While I have 68 fewer parents, minimum, than you, I also have technical issues with ffmpeg and I pitched a transcoding setup to a F50 company - so I've used it.

Nerd here. I somewhat regularly need to use ffmpeh to convert between formats and re encode (we get 16 tracks of 16 bit wav audio out of a mixer, and I re encode them to send them to someone else who does a rough mix, about once a month).

I still use ChatGPT for the command lines regularly like - “ want to combine these two tracks into a single stereo track with A on left, and B on right” which is super helpful for putting stuff in an SPD.