Difference between revisions of "LAME"

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(Complete re-write that only explains how to use LAME)
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LAME (Lame Ain't an MP3 Encoder) is the recommended encoder. It has been developed by the open-source community since 1998, and has become the highest quality [[MP3]] encoder for most purposes.
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'''LAME''' is high quality [[MP3]] encoder. The name LAME is a recursive acronym for '''L'''AME '''A'''in't an '''M'''P3 '''E'''ncoder, although the current version is, in fact, a stand-alone MP3 encoder. It is the recommend MP3 encoder at The Mixing Bowl due to its superior performance, gapless playback and automatic [[ReplayGain]] tagging.
  
Some benefits for using LAME:
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==Download==
* Highly optimised presets
 
* Fast encoding
 
* [[CBR]], [[ABR]] and [[VBR]] encoding methods
 
* [[Gapless]] playback with LAME-header compliant decoders
 
* [[Exact Audio Copy]] (EAC) and [[CDex]] support
 
  
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Download LAME from RareWares:
  
=History=
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*http://www.rarewares.org/mp3.html
  
LAME development began around mid-1998. Mike Cheng started it as a patch against the 8hz-MP3 encoder sources. After some quality concerns raised by others, he decided to start from scratch based on the dist10 sources. That branch (a patch against the reference sources) became LAME 2.0, and only on LAME 3.81 they got rid of all dist10 code, making LAME a completely new program-not a mere patch of an existing encoder.
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Use the 3.97 beta 2 ''lame.exe fixed for decoding'' version ([http://www.rarewares.org/files/mp3/lame3.97b2exe-fixed.zip direct download link for lazy people]).
  
The project quickly became a team effort. Mike Cheng eventually left leadership and started working on [http://toolame.sourceforge.net/ tooLAME], an [[MP2]] encoder. Mark Taylor became leader and released version 3.0 featuring gpsycho, a new psychoacoustic model developed by him.
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==Usage==
  
Nowadays LAME is considered the best MP3 encoder at mid-high bitrates and features the best VBR model among MP3 implementations, mostly thanks to the dedicated work of talented developers like Takehiro Tominaga, Naoki Shibata, Darin Morrison, Gabriel Bouvigne, Robert Hegemann, etc. And development is still going on...
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LAME is a command line program, although there are graphical interfaces like [[LAME#ALL2LAME|ALL2LAME]] which can make it easier to use.
  
==VBR (Variable bitrate) settings==
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===Variable Bitrate (VBR)===
'''[[VBR]]:''' ''variable bitrate mode. Use variable bitrate modes when the goal is to achieve a fixed level of quality using the lowest possible bitrate.''
 
  
[[VBR]] is best used to target a specific quality level, instead of a specific bitrate. The final file size of a VBR encode is less predictable than with [[ABR]], but the quality is usually better.
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[[VBR]] mode is recommended way to use LAME at The Mixing Bowl. You use it like this:
  
-V(number) where number is 0-9, 0 being highest quality, 9 being the lowest.
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lame --vbr-new -V 2 input.wav output.mp3
  
{| align=center border="1" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"
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The '''-V 2''' part controls the quality LAME will use and it can be any whole number between 0-9. A lower numbers means a higher quality and therefore a higher bitrate.
|+'''List of recommended settings'''
 
| '''Switch''' || '''Preset''' || '''Target Kbit/s''' || '''Bitrate range kbit/s'''
 
