Where is the MP3 Converter

[driver49]

I managed to get Audacity running on my Mac Mini no prob, and edited the file I needed to edit.

Now I want to export it to an MP3 file. When I click "save," I get a message about "Audacity does not export MP3 files directly, but instead uses LAME, an MP3 exporting library available separately. See documenation for more information. Would you like to locate libmp3lame.dylib now?"

Well, for starters, I can't find any documentation other than the ReadMe file, and there is nothing under "help," either. When I click help...contents, I get a finder window where I guess I'm supposed to locate the help file? But there's none in any of the directories that opened when Audacity was installed

Likewise, when I say "yes" to "Would you like to locate libmp3lame.dylib now?", a window opens and I guess I'm supposed to locate that file? It's not in any of the directories either.

So, could somebody please tell me how to obtain and install the LAME library I need to export to MP3 from Audacity? And if you've got a clue how to install a help file, that might be helpful too.

Thanks,

--PS

[waxcylinder]

You can get it from the Audacity site http://audacityteam.org/help/faq?s=inst ... m=lame-mp3

The site also has very useful tutorials and a wiki available from the Help tab.

WC

[kozikowski]

You didn't "Save," you "Exported as MP3..."

You can't create MP3s without paying license fees, so Audacity can't include that tool in its built-in kit. They make you get it from somewhere else, in this case, the "lame" encoder which is open-source and was designed not to violate the licensing provisions.

It then becomes a third party plugin and not part of the actual program.

It's one of the problems you get when you consider the Audacity purchase price.

Koz

[driver49]

Yeah yeah, exported, not saved.

I figured it had something to do with Fraunhoffer's licensing fees. But if securing a 3rd party plug-in is the only extra step required to export to an MP3, then it's entirely reasonable, considering -- as you say -- the purchase price for Audacity.

I just needed to know where to find the files.

Thanks,

--PS

[kozikowski]

<<<Yeah yeah, exported, not saved.>>>

That's important in Audacity because the programmers have an odd view of what's supposed to happen when using those tools. If you catch the wrong one you could damage your show pretty badly.

Koz

[furrball]

OK, I've been lurking in threads similar to this for over a year now. I have an intel MacBook, using Audacity 1.2.5 (not 1.2.6, which is not available for Intel machines right now...) and I've never been able to get the mp3 export to work. And NOBODY ever just comes out and says, "Yes, it works for Intel machines," or "No, it doesn't work yet." There's all this run-around "try this" and "maybe that." I consider myself a fairly savvy computer user, but I haven't been able to figure this out.

I have the lamelib file(s). I've tried three different versions of it over the last year. I need something less cryptic. Do I need to rename it? Do I need to put it someplace else? If I have to recompile it, isn't that a little beyond a reasonable expectation of the average user? I'm not a programmer, and have never been given the impression that I have to be in order to use Audacity... but this MP3 export thing is really making me doubt Audacity's interest in being useful to me as a professional musician. Not having that as a standard feature is a major hiccup in my workflow.

So: Yes or no? Has ANYONE made the MP3 export work on an Intel machine with the current stable build yet?

[furrball]

Cool, I just answered my own question...

I just downloaded and ran a "new" version of 1.2.5, and the MP3 export works fine. Apparently, even though in the Finder the version of Audacity I have ALSO says 1.2.5, it's an older version. If you go into Audacity-->Help-->About Audacity... the REAL version will be shown. If you have 1.2.5-IntelPre1, the MP3 export function does not appear to work. But 1.2.5 seems to be working great now.

Phew... SO much easier to export straight from Audacity than to save as AIFF and import into iTunes.

So... to answer my own question... YES, MP3 exporting DOES work now on my Intel Macbook.

YAY!! Go developers.

[kozikowski]

<<<There's all this run-around "try this" and "maybe that.">>>

Yes, but we can't say, "Mine is working just fine so you must be stupid." That's neither helpful or constructive. The best we can do is reverse the problem and try to think of things to change that will either cure the problem outright, or provide more information--hopefully enough to point to the cure.

Sometimes, it's crap shoot if it's a problem we've never seen before, or we encounter an real bug where the program actually does not work properly. That's why I don't hang out in the 1.3.x "Unstable" software section. That's like poking myself in the eye with a stick. Nice when I stop.

This will be more natural to you when you stop by regularly to help others with their problems.

Koz

[Snow123]

But this MP3 export thing is really making me doubt Audacity's interest in being useful to me as a professional musician. Not having that as a standard feature is a major hiccup in my workflow.

[kozikowski]

<<<Not having that as a standard feature is a major hiccup in my workflow. >>>

If it's getting in the way of your professional advancement I would definitely stop using it. There is no shortage of high end tools and programs on the market that will do all you want and more.

Koz