Piping Azid output to LAME

[Zalkalin]

I am trying to decode an AC3 file directly to MP3.

So far, I have come up with this commandline:

azid -c normal -L -3db -s stereo -F pcm in.ac3 -|lame --alt-preset cbr 128 -r -s 48 - out.mp3

All I get from this is an MP3 full of noise. I tried piping to oggenc too, but what I got was a Vorbis file full of noise as well. This leads me to belive that Azid is messing something up.

But I am stuck now. I can't figure this out. I know about BeSweet, but I really want to figure out how to do this the "hardcore" way.

[OvERaCiD23]

I don't understand why you don't just use BeSweet? the whole point of it is so you don't have to go through this process. Also, I'm not sure, but w/o BeSweet, don't you have to create an intermediate .wav file, and then encode with LAME? (that's how I remember from way back when, I've been using BeSweet for quite some time now).

[Zalkalin]

I don't understand why you don't just use BeSweet?Because I want to make this work.

Also, I'm not sure, but w/o BeSweet, don't you have to create an intermediate .wav file, and then encode with LAME?No, not with this method. Azid sends it output directly to LAME. No WAV file needed.

[Zalkalin]

Azid is buggy, according to this thread (http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/index.php?act=ST&f=16&t=4790) I posted at HydrogenAudio (http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/).

[DJ Bobo]

I havn't tried this, but I think it's your -F pcm that is making trouble.

Switch to -F wav24 and all will be fine I guess.

[Zalkalin]

If the output format is wav, everything will break. It has to be PCM.

But the problem has been located. It's a bug in Azid. But the email address that Midas has provided in the docs bounces. I don't know how to reach him.

[Midas]

The reason is the WAV-file format. You cannot predict (but you can do an academic quess) the length of the ac3 file (because the bitrate may change anytime), thus you cannot predict the size of the WAV-file either. And the file-size info is placed in the beginning of the file, which works poorly when streaming data. :(

Midas

[666luc]

Isn't there a switch in lame to encode raw instead of wav? If so you could try that (sorry - too tired to test right now...)