *need* the music track anymore, just trying to figure out how before I’m expected to listen to another WMA Lossless file. 

@kmk_01kmk wrote:

Thanks - I’ve thought of a couple other software packages I have which may be useful.  In WMP, I couldn’t figure out how to reduce bitrate without cutting a CD first. 

At this point, it’s an acedemic exercise, anyway, I don’t *need* the music track anymore, just trying to figure out how before I’m expected to listen to another WMA Lossless file. 

I don’t think anything will play a WMA lossless file but a Windows computer or a Zune player…not even Rockboxed players.