OK, so I have Lame 3.97 Beta 2.
And I set it up to work with EAC, etc.
I couldn't get it to work until I had the Parameter Passing Scheme set to LAME. For command line options I have -V 2 --vbr-new.
Then when I encoded it, the LAME window only had 32, 224, 256, and 320 Bitrate rows, the vast majority is 224, so insted of being equivilant of APFS, it's all around 224.

Help!?

VBR-new tends to keep the bitrate more constant, so if you're encoding an overloud (compressed) and heavy album that is pretty normal. Having said that i can't promise EAC isn't passing extra options...

For parameter passing scheme, it should work set to user-defined, and using "-V2 --vbr-new %s %d" as the parameters. You need the %s %d or it won't pass the source and destination filenames to Lame.

When I have it as user-defined, the LAME window only opens for about 1/10th a second and then closes and goes on.

I was having the exact same problem as corgan is, until I set it up exactly how you describe. But now I have a new problem: the command line parameters seem to be getting ignored. I am trying to use the "-V 2 --vbr-new" setting, but I get only VBR files with a maximux of 128kbps and the encoding window shows mostly in the 112 level. What is going wrong? I mean, I have everything set up exactly how the tutoral for EAC and LAME (3.97b2) describes it, and yet I can't get it to work. I have looked through all settings in EAC's compression settings menus, and I haven't messed with or added anything, from a fresh install of the program.

@corganzero0 & Tephra

Open 'External Compression' tab.

1. Check 'Use external program for compression'
2. Change 'Parameter passing scheme' to 'User Defined Encoder'
3. Set file extension to .mp3
4. Locate 'lame.exe'
5. Use command line :

-V2 --vbr-new --add-id3v2 --pad-id3v2 --ignore-tag-errors --ta "%a" --tt "%t" --tl "%g" --ty "%y" --tn "%n" --tg "%m" %s %d

6. Check 'Delete WAV after compression'
7. Uncheck 'Add ID3 tag'

Okay, I did a few files and that seems to have done the trick, things are working like they should. I already had the %s %d on there before, I dunno what changed because I didn't change anything. Many thanks for all your help.

I think it was just the particular track I was ripping that was confusing me, because other songs from the same album, and other songs from other CDs, all showed up with the most asterisks usually in the 192kbps level. So I guess the -V2 --vbr-new setting must really, really like compressing that one song, because everything else seems completely normal. (It is a rock song from the 1960's, so is it possible the technical limitations of the original recording give the song qualities that lend it to being more compressed by the new LAME VBR setting?)

That's what I did, except I just had -V2 --vbr-new, because I prefer EAC's ID3 tags.

Sounds like there's a good chance that that particular track is probably mono.

OK... still nothing.... have "user defined encoder".... program is pointed at Lame 3.97b2, additional command line -V 2 --vbr-new

And when I copy tracks, Lame pops up for 1/100th of a second and disappears and EAC goes to the next track.

I also have the problem where the window pops up and instantly goes away, leaving the .wav file unencoded. On my computer, it seems to do so irregardless of the encoder I use, since it's done it with flac and oggenc, in addition to LAME. Unfortunately, I'm unable to help on this one. It seems very random on which ones it chooses to encode and which ones to ignore, so I haven't been able to figure it out yet.

Try adding the --ignore-tag-errors switch.

Nope... now that I think of it, the problem started when I switched from b1 to b2, so maybe I'll just switch back

Are you really sure that "%s %d" is correctly typed at the end of the command line in EAC?

Actually, it's not. I'll try that.


Holy crap, it's working! Thanks a lot!

What exactly does "%s %d" do anyway?

I think %s has something to do with "source filename", and %d something to do with "destination filename", i'm not really sure, but those four characters are indispensable when using Lame as a "User defined encoder" in EAC.

Hmmm... well I've never used them before and it's worked fine... oh well, I don't really care, as long as it works as I want it to

Thanks again and Merry Christmas!