MP3 encoding "bug" fixed

[SeiferAlmasy]

This is my wish. I am told that the abnormally long MP3 encoding times when set to maximum quality level is due to a "bug" or due to an option that should not be there.

If this is so why not just remove the erroneous option, I feel uneasy now having encoded quite a few files with maximum quality MP3 encoding to find they might well have been encoded wrong or in someway inferior quality to the other encoding options.

Thanks

Seifer Almasy

[gaekwad2]

Part of the problem will solve itself once Winamp comes bundled with Lame 3.97 (currently in beta), very high has reportedly been fixed in this version.

But, as long as the encoder UI doesn't get updated (along these guidelines), it may still produce inferior quality compared to the --alt-presets.

[SeiferAlmasy]

one last thing

hmm well what gets me is why was this not an issue in previous versions of winamp? I cannot remember this being an issue when I encoded hundreds of tracks in versions before 5....different encoder?

ahh and one more thing. When I click on a music file instead of opening it up in the same winamp list (i.e adding it to the list) it opens winamp again and the original list is gone..very annoying. Any way round it? Thanks (p.s. I have multiple winamp screens enabled)

Seifer Almasy

[DJ Egg]

From the whatsnew.txt (About Winamp > Version History tab)

Winamp 5.04:
* upgraded MP3 encoding to LAME v3.96

Winamp 5.02:
* upgraded MP3 encoding to LAME v3.95.1

and before that it was v3.90.3

LAME 3.93 to 3.96 has the "Very High quality" slow-rip issue.


We still recommend that you use --alt-presets for best quality
(I'll personally use nothing except for --alt-preset standard)

And yes, we will eventually upgrade to v3.97 when it comes out of beta. Whatever the case, Lame_Enc is not coded by Nullsoft, so there's nothing much we can do about it until 3.97Final is released.


You can change your local version of winamp\plugins\lame_enc.dll here
(unzip lame_enc.dll from the LAME 3.97Beta package)

[gaekwad2]

Preferences > File Types > Check Enqueue files on double-click in Window Explorer
Then it'll append the file to the current playlist and not start another instance of Winamp.

(Official) Winamp versions before 5 had no encoder, early Winamp 5 versions used an older Lame version that didn't have the ultra-slow mode.
Lame has 10 quality/speed modes, from q0 to q9, 0 being the slowest. At some point a new (superslow) q0 mode was added and all others were bumped up one number.
Extra High translates to q0, High to q2 (which was q1 in older versions), Normal to (I think) q5, and fast to q7.

However, that older Lame version had its own serious bugs and didn't produce the same quality as current ones (or 3.90.3), and the older encoder didn't support alt-presets.

Originally posted by DJ Egg
From the whatsnew.txt (About Winamp > Version History tab)

Winamp 5.04:
* upgraded MP3 encoding to LAME v3.96

Winamp 5.02:
* upgraded MP3 encoding to LAME v3.95.1

and before that it was v3.90.3

Actually it was the buggy Lame 3.93.

[Lys]

How do you enc_lame to rip? When I select MP3 it says I need to get pro. Or do I need pro to use LAME with ripping?

[gaekwad2]

Yes, you need pro to rip to mp3 (with lame).

Or use EAC/CDex.