1143 lines
90 KiB
HTML
1143 lines
90 KiB
HTML
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<h3>LameXP - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)</h3><br>
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<a name="127191f3"></a><b>Table of contents:</b><br>
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<ul>
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<li><a href="#6a0b023d">What is LameXP ???</a>
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<li><a href="#be0a8459">What platforms does LameXP run on?</a>
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<li><a href="#29065b86">What output formats (encoders) does LameXP support?</a>
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<li><a href="#4e398a46">What input formats (decoders) does LameXP support?</a>
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<li><a href="#96205e91">My anti-virus program raises an alarm when I try to download, install or launch LameXP. Why is that?</a>
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<li><a href="#fd53d98a">Who created LameXP?</a>
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<li><a href="#de1c5e44">What license is LameXP released under?</a>
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<li><a href="#303e5fa7">Do I have to pay for LameXP? / How can I donate to the authors of LameXP?</a>
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<li><a href="#e75ad4ac">Why is the thing called "LameXP" although it does so much more?</a>
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<li><a href="#f8161df3">Why are the LameXP binaries not digitally signed (seemingly)?</a>
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<li><a href="#054010d9">MP3, AAC/MP4, Vorbis, FLAC or Opus - What is the best audio format?</a>
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<li><a href="#411d1257">What is the difference between the CBR, VBR and ABR rate control modes?</a>
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<li><a href="#71a113b0">How do I enable AAC/MP4/M4A output (encoding) in LameXP?</a>
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<li><a href="#126abc5a">Is there a way to output ".m4a" or ".aac" files with LameXP?</a>
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<li><a href="#ebf016ab">How do I enable WMA input (decoding) in LameXP?</a>
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<li><a href="#9fd53558">How can I use LameXP as a "portable" application?</a>
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<li><a href="#3d6684e9">Is there a way to use custom tools (binaries) with LameXP instead of the "built-in" ones?</a>
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<li><a href="#df406578">The LameXP startup (splash screen) takes very long on my system. What can I do?</a>
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<li><a href="#a923d407">Why is there a time limit (expiration) in my version of LameXP?</a>
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<li><a href="#900a2a6c">Is there a way to hide/show the LameXP console ("DOS Box") window?</a>
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<li><a href="#c8870a0a">How can I change the font size in the LameXP window?</a>
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<li><a href="#9b0a5c32">Why does application 'xyz' not open the Wave files created by LameXP?</a>
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<li><a href="#89cbd3d0">Why does LameXP run (only) N instances/threads in parallel on my computer?</a>
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<li><a href="#454e51dd">Why does LameXP try to connect to the web-server at 'xyz.com' secretly?</a>
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<li><a href="#12d077d5">How can I force LameXP to create ID3 version 2 (ID3v2) tags?</a>
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<li><a href="#f6ca0225">What does the LAME algorithm quality option do exactly?</a>
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<li><a href="#4213adbc">Can LameXP be used to convert/extract tracks from an Audio CD?</a>
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<li><a href="#434f2578">Why is the maximum normalization level limited to -0.5 dB?</a>
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<li><a href="#9f8ff13a">What do the different 'Equalization' modes do?</a>
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<li><a href="#c6d9dfed">Why does my encoded file come out slightly longer than the original?</a>
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<li><a href="#ed4d30ed">Why is the Hibernation option disabled (greyed out) on my system?</a>
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<li><a href="#54150e92">Why do random files fail with "Not Found!" or "Failed!" status?</a>
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<li><a href="#3e999f02">Why is "Convert this file with LameXP" missing from the Explorer context menu somtimes?</a>
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<li><a href="#e7c9ae2b">Why do I get the error 'Executable doesn't support Windows compatibility mode' on startup?</a>
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<li><a href="#328b0a18">Why do I get the error 'Executable requires Windows XP or later' on startup?</a>
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<li><a href="#3ffe490e">Why do I get the error 'The procedure entry point De/EncodePointer could not be located' on startup?</a>
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<li><a href="#01922741">Why do I get the error 'LameXP.exe is not a valid Win32 application' on startup?</a>
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<li><a href="#491aaad9">Why do I get the error 'A device attached to the system is not functioning' on startup?</a>
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<li><a href="#a0fd5ae8">Why do I get the error 'File ´tool_foobar.exe´ could not be locked!' on startup?</a>
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<li><a href="#f35cfa24">How can I translate LameXP to my language or improve an existing translation?</a>
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<li><a href="#8dba381f">Where can I download the latest version of LameXP?</a>
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<li><a href="#9c2e273d">Where can I submit bug reports or feature requests?</a>
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<li><a href="#e5694e3e">What programming language is LameXP written in?</a><br>
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<li><a href="#982cf1c0">Where can I find the LameXP source code?</a>
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<li><a href="#a0c1e92b">What are the prerequisites to build LameXP from the sources?</a>
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<li><a href="#87f001c0">How do I compile latest Qt as 'static' libraries?</a></ul>
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<br><br>
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<a name="6a0b023d"></a><b>What is LameXP ???</b><br>
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<br>
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LameXP is a graphical user-interface (front-end) for various of audio encoders: It allows you convert your<br>
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audio files from one audio format to another one in the most simple way. Despite its name, LameXP is NOT only<br>
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a front-end for the LAME encoder, but supports a wide range of output formats, including MP3, Ogg Vorbis,<br>
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AAC/MP4, FLAC, AC-3 and Wave Audio. The number of supported input formats is even bigger! Furthermore LameXP<br>
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does NOT only run on Windows XP, but also on Windows Vista, Windows 7 and many other operating systems.<br>
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<br>
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As all the encoders and decoders used by LameXP are already "built-in" (with one exception), you do NOT need<br>
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to install any additional software, such as "Codecs", "Filters" or "Plug-ins", on your computer. Everything<br>
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works "out of the box"! You can even use LameXP as a "portable" application, e.g. run it from your USB stick.<br>
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Moreover LameXP was designed for batch processing. This means that you can convert a huge number of audio<br>
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files, e.g. a complete album or even your entire music collection, in a single step. And, as LameXP is able<br>
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to process several audio files in parallel, it takes full advantage of modern multi-core processors! However<br>
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LameXP is NOT only optimized for speed, it also provides excellent sound quality by using the most<br>
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sophisticated encoders available and by giving the user unrestricted control over all encoding parameters.<br>
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<br>
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In addition to that, LameXP provides full support for metadata, including cover art. So when converting your<br>
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audio files, LameXP will retain existing meta tags. But there also is an easy-to-use editor for adding or<br>
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modifying metadata. LameXP supports Unicode for both, meta tags and filenames, so there won't be any problems<br>
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with "foreign" characters. And, thanks to our translators, the user-interface of LameXP is available in<br>
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multiple languages. Last but not least, LameXP supports a number of post-processing filters, including sample<br>
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rate conversion, normalization (gain), tone adjustment and downmixing of multi-channel sources.<br><br>
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<br><br>
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<a name="be0a8459"></a><b>What platforms does LameXP run on?</b><br>
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<br>
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LameXP is currently being developed on the following platforms:<br><ul>
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<li>Microsoft Windows 8.1, 32-Bit and 64-Bit editions
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<li>Microsoft Windows 7 with <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=5842" target="_blank">Service Pack 1</a>, 32-Bit and 64-Bit editions</ul>
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<br>
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The following platforms should work too, but aren't tested extensively:<br><ul>
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<li>Microsoft Windows XP<a href="#0f5e473a"><b>*</b></a> with <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=24" target="_blank">Service Pack 3</a>
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<li>Microsoft Windows Vista with <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=15278" target="_blank">Service Pack 2</a>, 32-Bit and 64-Bit editions
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<li>Microsoft Windows XP<a href="#0f5e473a"><b>*</b></a> x64 Edition with <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=17791" target="_blank">Service Pack 2</a>
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<li>Microsoft Windows Server 2008 with <a href="http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/dd262148" target="_blank">Service Pack 2</a>
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<li>Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 with <a href="http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/gg635126" target="_blank">Service Pack 1</a>
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<li>GNU/Linux (e.g. Ubuntu 12.04) using <a href="http://www.winehq.org/" target="_blank">Wine</a> v1.4+, native Linux version planned</ul>
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<br>
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The following "legacy" platforms are NOT supported any longer:<br><ul>
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<li>Microsoft Windows 2000
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<li>Microsoft Windows NT 4.0
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<li>Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition
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<li>Microsoft Windows 98
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<li>Microsoft Windows 95</ul>
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<br>
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<a name="0f5e473a"></a><b>[*] Note:</b> Windows XP has reached "end of life" on April 8th, 2014. This means that *no* updates or bugfixes<br>
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for Windows XP will be available beyond that date. Thus, any security vulnerabilities discovered *after* this<br>
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deadline will remain open, forever! Consequently, using Windows XP has become a security nightmare. And the<br>
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situation is only going to get worse! While LameXP will continue to support Windows XP (needs Service Pack 3)<br>
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for the foreseeable future, we *highly* recommend everybody to update to a less antiquated system now.<br>
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Windows XP support will be discontinued in a future version, when most users have migrated to a newer system.<br><br>
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<br><br>
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<a name="29065b86"></a><b>What output formats (encoders) does LameXP support?</b><br>
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<br>
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Currently the following output formats are supported by LameXP:<br><ul>
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<li>MPEG Audio-Layer III (MP3), using the <a href="http://lamexp.sourceforge.net/" target="_blank">LAME</a> encoder [built-in]
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<li>Ogg Vorbis, using the <a href="http://www.xiph.org/vorbis/" target="_blank">OggEnc2/libvorbis</a> encoder with <a href="http://www.geocities.jp/aoyoume/aotuv/" target="_blank">aoTuV</a> [built-in]
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<li>Advanced Audio Coding (AAC), using <a href="http://www.audiocoding.com/nero_aacenc.html" target="_blank">Nero AAC</a> encoder [separate download!]
