Codecs LAME

LAME 3.99.5 for Multiple Platforms

by GJ 'Bugs' van Ratingen

Avg. Rating 4.7 (281 votes)

File Details

File Size 1.4 MB
License Freeware
Operating System Unix, Windows 2000/9x/Server 2003/XP
Date Added
Total Downloads 149,005
Publisher GJ 'Bugs' van Ratingen
Homepage LAME

Publisher's Description

LAME is an educational tool to be used for learning about MP3 encoding. The goal of the LAME project is to use the open source model to improve the psycho acoustics, noise shaping and speed of MP3. LAME is not for everyone - it is distributed as source code only and requires the ability to use a C compiler. However, many popular ripping and encoding programs include the LAME encoding engine.

Latest Reviews

Enlightenment

Enlightenment reviewed v3.99.5 on Dec 19, 2014

I've been using since 1998. For MP3 encoding, it's the best.

SineWave

SineWave reviewed v3.99.2 on Nov 20, 2011

For lossless encoding you can use FLAC or WavPack. It's pretty much the same, as the encodings are, well, lossless. ;) MP3 is always lossy, so there are differences between the codecs. LAME encoder being somewhat the best of them. Cheers!

Enlightenment

Enlightenment reviewed v3.99.2 on Nov 19, 2011

This is the best MP3 enocder. Almost all people can't tell the difference between 320K CBR and a CD.. By the way, MP3 isn't lossless so "johnk119" is an i-d-i-o-t that is whining about something that he shouldn't.

johnk119

johnk119 reviewed v3.98.4 on Aug 26, 2011

This program lacks support for lossless encoding which is not difficult to add. Basically I want to losslessly back up my music using as little space as possible... This is a half way useful program if you want to lose music quality

trents

trents reviewed v3.98.2 on Nov 25, 2010

HI,
I agree with that it is really good tools to used...Try it and you will see the result...

darth

darth reviewed v3.98.2 on Nov 20, 2009

Kudos, LAME is one of best projects ever, one with the widest impact on the digital life of everyone!

digitalking

digitalking reviewed v3.98.2 on Nov 7, 2008

Creative Zen Vision:M which at one time was Creative's most popular MP3 player, does not play AAC, and this product is only 2-3 years old! Sorry some of us aren't spoiled brats and can't buy new audio/video player each year.
http://us.creative.com/p...product=14331&nav=1

teranova52

teranova52 reviewed v3.98.2 on Oct 10, 2008

People forget the codec wars ...
We are all free to choose from so many out there.

About this codec , i use it for years with the old free Plextor tools.

This is an win version with graphical interface , thats good for people that likes easy ways to do this task .

roj

roj reviewed v3.98.2 on Oct 3, 2008

pedromoreno:

Face a few realities.

Ogg is an expensive codec in terms of player resources and in the face of the ubiquitous mp3 is a non-essential nice-to-have codec to support. In addition, it offers no advantages in sound quality due to the advances LAME has undergone over the years.

Let me see:

Should I as a company support a format that relatively few people use (albeit a shrill minority) or should I dedicate machine resources and OS storage space to a codec that is everywhere.

BZZZZZZZZTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!

ogg loses every time - a simple business decision.

cowgaR :

aac falls into the same category, albeit less so.

The reality that is (and will continue to be) is that open source audio codcs (and aac) are a distinct minority in terms of practical market share.

And few care.

That's it, that's all.

FIVE stars for an encoder that continues to improve and guarantees that mp3 will continue to be the dominant standard for the foreseeable future.

EDIT:

If you're running one of the old 32bit Semprons, make sure you add --noasm mmx --noasm sse to your command line. If you don't, you'll crash LAME with the following error:

Faulting application lame.exe, version 0.0.0.0, faulting module lame.exe, version 0.0.0.0, fault address 0x0001967a.

Damned intel garbage... :) :) ;)

pedromoreno

pedromoreno reviewed v3.98.2 on Oct 3, 2008

Quit badmouthing ogg!!! It's not widely supported because most companies are plain stupid, period. Open source rules! Always will!

As for LAME, lol, it's great! Mp3 has come a long way since its birth, and LAME is an excellent encoder.

Avg. Rating 4.7 (281 votes)
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Enlightenment

Enlightenment reviewed v3.99.5 on Dec 19, 2014

I've been using since 1998. For MP3 encoding, it's the best.

SineWave

SineWave reviewed v3.99.2 on Nov 20, 2011

For lossless encoding you can use FLAC or WavPack. It's pretty much the same, as the encodings are, well, lossless. ;) MP3 is always lossy, so there are differences between the codecs. LAME encoder being somewhat the best of them. Cheers!

