% symbols in lame histogram

[Asmodian]

Does any one know why some of the symbols in the histogram of bit rates are %'s and some are *'s?

no particular reason just curious and couldn't find any mention of it in the documentation

[LigH]

As far as I know, the "*" are used for mid-side joint-stereo blocks, and the "%" for left-right stereo. According to the required bitrate and the phase difference, LAME choses for each MP3 block if mid-side stereo can be used (for narrow stereo) or if left-right stereo is required (for wide stereo / surround) to achieve an optimal relation between quality and bitrate. If I understood well, the switch criterion might be predefined for each bitrate but can be more selective in auto mode (-m a).

Please note: this is more or less my personal guess; I probably would have to understand the sources to be sure.

[Asmodian]

Hmm, that makes sense...
Thanks :)