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<li>ATSC A/52 (aka "AC-3"), using the <a href="http://aften.sourceforge.net/" target="_blank">Aften</a> encoder [built-in]
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<li>DCA, using the <a href="https://gitorious.org/dtsenc" target="_blank">DCA Enc</a> encoder (still experimental) [built-in]
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<li>Free Lossless Audio Codec (<a href="http://flac.sourceforge.net/" target="_blank">FLAC</a>) [built-in]
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<li>Opus Audio Codec, using the <a href="http://www.opus-codec.org/" target="_blank">Opus-Tools</a> by Xiph.org/Mozilla [built-in]
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<li>Uncompressed PCM / Waveform Audio File (WAV/RIFF)</ul>
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<br><br>
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<a name="4e398a46"></a><b>What input formats (decoders) does LameXP support?</b><br>
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<br>
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Currently the following input formats are supported by LameXP:<br><ul>
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<li>AC-3 (ATSC A/52), using Valib decoder [built-in]
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<li>Advanced Audio Coding (AAC), using FAAD decoder [built-in]
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<li>Apple Lossless (ALAC)
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<li>Apple/SGI AIFF
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<li>Avisynth, audio only [requires Avisynth 2.5.x to be installed]
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<li>Digital Theater System, using Valib decoder [built-in]
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<li>Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC)
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<li>Microsoft ADPCM
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<li>Monkey's Audio (APE)
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<li>MPEG Audio-Layer I (MP1), using mpg123 decoder [built-in]
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<li>MPEG Audio-Layer II (MP2), using mpg123 decoder [built-in]
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<li>MPEG Audio-Layer III (MP3), using mpg123 decoder [built-in]
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<li>Musepack
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<li>Opus Audio Codec
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<li>Shorten
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<li>Speex
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<li>Sun/NeXT Au
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<li>The True Audio (TTA)
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<li>Uncompressed PCM / Waveform Audio File (WAV/RIFF)
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<li>WavPack Hybrid Lossless Audio
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<li>Windows Media Audio (WMA), using wma2wav [built-in]</ul>
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<br><br>
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<a name="96205e91"></a><b>My anti-virus program raises an alarm when I try to download, install or launch LameXP. Why is that?</b><br>
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<br>
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Occasionally your anti-virus program may mistakenly(!) detect malware ("virus", "trojan horse", "worm", etc.)<br>
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in LameXP. This is called a "false positive" and the file is actually innocent/clean. It's an error in your<br>
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specific anti-virus software. So in case you encounter such problems, please use <a href="http://www.virustotal.com/" target="_blank">http://www.virustotal.com/</a>,<br>
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<a href="http://www.virscan.org/" target="_blank">http://www.virscan.org/</a> or a similar online-service to check the file in question with multiple(!) anti-virus<br>
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engines. Especially take care with heuristic scan results like "suspicious", "generic" or "packed". Such<br>
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results are NOT confirmed malware detections - they are speculative and almost always can be ignored safely!<br>
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<br>
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Apparently anti-virus programs tend to suspect installers or uninstallers created with <a href="http://nsis.sourceforge.net/" target="_blank">NSIS</a>. Furthermore some<br>
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anti-virus programs blindly suspect ALL "packed" executables of being malware. Obviously that is a stupid<br>
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generalization, because "EXE packers" are commonly used by legitimate software (inlcuding a large number of<br>
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OpenSource tools), so please ignore these nasty warnings! Last but not least: Always keep in mind that LameXP<br>
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is free software. If you don't trust the pre-compiled LameXP binaries that we provide, simply download the<br>
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<a href="#982cf1c0">source codes</a>, search the code for "malicious" functions (you won't find any ^^) and <a href="#a0c1e92b">compile</a> LameXP yourself!<br>
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<br>
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Another important fact to consider is that for the creator of LameXP, it is impossible to know WHY a specific<br>
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anti-virus program is failing on our software. That's because anti-virus programs usually are proprietary<br>
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ClosedSource applications, so we cannot know what's going on "behind the scenes". Consequently any attempt to<br>
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guess what "aspect" of LameXP the anti-virus software is misinterpreting as malware would be pure speculation<br>
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and might even change with the next anti-virus update. Only the developer of the anti-virus program can fix<br>
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bugs inside the anti-virus program. So please report these bugs to the developer of your anti-virus program!<br>
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<br>
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Finally, be aware that we are NOT liable for any files (downloads), except for those that are directly linked<br>
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on the official LameXP web-site or on one of the <a href="#8dba381f">official mirros</a>. Other web-sites may be redistributing our<br>
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software, but we are NOT affiliated with or funded by any of these web-sites. So while the license of LameXP<br>
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allows redistribution, there is absolutely NO guarantee that binaries offered by third parties are genuine!<br>
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<br>
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Conclusion:<ul>
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<li>IN CASE YOU HAVE A CONFIRMED INFECTION, RE-DOWNLOAD THE FILE FROM ONE OF THE *OFFICIAL* MIRRORS!
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<li>DO NOT SEND US VIRUS REPORTS, UNLESS YOU HAVE VERIFIED THE INFECTION WITH MULTIPLE ANTI-VIRUS ENGINES!
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<li>PLEASE REPORT "FALSE POSITIVES" TO THE DEVELOPER OF YOUR ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE. WE CANNOT FIX THEM!
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<li>THERE ARE PLENTY OF ANTI-VIRUS PROGRAMS TO CHOOSE FROM. YOU DON'T NEED TO STICK WITH A NEUROTIC ONE!</ul>
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<br><br>
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<a name="fd53d98a"></a><b>Who created LameXP?</b><br>
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<br>
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LameXP was written from the scratch by <a href="mailto:mulder2-nospam@gmx.de">LoRd_MuldeR <MuldeR2@GMX.de></a>. However it has to be noted that LameXP<br>
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uses a number of third-party tools, which have been created by the individual authors. Moreover various<br>
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people have contributed LameXP translations. Please see the "About" dialog for details! Also please do NOT<br>
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send e-mail to LoRd_MuldeR directly, if the problem or suggestion can be discussed in the <a href="#9c2e273d">support</a> forums!<br>
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<br>
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More OpenSource projects by LoRd_MuldeR at <a href="http://muldersoft.com/" target="_blank">http://muldersoft.com/</a> and <a href="http://mulder.googlecode.com/" target="_blank">http://mulder.googlecode.com/</a>.<br><br>
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<br><br>
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<a name="de1c5e44"></a><b>What license is LameXP released under?</b><br>
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<br>
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LameXP is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of an extended variant of<br>
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the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License,<br>
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or (at your option) any later version, but always including the *additional* restrictions defined in the<br>
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"License.txt" file. This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY;<br>
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without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.<br>
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<br>
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The licenses for most software and other practical works are designed to take away your freedom to share and<br>
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change the works. By contrast, the GNU General Public License is intended to guarantee your freedom to share<br>
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and change all versions of a program - to make sure it remains free software for all its users. LameXP<br>
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adds some additional restrictions to the license in order to keep your computer safe from unwanted software.<br>
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<br>
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Please see the <a href="http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html" target="_blank">GNU General Public License</a> for more details!<br><br>
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<br><br>
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<a name="303e5fa7"></a><b>Do I have to pay for LameXP? / How can I donate to the authors of LameXP?</b><br>
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<br>
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LameXP is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_software" target="_blank">free software</a>, so you may use it for free and for any purpose. Moreover the authors of LameXP<br>
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currently do NOT accept any donations. Therefore you should NOT pay or donate any money in order to obtain<br>
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LameXP! However it was brought to our attention that some dubious third-party web-sites offer "payed"<br>
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downloads of LameXP and/or include Adware into the LameXP download. We do NOT cooperate with any of these<br>
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sites. So if you pay for the LameXP download, the authors of LameXP will not get a single cent! Instead you<br>
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should save your money and download LameXP from the official mirrors (<a href="#8dba381f">see below</a>), which is 100% free.<br>
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<br>
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If you want to support the development of LameXP, you can do so by contributing translations or code :-)<br><br>
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<br><br>
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<a name="e75ad4ac"></a><b>Why is the thing called "LameXP" although it does so much more?</b><br>
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<br>
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LameXP was created as a (very simple!) GUI front-end to the LAME MP3 encoder, back in 2004. That version did<br>
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NOT support any encoders except for LAME, it did NOT support any input formats other than Wave Audio files,<br>
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it did NOT support any audio filters, it did NOT support multi-threading, it did NOT support Unicode file<br>
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names and it did NOT handle meta data at all. Because the program really was nothing but (yet another) LAME<br>
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front-end for Windows and because at that time Windows XP was the operating system of choice - for many<br>
