FAQ:Installation and Plug-Ins

How do I download and install the LAME MP3 encoder?

Because of software patents, we cannot distribute MP3 encoding software ourselves. Follow these instructions to use the free LAME encoder to export MP3 files with Audacity.

Windows:

Go to the LAME download page. Under "For Audacity on Windows", left-click on the link "libmp3lame-win-3.97.zip" and save the zip folder to anywhere on your computer. When you have finished downloading the ZIP folder, unzip it and save the file lame_enc.dll that it contains to anywhere on your computer. The first time you use the "Export as MP3" command, Audacity will ask you where lame_enc.dll is saved. In case of difficulty, please view our more detailed instructions at the Audacity Wiki.

Mac OS 9 or X:

Go to the LAME download page. Download either libmp3lame or the version of LameLib for your operating system. When you have finished downloading, use Stuffit Expander to extract the files. (This may happen automatically.) Save the file called "LameLib" or libmp3lame.dylib anywhere on your computer. The first time you use the "Export as MP3" command, Audacity will ask you where LameLib or libmp3lame.dylib is saved.

Other Frequently Asked Questions...

How do I download and install the FFmpeg Import/Export Library?

Windows:

1. Download the FFmpeg installer from lame.buanzo.com.ar
2. Double-click the .exe file to launch the installer
3. In the "Extract to:" dialogue, enter or browse to the folder where you have Audacity installed, typically: C:\Program Files\Audacity 1.3 Beta (Unicode)
4. Click "Extract".
5. This will extract the following files to your Audacity installation folder:

avcodec-52.dll

avdevice-52.dll

avformat-52.dll

avutil-49.dll

ffmpeg.exe

libfaac-0.dll

libmp3lame-0.dll

pthreadGC2.dll

Mac:

• Download [http:// awaiting URL of suitable file]

Linux/Unix:

• You may download (or build) a suitable FFmpeg library for your own purposes. To build, obtain the source code from the FFmpeg project. If you download a pre-built library, this might be either a "shared" or "static" build. A static build consists of a single libavformat library, whereas a shared build has at least three libraries (libavformat, libavcodec and libavutil). It is recommended to use a shared build, but Audacity will also work with a static build.

If you compile Audacity from source code, it will link to the installed FFmpeg headers, which should always be compatible with an installed FFmpeg binary.

Installation:

Audacity should autodetect the Windows or Mac FFmpeg library automatically if it is in the Audacity installation folder. To locate it manually, open Preferences and click on the "Import / Export" tab. If the "FFmpeg Library Version" says "not found":

1. Click "Find Library" then "Browse"
2. Navigate to the libavformat library, and select it. It may have different names, such as "avformat", "libavformat" or "avformat-51"
3. Click "Open" then "OK"

"FFmpeg Library Version" should now show a number. If not, you may have installed the wrong libraries. Click the "Download" button to obtain the correct library for your operating system.

Why do I receive an error when I export to an FFmpeg format?

If you receive a "cannot find audio codec" error when exporting to an FFmpeg format, the FFmpeg library you are linking to does not support this codec. To export to this format, you will need a build of the FFmpeg library that supports this codec.

Distributable libraries will not include support for AMR narrow band or wide band, due to licensing issues. Exporting to AMR will return the error "FFmpeg cannot find audio codec 0x12000" (or "0x 12001" in the case of wide band). To obtain AMR export (and import) support, you could build FFmpeg yourself from source: [1] and enable libamr_nb and/or libamr_wb in the configure step.

How do I install VST plug-ins?

First, download and unzip the VST Enabler.

Place the unzipped VST Enabler, along with your VST plug-ins, into the “Plug-ins” folder in the Audacity installation folder. (On Mac OS X, this is usually in the Applications folder. On Windows, it is usually under Program Files.)

The next time you start Audacity, your VST effects will appear at the bottom of the “Effect” menu.

See also: Why do some VST plug-ins look wrong, or not work?

Other Frequently Asked Questions...

Why do some VST plug-ins look wrong, or not work?

The VST Enabler. is not yet able to display custom interfaces for plug-ins. Instead, it uses generic controls for all VST plug-ins. Because of this, many plug-ins will look or act differently than they do in other programs.

Other VST plug-ins may not work at all, because of bugs in the VST Enabler. You can contact us to report plug-ins that do not work.

Audacity also does not support VST instrument (VSTi) plug-ins.

Other Frequently Asked Questions...

What should I do if I have problems downloading or installing Audacity?

If you can't download Audacity, or if the downloaded setup file is corrupt, try downloading it from our alternate servers.

Other Frequently Asked Questions...