Basic command line switch reference


Only the most usual switches are described here. However those should be sufficient for the vast majority of users.

switch parameter
--abr average bitrate encoding
-b bitrate (8...320)
--decode decoding only
-f fast mode
-h high quality
--help help
-m m mono mode
-V VBR quality setting (0...9)

* --abr n    average bitrate encoding
Turns on encoding with a targeted average bitrate of n kbits, allowing to use frames of different sizes. The allowed range of n is 8-320, you can use any integer value within that range.



* -b n    bitrate
For MPEG1 (sampling frequencies of 32, 44.1 and 48 kHz)
n = 32,40,48,56,64,80,96,112,128,160,192,224,256,320

For MPEG2 (sampling frequencies of 16, 22.05 and 24 kHz)
n = 8,16,24,32,40,48,56,64,80,96,112,128,144,160

Default is 128 kbs for MPEG1 and 80 kbs for MPEG2.



* --decode    decoding only
Uses LAME for decoding to a wav file. The input file can be any input type supported by encoding, including layer I,II,III (MP3).




* -f    fast mode
This switch forces the encoder to use a faster encoding mode, but with a lower quality.




* -h    high quality
Use some quality improvements. Encoding will be slower, but the result will be of higher quality.
This switch is always enabled when using VBR.




* --help    help
Display a list of all available options.




* -m m    mono mode
The input will be encoded as a mono signal.




* -V 0...9    VBR quality setting
Enable VBR (Variable BitRate) and specifies the value of VBR quality.
default=4
0=highest quality.