|-
 
| -b 320 || --preset insane || 320 || 320 CBR
 
|-
 
| -V 0 --vbr-new || --preset fast extreme ||  245 || 220...260
 
|-
 
| -V 0 || --preset extreme || 245 || 220...260
 
|-
 
| -V 1 --vbr-new || || 225 || 200...250
 
|-
 
| -V 1 || || 225 || 200...250
 
|-
 
| -V 2 --vbr-new || --preset fast standard || 190 || 170...210
 
|-
 
| -V 2 || --preset standard || 190 || 170...210
 
|-
 
| -V 3 --vbr-new || || 175 || 155...195
 
|-
 
| -V 3 || || 175 || 155...195
 
|-
 
| -V 4 --vbr-new || --preset fast medium || 165 || 145...185
 
|-
 
| -V 4 || --preset medium  || 165 || 145...185
 
|-
 
| -V 5 --vbr-new || || 130 || 110...150
 
|-
 
| -V 5 || || 130 || 110...150
 
|-
 
| -V 6 --vbr-new || || 115 || 95...135
 
|-
 
| -V 6 || || 115 || 95...135
 
|-
 
| -V 7 --vbr-new || || 100 || 80...120
 
|-
 
| -V 7 || || 100 || 80...120
 
|-
 
| -V 8 --vbr-new || || 85 || 65...105
 
|-
 
| -V 8 || || 85 || 65...105
 
|-
 
| -V 9 --vbr-new || || 65 || 45...85
 
|-
 
| -V 9 || || 65 || 45...85
 
|}
 
  
If you need a predictable bitrate (in a streaming application, for example), use ABR or CBR modes, described below.
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'''-V 2''' is the recommend quality to use at The Mixing Bowl and usually results in a bitrate between 180-200 kbps. It is probably a higher quality than is strictly necessary as higher numbers still provide excellent quality, but its usage is strongly encouraged to avoid any arguments over quality.  
  
[[Category:Audio Tools]]
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===Constant Bitrate (CBR)===
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[[CBR]] mode is not recommend because VBR provides better quality, but if you still want to use it you use it like this:
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lame -b 192 input.wav output.mp3
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The '''-b 192''' controls the bitrates LAME will use. Please use a bitrate of 192 kbps to avoid any arguments over quality (or better still, use VBR mode instead).
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==ALL2LAME==
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'''ALL2LAME''' is a graphical interface for LAME that makes it very simple to use. Follow these instructions for the easiest way to encode high quality MP3s:
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#Download ALL2LAME from ALL2LAME homepage (http://members.home.nl/w.speek/all2lame.htm) and extract it to a folder.
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#Download LAME from RareWares (as explained in the [[LAME#Download|download]] section at the top of this page, and '''not''' from the link on the ALL2LAME homepage) and extract into the ALL2LAME folder.
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#Run ALL2LAME and type '''--vbr-new -V 2''' in the ''Switches:'' box.
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#Load the files you want encoding and click ''Encode''.

Revision as of 18:41, 23 July 2006

LAME is high quality MP3 encoder. The name LAME is a recursive acronym for LAME Ain't an MP3 Encoder, although the current version is, in fact, a stand-alone MP3 encoder. It is the recommend MP3 encoder at The Mixing Bowl due to its superior performance, gapless playback and automatic ReplayGain tagging.

Download

Download LAME from RareWares:

Use the 3.97 beta 2 lame.exe fixed for decoding version (direct download link for lazy people).

Usage

LAME is a command line program, although there are graphical interfaces like ALL2LAME which can make it easier to use.

Variable Bitrate (VBR)

VBR mode is recommended way to use LAME at The Mixing Bowl. You use it like this:

lame --vbr-new -V 2 input.wav output.mp3

The -V 2 part controls the quality LAME will use and it can be any whole number between 0-9. A lower numbers means a higher quality and therefore a higher bitrate.

-V 2 is the recommend quality to use at The Mixing Bowl and usually results in a bitrate between 180-200 kbps. It is probably a higher quality than is strictly necessary as higher numbers still provide excellent quality, but its usage is strongly encouraged to avoid any arguments over quality.

Constant Bitrate (CBR)

CBR mode is not recommend because VBR provides better quality, but if you still want to use it you use it like this:

lame -b 192 input.wav output.mp3

The -b 192 controls the bitrates LAME will use. Please use a bitrate of 192 kbps to avoid any arguments over quality (or better still, use VBR mode instead).

ALL2LAME

ALL2LAME is a graphical interface for LAME that makes it very simple to use. Follow these instructions for the easiest way to encode high quality MP3s:

  1. Download ALL2LAME from ALL2LAME homepage (http://members.home.nl/w.speek/all2lame.htm) and extract it to a folder.
  2. Download LAME from RareWares (as explained in the download section at the top of this page, and not from the link on the ALL2LAME homepage) and extract into the ALL2LAME folder.
  3. Run ALL2LAME and type --vbr-new -V 2 in the Switches: box.
  4. Load the files you want encoding and click Encode.