home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search
- Manual.txt for Version 1.01 of ISO/MPEG Audio Layer 3 software only
- encoder for Win32.
-
- =========================
-
- fastenc is an ISO/MPEG Layer-3 software only encoder. It takes
- audio data files as input and delivers Layer-3 coded bitstream
- files as output. Several options can be selected via command line
- switches. Usage:
-
- fastencc <.wav or .mp3 input> <.mp3 bitstream> [-switch1 [-switch2 [...]]]
-
- switches:
-
- -br xxx total bitrate, 8000<=bitrate<=320000
- -vbr xxx vbr encoding, vbr quality: 1<=vbr<=100
- -ds xxx downsample output to xxx Hz
- -dm downmix stereo to mono
- -mq medium quality, medium speed
- -hq highest quality, reduced speed
- -crc enable MPEG1/2 crc check
- -dvh don't write VBRI header
-
- fprintf(stdout,"Note: in the vbr mode following switches not supported:\n");
- fprintf(stdout," -mq\n");
- fprintf(stdout," -hq\n");
- fprintf(stdout," -ds\n");
- fprintf(stdout," -dm\n");
-
-
-
- PLEASE NOTE:
- ------------
-
- 1.1 <.wav or .mp3 input>: audio input file
-
- The first command line argument specifies the name for the PCM audio
- data file. Version 1.01 of the encoder accepts only PCM audio data
- files in RIFF/WAVE format as used by Microsoft Windows or Layer 3 MPEG 1,
- MPEG 2 or MPEG 2.5 .mp3 file. PCM samples must be 16 bit signed integer
- values.
-
-
- 1.2 <.mp3 bitstream>: Layer 3 output file
-
- The second command line argument specifies the name for the bitstream
- output file. The extension of the file name should be .mp3.
- The format of the bitstream is as defined in the
- ISO/MPEG publications IS11172-3 (MPEG-1) and IS13818-3 (MPEG-2).
- For very low bitrates a special Fraunhofer format called "MPEG 2.5"
- is used.
-
-
- 1.3 bitrate
-
- The bitrate of the bitstream output is selected via the '-br' switch. The
- bitrate is specified in bits/second. The bitrate is the total bitrate for
- all encoded channels, i.e. if you select '-br 128000' and 'stereo', both
- channels will be stuffed into one bitstream of 128000 bits/second.
- Valid bitrates are:
- 8000 bit/s mono only
- 12000 bit/s mono only
- 16000 bit/s mono only
- 18000 bit/s mono only
- 20000 bit/s stereo and mono
- 24000 bit/s stereo and mono
- 32000 bit/s stereo and mono
- 40000 bit/s stereo and mono
- 48000 bit/s stereo and mono
- 56000 bit/s stereo and mono
- 64000 bit/s stereo and mono
- 80000 bit/s stereo and mono
- 96000 bit/s stereo and mono
- 112000 bit/s stereo and mono
- 128000 bit/s stereo and mono
- 144000 bit/s stereo and mono
- 160000 bit/s stereo and mono
- 192000 bit/s stereo and mono
- 224000 bit/s stereo and mono
- 256000 bit/s stereo and mono
- 320000 bit/s stereo and mono
-
- The default bitrate table:
-
- input samplerate, Hz | input channels | default bitrate
- ---------------------+----------------+----------------
- >= 32000 | 2 | 128000 bps
- >= 22050 and <32000 | 2 | 80000 bps
- >= 12000 and <22050 | 2 | 32000 bps
- <12000 | 2 | 16000 bps
- | |
- >= 32000 | 1 | 80000 bps
- >= 22050 and <32000 | 1 | 56000 bps
- >= 12000 and <22050 | 1 | 20000 bps
- <12000 | 1 | 16000 bps
-
-
- 1.4 variable bitrate
-
- This can be set to a value between 1 and 100. Values between 1
- and 100 produce varying levels of encoder output quality.
- The highest quality is 100. VBR is mutually exclusive with any
- choice of output format: VBR always produces layer-3 bitstreams
- with the same sample rate and number of channels as the input.
- By default, in vbr mode fastenc start a mp3-file from VBRI header.
- To disable this, use -dvh switch.
-
-
- 1.5 downsampling
-
- Switch -ds can be used to downsample input before encoding.
- This switch don't have effect in vbr mode.
-
-
- 1.6 downmix
-
- If a stereo input file should be treated as mono, the '-dm' swich can be
- used. The mono signal is calculated by (l+r)/2.
- This switch don't have effect in vbr mode.
-
-
- 1.7 quality
-
- If the '-hq' option is specified, the encoder will try to produce higher
- audio quality, but at the cost of a reduced encoding speed.
- If the '-mq' option is specified, the encoder will try to produce medium
- audio quality.
- Quality settings don't have effect in the vbr mode.
- The default value is high speed encoding.
-
-
- 1.8 crc check
-
- If '-crc' is asserted, ISO/MPEG crc checking is enabled. Without the 'crc'
- switch, crc checking is disabled.
-
-
- 1.9 examples of switch settings
-
- fastencc infile.wav out.mp3 -br 112000 -crc
- fastencc pop.wav pop.mp3 -br 256000 -hq
- fastencc track01.wav track01.mp3 -vbr 80
- fastencc tape.wav tape.mp3 -br 128000 -ds 32000
-
-
- 1.10 Encoding Recommendations
-
- Depending on the desired bitrate, the encoding process will be done
- with different parameter settings.
- fastenc supports two versions of Layer-3 bitstreams called MPEG-1 and
- MPEG-2.
- The basic difference is the use of different sampling frequencies:
-
- MPEG-1 Layer 3 sampling frequencies 32, 44.1, 48 kHz
- MPEG-2 Layer 3 sampling frequencies 16, 22.05, 24 kHz
-
- MPEG-1 supports higher audio bandwidth and is therefore the best
- choice for high quality audio coding at bitrates >= 96 kbit/s (stereo)
- or >= 48 kbit/s (mono). For bitrates <= 64 kbit/s (stereo) or
- <=32 kbit/s (mono), MPEG-2 offers better sound quality compared to MPEG-1.
-
- fastencc selects between MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 automatically depending on the
- bitrate switch (see section 1.3)
-
- For the coding of stereo files with bitrates <=96 kbit/s, the encoder
- will use the intensity stereo technique.
- Note, however, that the use of intensity stereo may demage information
- which is needed for sound processing schemes like Dolby Surround.
- For bitrates >= 112 kbit/s, intensity stereo is not used.
-
- All brand names are registered trade marks of their respective owners.
-