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people it still is nowadays - I decided to call the program "LameXP" (aka "LAME for Windows XP"). Since then<br>
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more and more features have been added to LameXP. The program even went through two complete re-writes. Thus<br>
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the name "LameXP" may not be the most meaningful one, especially because the program supports a huge number<br>
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of encoders and decoders now, but I'm obviosuly lacking the creativity to come up with a better name. Also I<br>
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think we already have enough doubious "super-duper everything to everything converter" programs out there...<br>
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<br>
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So to make a long story short: The name has historical reasons and probably isn't going to change ;-)<br><br>
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<br><br>
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<a name="f8161df3"></a><b>Why are the LameXP binaries not digitally signed (seemingly)?</b><br>
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<br>
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The official LameXP binaries *are* signed digitally, using GPG/GnuPG. They just are NOT signed in a way that<br>
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|
Microsoft Windows recognizes. For this reason, Microsoft Windows may show a fat warning that the program is<br>
|
|
from an "unknown publisher", when trying to install or update LameXP. But you can ignore this warning safely!<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
So why LameXP binaries are not digitally signed in the way Microsoft Windows recognizes? This is because<br>
|
|
Microsoft Windows uses a *hierarchical* trust model: Windows trusts into a number of Certificate Authorities<br>
|
|
(CA's). These CA's issue certificates to, e.g., software developers. Finally, the software developer can use<br>
|
|
his certificate to create digital signatures. Windows will then verify the software signatures by using the<br>
|
|
corresponding certificate. The certificate, in turn, will be verified by checking the CA's digital signature.<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
Unfortunately, this process is fundamentally flawed, because it totally depends on the CA's trustworthiness!<br>
|
|
But, as everybody should know by now, CA's can *not* be trusted at all! That is because intelligence services<br>
|
|
and other governmental organisations can force CA's to issue "bogus" certificates! Windows would then accept<br>
|
|
these "bogus" certificates and all software signed by it. In other words: The software will appear to have a<br>
|
|
valid signature create by the legitimate owner of the certificate - despite it was signed by sombody else!<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
So what can we do? We can use GPG/GnuPG, which is *not* flawed in this way! GPG/GnuPG uses a so-called "web<br>
|
|
of trust". This means that you *only* trust into keys that you have either verified yourself or that someone,<br>
|
|
whom you trust already, has verified. Most important, in GPG/GnuPG it's always YOU who decides whom you want<br>
|
|
to trust or not. There is *no* centralized "authority" required or used. Consequently, intelligence services<br>
|
|
and other governmental organisations will *not* be able to create "bogus" GPG/GnuPG keys, unless they can<br>
|
|
break the cryptographic algorithms (DSA, RSA, etc. pp). But in the latter case, we would be doomed anyway ;-)<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
LameXP only trusts into a signle public key, which is the public key of the LameXP developers. This key is<br>
|
|
built into any LameXP binary. LameXP will use that key to verify the signatures of any updates (downloads)<br>
|
|
prior to installing them on the computer. Thus, once you have a genuine copy of LameXP installed, you can be<br>
|
|
sure that only genuine updates of LameXP will be downloaded/installed by the LameXP auto-update utility.<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
Addendum #1:<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
Another important fact to understand is that digital signatures do *not* provide any information about the<br>
|
|
security or dependability of a software. If a program contains a valid digital signature, it can be verified<br>
|
|
that this program really originates from the person/organization who has signed the binary. But that's it!<br>
|
|
There can be bugs and security vulnerabilities in a signed piece of software, just like in any unsigned piece<br>
|
|
of software. There even is nothing that would prevent an attacker from digitally signing malware programs!<br>
|
|
Though, the certificate (public key) of a malware author would hopefully(!) be revoked sooner or later.<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
Addendum #2:<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
In theory it would be possibe to add a digital signature that Windows recognizes to LameXP, just to get rid<br>
|
|
of the warning message. However, this would require a code signing certificate from one of the CA's that<br>
|
|
Windows accepts. But CA's don't issue certificates for free! They sell at approx. 150€ per year. But, because<br>
|
|
LameXP is a non-profit OpenSource project, the developers can NOT afford buying a code signing certificate.<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
If anybody is willing to contribute a code signing certificate to the LameXP project, please contact us! ;-)<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
The finperprint of the LameXP GPG/GnuPG signing key:<br>
|
|
<font class="code"><b>3265784425BF2B394F67CE07106A413D6CF3FA22</b></font><br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
The complete LameXP GPG/GnuPG public signing key:<br>
|
|
<table class="code"><tr><td>-----BEGIN PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----<br>
|
|
Version: GnuPG v2.0.21 (MingW32)<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
mQGiBEp0LDgRBACbZhtVHbb4tWlJCCxQ3eH9TQ3zUYrI2UHN94Yk8MJGEO1Fxigg<br>
|
|
smUAeGRmHKpH24VCB/MaHef83fd3bu2yHSf8xgWe90hZR1pLLfmtxqN1SZu/YlJx<br>
|
|
y4LOcxEwSc3P09cDL112fEFKs36d7OPYR6DXk75hWRwsnd0snJEnDHMVKwCgqCsn<br>
|
|
9y5rxTeH32sNytkdMMijkD0D/RrNZiCr/uQcT695oLsYkemNQzbN+hd5bmkkXnRi<br>
|
|
H27kHeeY1G1zLLFfTk7yKm7UZrTpMYxCXS80ORs9RF9rL8bnzzSiBAIHEz4uc5SD<br>
|
|
oH7K3Y526SZ4m4GOLnlVTisd9FXpm0YHB/MXMRrNLZbSzveS3pOEmRny0yeI13cU<br>
|
|
y8tqA/4xjW2DPlwB7lIUOcPyXa9pmAkLApCYF4CwUwKw4df6s+4txWkvuD0cJlli<br>
|
|
nPK7B7SrMv5c2Eg2UQWpF0WN+s8IqX3eoJ1CI+oBVZVWZMhC+Vojz8K0tIkHWZh7<br>
|
|
sy/gUk6XApTN8Ce/xbuMgDhfqxUXzkGzpvR9FJ0Y0R7kNgReUbQzTG9SZF9NdWxk<br>
|
|
ZVIgKGh0dHA6Ly9tdWxkZXIuYXQuZ2cvKSA8bXVsZGVyMkBnbXguZGU+iGAEExEC<br>
|
|
ACAFAkp0LDgCGwMGCwkIBwMCBBUCCAMEFgIDAQIeAQIXgAAKCRAQakE9bPP6IqKr<br>
|
|
AJ4541p84C0jD/MdL1akNsUtAQOBrwCcDAumPHDCj7wfmmeY/KN+jOmrp8G5BA0E<br>
|
|
SnQsOBAQAIy8TJYBYPxVtq8ENPs5qpLv+g3RRc/0TLaimaZGGdbsvANCswgNlxrK<br>
|
|
spAb2IFC8Y85jl7PusdXhC89q1gP5cfb6WLzFggRZt6UEE3dJ+aBuKSu+k+y1n/v<br>
|
|
R8oHpptIq3leonG5dXte5ZAYg+ID7DZz2QWgu4oWeDnUl945DLSCGj4vuT5sY/wi<br>
|
|
zNv6PV2E0Bl+HIwkzlwHa9vYRPx84FL9eFM7llJdH5TYQZ+VkdqKIfAUWwXsDeqD<br>
|
|
7YviIWLBbDxCtgfVB7sGYRZltMO9Nir7igO8SxOawkuBtLzU2ZbevBOSZmxami33<br>
|
|
E2oAGWtcXGhKHMy7vPOQKfShcf2N0QMhNDSR54nxuu3/BW9diwYubJCkbkP/gv7g<br>
|
|
GU/0eVWp19LeQN92zcmRN0JcJtu71T6Pcel9ZttEy/xyNyOrqhMP7vDd2sExwsYZ<br>
|
|
VUqlOg7hA++TMCmNcxLQgWlb7tJxhNr4pBkJiX6Guu8/3fhQ0If99ZlpeCpmMJFN<br>
|
|
kvhgFMWtCVPk5u1i/lwXsSoRcRXIfbRAcBqVEe5mgcyBBQZCoK2kQ8qt7Zol6/Lu<br>
|
|
9GsY/ag4elArck1EtlK0fxpVUsEskTR2Yw7hY/upPGfI22Wzzfg6WlwaYysyONfF<br>
|
|
ecoKS+ZaXVQ9BDAtRDKSD2yXkYDngJLDcbOTOPLxfDP/dKthqzkXAAMFD/0W/s64<br>
|
|
tsIju1IGE8uQt1fIZECV8M8HJeVatNEVJyPDrS/WIO0vqedxhod6qpF1UwPBG1gw<br>
|
|
WKe7nPhFoBzDayK92umEXUng0nQYmFUJWk7PXI751R1VFVgrbVw+LM2zy0/WRClh<br>
|
|
2qUWv+q6JuK56NooPx3sgAE4uuGoiRi8qt8eNuu6FP90LUKo0t9mMEyVAHJdQbcm<br>
|
|
tMFFU5K3+UehVYgosfplmLt5wpAs5GjqQSmeXA1DhvXNlPBBVn/tTSqGTw5+boqv<br>
|
|
lfwHgLJOqae3GH+HZ1ega2/qb5PFVZRpV9PrRh38IRe0ZM0Y0yQtlhUPywksD8UM<br>
|
|
KttadTHcBW4O/EZCEAOg69fc52mDs5GykJoXCOLsEc3/x2YJk8hvID3gR+qX/wxX<br>
|
|
WDTVY0KL1IC+xo4Y3BxKXHd8EPhOyR52mHm6BvVE/bbMeQjTF0pPjqIL1iM23crA<br>
|
|
Z9oYAtzYTOYyjtzx7SzY0SU+0jB7k7akr70vlbNR+Hk5iAR43MFoE5LyQpsmaUob<br>
|
|
W8WwGwTUabrs0KXXNC6OotfZqylL+cgn+STDdmGLiW0rw7Yv6CxR+ZW77yiWHYam<br>
|
|
TXY0hzq4U/9NnWwgCJErG5qausG8YidfDHenKIwZfc36d/bm6FSv5XGxShM7J4aO<br>
|
|
uhZnmF9iIfovqAe60soJ+uH6UOnxEB6LHZNhiohJBBgRAgAJBQJKdCw4AhsMAAoJ<br>
|
|
EBBqQT1s8/oi0RsAniNAOQRb8roflIOXVmeW3uB50RVtAJwLS5O19VD1W0HxjNZ6<br>
|
|
sE7XdEZn+w==<br>
|
|
=WDwE<br>
|
|
-----END PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----</td></tr></table><br>
|
|
|
|
<br><br>
|
|
|
|
<a name="054010d9"></a><b>MP3, AAC/MP4, Vorbis, FLAC or Opus - What is the best audio format?</b><br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
This question can NOT be answered in general. The best audio format is the format that works best for you!<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
Having said that, let's have a look at the output formats supported by LameXP: MPEG-1 Audio Layer III, better<br>
|
|
known as "MP3", was released in 1993 and probably still is the most widely used and most widely supported<br>
|
|
compressed audio format. So if compatibility is your concern, MP3 is a good choice. Also MP3 can retain very<br>
|
|
good quality - at higher bitrates. However MP3 does not support multi-channel audio and it does not perform<br>
|
|
well at lower bitrates. MP3 also is pretty restrictive with the sampling rates and bitrates that it supports.<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
Advanced Audio Coding, often abbreviated as "AAC", was introduced as part of the MPEG-2 standard (1997) and<br>
|
|
has been adopted by the MPEG-4 standard later (1999). AAC is often considered to be the "successor" of MP3.<br>
|
|
Compared to MP3, AAC adds support for multi-channel audio, it support more sampling rates as well as more<br>
|
|
flexible bitrates. Two variants of AAC are commonly used: Low-Complexity (LC) and High-Efficiency (HE). While<br>
|
|
LC-AAC is intended for medium to high bitrates, LC-AAC works best at low bitrates. At low bitrates, HE-AAC<br>
|
|
clearly outperforms MP3 - at higher bitrates the differences aren't that clear. AAC streams are usually, but<br>
|
|
not necessarily, encapsulated in an MP4 (MPEG-4 Part 14) container. That's why AAC audio files almost always<br>
|
|
have an ".mp4" file extension. Still the audio format is AAC - MP4 is only the container! Be aware that some<br>
|
|
applications create audio-only MP4 files with a non-standard (wrong) ".m4a" file extension. AAC is widely<br>
|
|
supported too nowadays (especially in "mobile" devices), though not all players fully support the HE variant.<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
Vorbis, often called "Ogg Vorbis", is a free audio format, developed by the Xiph foundation and released in<br>
|
|
2000. In contrast to MP3/AAC, Vorbis is 100% patent-free. Vorbis streams are usually, but not necessarily,<br>
|
|
encapsulated in an Ogg container (developed by Xiph too) and thus Vorbis files almost always have an ".ogg"<br>
|
|
file extension. Vorbis is known to outperform MP3 at the same bitrate, although the differences are less<br>
|
|
apparent at high bitrates. Furthermore HE-AAC has been known to outperform Vorbis at lower bitrates, though<br>
|
|
there now is a tuned Vorbis encoder ("aoTuV") which further improves the quality of Vorbis - especially at<br>
|
|
the lower bitrates. Hardware support for Ogg Vorbis is worse than for MP3/AAC, but it's constantly improving.<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
Free Lossless Audio Codec, better known as "FLAC", is a lossless audio format. This means that in contrast to<br>
|
|
MP3, AAC and Vorbis, with the FLAC compression there is absolutely no loss in quality. This made FLAC famous<br>
|
|
among "audiophile" people. However the lossless nature of FLAC comes at a big disadvantage: The compression<br>
|
|
ratio of FLAC files isn't anywhere near the "lossy" audio formats. Or in other words: FLAC files are huge!<br>
|
|
They are not as big as uncompressed Wave files, but usually the size cannot be reduced to less than 75%. Just<br>
|
|
like Ogg Vorbis, hardware support for FLAC files is worse than for MP3/AAC, but it's constantly improving.<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
Opus is a new audio format which, at this time (Aug 2012), is still under active development. It is being<br>
|
|
developed by engineers from Xiph, Mozilla and Skype/Microsoft. Opus has been accepted as an upcoming Internet<br>
|
|
standard by the IETF recently. The Opus format is designed to work for low-latency speech encoding (VoIP) as<br>
|
|
well as for high-quality music encoding. Opus is sometimes referred to as the "successor" of both, Vorbis and<br>
|
|
Speex (the latter is Xiph's current speech codec). Currently, Opus reaches the quality of 128 kbps MP3 at an<br>
|
|
bitrate of 80 kbps. As the development is still in progress, significant improvements are to be expected.<br>
|
|
<!--
|
|
there are a few things to consider. First of all: All output formats supported by LameXP,<br>
|
|
except for FLAC and PCM/Wave, use a lossy(!) kind of compression. That applies to MP3 and AAC as well as<br>
|
|
Vorbis. Consequently with these formats a certain quality loss is unavoidable when re-encoding/converting, no<br>
|
|
matter what. This is called "generation loss". Nonetheless all three formats (MP3, AAC and Vorbis) are able<br>
|
|
to retain an EXCELLENT audio quality, given that the chosen bitrate (quality level) is sufficient/reasonable.<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
