How to Install and Use Lame for Audacity Correctly

Adam Cash

Jul 09,2019 • Filed to: Record Audio • Proven solutions

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How to install and use Lame for Audacity correctly ?

Audacity is a free audio recorder wherein you can record tracks, edit them, combine them, apply some effects, and save them in different file formats such as WAV, MP3, MP2, Ogg Vorbis and other file formats. But for Audacity to create an MP3 file, you will need to download LAME codec too.

LAME is a free codec for encoding MP3. It is being used by a lot of software which support MP3 such as CDex, WinAmp, Cripple and a lot more. And Audacity is among the software solutions which use LAME.

LAME is vital to Audacity to export your recorded track to MP3. You cannot create MP3 files in Audacity without installing the LAME codec. Sadly, it is not yet incorporated when you download Audacity. You will have to download it separately, and set the preferences in Audacity to be able to Export as MP3.

Like Audacity, LAME is also free to download. You can get a free copy from download sites like http://www.dll-files.com/dllindex/dll-files.shtml?lame_enc. After the download, unzip the file and save the file anywhere you wish on your computer, just remember where you put it for later use.

Launch Audacity, open Preferences and choose Libraries. Click the Locate button for MP3 Library. A window will show up, click the Browse tab and go to the directory where you saved the downloaded LAME file. Then press the OK tab.

You will only do this on the first time you use Audacity after you have downloaded LAME. Audacity will save the location and use it for your future export of MP3.

Being a free audio editor and recorder software is perhaps the best thing about Audacity. But the problem with Audacity is that it often crashes when used for a long period or when your audio is already longer than what it could handle. If you often make long audios and reliability is an important concern, there are other alternatives.

iMusic is another audio editor and recorder. It can record any audio played on your Mac and Windows PC with exactly the same quality as the original audio. It can give you the output in MP3 without having to install additional codec or plug-ins. And it supports audio from more than 3000 online music and video websites and online radio stations. Plus you can add the recorded audio to your iTunes library in just one click.

Step-by-Step Guide on How to Record Audio with Audacity Alternative

Step 1: Download and install the application on your computer. Launch it. On the Settings, choose the format for the output file. MP3 is supported by this application, so you do not need to download any additional codec or plug-ins.

Step 2: When you are done with the settings, click on the GET MUSIC tab and Record option. Press the red button to get start the process. Then go to the audio or video you want to record. Play the audio or video. The application will begin to record only upon detection of the sound.

Step 3: When the recording is done, access the file by clicking on the Library. You can play the recorded audio with the built-in music player by double clicking on the file. You also have the option to burn the audio to a CD or add it to your iTunes Library/computer/phone.

Why Choose This Audacity Alternative:

1. Recording audio from a lot of streaming websites

You can now record from YouTube, Spotify, Yahoo Music, iTunes Radio, Pandora, Rhapsody, AOL Music and a lot more streaming websites. And it is easy to record; in just a single click, you will be good to go. And you can even burn the music you have recorded into a CD through the software.

2. Recording audio from video websites

It lets you record the audio of a video you are watching like from a YouTube music video. You only have to press the Record button to start recording and save it to a high quality MP3 or M4A file.

3. Transferring recorded audio to iTunes Library

One good thing with the program is having an "Add to iTunes" button which lets you add your recorded audio to your iTunes Library.

4. Identifying songs through ID3 tags

It is capable of identifying recorded music files and can automatically get music information such as Title, Artist, Genre and Album. If you notice any mistakes with the information, you can edit the tag.

5. Recording audio in original quality

It records exactly what it hears from your Mac. You will enjoy exactly the same music with the same quality, no more and no less.

What's more, the application has its own media player. You can play the audio you have recorded and check the quality of the said audio. You can also organize your audio files and delete unwanted music files.