m4bmaker

m4bmaker is a Python tool for creating .m4b audiobooks from audio tracks usinf ffmpeg. It supports organizing tracks and chapters, adding metadata, and embedding cover images.

Features

• 3 modes of file generation:
  • json: Uses a JSON config file to define the audiobook's structure. Allows for granular control tracks and chapters.
  • single: Combines all input files as chapters of a single audiobook track.
  • chapter: Treats each input file as a separate track.
• 2 different output bitrates: 64k (default) and 128k.
• metadata and cover images.
• .mp3 and .m4a input formats.
• zero dependencies (except, of course, for ffmpeg)
• works on all platforms (tested only on Windows)

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/pmsoltani/m4bmaker.git
   cd m4bmaker

2. Install ffmpeg and make sure both ffmpeg and ffprobe are available in your system's PATH.

Usage

JSON Configuration

m4bmaker uses a JSON configuration file to define the audiobook's structure, metadata, and input files. Below is an example configuration:

{
  "path": "~/path/to/your/audio/files",
  "title": "Audiobook Title",
  "author": "Author",
  "narrator": "Narrator",
  "genre": "Audiobook",
  "disc": "1",
  "total_discs": "1",
  "year": "2025",
  "cover": "cover.jpg",
  "tracks": [
    {
      "title": "Track 1",
      "file": "01 Track 1.m4b",
      "chapters": [
        {
          "title": "Chapter 1",
          "files": [
            "file1.mp3",
            "file2.mp3"
          ]
        },
        {
          "title": "Chapter 2",
          "files": [
            "file3.mp3"
          ]
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

This assumes that all the audio files and the cover.jpg file are located in the same folder. The final book will have one .m4b file named 01 Track 1.m4b. The track title would be Track 1. It will have two chapters inside, where Chapter 1 is the concatenation/conversion of two file1.mp3 & file2.mp3 files and Chapter 2 is the converted file3.mp3 file.

Running the Tool

To create an audiobook, first create a config JSON file using the above template and then instantiate the m4bmaker class and call its convert method:

from pathlib import Path

from m4bmaker.m4bmaker import M4BMaker

m4b = M4BMaker(
    json_path=Path.home() / "m4bmaker.json",
    mode="json",  # Options: "json", "single", "chapter"
    output_bitrate="64k"  # Options: "64k", "128k"
    log_path=Path.home() / "m4bmaker.log",  # See detailed logs here.
)
m4b.convert()

Note that the JSON file is necessary regardless of the operation mode, as m4bmaker will use it to locate the audio files and transfer metadata. The tracks part of the JSON file will only be used in the json mode (single and chapter modes) will ignore it.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Feel free to open issues or submit pull requests.

Acknowledgments

• FFmpeg for audio processing.
• Python's standard library for handling file paths, JSON, and subprocesses.