encoders

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encoders

An encoder compresses WAV files into the MP3 format. The result is an MP3 that is much smaller than the WAV file, and can sound just as good. Encoding is the most important step. If you start with a good WAV file, the options you choose will determine whether you get CD quality MP3, or smaller, lower quality MP3's. There's a table at the bottom that sums up the quality settings. Check out the FAQ for specific info relating to quality.

Don't forget to delete the source WAV files. They take up a lot of space.

LAME - free open source encoder

LAME is the best encoder. It is constantly being improved. New version come out about every two weeks. LAME is a command-line program (i.e. DOS box). It's easiest to use LAME within a CD ripper. EAC can use LAME internally, just check EAC's 'compression options'. If you want to use LAME as a stand alone encoder, below are frontend options if you're not familiar with the command-line interface. Check out LAME's homepage for more information (www.sulaco.org/mp3).

For superb quality on even hi-fi systems, I recommend either:

lame.exe -b 320 -h
(Meaning: constant bitrate 320 kbps, high quality, true stereo)
The highest quality MP3 possible.

lame.exe -V 1 -b 128 -m j
(Meaning: variable bitrate level 1, minimum bitrate of 128 kbps, joint stereo, high quality.)
Nearly identical sounding as the first option, but with an average bitrate usually between 160 and 200. Encoding will be slower.

screenshot

Download it and read the documentation for switches and quality related options. Run it using command-line interface or grab one of the frontends below and take advantage of a graphical user interface (GUI).

RazorLame - Freeware Frontend for LAME encoder

A graphical user interface for LAME. Easy to use, but many advanced features as well. Probably the easiest method of encoding with LAME. Since it supports batch encoding, you can put it as many WAV's as you want and walk away from the computer and let it encode them one by one for you. Get it at http://www.dors.de/razorlame.

You have to go to the options window and locate the encoder first. Then choose your options and let it do the rest of the work for you! Check the FAQ to learn how to configure RazorLame with the settings I recommend.

Right Click Menu - mrpotatoz' GUI for LAME

Again, if you don't want to type in command-line arguments every single time, this is another "frontend" for LAME. I made this one up myself. I'm pretty proud of it :) . If you do it right, you get to have a popup menu with your own encoding options everytime you right click a WAV file.

Look through the LAME documentation, choose the parameters you wish to use with LAME, and write them down. (ex. lame -h -V 1 -b 160 -B 320 filename.wav filename.mp3)

Open up 'My Computer', go to 'View' in the menu, select 'Folder Options...', click the 'File Types' tab.

Under the 'Registered File Types:' box, scroll down to Wave Sound, select it, and hit 'Edit'.

Click 'New', type in the title you wish to appear on the menu (ex. Medium Quality [V1 min 160 stereo]) under 'Action:'.

Under 'Application used to perform action:', type in the full path to lame.exe followed by the parameters you wrote down. In place of 'filename.wav...' put in a "%1". (ex. c:\progra~1\lame\lame.exe -V 1 -b 160 -B 320 -h "%1")

Repeat as many times as you wish for more than one set of encoding options. To encode a WAV file, right click on it and choose the options you wish to use.

The only problem with this method is the resulting MP3 file is named *.wav.mp3. You'll have to manually delete the ".wav".

XingMP3 Encoder - Commercial encoder

This one costs money for a full version and it only produces average quality MP3's. It is the fastest one I know of though. Check out www.xingtech.com/mp3 for the encoder and other Xing MP3 related products.

Fraunhofer IIS - Commercial encoder

This is the German institue that held patents of the best encoder for years. They still have MP3 encoders (stand alone products and the encoding engines found in products such as MusicMatch Jukebox and Audioctive Production Studio) that are very popular and produce good quality. Since I've used them, I hear the speed has improved a great deal. Fraunhofer encoders tend to "soften" the sound so they will sound very good, but in doing so they alter the sound too much for my liking. While there are still those that argue that Fraunhofer encoders are the top of the line for quality, I tend to disagree. Visit www.iis.fhg.de/amm for more information on their products.