Secondly, the audio quality does not depend on the audio format and the chosen bitrate only. It also depends<br>
|
|
greatly on the encoder software that is being used. LameXP uses the LAME MP3 encoder, probably the most<br>
|
|
sophisticated MP3 encoder out there, the Nero AAC encoder, one of the best AAC encoders available, and the<br>
|
|
aoTuV Vorbis encoder, an improved/tuned version of the reference Vorbis encoder. Consequently LameXP provides<br>
|
|
you with state-of-the-art encoders, which ensures maximum encoding quality for ALL supported output formats.<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
Another thing to consider is hardware support, i.e. support on stand-alone and portable players. The MP3<br>
|
|
format still has the best support on hardware players, but support for AAC/MP4 has become widespread too -<br>
|
|
especially on portable devices. Hardware support for Vorbis is more limited, but growing. So if portability<br>
|
|
is a priority, then MP3 is a good choice. However the MP3 format does NOT support multi-channel audio, which<br>
|
|
means that you will have to use AAC or Vorbis for multi-channel files. Last but not least, if you prefer a<br>
|
|
truly "open" and patent-free audio format, then Vorbis will be the format of your choice!<br>
|
|
-->
|
|
<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
Another resource you might find interesting are Sebastian's Public Listening Tests:<br><ul>
|
|
<li><a href="http://listening-tests.hydrogenaudio.org/sebastian/mp3-128-1/results.htm" target="_blank">MP3 listening test @ 128 kbps, includes MP3 encoders (like LAME) only</a>
|
|
<li><a href="http://listening-tests.hydrogenaudio.org/sebastian/mf-128-1/results.htm" target="_blank">Multiformat listening test @ 128 kbps, includes LAME MP3, Vorbis AoTuV and others</a>
|
|
<li><a href="http://listening-tests.hydrogenaudio.org/sebastian/mf-64-1/results.htm" target="_blank">Multiformat listening test @ 64 kbps, includes Vorbis AoTuV, Nero AAC and others</a>
|
|
</ul>
|
|
(However be aware that some of the results from these listening tests are not up-to-date anymore)<br><br>
|
|
|
|
<br><br>
|
|
|
|
<a name="411d1257"></a><b>What is the difference between the CBR, VBR and ABR rate control modes?</b><br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
CBR means "constant bitrate" and, as the name implies, CBR mode allocates the bits at a constant rate. This<br>
|
|
means that each part of the audio will get the same amount of bits, regardless of its content. Obviously this<br>
|
|
will waste bits in parts of the audio that are "easy" to compress. At the same time the quality of parts of<br>
|
|
the audio that are "hard" to compress will be degraded. Consequently using CBR mode is NOT a very good idea,<br>
|
|
unless you really have to enforce a 100% constant bitrate (this is almost NEVER the case). However CBR mode<br>
|
|
has the advantage that the final size of the compressed file is perfectly predictable. The resulting file<br>
|
|
size is defined simply as "duration × fixed_bitrate". Note: The file size *is* predictable with ABR mode too!<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
VBR means "variable bitrate" and, in contrast to CBR mode, VBR mode allows the bitrate to vary/fluctuate.<br>
|
|
Thus the VBR mode enables the encoder to adapt the bitrate with respect to the content of the audio. Parts of<br>
|
|
the audio that are "easy" to compress will get a lower bitrate in order to avoid wasting bits there. At the<br>
|
|
same time, parts of the audio that are "hard" to compress will get a higher bitrate in order to avoid quality<br>
|
|
degradation. Or in other words: VBR mode "moves" the bits to the locations where they are actually needed!<br>
|
|
Therefore the VBR mode achieves a much better compression efficiency than the CBR mode. This means with VBR<br>
|
|
mode you can get a better quality at the same file size - or the same quality at a smaller file size. One<br>
|
|
disadvantage of the VBR mode, however, is that the final size of the compressed file can NOT be predicted.<br>
|
|
The resulting file size now is defined as "duration × average_bitrate", but the average bitrate is NOT<br>
|
|
known beforehand. That's because the average bitrate for a specific VBR quality level can vary greatly,<br>
|
|
depending solely on the complexity of the individual audio. With VBR mode the encoder uses as many bits as<br>
|
|
required to achieve the desired level of quality. That clearly makes VBR the preferred encoding mode.<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
ABR means "average bitrate". You can think of ABR mode as a compromise between the CBR and VBR mode. With ABR<br>
|
|
mode the bitrate is allowed to vary/fluctuate, similar to VBR mode. However the ABR mode doesn't work with a<br>
|
|
predefined/fixed quality level, as VBR mode does. Instead in ABR mode the encoder will continuously re-adjust<br>
|
|
the quality level in order to hit the target average(!) bitrate. You can also think of ABR mode as a mode<br>
|
|
that pre-allocates the bits in a CBR-like fashion and then redistributes the bits within a local neighborhood<br>
|
|
as needed. Thus the ABR mode combines advantages of CBR mode (predictability) and VBR mode (higher quality).<br>
|
|
The final size of the encoded file is still defined as "duration × average_bitrate", but with ABR mode the<br>
|
|
average bitrate *is* known beforehand. So if you need to hit a specific file size, ABR mode is the solution.<br>
|
|
Using ABR mode is to be preferred over CBR mode. Nonetheless VBR mode usually provides the best experience.<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
Hint: The Nero AAC encoder supports a variant of the ABR mode, the so-called "2-Pass" mode. That mode scans<br>
|
|
through the entire file once (first pass) before the actual encoding is performed (second pass). This way the<br>
|
|
encoder is able to distribute the bits over the entire file and still hit the desired target average bitrate.<br>
|
|
It should be obvious that the advantages of the "2-Pass" mode come at the cost of increased encoding time.<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
Hint: A common mistake done by people comparing rate control modes is choosing a bitrate that is too high. Of<br>
|
|
course only files of an identical (average) bitrate can be compared by quality. But if that bitrate is chosen<br>
|
|
too high, you won't be able to draw any conclusions from the test. That's because at a certain bitrate even<br>
|
|
the CBR mode will retain excellent quality. In that situation VBR mode or ABR mode can't give an even better<br>
|
|
quality for obvious reasons. But drawing the conclusion that there is no difference between CBR mode and the<br>
|
|
VBR/ABR modes would be very wrong! The differences will become significant when using a reasonable bitrate.<br>
|
|
Another mistake is starting with a low-quality source file and concluding that all modes perform equally bad.<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
SUMMARY ON RATE CONTROL MODES:<br><ul>
|
|
<li>Need to hit a specific fixed file size and still want to retain a decent quality? ⇒ ABR mode
|
|
<li>Want to retain a certain level of quality and hitting an exact file size is not needed? ⇒ VBR mode
|
|
<li>Avoid CBR mode by all means, unless there are "external" restrictions that force you to use it!</ul>
|
|
|
|
<br><br>
|
|
|
|
<a name="71a113b0"></a><b>How do I enable AAC/MP4/M4A output (encoding) in LameXP?</b><br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
LameXP uses the Nero AAC Encoder for creating AAC/MP4/M4A files. The Nero AAC Encoder is available as a free<br>
|
|
download. However the license doesn't allow redistribution! Therefore we can NOT ship the Nero encoder along<br>
|
|
with LameXP. Instead you will have to obtain the Nero encoder as a separate download from the official "Nero<br>
|
|
Digital" web-site. Currently you'll find the latest Nero AAC Encoder version at this location:<br><ul>
|
|
<li><a href="http://www.nero.com/eng/company/about-nero/nero-aac-codec.php" target="_blank">http://www.nero.com/eng/company/about-nero/nero-aac-codec.php</a>
|
|
<li><a href="http://ftp6.nero.com/tools/NeroAACCodec-1.5.1.zip" target="_blank">http://ftp6.nero.com/tools/NeroAACCodec-1.5.1.zip</a></ul>
|
|
<br>
|
|
After you have downloaded the Nero AAC Encoder as a ZIP file, you must "install" the encoder binaries, so<br>
|
|
LameXP can use them. Simply unzip the files 'neroAacEnc.exe', 'neroAacDec.exe' as well as 'neroAacTag.exe' to<br>
|
|
the same directory where your LameXP executable ('LameXP.exe') is located. For unzipping the ZIP file you can<br>
|
|
use any suitable archiver, such as <a href="http://rarlabs.com/download.htm" target="_blank">WinRAR</a> or <a href="http://sevenzip.sourceforge.net/" target="_blank">7-Zip</a>. Once the required Nero encoder binaries are located in<br>
|
|
the LameXP directory, the AAC encoding option should be "enabled" on the next startup of LameXP.<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
QAAC Encoder<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
Optionally LameXP supports the QAAC encoder, i.e. the AAC encoder used by QuickTime and iTunes. Just like the<br>
|
|
Nero AAC encoder, the QAAC encoder can NOT be redistributed along with LameXP. Thus if you want to use the<br>
|
|
QAAC encoder, then you have to install QuickTime v7.7.1 (or newer). Alternatively iTunes v10.5 (or newer) can<br>
|
|
be installed. Both, QuickTime and iTunes, can be <a href="http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/" target="_blank">downloaded for free</a> from the official Apple web-site.<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
In order to enable the QAAC Encoder support you will also need the 'QAAC Encoder Add-in' for LameXP:<br><ul>
|
|
<li><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/download/38nv297501obvwv/LameXP.qaac-addin.2014-01-19.zip" target="_blank">http://www.mediafire.com/download/38nv297501obvwv/LameXP.qaac-addin.2014-01-19.zip</a>
|
|
<li><a href="http://sf.net/projects/lamexp/files/Miscellaneous/Add-ins/qaac/LameXP.qaac-addin.2014-01-19.zip/download" target="_blank">http://sf.net/projects/lamexp/files/Miscellaneous/Add-ins/qaac/LameXP.qaac-addin.2014-01-19.zip</a>
|
|
<li><a href="http://muldersoft.com/misc/lamexp/add-ins/LameXP.qaac-addin.2014-01-19.zip" target="_blank">http://muldersoft.com/misc/lamexp/add-ins/LameXP.qaac-addin.2014-01-19.zip</a></ul>
|
|
<br>
|
|
Please follow the install instructions that are included with the 'QAAC Encoder Add-in' download package!<br>
|
|
Note that you do NOT need to install this Add-in, if you only want to use the Nero AAC Encoder.<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
FHG AAC Encoder<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
Optionally LameXP also supports the FHG AAC Encoder now. Just like the Nero encoder, the FHG encoder can NOT<br>
|
|
be redistributed along with LameXP. However the FHG AAC Encoder is included with Winamp (v5.62+), which is<br>
|
|
available as a free download (you don't need to buy the "Pro" version!) from the official Winamp web-site at:<br><ul>
|
|
<li><a href="http://www.winamp.com/media-player/en" target="_blank">http://www.winamp.com/media-player/en</a>
|
|
<li><a href="http://download.nullsoft.com/winamp/client/winamp5666_full_en-us.exe" target="_blank">http://download.nullsoft.com/winamp/client/winamp5666_full_en-us.exe</a>
|
|
<li><a href="http://www.free-codecs.com/winamp_download.htm" target="_blank">http://www.free-codecs.com/winamp_download.htm</a></ul>
|
|
<br>
|
|
In order to enable the FHG AAC Encoder support you will also need the 'FHG AAC Encoder Add-in' for LameXP:<br><ul>
|
|
<li><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/file/ni7w4323pqub9x3/LameXP.fhgaacenc-addin.2012-08-06.zip" target="_blank">http://www.mediafire.com/file/ni7w4323pqub9x3/LameXP.fhgaacenc-addin.2012-08-06.zip</a>
|
|
<li><a href="http://sf.net/projects/lamexp/files/Miscellaneous/Add-ins/fhgaac/LameXP.fhgaacenc-addin.2012-08-06.zip/download" target="_blank">http://sf.net/projects/lamexp/files/Miscellaneous/Add-ins/fhgaac/LameXP.fhgaacenc-addin.2012-08-06.zip</a>
|
|
<li><a href="http://muldersoft.com/misc/lamexp/add-ins/LameXP.fhgaacenc-addin.2012-08-06.zip" target="_blank">http://muldersoft.com/misc/lamexp/add-ins/LameXP.fhgaacenc-addin.2012-08-06.zip</a></ul>
|
|
<br>
|
|
Please follow the install instructions that are included with the 'FHG AAC Encoder Add-in' download package!<br>
|
|
Note that you do NOT need to install this Add-in, if you only want to use the Nero AAC Encoder.<br><br>
|
|
|
|
<br><br>
|
|
|
|
<a name="126abc5a"></a><b>Is there a way to output ".m4a" or ".aac" files with LameXP?</b><br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
LameXP uses the Nero AAC Encoder for AAC encoding. And the Nero encoder always puts the AAC streams into an<br>
|
|
MP4 (MPEG-4 Part 14) container - in almost any case that is exactly what you want/need! The one and only<br>
|
|
"correct" file extension for MP4 files is '.mp4'. However sometimes the "incorrect" file extension '.m4a' is<br>
|
|
used to indicate "audio-only" MP4 files. Even worse: There are some buggy (hardware) players that will<br>
|
|
recognize MP4 audio file only with the "incorrect" .m4a extension, but NOT with the "correct" .mp4 extension.<br>
|
|
Of course LameXP will save your MP4 files with the "correct" .mp4 extension. But if you need your MP4 files<br>
|
|
with an .m4a extension for some reason, you can simply rename(!) these files. Renaming isn't more or less<br>
|
|
"incorrect" than saving the files as .m4a directly. After all, an MP4 file remains an MP4 file.<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
Warning: While renaming .mp4 files to .m4a (or vice versa) is safe, because both file extensions refer to MP4<br>
|
|
files, you must NOT rename any .mp4/.m4a files to .aac (or the other way around). That's because the '.aac'<br>
|
|
