When using VBR mode with the LAME MP3 encoder in foobar2000, is the quality setting always -q2/-h, or do you have to manually put that switch yourself into the parameter line?

It has no effect since latest lame uses VBR NEW.

What LAME version do you have within fb2k? Like what shadowking replied, LAME 3.98.x VBR is -q0 by default since it uses vbr new.

On older LAME versions (3.97 and earlier), it is defaulted at -q3, whether vbr old or new. While in theory -h should provide higher quality, it would only translate to insignificantly lower bitrate at an almost indistinguishable sound difference at the expense of a slower encoding.

To sum it up, leave the -V presets at their default -q settings.

Actually, through tests I've conducted, I've discovered that LAME 3.98.2 in foobar2000 defaults to -q2/-h. To get technical:


Sample rate: 44,100 kHz

Minimum bitrate: Lowest it can go

Maximum bitrate: Highest it can go

VBR method: --vbr-new

Quality: 2

Bit reservoir: On


That's the way it's set up in MediaMonkey, and no matter what VBR setting I choose (0 - 9), I end up getting the same results, size-wise, in foobar2000, no matter what VBR setting I chose there. In any case, the -q2'-h setting is what MediaMonkey recommends, and is listed as as a high qualitiy. The LAME project, also, recommends that setting.

Currently I can't find the document, which states that with vbr-new the -q 3, -q 2, -q 1 and -q 0 are THE SAME, so it doesn't matter which one you use, you get the same result - bit for bit! Except LAME tag stores different info about -q value used... and as we know, tags have no meaning for the audio part of mp3!

You can try it yourself and compare.

EDIT: I found a thread about this.

Did some checking. Both foobar2000 and MediaMonkey use LAME 3.98.2. Also did a test and made 4 mp3 copies using settings -q0, -q1, -q2 and -q3, and got all the same bitrates and filesizes. It'd be interesting it see if the default quality setting in LAME 3.98.2 is -q0. Especially since the document in question says that the setting is "...slow and may not produce significantly higher quality" If that's the case, it'd make sense to go for something likie -q3, since you'd get the same filesize/bitrate, and the encoding speed and sound quality would be better. It's great that we don't have to worry about that stuff in foobar2000.

That part of the document is obsolete.

If you would have the mp3 checked with EncSpot, it would say it is encoded at -q0, regardless if you add -q3, -q2/-h, or -q1. In the case of a LAME 3.98.2 -V2 encode, the quality value stored in the LAME tag is 80, meaning it was encoded at -q0 (which again is not different from -q3 and anything in between). For older LAME versions, a -V2 encode would show up as quality 77 or 78, depending on the version, since the default -q settings may be either -q3 or -q2 (coincidentally 77+3=80; 78+2=80 and even 80+0=80! Was this intentional?)

IIRC, if you view the DOS window during encoding, -q0 is the forced by default for vbr in LAME 3.98.2.