Enlightenment

Enlightenment reviewed v3.99.2 on Nov 19, 2011

This is the best MP3 enocder. Almost all people can't tell the difference between 320K CBR and a CD.. By the way, MP3 isn't lossless so "johnk119" is an i-d-i-o-t that is whining about something that he shouldn't.

johnk119

johnk119 reviewed v3.98.4 on Aug 26, 2011

This program lacks support for lossless encoding which is not difficult to add. Basically I want to losslessly back up my music using as little space as possible... This is a half way useful program if you want to lose music quality

trents

trents reviewed v3.98.2 on Nov 25, 2010

HI,
I agree with that it is really good tools to used...Try it and you will see the result...

darth

darth reviewed v3.98.2 on Nov 20, 2009

Kudos, LAME is one of best projects ever, one with the widest impact on the digital life of everyone!

digitalking

digitalking reviewed v3.98.2 on Nov 7, 2008

Creative Zen Vision:M which at one time was Creative's most popular MP3 player, does not play AAC, and this product is only 2-3 years old! Sorry some of us aren't spoiled brats and can't buy new audio/video player each year.
http://us.creative.com/p...product=14331&nav=1

teranova52

teranova52 reviewed v3.98.2 on Oct 10, 2008

People forget the codec wars ...
We are all free to choose from so many out there.

About this codec , i use it for years with the old free Plextor tools.

This is an win version with graphical interface , thats good for people that likes easy ways to do this task .

roj

roj reviewed v3.98.2 on Oct 3, 2008

pedromoreno:

Face a few realities.

Ogg is an expensive codec in terms of player resources and in the face of the ubiquitous mp3 is a non-essential nice-to-have codec to support. In addition, it offers no advantages in sound quality due to the advances LAME has undergone over the years.

Let me see:

Should I as a company support a format that relatively few people use (albeit a shrill minority) or should I dedicate machine resources and OS storage space to a codec that is everywhere.

BZZZZZZZZTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!

ogg loses every time - a simple business decision.

cowgaR :

aac falls into the same category, albeit less so.

The reality that is (and will continue to be) is that open source audio codcs (and aac) are a distinct minority in terms of practical market share.

And few care.

That's it, that's all.

FIVE stars for an encoder that continues to improve and guarantees that mp3 will continue to be the dominant standard for the foreseeable future.

EDIT:

If you're running one of the old 32bit Semprons, make sure you add --noasm mmx --noasm sse to your command line. If you don't, you'll crash LAME with the following error:

Faulting application lame.exe, version 0.0.0.0, faulting module lame.exe, version 0.0.0.0, fault address 0x0001967a.

Damned intel garbage... :) :) ;)

pedromoreno

pedromoreno reviewed v3.98.2 on Oct 3, 2008

Quit badmouthing ogg!!! It's not widely supported because most companies are plain stupid, period. Open source rules! Always will!

As for LAME, lol, it's great! Mp3 has come a long way since its birth, and LAME is an excellent encoder.

kholdstare

kholdstare reviewed v3.98.2 on Oct 3, 2008

good to see LAME still being updated and the mp3 format is still alive and well with almost all media players being able to play mp3's and only some only being able to play AAC format. MP3 may be old and outdated but it is still the most wildly used format than any others

cowgaR

cowgaR reviewed v3.98.2 on Oct 3, 2008

@roj: I agree with you completely, but still can't find a device that can't play AAC. Maybe some obscure ones. It is due to APPLE and iPods that AAC gained great popularity and APPLE began selling music only in AAC.
And in _many_ test I have seen (I can give you links) AAC crushed mp3 easily...in any bitrate, not to mention it is newer encoding tech than mp3, and I like its decoders philosophy better (same everywhere) than to look for players which can handle quality mp3 decoding (fault of mp3 format).

@pedromoreno: OGG is great although I like AAC more (obviously;-), but it is not about liking a technology. I LOVED HD-DVD, it was superior to blu ray in many ways! But it died. Logicaly no support, so we have blu-ray. Why stick with format that has had its chance to be adopted and is still ignored? Die, free the market.

@kholdstare: please name ONE player that can't play AAC nowadays, you must be on win95

-----------
best mp3 encoder...but deprecated, with no future

ppl, start using AAC encoders (or AAC+ for lower bitrates) as they provide tens of advantages over mp3 format (tens of features supported, smaller size, not dependant on decoder quality unlike mp3, and tens of other things)

and unlike ogg (which should die long ago) AAC is supported everywhere, from mobile phones to mp3 players and car receivers (again, unlike ogg)

so if I want lose compression, I choose AAC encoder (probably iTunes one prefered more than Nero's one now) otherwise I'll stick with any loseless format

mp3 is dead long time now, I wonder no-body noticed it, well APPLE did ;)

cricri_pingouin

cricri_pingouin reviewed v3.98.2 on Oct 3, 2008

Best? I don't know, I don't know other encoders enough to state this. But it works great, and for free. So it gets a 5 from me.

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