LAME Aint an MP3 Encoder

Post Reply New Topic

This time around I think they're right.

No matter how many times I download it and try to install it on W7 64 bit I'm dazzled. Its in the Mozilla FFX download folder, I'll click install and - like magic - nothing happens.

So what's the deal. Do the newer versions of LAME only work as VSTs or plug-ins for some other device? For the life of me I can't figure it out and the only other free one that I can find - Switch - delivers absolute horror in terms of compression quality. Yes there's Adobe Audition which makes a glorious MP3 encoder but I can't fathom spending $300 for it and using only to code MP3's.

Any advice out there on how to use lame, otherwise anyone know of something better quality than lame that's either free or under $50? (I strictly mean coding quality)

The ultimate torture test is - if it can be posted to Soundcloud and not chomp burp, and garble on the low end its gold. Mind you I'm about to post some tunes to Soundclick, I'm done trying to make anything work over there.

I think it's a codec or something. Can you get Audacity for mac? You can use that and the LAME codec to make Mp3s. It is a bit like a plug in in that respect.

Why do I think you have a mac? Maybe I remembered from another thread. If you are on PC, then just get audacity and then install LAME into it's plugin folder.

Lol, I could get audacity for Mac, sure.... just that I don't have a Mac.

So I need Audacity to use LAME then?

You don't have a mac? Well that makes things easier for me.

That's how just how I do it. Audacity is free, get the lame codec, plug it in... why think beyond that?

I'm sure there's other ways, but you'll need google to find out. Or wait for someone else who knows what's up.

I could be totally mis-reading the situation (and it's been a long time since I messed with LAME on windows), but if you run it from a command line does it work? IIRC LAME is only the codec, and you need a separate front-end to use it from a GUI.

You want this. --I've used it since 2003 with no problems, and it uses the LAME encoder.

Although it's basically intended for ripping CD's to .mp3 format, it will also convert .wav files to .mp3. , I've done this quite a few times.

Last edited by Fogman on 30 Apr 2011, 3:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Moog, here's the problem and I've run into it before trying Audacity:

"Could not open mp3 encoding library!" - that's what I get when I try to find the LAME.enc.dll and lead it right to the thing.

So.....if its only supposed to work on Audacity and it doesn't work on Audacity then... they're in they're not in the business of making codecs anymore, they're in the business of spinning people's wheels and blowing smoke .

I could cry. All I want is an mp3 encoder. I'd be willing to even pay them for the damn thing if I can have faith that it's processing is high quality.

I think you've got a problem that isn't related to the quality or usability of the Codec. Have you tried troubleshooting the problem by googling?

Here we go, looks promising http://club.myce.com/f34/audacity-could ... ry-317570/

And no, I don't think it's only supposed to work with Audacity, I only pointed you to that program as I thought it was a simple and free solution. But if you can't make it work, then I guess it hasn't worked.

Better yet - that was just an older version. I just downloaded the latest LAME 3.98 v4 update from 4/14/11 and.... that doesn't even have a dll that I can find! Its a vacant folder.

I've had problems before where I had to reinstall windows to get a USB headset to work but, this is a joke and its happened previous to and after the windows 7 reinstall. The only thing I can think of is that they're bluffing on 64 bit compatibility and that I'd need to run it as x86 but they won't even give you different dll's for 64 and 32 bit. WTF.....

Like a lot of software issue threads its dismal. The OP found no answer, the only way he did it was finding another computer that had Windows 2000, he was running XP.

It seems like programs and compatibility are just getting worse and worse with time. You can be running the exact platform something is made for, using the program the exact same way, and 5 different people can get 5 different results and only one comes out of it with a fully working program - the rest all get stuck with different errors. What a joke...

Well, I tried. You're welcome. Hope you work it out.

Can you do online conversions? I know there's sites out there that convert video.

I don't know about the other issues, but as far as not finding the "lame_enc.dll," I'm seeing it here:

http://www.rarewares.org/mp3-lame-bundle.php


I'm running Win7 64 bit, but I have to do some errands so I don't have the time to try to install it and get it working right now.

I'm trying to download Blaze as well.

I think at this point I'm just going to pass on LAME and try to find something else. I'm hoping Blaze had good enough audio quality, if not I might be back in the crick. Wish me luck!

I've seen it now where I've had four other problems with either installing software, hardware drivers, or USB plug-and-play with no driver installation disk where the PC wouldn't see the driver on the hardware. Unfortunately when people have questions, while its good that they'll start threads, it seems like its really 50/50 whether you'll find a solution - ever. Trying to integrate Protools MBox2 into Windows 7 as a primary external soundcard was one of those where Digidesign likely contacted Microsoft to get this fixed just to be put on eternal hold (thus I had to drop money on a new external soundcard when the one I already had should have been perfectly fine). I appreciate your help but this why I'm pessimistic this quick - Microsoft's behavior in cooperating with other software companies or even it seems giving them standards to work with has been nothing short of scandalous.

The good news, Blaze seems to have halfway decent output, while I doubt it would ever be enough to survive Soundcloud transcoding (which is a bit like putting your music through an erosion / lo-fi filter) it should be sufficient for Soundclick or other places.