What is the best way to convert FLAC files to MP3?
I am considering using foobar2000, but I have LAME 3.90.3, which I use with Exact Audio Copy (and prefer to stay with). In foobar2000, do I have to enter any special parameters? I tried converting a FLAC file at V2 190kbps, but got well below 190kbps. When I use this LAME version with EAC, I always get around 192kbps and higher. Are the later versions of foobar2000 compatible with LAME 3.90.3? Do I have to modify any settings?

You don't have to configure foobar at all to transcode with the V settings. Just tell foobar where you stuck lame.exe and it's ready to go.

You encoded one track and got less than 190, that's not unusual. It's VBR. Try encoding some metal and watch in jump well over 190, well at least with lame 3.98.

And you can configure foobar to take whatever, version, encoder you want.

Thanks,
Tho I think I may just convert to WAV using foobar, then use Exact Audio Copy to compress to MP3 using my older LAME version. It's an extra step, but gives me piece of mind.

You do know that doing it that way you will lose any tag information?

What extra piece of mind? If you tell EAC to rip to MP3/FLAC it'll rip to a temporary WAV file anyways....as pdq said, you'll lose tagging info with WAV.

why don't you use dbpoweramp?

That I can get the exact specifications I want with using LAME 3.90.3. I have EAC set up to use this version as MP3 encoder. So I convert FLAC to WAV using foobar2000, then compress the WAVs to MP3 using EAC. The later versions of LAME use different/new parameters, which is recognized by foobar2000, but when I tell foobar2000 to use LAME 3.90.3, I'm not sure if this older version of lame uses these same parameters?

Why don´t adapt the parameters in Foobar? With your old lame version in use?


Right click on File / Convert / .../ MP3

Choose Output Format to mp3 then click on the right side the three points - change Encoder to custom and there you go :-)
Foobar just sends the commands to the encoder and feed him with .wav pieces.

The LAME transcoder settings on foobar2000 is designed for LAME 3.97 (-V 2 --vbr-new). You will need to add a custom encoder if you wish to use LAME 3.90.3.

Here is my personal LAME 3.90.3 command line for foobar2000:

Reflacer will perform the conversion from FLAC to MP3, and keep them in synch