extension is used with "raw" AAC streams (ADTS format), i.e. AAC streams that are explicitly NOT stored in an<br>
|
|
MP4 container! Unfortunately the Nero AAC encoder has NO option to output "raw" AAC streams. And usually you<br>
|
|
don't need such streams. Still, if you really need to extract the "raw" AAC stream (.aac) from an MP4 file,<br>
|
|
you can simply use <a href="http://www.videohelp.com/tools/mp4box" target="_blank">MP4Box</a> for that purpose. Please note that <a href="http://yamb.unite-video.com/">YAMB</a> is a great MP4Box GUI created by Kurtnoise.<br><br>
|
|
|
|
<br><br>
|
|
|
|
<a name="ebf016ab"></a><b>How do I enable WMA input (decoding) in LameXP?</b><br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
LameXP now uses its "built-in" WMA decoder, thanks to 'wma2wav'. However it has to be noted that the WMA<br>
|
|
decoder relies on the Windows Media Format Runtime. All supported versions of Microsoft Windows should have<br>
|
|
the Windows Media Format Runtime installed as part of the Windows Media Player. But Wine does not! In case<br>
|
|
you encounter problems with the WMA decoder, try installing the <a href="http://anonym.to/http://www.citizeninsomniac.com/WMV/wmfdist11.exe" target="_blank">Windows Media Format Runtime</a> manually. This<br>
|
|
should also work under Wine. The 'N' or 'KN' editions of Windows 7 need the <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=16546" target="_blank">Windows Media Feature Pack</a>.<br><br>
|
|
|
|
<br><br>
|
|
|
|
<a name="9fd53558"></a><b>How can I use LameXP as a "portable" application?</b><br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
LameXP always is "portable", in the sense that the application works out of the box: LameXP does NOT require<br>
|
|
any additional software, such as codecs, encoders, decoders or runtime libraries, and it will NOT install<br>
|
|
anything of that kind on your local computer! All the third-party tools used by LameXP are already built-in.<br>
|
|
There currently are two notable exceptions: The Nero AAC encoder and the WMA decoder cannot be redistributed<br>
|
|
along with LameXP for legal reasons. Therefore these tools have to be obtained as separate downloads.<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
Having said that, LameXP stores its configuration file in the <a href="http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd378457(v=vs.85).aspx#FOLDERID_LocalAppData" target="_blank">%LOCALAPPDATA%</a> folder on the local computer.<br>
|
|
That's because on a modern multi-user operating this is the only "correct" folder to store user-specific<br>
|
|
configuration files. Also it's one of the few folders where an application is guaranteed to get write-access,<br>
|
|
even when the application was launched by a "normal" (non-admin) user and did not request elevated rights.<br>
|
|
Storing the configuration file in the "install" folder is antiquated and highly error-prone.<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
Still some users may want to store the configuration file in the same folder as the LameXP executable file,<br>
|
|
e.g. when launching LameXP directly from their USB stick on different computers. For this purpose LameXP now<br>
|
|
offers a "true" portable mode. You can enable that mode simply by renaming the LameXP executable file to<br>
|
|
"LameXP-Portable.exe". But be aware: When running LameXP in the "portable" mode, the user(!) must ensure that<br>
|
|
write-access is granted to the directory where the LameXP executable is located.<br><br>
|
|
|
|
<br><br>
|
|
|
|
<a name="3d6684e9"></a><b>Is there a way to use custom tools (binaries) with LameXP instead of the "built-in" ones?</b><br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
LameXP uses a number third-party tools. All of these tools are already "built-in" (with a few exceptions) and<br>
|
|
thus it is NOT required to provide separate binaries. Usually it will NOT be necessary to replace any of<br>
|
|
the "built-in" tools with a custom (user-provided) binary. If, however, you need to replace/update/downgrade<br>
|
|
one of the binaries for a good reason, the recommended method is re-building LameXP from the sources. If you<br>
|
|
don't know how to build LameXP from the sources, then you probably shouldn't be trying to replace the binary.<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
Having said that, there now is a more convenient method for using a custom tool version (binary) instead of<br>
|
|
the "built-in" one. This method works WITHOUT re-building LameXP. However note that the following is intended<br>
|
|
for testing and debugging purposes only! Also note that LameXP was specifically designed to work with the<br>
|
|
"built-in" versions of the tools. It may not work properly or may not work at all with custom tool versions!<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
In order to replace a "built-in" binary, simply put the user-provided binary to the following location:
|
|
<blockquote><install_folder>\tools\<build_number>\<tool_name>.exe</blockquote>
|
|
If, for example, you want to replace 'lame.exe' in Build #666 of LameXP, you would put it to the this path:
|
|
<blockquote>C:\Path to your LameXP install folder\tools\666\lame.exe</blockquote>
|
|
(It is intended that the '<build_number>' part of the path has to be adjusted with every update of LameXP)<br><br>
|
|
|
|
<br><br>
|
|
|
|
<a name="df406578"></a><b>The LameXP startup (splash screen) takes very long on my system. What can I do?</b><br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
During the startup procedure, LameXP has to extract some "helper" files to the TEMP directory. This can take<br>
|
|
a few moments. However, this extraction process shouldn't take longer than approximately 10 seconds. On our<br>
|
|
test system (Windows 7 running on an old Core2 Q6600 with 4 GB of RAM) starting up LameXP takes ~1.7 seconds.<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
Unfortunately, it was brought to our attention that poorly optimized anti-virus software might slow down the<br>
|
|
startup procedure a lot! As mentioned above, on our test system, the startup procedure takes 1.7 seconds. And<br>
|
|
that is with the "real-time protection" of Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) enabled! Without the real-time<br>
|
|
scanner, the startup time reduces even further, to less than 0.2 seconds. At the same time, as users have<br>
|
|
reported to us, some other anti-virus software can increase the startup delay by as much as 20.0 seconds !!!<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
So if you think that LameXP is starting up too slow on your system, you should temporarily(!) disable or<br>
|
|
uninstall the "real-time scanner" or "guard" (or whatever it is called) of your current "anti-virus" software<br>
|
|
and then try again. If it turns out that the startup of LameXP becomes significantly(!) faster as soon as the<br>
|
|
anti-virus software does *not* interfere with the extraction process, then please report the problem to the<br>
|
|
developer of the anti-virus software. And, if they don't fix the problem, switch to a better product ;-)<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
In short: If LameXP takes very long for starting up, then most likely poor "anti-virus" software is to balme.<br><br>
|
|
|
|
<br><br>
|
|
|
|
<a name="a923d407"></a><b>Why is there a time limit (expiration) in my version of LameXP?</b><br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
LameXP is free software, released under the GPL. This means that you may use LameXP for free and without any<br>
|
|
restrictions. More specifically, there is NO time limit (expiration) in any "Release" versions of LameXP!<br>
|
|
Nonetheless, the "Beta" (pre-release) versions of LameXP will expire 30 days after build date. That's because<br>
|
|
these "Beta" versions are intended for testing and evaluation only. They are NOT intended for productive use.<br>
|
|
After the 30 days have expired, you will have to update your "Beta" version of LameXP to the latest version.<br>
|
|
Usually there will be frequent updates for "Beta" versions though. So, most of the time, a new update will be<br>
|
|
available even before the previous build has expired. We highly recommend to install all updates as soon as<br>
|
|
possible instead of waiting for the expiration. If you are NOT willing to update LameXP regularly, stick with<br>
|
|
the "Release" version. The "Release" versions of LameXP are updated less frequently and they won't expire.<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
Note: We are well aware that the expiration mechanism implemented in LameXP can be circumvented quite easily,<br>
|
|
if you really want to. But implementing a "better" mechanism is pointless for an OpenSource software ;-)<br><br>
|
|
|
|
<br><br>
|
|
|
|
<a name="900a2a6c"></a><b>Is there a way to hide/show the LameXP console ("DOS Box") window?</b><br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
It is common for many people to run an alleged "DOS" program inside Windows, using a so-called "DOS Box".<br>
|
|
Everything works fine. But when you try to run such a program in DOS, you get an ugly message "This program<br>
|
|
cannot be run in DOS mode". What's wrong? Well, the affected program is NOT a "DOS" one. It is a Windows<br>
|
|
Console program. "DOS" is NOT a synonym of Console. And "Windows" is NOT a synonym of GUI (Graphical User<br>
|
|
Interface). Both, DOS and Windows programs, can be either Console or GUI. Actually Windows programs can be<br>
|
|
Console *and* GUI at the same time, i.e. a Windows GUI program can have a Console attached.<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
LameXP is a GUI program for Windows. However it can have a "Debug" console attached. The purpose of this<br>
|
|
console is providing users an insight into what's happening behind the scenes. While the console is mainly<br>
|
|
intended for developers, it may be helpful for "regular" users too. Nonetheless you usually will NOT need the<br>
|
|
console, unless something is going wrong. Therefore the LameXP console is disabled by default in all<br>
|
|
"release" builds. You can enable the console by passing the "--console" command-line parameter, if required.<br>
|
|
At the same time the console is enabled by default in all "beta" (pre-release) builds of LameXP. You can<br>
|
|
still disable the console by passing the "--no-console" command-line parameter, if you don't like it.<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
WARNING: Any attempt to close the LameXP console window will kill the application immediately !!!<br><br>
|
|
|
|
<br><br>
|
|
|
|
<a name="c8870a0a"></a><b>How can I change the font size in the LameXP window?</b><br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
Sometimes it may be required to adjust the font size, e.g. when working on a "high DPI" screen. The best way<br>
|
|
to adjust the font size is tweaking the DPI settings of your system. On modern Windows operating systems,<br>
|
|
this option can be found at the "Display" options at the Control Panel. Simply select, e.g., "Medium" (125%)<br>
|
|
or "Larger" (150%) to increase the size of all GUI widgets, including larger fonts. LameXP is based on Qt and<br>
|
|
therefore is fully "DPI aware". This means it will respect the system's DPI settings - without(!) blurring.<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
In rare cases you may which to adjust the font-size only inside the LameXP window, but *not* effect any other<br>
|
|
applications. For this particular purpose, LameXP offers the following command-line options:<br>
|
|
<blockquote><table>
|
|
<tr><td><font class="code">--tiny-font </font></td><td> </td><td>Enforces very small font size (75%)</td></tr>
|
|
<tr><td><font class="code">--small-font</font></td><td> </td><td>Enforces smaller font size (87.5%)</td></tr>
|
|
<tr><td><font class="code">--big-font </font></td><td> </td><td>Enforces larger font size (125%)</td></tr>
|
|
<tr><td><font class="code">--huge-font </font></td><td> </td><td>Enforces very large font size (150%)</td></tr>
|
|
</table></blockquote>
|
|
|
|
<br><br>
|
|
|
|
<a name="9b0a5c32"></a><b>Why does application 'xyz' not open the Wave files created by LameXP?</b><br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
Some of the decoders used in LameXP will insert an additional 'JUNK' chunk into the Wave/RIFF file, right<br>
|
|
before the 'fmt' chunk ("Wave header"). There are technical reasons why this 'JUNK' chunk (placeholder) might<br>
|
|
be needed at the beginning of the file. The 'JUNK' type is a standard RIFF type and, by definition of the<br>
|
|
RIFF file format specification, any reading application must ignore/skip all 'JUNK' chunks it may encounter!<br>
|
|
Evidently most reading applications do so and thus will correctly open the Wave file. Unfortunately it was<br>
|
|
brought to our attention that there are a few broken(!) applications, which reject Wave/RIFF files with an<br>
|
|
additional 'JUNK' chunk in front of the 'fmt' chunk. It seems that these applications make false assumptions<br>
|
|
and expect the 'fmt' chunk to be located at a fixed position, rather than parsing the RIFF structure.<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
While it is evident that applications, which reject the Wave/RIFF file because of the extra 'JUNK' chunk, are<br>
|
|
broken with respect to the RIFF specification and should be fixed by the respective author, there is an easy<br>
|
|
workaround: Re-saving the Wave/RIFF file with <a href="http://sox.sourceforge.net/" target="_blank">SoX</a> creates a file that even the broken applications seem to<br>
|
|
accept, as SoX apparently doesn't insert any 'JUNK' chunks (although it would be free to do so!) Re-saving<br>
|
|
your Wave file with SoX does NOT change the actual content at all, as long as no additional filters are used.<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
You can use a command-line like this:<br>
|
|
