hey guys,
utter n00b here!
i want to use fb2k to lower the quality of my MP3 collection to enable me to get as much on my mobile phone as possible. i want to convert files from varying higher bitrates down to 112kbps whilst keeping all the tag info.
im using Lame with the options of
--mp3input -b 112 -F -m s -h -p -q 0
but it speeds through the 'encoding' at x1000+ speeds then throws errors because it hasnt converted it... im pretty certain this is a really simple oversight on my part and figured there must be away of telling fb that the input file is MP3.
ANY help would be appreciated
lower the quality of my MP3 collection
Well, using simple stereo is a great step in the right direction. I must ask whether you know what you’re doing with those other switches, too.
there must be away of telling fb that the input file is MP3.
foobar2000 decodes whatever file is input to the Converter, so it doesn’t need to be told anything; it’s smart enough. Thus, the problem is that you’re telling LAME it’s getting MP3 as input, which it isn’t. Remove that switch.
And maybe the rest, for good measure. “-b112” ought to be just fine—or do you not trust the developers of LAME to use the most sensible settings by default.
thanks DB
i used the swiches for the following reason
--mp3input :- because its worked before in razorlame when ive needed it to
-b 112 :- for obvious reasons
-F :- to force the use of selected bitrate
-m s:- to select stereo (even if the souce was joint or mono)
-h & -q 0:- to try to get the highest quality from the encoding
-p :- for the error protection
i must admit ive always used the code and never had a problem with RL.
i tried with -b 112 -F -m s -h -p -q 0 in fb and still got erraneous returns... will try just -b 112
EDIT:-
here is the error code for whatever i try
# out of # tracks converted with major problems.
Source: "<Filename>"
An error occurred while writing to file (The encoder has terminated prematurely with code 1 (0x00000001); please re-check parameters) : "<Filename>"
Additional information:
Encoder stream format: 44100Hz / 2ch / 24bps
Command line: "<DIR>\lame.exe" -b 112 "<Filename>"
Working folder: <DIR>
Conversion failed: The encoder has terminated prematurely with code 1 (0x00000001); please re-check parameters
Command line: "<DIR>\lame.exe" -b 112 "<Filename>"
Oh. Then this is simpler than I thought. You haven’t included the placeholder for the destination file. Use “-b112 - %d” or “-b112 %s %d”, for stdin or temp-files respectively (see the next paragraph).
--mp3input :- because its worked before in razorlame when ive needed it to
[…]
i must admit ive always used the code and never had a problem with RL.
But foobar2000 isn’t RazorLAME. foobar2000 decodes all files to PCM (either via direct piping or as a temporary WAV file) and then passes that to the destination encoder. Thus, LAME is not receiving ‘MP3 input’—which would just make
it do the decoding and re-encoding, anyway.
-F :- to force the use of selected bitrate
All this does is force the chosen bitrate for silent frames, as opposed to their usual allocation of the minimal 32 kbps in order to save space.
-m s:- to select stereo (even if the souce was joint or mono)
I don’t think you understand this. -ms forces simple stereo, which is mathematically, and therefore is possibly perceptually, inferior to joint stereo. LAME is perfectly able to determine by itself the number of channels in the input PCM source, which can’t possibly be joint anyway.
-h & -q 0:- to try to get the highest quality from the encoding
There have been reports of these actually reducing quality. At best, there’s very little chance of an audible improvement. You can usually trust the developers’ default settings. Currently, that’s quality 3/normal in this specific context.
Also note that foobar2000 converter cannot overwrite input files.
Command line: "<DIR>\lame.exe" -b 112 "<Filename>"
Oh. Then this is simpler than I thought. You haven’t included the placeholder for the destination file. Use “-b112 - %d” or “-b112 %s %d”, for stdin or temp-files respectively (see the next paragraph).
FB doesnt let you state -b 112 without having a at least %d accompanying it ... i tried it with "-b 112 %d" and it showed the aforementioned error
Also note that foobar2000 converter cannot overwrite input files.
i have the output directory set to <DIR>\112 to prevent any overwrite issues
i tried it with "-b 112 %d" and it showed the aforementioned error
I’m not surprised, because you’re not providing a source file/stream here. Above, I saw that you had one “<Filename>” and assumed that was for the source, but now you’ve explained it’s for the destination file. Either way, you need both. You might as well use stdin for the source,
i.e. just a hyphen (see my first suggestion above).
i tried it with "-b 112 %d" and it showed the aforementioned error
I’m not surprised, because you’re not providing a source file/stream here. Did you try it with either of the other, and actually properly filled (in having a placeholder not only for destination but also for source), command-lines that I suggested?
I said all this already. Please try to actually read what people write.
i do appologise "-b112 - %d" works thank you very much for your help and info on the 'overkill' lame coding i knew it was something simple i was overlooking and it was the "- %d" switch
I’m glad you got it working!
I edited my previous post to be fairer to you, as I misinterpreted the error.
i noticed that too... so thank you :thumb up:
im used to forum attitudes and expected to be shouted down on things i dont quite understand especially being a n00b! i didnt take it personally
For completeness' sake, if you use the MP3/LAME encoding presets offered by foobar2000 you don't need to know anything about the intricates of command line switches. Although it offers only VBR settings and 320kbit/s CBR.
It's also fair to note that VBR encoding will provide you with higher quality files than CBR encoding at the same file size, so if you want to maximize quality I'd suggest to use VBR -V5 (~130kbps), -V6 (~115kbps) or -V7 (~100kbps) instead of CBR in your case.
For completeness' sake, if you use the MP3/LAME encoding presets offered by foobar2000 you don't need to know anything about the intricates of command line switches. Although it offers only VBR settings and 320kbit/s CBR.
It's also fair to note that VBR encoding will provide you with higher quality files than CBR encoding at the same file size, so if you want to maximize quality I'd suggest to use VBR -V5 (~130kbps), -V6 (~115kbps) or -V7 (~100kbps) instead of CBR in your case.
thanks Kohlrabi ill try that!
one thing i have thought is does fb preserve ID3v2.3 tags incl. album art when converting like this?
one thing i have thought is does fb preserve ID3v2.3 tags incl. album art when converting like this?
Album art does not get copied over to the new file after conversion, but all other (text) tags get copied over to the new file. Unfortunately you will have to add the album art manually or with another program.
one thing i have thought is does fb preserve ID3v2.3 tags incl. album art when converting like this?
Album art does not get copied over to the new file after conversion, but all other (text) tags get copied over to the new file. Unfortunately you will have to add the album art manually or with another program.
*thumb up* thanks... tbh art isnt so much of an issue if the rest of the tags are there for me so im not too disheartened