I’ve been using Audacity for years now and never had this issue… Today, after exporting an audiobook file as mono (for ACX platform), I suddenly couldn’t adjust the quality, etc., at least not in the same way. I have removed and re-installed the app 3 times, even gone back to an earlier version and still the same thing. Here’s the bizarre kicker – I installed it on a DIFFERENT Mac and got the same strange difference. Tried to upload screen shot of how it always had been (or at least for the last year): Looked like this with these dropdown options: Audacity 3.6.1 can not export .mp3 - #2 by kozikowski
Now this is what I’ve got. I can share my Modules settings too, if that helps. (All Enabled.)
Work through the settings from the top of the dialog to the bottom.
- Enter the required file name (the file extension is not required as it will be added automatically at step 3)
- Select the desired export folder
- Select the required file type (in your case: “MP3”. The “.mp3” file extension will be added to the file name)
- Select the format options …
Full details here: Export Audio - Audacity Manual
Thx, for responding, Steve, but my question has nothing to do with .mp3 or format. It has to do with Audio Options. Sorry if I wasn’t clear. Until this morning, there were 3 drop downs in Audio options – now there are 2 and the choices within each are different. See what the interface looked like before:
As of this morning – and the past God knows how long – there were three drop downs in Audio options: Sample Rate, Bit Rate Mode, and Quality. Now it’s Sample Rate and Encoding. Freakin’ weird! It didn’t even coincide with an update in the app. Just 
It has to do with .mp ↔ .wav! Just look at the export format you had selected.
If your export is .wav, you see the options from your original screenshot (where you want to export .wav). If the export is .mp3, you see the options as in your second screenshot (where you want to export .mp3). Apparently, .wav has different needs than .mp3
44100 MP3 Constant 192 is the ACX required chapter submission format. 48000 is a video format. I think you’re microscopically inspecting the wrong thing. What else happened on the machine? Decide to do Zoom conferences? Games? Skype your brains out?
How about a New and Improved application or module that arrived in your Email?
One thing that drives me nuts is an application that tells me later that they made changes to my machine to help me.
Koz
While you’re troubleshooting this, create a short, simple sound performance for testing. There’s nothine quite like horsing a 90 minute chapter file around during a quality test. This is particularly important because Audacity makes a copy of the whole show every time you do an edit or change.
Sorry we can’t do any more testing. Your machine is full.
Koz
It absolutely does have everything to do with MP3 format.
Notice how the format options depend on which format is selected:
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@mac-christian… My sincere apologies AND my sincere thanks. YOU ARE RIGHT.
OMG, I cannot believe I never noticed that before. Ever. I always work in .WAV but have been dealing with these setting requirements from ACX, which are for .mp3. When I mastered the track at eMastering, I exported them as WAV files and was going to change the settings in Audacity per ACX. If I had simply changed the file type first. Sheesh! I didn’t realize the Audio options were different for the two file types.
Crap, I feel like a dope. I’d like to blame it on the stress of a pressing deadline that has flown past now…
Anyway, THANK YOU. And, again, my apologies for not considering your comment more deeply.
Thanks to you also, @Steve
What you have lost in the new consolidated Export dialog is that with MP3 export you no longer have the ability to choose the Channel Mode
This, for example is the 2.4.2 export dialog:
Muse decided that it was not necessary to use this and all MP3 exports are now done as Joint Stereo as this apparently does not result in a loss of quality.
Joint Stereo was always the default option in the older form of MP3 export anyway.
See this link for more background: Joint Stereo vs Stereo: What's the Difference & Which is Best
Peter.