<blockquote><font class="code">sox.exe "c:\some path\input.wav" "c:\some path\output.wav"</font></blockquote>
|
|
|
|
<br><br>
|
|
|
|
<a name="89cbd3d0"></a><b>Why does LameXP run (only) N instances/threads in parallel on my computer?</b><br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
LameXP is able to run multiple instances of the encoder or decoder in parallel. This is done in order to<br>
|
|
maximize the CPU utilization on modern "multi-core" processors, which will significantly speed up the overall<br>
|
|
encoding process. However be aware that LameXP uses file-based parallelization. This means that the maximum<br>
|
|
number of instances that can run in parallel is limited by the number of files that are processed. If, for<br>
|
|
example, you convert only a single file, then NO parallelization will be possible. If, instead, you convert<br>
|
|
multiple files at once, then LameXP can run as many instances in parallel as files are being converted.<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
Within the aforementioned limitations, LameXP will selected the number of parallel instances based on the<br>
|
|
number of available processors (CPU cores) on the individual system. However LameXP will NOT use a one-to-one<br>
|
|
mapping! Instead a custom-made 'cubic spline' function is used to map the number of CPU cores to the maximum<br>
|
|
number of instances. This function has the following properties: On systems with at most four CPU cores, the<br>
|
|
maximum number of parallel instances will be identical to the number of CPU cores. On systems with eight CPU<br>
|
|
cores, the maximum number of parallel instances is six. On systems with 16 cores, the maximum number of<br>
|
|
parallel instances is eight. On systems with 32 cores, the maximum number of parallel instances is eleven.<br>
|
|
And on systems with 64 cores, the maximum number of parallel instances is 16. 16 is the upper limit.<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
<a href="http://i.imgur.com/QbS47Wi.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/QbS47Wis.png" border="1px" alt="thumb"></a><br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
You may wonder why LameXP doesn't always create one instance for each CPU core. In theory, the more instances<br>
|
|
we run in parallel, the more CPU cores can be utilized - until all CPU cores are busy and the overall CPU<br>
|
|
usage approaches 100%. In reality, however, there are some "shared" resources on each computer. And, the more<br>
|
|
instances we run in parallel, the more processes will be competing for these shared resources! Specifically,<br>
|
|
the amount of main memory (RAM) is limited. Creating a huge number of instances in parallel can easily use up<br>
|
|
all RAM, which will then cause the operating system to make heavy use of the page file. This can result in<br>
|
|
HDD thrashing and hence may significantly hurt the overall performance! But even in case there is enough RAM<br>
|
|
available on the system, each encoder or decoder instance needs to access the HDD quite frequently, e.g. for<br>
|
|
reading from the input file and for writing to the output file. Thus running too many instances will generate<br>
|
|
more I/O operations than the HDD can handle, which will result in an I/O bottleneck. In this situation the<br>
|
|
processes will spend more and more time waiting for I/O operations to finish - rather then doing useful work.<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
In other words: There will always be some point at which creating even more instances will actually slow down<br>
|
|
the overall process! On systems with many CPU cores, this point might be reached BEFORE all cores are busy.<br>
|
|
Even on the Quadcore computer, which is used to develop/test LameXP and which runs "only" four instances in<br>
|
|
parallel, we sporadically notice significant drops of the CPU usage, obviously caused by HDD overstressing.<br>
|
|
If, however, you think that LameXP's choice of the number of parallel instances is too conservative, you may<br>
|
|
overwrite the number of parallel instances on the "Advanced Options" tab - the upper limit is 16 for now.<br>
|
|
Finally, note that LameXP only controls the number of instances that will run in parallel, but it does NOT<br>
|
|
control how many threads an individual instance will create! Some encoders use "built-in" multi-threading and<br>
|
|
thus a single encoder instance may create several threads - LameXP has no control over that.<br><br>
|
|
|
|
<br><br>
|
|
|
|
<a name="454e51dd"></a><b>Why does LameXP try to connect to the web-server at 'xyz.com' secretly?</b><br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
LameXP does NOT connect to any web-server secretly! Of course the 'Auto Update' feature of LameXP unavoidably<br>
|
|
has to connect to one of our update servers. However in no event LameXP will search for updates without your<br>
|
|
agreement. Also LameXP will NOT send any personal information to the update server. It won't even send your<br>
|
|
program version to the server. Instead the latest version number will be downloaded from the server first and<br>
|
|
will then be compared to your current version number on the local computer. Moreover all information obtained<br>
|
|
from the update server are protected with a digital signature (GnuPG) in order to prevent spoofing attacks.<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
Note: As LameXP is a non-profit project, we cannot afford a huge server infrastructure. Therefore the update<br>
|
|
server may be overstrained or unavailable once in a while. As we need to be able to distinguish the case in<br>
|
|
which our server is failing from the case in which your local internet connection has a problem, LameXP will<br>
|
|
run a short connectivity test on your local system first. For this purpose LameXP contains a list of 64 known<br>
|
|
hosts, taken (mostly) from the well-known Alexa 'top 500 sites on the web' listing. LameXP will assume that<br>
|
|
your internet connection is working properly if a certain minimum number (currently four) of the known hosts<br>
|
|
is reachable. That's also the reason why you may notice LameXP is trying to connect to a "random" web-site.<br><br>
|
|
|
|
<br><br>
|
|
|
|
<a name="12d077d5"></a><b>How can I force LameXP to create ID3 version 2 (ID3v2) tags?</b><br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
The LAME encoder automatically chooses the proper ID3 tag version. By default it will create a version 1 tag,<br>
|
|
if possible. Only if the information cannot be embedded into a version 1 tag (ID3v1), e.g. because the string<br>
|
|
is too long or the string contains Unicode characters, a version 2 tag (ID3v2) will be added. This behavior<br>
|
|
is advisable, because devices that support ID3v2 tags should also be able to read ID3v1 tags - but this<br>
|
|
doesn't apply the other way around! Moreover embedding an ID3v1 and an ID3v2 tag at the same time, although<br>
|
|
the information would have fit into a single ID3v1 tag, means an unnecessary redundancy!<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
If, however, you need to enforce the creation of an ID3v2 tag for some reason, you can use the "--add-id3v2"<br>
|
|
parameter for that purpose. Simply add the parameter to the "Custom Encoder Parameters" for LAME.<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
That's what the LAME help says about ID3 tags:<br>
|
|
<blockquote>A version 2 tag will NOT be added unless one of the input fields<br>
|
|
won't fit in a version 1 tag (e.g. the title string is longer than 30<br>
|
|
characters), or the '--add-id3v2' or '--id3v2-only' options are used,<br>
|
|
or output is redirected to stdout.</blockquote>
|
|
|
|
<br><br>
|
|
|
|
<a name="f6ca0225"></a><b>What does the LAME algorithm quality option do exactly?</b><br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
The sound quality of MP3 files is influenced primarily by the chosen bitrate (ABR/CBR mode) or by the chosen<br>
|
|
VBR quality level. These options control the "file size -vs- quality" trade-off. That means, you can get a<br>
|
|
better quality at the cost of a bigger file (increased bitrate); or you can get a smaller file at the cost of<br>
|
|
reduced sound quality (decreased bitrate). The "algorithm quality" is yet another way to control the quality.<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
While the chosen bitrate (or VBR level) influences the resulting file size, the algorithm quality does not!<br>
|
|
Instead, the algorithm quality controls the "encoding speed -vs- quality" trade-off. That means, you can get<br>
|
|
a better sound quality at the cost of increased encoding time (higher algorithm quality); or you can get a<br>
|
|
faster encoding speed at the cost of reduced sound quality (lower algorithm quality). Note that while the<br>
|
|
algorithm quality does influence the encoding speed, it does NOT influence the decoding speed at all. Also<br>
|
|
note, again, that the chosen algorithm quality does NOT influence the resulting file's bitrate at all.<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
The LAME algorithm quality is an integral value between "0" (best/slowest) and "9" (worst/fastest), but NOT<br>
|
|
all of the possible values currently have a distinct effect! More specifically, the following table applies:<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
For CBR and ARB modes:<ul>
|
|
<li>0: Use slowest & best possible version of all algorithms
|
|
<li>3: Default value, good speed, good quality
|
|
<li>7: Very fast, ok quality (psycho acoustics are used for pre-echo & M/S, but NO noise shaping)
|
|
<li>9: Disables almost all algorithms including psy-model, poor quality</ul>
|
|
For (new) VBR mode only:<ul>
|
|
<li>0 to 4: Use the best algorithm (slower)
|
|
<li>5 to 9: Use the not so good algorithm (faster)</ul>
|
|
<br>
|
|
The "algorithm quality" options available in LameXP will be mapped to "0", "3", "7" and "9", respecitly. Note<br>
|
|
that option "0" (best quality) is only very slightly better than "3" (high quality), but significant slower!<br><br>
|
|
|
|
<br><br>
|
|
|
|
<a name="4213adbc"></a><b>Can LameXP be used to convert/extract tracks from an Audio CD?</b><br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
LameXP can be used to convert audio files that have been extracted from an Audio CD, but it can NOT extract<br>
|
|
or read the audio tracks from the Audio CD directly (yet). Consequently you will have to extract ("rip") the<br>
|
|
audio tracks first, before you can convert them with LameXP. We recommend using the <a href="http://www.exactaudiocopy.de/" target="_blank">Exact Audio Copy</a> software<br>
|
|
for that purpose. When ripping tracks from an Audio CD you should always save the tracks as uncompressed Wave<br>
|
|
files or as lossless FLAC files! This will avoid a quality loss during the extraction/ripping process.<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
Warning: The Windows operating system will show CDA files (such as "Track01.cda") on an Audio CD. These are<br>
|
|
dummy/fake files! Actually an Audio CD does NOT contain a file system and thus there are NO files. There only<br>
|
|
are audio tracks on an Audio CD. These audio tracks can be extracted as files (e.g. Wave Audio files) using a<br>
|
|
ripping software and then the extracted files can be converted. At the same time any attempt to copy/convert<br>
|
|
the '.cda' files directly is destined to fail (as the '.cda' files do NOT actually contain any audio data).<br><br>
|
|
|
|
<br><br>
|
|
|
|
<a name="434f2578"></a><b>Why is the maximum normalization level limited to -0.5 dB?</b><br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
When an analogue [audio] signal is converted to the digital domain, the signal is sampled at a fixed rate<br>
|
|
(e.g. 44100 samples per second) and each "sample" value is stored with a fixed number of bits (e.g. 16 or 24<br>
|
|
bits per sample). Consequently [uncompressed] digital audio is represented as a sequence of binary sample<br>
|
|
values. The range of possible sample values is determined by the word size ("bits per sample"). For example<br>
|
|
with a word size of 16 bit, the minimum value is −32768 and the maximum value is 32767 - assuming the values<br>
|
|
are signed. The range of the sample values corresponds to the voltage range of the electrical input signal.<br>
|
|
The maximum digital sample value (i.e. 32767 at 16-Bit) often is referred to as 0dBFS (0dB "full scale").<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
Performing a Normalization in the digital domain seems straightforward: We simply multiply all sample values<br>
|
|
with the same factor. And we choose this factor in such a way that the highest sample value(s) in the track<br>
|
|
will become exactly 0dBFS after the normalization has been performed. However one needs to be aware that when<br>
|
|
playing back the digital audio track, it needs to be converted back to an analogue signal. The D/A converter<br>
|
|
will convert each sample from its binary representation to the corresponding voltage. Then a "reconstruction"<br>
|
|
filter will be applied in order to recover a continuous signal from these individual voltages. And for the<br>
|
|
reconstructed analogue signal it is possible to have voltages that are higher than the highest digital sample<br>
|
|
in the audio track! This is illustrated in the following image (samples are represented as tiny squares):<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
<a target="_blank" href="http://i.imgur.com/5dmIUOZ.png"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/5dmIUOZs.png" border="1px" alt="thumb"></a><br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
Consequently normalizing the sample values to 0dBFS is NOT a very good idea, as this may very well result in<br>
|
|
a reconstructed analogue signal which exceeds(!) 0dBFS. And, as the analogue parts of the playback equipment<br>
|
|
