I was recommended (topic Lame settings, 22.8.03) to use --alt-preset medium.
I got time to try it only now and I discover that (also recommended) verison 3.90.3 refuses --alt-preset medium as --preset medium, What's the matter?

Use LAME 3.90.3 Modified from RareWares.

The medium preset was added in 3.93, and therefore is not "officially" available in any 3.90.something release. However, John33, has made a special compile of 3.90.3 where he added the medium preset.

And also, 3.90.3 is the recommended version of this forum, but preset medium is not... standard is the recommended choice, but you will have a higher bitrate. If you need lower bitrates you could, in addition to preset medium, also consider the abr presets: --alt-preset xxx (xxx=target bitrate).

but avoid to use --alt-preset fast standard which has a strange sound! I'll will probably provide an ABX test in a near future!

Please do. Also explain what you mean by "strange sound" and post some samples so that we can atempt to see (or hear, rather) what you mean.

Here is the topic, samples will follow later
http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index....howtopic=12474&

As tigre says in that thread the problems he could here with specific sample was not limited to the fast and/or medium presets. But that sample had very little to do with real music! And as you have not yet provided any proof that there is a problem here I really suggest you stop warning everybody to use these presets. You are doing more damage than good in that way.

I think you got it all mixed up with some of the problems found in (the NOT recommended) version 3.93. IIRC the fast mode rendered too high bitrates.

I use --alt-preset fast standard all the time and it sounds just fine.

Ok I'll stop warning you! this is my own taste after all