I want to rip discs to CBR, 320-bitrate, Stereo.
I believe this is --alt-preset insane

I also want to rip discs to VBR, 128-320-bitrate,
Joint Stereo.
I believe this is --alt-preset standard

I've tried two front end programs, CDex and EAC.
I used --alt-preset insane which produced Joint Stereo Mp3s with CDex but Stereo Mp3s with EAC. What the?

I've tried Lame 3.96.1 and Lame 3.97 Alpha.
I know I shouldn't use the Alpha as it's a beta version.

I tested CDex with both Lame versions as
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Internal Encoders => lame_enc.dll placed in CDex folder.

Both Lame versions produced similar size files. However, they were several times smaller than files produced by EAC.
CDex produced Joint Stereo files with complete ID3 Tags that are readable/editable by third party tagging programs.

I tested CDex with both Lame versions as
------------------------------------------------
External Encoders => directed CDex to the respective Lame folder to find the Lame.exe.
Both Lame versions failed to produce an Mp3 file as External Encoders with CDex.

I tested EAC with both Lame versions as External Encoders.
-----------------------------------------------
They produced similar size files that were several times larger than the files produced by CDex.

EAC failed to produce ID3 tags.
Winamp shows a limited pop-up window of file info rather than the ID3 Tag info page.

Third party tagging programs can not SEE the files produced by EAC to add or edit tags.

The files produced by EAC are in Stereo whereas those produced by CDex are in Joint Stereo.


+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Test Results
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Ripping
Lou Reed-NYC Man: The Collection-01-Who Am I

----------------------------------------------
Ripping with CDex EXTERNAL LAME 3.96.1 Encoder
----------------------------------------------
320bit Selected

LAME DOS window pops-up momentarily.
A 1KB file is created. This is a failure.

--------------------------------------------------
Ripping with CDex EXTERNAL LAME 3.97 Alpha Encoder
--------------------------------------------------
320bit Selected

LAME DOS window pops-up momentarily.
A 1KB file is created. This is a failure.

----------------------------------------------
Ripping with CDex INTERNAL LAME 3.96.1 Encoder
----------------------------------------------
Lam.dll 3.96.1 placed in CDex directory

--alt-preset insane
320bit Selected
J-Stereo radio button is automatically checked and
then grayed-out.

File size = 13,048KB
44100Hz Joint Stereo

--------------------------------------------------
Ripping with CDex INTERNAL LAME 3.97 Alpha Encoder
--------------------------------------------------
Lam.dll 3.97 Alpha placed in CDex directory

--alt-preset insane
320bit Selected
J-Stereo radio button is automatically checked and
then grayed-out.

File size = 13,036KB
44100Hz Joint Stereo

---------------------------------------------
Ripping with EAC External LAME 3.96.1 Encoder
---------------------------------------------
--alt-preset insane
320 kBit/s Selected
High Quality Selected

File size = 57,519KB
PCM, 44100Hz
2 Channels
16 bits per sample

Though I included settings to creat ID3 tags and a
file was created, Winamp displays a different sort of
file info window with the above info rather than the
usual tag info window.

Tagscanner shows no tags or files to list when I
browse the folder created by EAC.

-------------------------------------------------
Ripping with EAC External LAME 3.97 Alpha Encoder
-------------------------------------------------
--alt-preset insane
320 kBit/s Selected
High Quality Selected

File size = 57,519KB
PCM, 44100Hz
2 Channels
16 bits per sample

Though I included settings to creat ID3 tags and a
file was created, Winamp displays a different sort of
file info window with the above info rather than the
usual tag info window.

Tagscanner shows no tags or files to list when I
browse the folder created by EAC.

That looks like EAC isn't compressing the files. Are you sure you're selecting "Action->Copy Selected Tracks->Compressed..." in EAC?

--alt-preset insane is supposed to produce "Joint Stereo" mp3's, since the "stereo sound" will not be destroyed or altered but instead you'll get much higher quality. If you want to know why "Joint Stereo" is better than "Stereo" read the FAQ. Many people confuse "Joint Stereo" with "Dual Stereo"...all new codecs use Joint Stereo...

Also, if you use the command line in EAC and use LAME as an external encoder (don't forget to put %s %d after your command line), the selected bitrate shouldn't matter anymore. So, if you want to see if LAME is used select 128kbps as bitrate and see if you still get 320kbps files. If that happens you know that EAC used your command line.

In addition, sooner or later you'll find out that --preset insane is just overkill and a waste of space since you can't hear the difference (blind ABX test). Again, read the FAQ. --preset standard is what most audiophiles around here use...for most people --preset medium sounds just fine too, however, --preset standard is designed to be transparant...guess why --preset insane is called "insane"

Good luck!

Thanks, I'll add the %s%d.

I wasn't using a drop down menu for the action.

I simply clicked the make MP3 Icon.