generally are NOT prepared for +0dBFS voltages, this may cause problems, such as annoying distortions!<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
The help document of a well-known audio editing software contains the following advice:<br>
|
|
<blockquote>If you're planning to put normalized audio on CD, you might want to normalize the waveforms to<br>
|
|
no more than 96% [-0.36 dB] as some audio compact disc players have problems accurately reproducing<br>
|
|
bits that have been processed to 100% (maximum) amplitude [0dBFS].</blockquote>
|
|
For details please refer to the following article:<br><ul>
|
|
<li><a href="http://www.audioholics.com/education/audio-formats-technology/issues-with-0dbfs-levels-on-digital-audio-playback-systems" target="_blank">http://www.audioholics.com/...issues-with-0dbfs-levels-on-digital-audio-playback-systems</a></ul>
|
|
|
|
<br><br>
|
|
|
|
<a name="9f8ff13a"></a><b>What do the different 'Equalization' modes do?</b><br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
The "equalization" modes control how the normalization filter will deal with multi-channel input files, i.e.<br>
|
|
everything that is not Mono. The "Peak Level" mode will normalize each channel according to its highest peak<br>
|
|
(maximum sample value). This means that channels with a lower maximum sample value will be amplified stronger<br>
|
|
than channels with a higher maximum sample value. Still all samples in a channel will be amplified by the<br>
|
|
same factor, so dynamic range compression is NOT done. The "RMS Level" mode works similar to the previous<br>
|
|
mode, but the channels are amplified according to their peak RMS level (maximum energy), instead of their<br>
|
|
maximum sample value. This may be used to correct stereo imbalance caused by an imperfect record turntable<br>
|
|
cartridge. Last but not least, the "None" mode will not euqalize the channels at all, i.e. all channles will<br>
|
|
by amplified by the same factor. In the last mode, the highest peak of all(!) channels is used as threshold.<br><br>
|
|
|
|
<br><br>
|
|
|
|
<a name="c6d9dfed"></a><b>Why does my encoded file come out slightly longer than the original?</b><br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
Because of the way most (lossy) audio compressors work, a number of "silent" samples have to be prepended to<br>
|
|
the first input sample. Also a number of silent samples may be appended to the last input sample. Obviously<br>
|
|
these additional "padding" samples will make the encoded file longer than the original input. If the decoder<br>
|
|
does not compensate for the padding samples that have been added by the encoder, the padding samples at the<br>
|
|
beginning of the encoded file will cause a certain delay/shift, compared to the (uncompressed) original file.<br>
|
|
Another effect is that there will be a "gap" between the files, when playing multiple files in sequence.<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
It has to be noted that the padding is an inherent property of the audio compressor that can not be avoided.<br>
|
|
But, as mentioned before, the padding samples can be removed by the decoder. In that case, the decoded output<br>
|
|
will have the exactly same length (in samples) as the original file. However this can only be done, if the<br>
|
|
decoder is able to determine the exact number of padding samples that had been added. While the Vorbis audio<br>
|
|
format stores the number of padding samples in the stream and thus any compliant decoder will remove them,<br>
|
|
the MP3 and AAC audio formats do NOT define an "official" way to store the the number of padding samples!<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
Nonetheless, the LAME MP3 encoder, which is used by LameXP, uses its own "non-standard" way to indicate the<br>
|
|
exact number of padding samples. This is done by adding a so-called "LAME header" to the MP3 file. Hence MP3<br>
|
|
decoders, which recognize the LAME header, will be able to remove the padding samples. This feature often is<br>
|
|
referred to as "gapless" decoding/playback. The 'mpg123' decoder, which is used by LameXP, does support the<br>
|
|
gapless decoding. This means that if you encode MP3 files with LameXP/LAME, then gapless decoding will be<br>
|
|
possible. And if you decode these files with LameXP/mpg123 again, they will come out at the original length.<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
Still you have to be aware that NOT all MP3 decoders support the LAME header. So if you encode MP3 files with<br>
|
|
LameXP and then decode them with an arbitrary MP3 decoder, they may come out at a "wrong" length. And there<br>
|
|
is absoloutely nothing that LameXP could do about that! Furthermore, if you decode a MP3 file in LameXP that<br>
|
|
has been created with some MP3 decoder which did not add a LAME header, then it is impossible to remove the<br>
|
|
padding samples. That's because in this situation there is NO way to know the number of padding samples!<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
Some more info on this topic can be found here:<br><ul>
|
|
<li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gapless_playback" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gapless_playback</a>
|
|
<li><a href="http://lame.sourceforge.net/tech-FAQ.txt" target="_blank">http://lame.sourceforge.net/tech-FAQ.txt</a>
|
|
<li><a href="http://cas.web.cern.ch/cas/Denmark-2010/Caspers/Tektronix%20%20primer%20on%20overlapping%20FFT%20signals%202009%20CAS2010.pdf" target="_blank">Understanding FFT Overlap Processing
|
|
Fundamental</a></ul>
|
|
<br><br>
|
|
|
|
<a name="ed4d30ed"></a><b>Why is the Hibernation option disabled (greyed out) on my system?</b><br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
In order to use "Hibernation", your system must support the S4 power saving mode (aka "Suspend-to-Disk") and<br>
|
|
the hibernation file ("hiberfil.sys") must be enabled. If these conditions are not met, then the Hibernation<br>
|
|
option will be disabled in LameXP, for obvious reasons. Note that on older versions of Windows you can enable<br>
|
|
or disable the hibernation file in the "Power Options" dialog of the Control Panel (see <a href="http://tothepc.com/img/2010/05/xp-hibernate-disable.png" target="_blank">here</a>). On Windows 7<br>
|
|
and probably also on Vista, you have to do this from the Windows command interpreter. First open an elevated<br>
|
|
command prompt by typing "cmd" in the Startmenu (not "Run" dialog!) and when "cmd.exe" appears as suggestion,<br>
|
|
then right-click on "cmd.exe" and choose "Run as administartor". After that you should see an "Administrator"<br>
|
|
command prompt window. Here you can type "powercfg -h on" (without the quotation marks!) and press Enter to<br>
|
|
enable the hibernation file. You can disable the hibernation file again by typing "powercfg -h off".<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
Note: The size of "hiberfil.sys" is equal to your RAM size and it always is located on the system partition!<br><br>
|
|
|
|
<br><br>
|
|
|
|
<a name="54150e92"></a><b>Why do random files fail with "Not Found!" or "Failed!" status?</b><br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
If a file fails to convert with "Not Found!" or "Failed!" status, this usually has a reason! In that case you<br>
|
|
can double-click on the failed item in order to view the log. The log will give detailed information about<br>
|
|
the problem that has occured. In very rare cases, however, the following behavior has been observed by users:<br>
|
|
When converting multiple files, some of the failes seem to fail at random. When the same files are converted<br>
|
|
again later, some of the files that failed before will now succeed while some of the files that succeeded<br>
|
|
before will now fail. This behavior has been tracked down to faultily "anti-virus" software! So in case you<br>
|
|
encounter the described behavior and if you use some anti-virus software with "real-time scanner" or "guard"<br>
|
|
functionality, then try to uninstall (or at least disable) the anti-virus software. If that resolves the<br>
|
|
problem, then you know for sure that the anti-virus software was the cause of the problem. As the developers<br>
|
|
of LameXP can NOT fix or workaround problems induced by faultily "anti-virus" software, please report such<br>
|
|
problems to the developer (or support team) of your anti-virus software! Or switch to a better a/v product...<br><br>
|
|
|
|
<br><br>
|
|
|
|
<a name="3e999f02"></a><b>Why is "Convert this file with LameXP" missing from the Explorer context menu somtimes?</b><br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
The entry "Convert this file with LameXP" will be available from the Windows Explorer context menu for all<br>
|
|
files supported by LameXP, if (and only if) the LameXP Shell-Integration is enbaleld. You can enable or<br>
|
|
disable the LameXP Shell-Integration at any time from the "Tools > Configuration" menu within LameXP at any<br>
|
|
time. However be aware that this option will NOT be available, if LameXP is running in portable mode. Also be<br>
|
|
aware that if you select multiple files in Explorer, the LameXP context menu entry will only appear, if ALL<br>
|
|
files in your selection are supported by LameXP. Last but not least, Windows will NOT show the LameXP context<br>
|
|
menu entry, if more than 15 files are selected. That is a limitation of Windows Explorer! It is "by design".<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
See also:<br>
|
|
<a href="http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2022295/" target="_blank">Context menus are shortened when more than 15 files are selected</a><br><br>
|
|
|
|
<br><br>
|
|
|
|
<a name="e7c9ae2b"></a><b>Why do I get the error 'Executable doesn't support Windows compatibility mode' on startup?</b><br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
LameXP was designed to run on all supported platforms natively (except for Linux/Wine). If you see this error<br>
|
|
message, that's probably because your system is configured to run LameXP in 'compatibility mode', i.e. your<br>
|
|
system will pretend an older OS version than is actually running. In Windows Explorer you can disable(!) the<br>
|
|
compatibility mode by right-clicking on the 'LameXP.exe' file, choosing 'Properties' from the context menu,<br>
|
|
switching to the 'Compatibility' tab and un-checking the 'Run this program in compatibility mode' option.<br><br>
|
|
|
|
<br><br>
|
|
|
|
<a name="328b0a18"></a><b>Why do I get the error 'Executable requires Windows XP or later' on startup?</b><br>
|
|
<a name="3ffe490e"></a><b>Why do I get the error 'The procedure entry point <Something> could not be located' on startup?</b><br>
|
|
<a name="01922741"></a><b>Why do I get the error 'LameXP.exe is not a valid Win32 application' on startup?</b><br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
You are trying to run LameXP on a platform that is NOT supported, such as Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows<br>
|
|
Millennium Edition, Windows NT 4.0 or Windows 2000. There is nothing you can do about that, except for<br>
|
|
updating to a less antiquated OS. Running an outdated and unsupported OS is a severe security risk anyway!<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
Note: This error can also occur, if your system has been configured to run LameXP in <a href="#e7c9ae2b">compatibility mode</a>.<br><br>
|
|
|
|
<br><br>
|
|
|
|
<a name="491aaad9"></a><b>Why do I get the error 'A device attached to the system is not functioning' on startup?</b><br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
This error message from the Windows operating system is somewhat misleading. It often appears together with<br>
|
|
a second error message and it means that Windows was unable to load/execute the program file. There are<br>
|
|
various reasons why this error might occur, but usually it indicates that you are trying to run LameXP or the<br>
|
|
LameXP setup/update program on a platform that is NOT supported, such as Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows<br>
|
|
Millennium Edition, Windows NT 4.0. There is nothing you can do about that, except for updating to a less<br>
|
|
antiquated OS. Running an outdated and unsupported OS is a severe security risk anyway!<br><br>
|
|
|
|
<br><br>
|
|
|
|
<a name="a0fd5ae8"></a><b>Why do I get the error 'File ´tool_foobar.exe´ could not be locked!' on startup?</b><br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
This error indicates that LameXP was unable to open/read a required file - one that it just has extracted<br>
|
|
itself. Generally this should never happen, but we have reports that some bogus "anti-vrius" software might<br>
|
|
trigger this kind of errors. Of course there is nothing we can do on our side, if the error is induced by<br>
|
|
proprietary third-party software (such as faulty "anti-virus" software). So please try to temporarily(!)<br>
|
|
uninstall/disable your anti-virus software. If the problem goes away, you can be sure it was caused by the<br>
|
|
anti-virus software. In that case report the bug to the support team of your anti-virus software as soon as<br>
|
|
possible. Or, if they don't fix the bug (in due time), switch to a better anti-virus product!<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
See also:<br>
|
|
<a href="#96205e91">My anti-virus program raises an alarm when I try to download, install or launch LameXP. Why is that?</a><br><br>
|
|
|
|
<br><br>
|
|
|
|
<a name="f35cfa24"></a><b>How can I translate LameXP to my language or improve an existing translation?</b><br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
Please see the guide for translators at:<br><ul>
|
|
<li><a href="http://lamexp.sourceforge.net/doc/Translate.html" target="_blank">http://lamexp.sourceforge.net/doc/Translate.html</a></ul>
|
|
|
|
<br><br>
|
|
|
|
<a name="8dba381f"></a><b>Where can I download the latest version of LameXP?</b><br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
