mp3 encoder .....

yochillman

hey whats up guys ... im mixing down tracks and i want to make this thing an mp3 BUT my \"trial version\" expired .... what can i do ? deos anybody ahve a code they can share or how do i crack it? i dont have the money to buy something that i can just reinstall anyways ..... i dont want to reinstall it tho .... do i have to just deal with it? i think not ..... help!

AlbertA

Are you serious?
A code they can share?
How do I crack it?

This is not a warez site, sheeshhh....

Check out cwenc or winLAME, both of which are free and are based on the open source MP3 encoder L.A.M.E.

iliace

Yup, we're all legit around here. No pirated software or cracked codes. Everything is licensed and paid for. Legal counsel standing by, too.

yochillman

ok im getting fleximusic wave editor ... so how would i go about using this program to \"export\" as an mp3 if its not under the pro tracks export menu? should i export it as a .wma and then use fleximusic to convert to mp3? tell me about the process you guys use to make mp3s ... thanks for not calling the cops on me btw hahahahaaaaaaaaa

iliace

No, you don't want to convert to any compressed format before exporting MP3s. Most, if not all, MP3 encoders will read normal WAV files. I use the cwenc one, which is free and takes both 16-bit and 24-bit WAVs. You can also set it up to be used from within Cakewalk, although I use the standalone version.

Saving as another compressed format (such as WMA) will cause quality degradation. Then, when you convert that to another format, most likely what will happen is the degraded signal will be restored to a (degraded) WAV, and then compressed as an MP3 - resulting in further degradation.

So always keep all your projects at the highest-available resolution (24-bit WAVs are perfect) and only convert to a compressed format (e.g., MP3) when you're ready to publish the final track. The process is:

1. Finish all your mixing, and get a mixed WAV exported at Main-Outs.
2. Reload as a single stereo track into Cakewalk and perform mastering procedure if you so desire (skip this step if you're not doing additional post-mix mastering)
3. Export a FINAL WAV file, be sure to label it as such and it's a good idea to date these as well. This will allow you to print high-quality CD tracks, once you have all your final WAVs assembled (don't print MP3s to CD).
4a. Using a standalone converter, save the MP3s (or WMAs or whatever distribution format you want) - you can adjust the settings for your MP3s, such as sampling x bitrate and encoding quality, from within the converter. Your input file is the final WAV, and your output file is the MP3.
4b. If you have a converter that's compatible with Cakewalk, use that same as described in 4a from the Export menu.

Also, if you're printing to CD, make sure that either (1) you have a CD burner that supports dithering, since audio CDs max out at 16-bit resolution, or (2) save a separate WAV at 16-bit to be able to burn CDs from those. You might have these files, for each song, when you're done:

* Pre-mastered 24-bit WAV
* Mastered 24-bit WAV (to convert to MP3s)
* Mastered 16-bit WAV (to burn to CDs)

Hope this helps.

- Ilia