hi, MS once told me that OneNote should be able to encode to mp3 if i installed a codec that windows can see, but no matter what i install, i still only have three options in onenote--was MS pulling my leg or is there someway to escape the WMA horror?

I've never used the program. Can you us ACM codecs (wave compressors)? If so then you can use LAME or Radium or install the one that comes with wmp10/11.

That's my best guess, good luck.