The latest "official" release of LameXP can be found on the following mirrors:<br><ul>
|
|
<li><a href="https://github.com/lordmulder/LameXP/releases/latest" target="_blank">https://github.com/lordmulder/LameXP/releases/latest</a>
|
|
<li><a href="http://sourceforge.net/projects/lamexp/files/" target="_blank">http://sourceforge.net/projects/lamexp/files/</a>
|
|
<li><a href="http://developer.berlios.de/project/showfiles.php?group_id=13288" target="_blank">http://developer.berlios.de/project/showfiles.php?group_id=13288</a>
|
|
<li><a href="https://lamexp.codeplex.com/releases/" target="_blank">https://lamexp.codeplex.com/releases/</a>
|
|
<li><a href="https://bitbucket.org/lord_mulder/lamexp/downloads" target="_blank">https://bitbucket.org/lord_mulder/lamexp/downloads</a>
|
|
<li><a href="https://www.assembla.com/spaces/lamexp/documents" target="_blank">https://www.assembla.com/spaces/lamexp/documents</a>
|
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<li><a href="http://www.free-codecs.com/lamexp_download.htm" target="_blank">http://www.free-codecs.com/lamexp_download.htm</a>
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<li><a href="http://www.videohelp.com/tools/LameXP" target="_blank">http://www.videohelp.com/tools/LameXP</a></ul>
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<br><br>
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<a name="9c2e273d"></a><b>Where can I submit bug reports or feature requests?</b><br>
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<br>
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The preferred place to report bugs or request new features is the LameXP thread at Doom9's Forum:<br><ul>
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<li><a href="http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=157726" target="_blank">http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=157726</a> (English)
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<li><a href="http://forum.gleitz.info/showthread.php?t=37956" target="_blank">http://forum.gleitz.info/showthread.php?t=37956</a> (German)</ul>
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<br>
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Please do NOT send me E-Mail unless you really have to! I receive a LOT of E-Mail and your mail can get lost!<br><br>
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<br><br>
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<a name="e5694e3e"></a><b>What programming language is LameXP written in?</b><br>
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<br>
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While LameXP v3.xx and all earlier versions were written in Delphi/Pascal, starting with version 4.xx the<br>
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software has been re-written in the C++ programming language. LameXP v4.xx is based on the Qt cross-platform<br>
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application framework and offers full Unicode support. For the time being LameXP is Windows-only.<br><br>
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<br><br>
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<a name="982cf1c0"></a><b>Where can I find the LameXP source code?</b><br>
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<br>
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LameXP is developed using the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Git_(software)" target="_blank">Git</a> revision control system. You can access one of the public mirrors:<br><ul>
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<li><font class="code">git clone git://git.code.sf.net/p/lamexp/code lamexp-src</font> (<a href="http://sourceforge.net/p/lamexp/code/" target="_blank">Browse</a>)
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<li><font class="code">git clone git://git.berlios.de/lamexp lamexp-src</font> (<a href="http://git.berlios.de/cgi-bin/gitweb.cgi?p=lamexp" target="_blank">Browse</a>)
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<li><font class="code">git clone https://github.com/lordmulder/LameXP.git lamexp-src</font> (<a href="https://github.com/lordmulder/LameXP" target="_blank">Browse</a>)
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<li><font class="code">git clone https://git01.codeplex.com/lamexp lamexp-src</font> (<a href="https://lamexp.codeplex.com/SourceControl/latest" target="_blank">Browse</a>)
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<li><font class="code">git clone https://bitbucket.org/lord_mulder/lamexp.git lamexp-src</font> (<a href="https://bitbucket.org/lord_mulder/lamexp/src" target="_blank">Browse</a>)
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<li><font class="code">git clone git://gitorious.org/lamexp/lamexp.git lamexp-src</font> (<a href="http://gitorious.org/lamexp/lamexp/trees/master" target="_blank">Browse</a>)
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<li><font class="code">git clone git://git.assembla.com/lamexp.git lamexp-src</font> (<a href="https://www.assembla.com/code/lamexp/git/nodes" target="_blank">Browse</a>)</ul>
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<br>
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In case you are new to Git or want to extend your knowledge, have a look at the <a href="http://git-scm.com/book/en" target="_blank">Pro Git</a> book by Scott Chacon!<br>
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For Windows users, we highly recommend using <a href="http://msysgit.github.com/" target="_blank">MSYS Git</a> in conjunction with the superb <a href="http://tortoisegit.googlecode.com/" target="_blank">Tortoise Git</a> front-end.<br><br>
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<br><br>
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<a name="a0c1e92b"></a><b>What are the prerequisites to build LameXP from the sources?</b><br>
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<br>
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LameXP is currently being developed using the following build environment:<br><ul>
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<li><a href="http://www.microsoft.com/visualstudio/eng/downloads#d-2013-express" target="_blank">Visual Studio 2013</a>, running on Windows 7 with Service Pack 1
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<li><a href="http://qt-project.org/downloads#qt-lib" target="_blank">Qt libraries 4.8.5</a> for Windows
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<li>Windows Platform SDK v7.1A, included with Visual Studio 2013 or Visual Studio 2012 (Update-3)
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<li>The minimum supported *build* platform is Windows 7 (x86 and x64)</ul>
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<br>
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Also note the following hints:<br><ul>
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<li>Run <font class="code">qtvars.bat</font> (or <font class="code">qtenv2.bat</font>) before launching Visual Studio in order to set up the Qt environment
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<li>In order to make "fully static" builds of LameXP, you'll need <a href="http://sourceforge.net/projects/lamexp/files/Miscellaneous/Qt%20Libraries/" target="_blank">Qt as 'static' libraries</a> (see below!)
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<li>The Windows Platform SDK v6.0A should work as well, but there may be a few limitations
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<li>Support for the GNU Toolchain (GCC/MinGW + MSYS/Make) is planned for a future version of LameXP</ul>
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<br>
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In order to use the LameXP deployment scripts you need the following tools:<br><ul>
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<li>Visual Studio (Express) 2013 for Windows Desktop <b>+</b> Desktop Qt v4.8.x (VS 2010)
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<li><a href="http://www.7-zip.org/" target="_blank">7-Zip</a> - file archiver with a high compression ratio
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<li><a href="http://nsis.sourceforge.net/" target="_blank">NSIS</a> - Nullsoft Scriptable Install System (<a href="http://www.scratchpaper.com/" target="_blank">Unicode version</a> recommended!)<ul>
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<li><a href="http://nsis.sourceforge.net/StdUtils_plug-in" target="_blank">StdUtils plug-in</a>
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<li><a href="http://nsis.sourceforge.net/LockedList_plug-in" target="_blank">LockedList plug-in</a>
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<li><a href="http://nsis.sourceforge.net/Inetc_plug-in" target="_blank">Inetc plug-in</a>
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<li><a href="http://forums.winamp.com/showthread.php?t=329990" target="_blank">Aero plug-in</a></ul>
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<li><a href="http://upx.sourceforge.net/" target="_blank">UPX</a> - the Ultimate Packer for eXecutables
|
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<li style="margin-bottom:0.48em"><a href="ftp://ftp.gnupg.org/gcrypt/binary/" target="_blank">GnuPG</a> - the GNU Privacy Guard v1.4.x
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<li>NOTE: Copy <font class="code">buildenv.template.txt</font> to <font class="code">buildenv.txt</font> and edit the paths as needed!</ul>
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<br><br>
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<a name="87f001c0"></a><b>How do I compile latest Qt as 'static' libraries?</b><br>
|
|
<br>
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In order to make "fully static" builds of LameXP, i.e. builds that don't depend pn any DLL's except for the<br>
|
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obligatory operating system DLL's, you'll need to compile Qt as 'static' libraries. The following simple<br>
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instructions should make it easy to build Qt from the sources and as "static" libraries:<br><ul>
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<li>Make sure Visual Studio 2013 or Visual Studio 2012 with Update-3 (or later) is installed
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<li>Make sure <a href="http://strawberryperl.com/" target="_blank">Strawberry</a> Perl for Windows and <a href="http://www.activestate.com/activepython/downloads" target="_blank">Python</a> 2.7 are installed
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<li><a href="http://qt-project.org/downloads" target="_blank">Download</a> and <a href="http://www.rarlabs.com/" target="_blank">extract</a> the Qt 4.8.x source code package (e.g. to <font class="code">C:\QtSources\4.8.x</font>)
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<li>Edit the file <font class="code">mkspecs\win32-msvc2010\qmake.conf</font> from your Qt Sources directory as follows:<ul>
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<li style="margin-bottom:0.33em">Old: <font class="diff_del">QMAKE_CFLAGS_RELEASE = -O2 -MD</font><br>New: <font class="diff_add">QMAKE_CFLAGS_RELEASE = -O2 -MT <more optimization flags here></font>
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<li>Old: <font class="diff_del">QMAKE_CFLAGS_RELEASE_WITH_DEBUGINFO += -O2 -MD -Zi</font><br>New: <font class="diff_add">QMAKE_CFLAGS_RELEASE_WITH_DEBUGINFO += -O2 -MT -Zi <more optimization flags here></font></ul>
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<li>Open a new command window (cmd.exe) - use this very same console for all upcoming steps!
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<li>Add Strawberry Perl to your PATH (e.g. <font class="code">set PATH=C:\strawberry\perl\bin;%PATH%</font>)
|
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<li>Add Python 2.7 to your PATH (e.g. <font class="code">set PATH=C:\python27;%PATH%</font>)
|
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<li>Run <font class="code">vcvarsall.bat x86</font> form your Visual C++ install directory - within the same console!
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<li>Change the current directory to the Qt Sources path (e.g. <font class="code">C:\QtSources\4.8.x</font>)
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<li>Run <font class="code">configure.exe -release -static -ltcg -qt-zlib -qt-libpng -qt-libjpeg -qt-libtiff -qt-libmng</font><ul>
|
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<li>Hint: For Visual Studio 2013 you currently need to add <font class="code">-platform win32-msvc2012</font> too</ul>
|
|
<li>Now the makefiles should have been generated, so simply enter <font class="code">nmake /B</font> and be patient - voilà!
|
|
<li>The build process is going to take good amount of time. Once done, make sure you got all needed libs
|
|
<li>Libraries you'll need to build LameXP as a "static" binary include the following:<ul>
|
|
<li>lib\qtmain.lib
|
|
<li>lib\QtCore.lib
|
|
<li>lib\QtGui.lib
|
|
<li>lib\QtSvg.lib
|
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<li>lib\QtXml.lib
|
|
<li>plugins\imageformats\qico.lib
|
|
<li>plugins\imageformats\qsvg.lib
|
|
<li>plugins\imageformats\qtga.lib</ul>
|
|
<li>Put all the static <font class="code">*.lib</font> files into the 'LameXP\etc\Prerequisites\qt4_static\lib' directory
|
|
<li>ImageFormat plugins go to 'LameXP\etc\Prerequisites\qt4_static\plugins\imageformats'
|
|
<li style="margin-bottom:0.48em">Congratulations, you should now be prepared to build the <font class="code">Release_Static</font> configuration of LameXP :-)
|
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<li>NOTE: Static libraries only work with the same compiler (version) they were built with!</ul>
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<br><br>
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