fpMP3Enc: a multi-core MP3 encoder based upon LAME 3.98.2 Options

[GeorgeFP]

Hello,

I'd like to introduce my project "fpMP3Enc" - a multicore MP3 encoder based on LAME 3.98.2. It is a sample application/case study for my multicore library "Fiber Pool".

The source code can be downloaded here: http://www.fiberpool.de/en/downloads.html

The current version is still mostly single-threaded for single-file encoding but scales for multiple-files encoding.

The multicore tweaks used in this version are:
- parallel/asynchronous conversion/scaling of PCM data to float samples
- parallel/asynchronous computation of replay gain
- I/O ordering (WAV files are read into memory first before MP3 files are written to disk)

With the following test system
- Intel Q9450@2.66GHz (Quad Core)
- 8 GiB RAM
- Windows Vista x64 (Superfetch disabled)
- 61 WAV files (2.99 GiB, about 5 hours play time)

I've got the following results:
LAME 3.98.2 (x32; rarewares): 24.6x
LAME64 3.98 (x64; mp3tech): 20.8x
fpMP3Enc (x64; single): 23.3x
fpMP3Enc (x64; multi): 80.2x

Single-file encoding is slower than the original LAME because I haven't SSE-optimized the code.
The scale factor in multiple-files encoding is 3.3 compared to LAME and 3.4 compared to "fpMP3Enc single", which is quite good for a first version.

The next steps will be to perform the psycho acoustics computation for each frame in parallel, then the MDCT, and so on.

Compile and usage:
- You need Visual Studio 2008 (and obviously Windows) to compile the project.
- SSE4 is enabled by default. To disable: #undef USE_SSE4
- Memory control is disabled by default in this version. This can lead to pagefile swapping if too many files are to be encoded. You can enable memory control by using a different 'MEMORY_MODE' macro (experimental).
- Win32 version: The total WAV file size sum must not exceed 400MiB.
- Win64 version: The total WAV file size sum must not exceed 400GiB.
- Input: WAV 16-bit stereo, 44.1kHz
- Output: MP3 Stereo/Joint-Stereo, 44.1kHz

I'd like to know what you think about this project so contact me if you have any comments or feedback.
George

[smeargol]

Very good work!
I would like to try it out, but so far the compiled version from Roberto has crashed on me every time I tried to use it
I think the problem is my CPU, as I have an AMD Phenom2, which doesn't support the SSE4 instruction set.

So, is there any possibility of getting a non-SSE4 binary?

I have been trying to compile it myself, but I have pretty much no idea what I'm doing, I just wanted to try this really badly ^^

Thank you very much in advance!


/me is off to uninstall MSVC++ Express Edition...

[GeorgeFP]

So, is there any possibility of getting a non-SSE4 binary?

I have been trying to compile it myself, but I have pretty much no idea what I'm doing, I just wanted to try this really badly ^^

I must admit that building the binaries from version 17 is a bit difficult since some 3rd party files are missing. I will add them in the next release.

I will also add a text file with step-by-step instructions for non-programmers that will help to build the project - starting with the MSVC++ download

[smeargol]

I must admit that building the binaries from version 17 is a bit difficult since some 3rd party files are missing. I will add them in the next release.

I will also add a text file with step-by-step instructions for non-programmers that will help to build the project - starting with the MSVC++ download

Thank you very much for the quick reply!

It is very nice of you to include instructions on how to compile, I just hope the next release is soon, I can't wait to try it out


So, thanks again, looking forward to the next release

[GeorgeFP]

It is very nice of you to include instructions on how to compile, I just hope the next release is soon, I can't wait to try it out

Bad news: The Visual C++ 2008 Express Edition does not accept the solution file that was created by the Professional Edition

But it's possible to download a trial version of the Professional Edition. I will try it the next days.

[smeargol]

Bad news: The Visual C++ 2008 Express Edition does not accept the solution file that was created by the Professional Edition

But it's possible to download a trial version of the Professional Edition. I will try it the next days.

Thanks for keeping us updated! Even bad news is news, and that you've already found an alternative is great to hear too!

I hope the trial isn't as restricted as the Express Edition, as in "dear god I hope it will compile on that"

Good luck!

This post has been edited by smeargol: Nov 20 2009, 23:00