Important Notes on Quality

Bitrate is the term for the amount of compression applied to a WAV file. An MP3 file with a bitrate of 128 kbps (stereo) is compressed so that every second of audio data of the WAV file is encoded with 128 kilobits per second (64 kb for the left channel, 64 kb for the right). With MP3, a total bitrate of as high as 320 kbps is allowed. Below are some of the more common bitrates and information regarding each bitrate.

Bitrate (kbps) Relative Size Relative Quality
64 and lower Files are small, good for trading over the internet if you're on a modem connection (like me :( ). There's no sense in encoding in stereo modes at these low bitrates as it results in really low quality. If the files are encoded in monaural (mono), the quality is great, but it's only one channel.
96 - 112 Files are still fairly small, good to use as previews for downloading off the internet. When using joint stereo, these files are bearable. The differences between these MP3's and the original WAV's are easily identified. High frequencies are not encoded in these low bitrates. Also audible artifacts (distortions introduced by the insufficient number of bits needed to encode the sound) are introduced.
128 - 160 Files are about 1/10 of the size of the original WAV files. This bitrate has been the most popular on the internet for awhile. It has been a good trade-off between quality and size and 128 kbps is the "standard". However, with the access to faster connections to the internet and larger storage capacities of computers, more and more people are moving to higher bitrates. 128 kbps is somewhere around or above tape cassette quality. Highs frequencies are still weak.
192 - 224 Files are larger and become hard to handle in terms of downloading / uploading for people with the 56k modems. Quality increases with each progression. These become indistinguishable from the original WAV's for people listening on computers equipped with average sound cards and speakers.
256 - 320 Files are only about 1/5 the size of the WAV files. Professional listening tests have been conducted with 256 kbps. Expensive hi-fi equipment was used and it is now widely accepted that 256 kbps is transparent (no audible difference between MP3 and WAV file for most music). For those of you that want the ultimate quality and have the storage space, this is the bitrate to use.

Now you should be ready to listen to your MP3's. To do that you'll need a program designed to play MP3's. Check out the MP3 players page.

Note: Please bookmark or link this page as ( https://www.angelfire.com/ny3/mrpotatoz ). Also, if a blue navigation bar does not appear on the left side of this page, click here to re-open the page.

Bitrate (kbps)	Relative Size	Relative Quality
64 and lower	Files are small, good for trading over the internet if you're on a modem connection (like me :( ).	There's no sense in encoding in stereo modes at these low bitrates as it results in really low quality. If the files are encoded in monaural (mono), the quality is great, but it's only one channel.
96 - 112	Files are still fairly small, good to use as previews for downloading off the internet.	When using joint stereo, these files are bearable. The differences between these MP3's and the original WAV's are easily identified. High frequencies are not encoded in these low bitrates. Also audible artifacts (distortions introduced by the insufficient number of bits needed to encode the sound) are introduced.
128 - 160	Files are about 1/10 of the size of the original WAV files.	This bitrate has been the most popular on the internet for awhile. It has been a good trade-off between quality and size and 128 kbps is the "standard". However, with the access to faster connections to the internet and larger storage capacities of computers, more and more people are moving to higher bitrates. 128 kbps is somewhere around or above tape cassette quality. Highs frequencies are still weak.
192 - 224	Files are larger and become hard to handle in terms of downloading / uploading for people with the 56k modems.	Quality increases with each progression. These become indistinguishable from the original WAV's for people listening on computers equipped with average sound cards and speakers.
256 - 320	Files are only about 1/5 the size of the WAV files.	Professional listening tests have been conducted with 256 kbps. Expensive hi-fi equipment was used and it is now widely accepted that 256 kbps is transparent (no audible difference between MP3 and WAV file for most music). For those of you that want the ultimate quality and have the storage space, this is the bitrate to use.