Lame MP3 Codec Problem...

[LINK1290]

I just finished creating an AVI file and an AAC file from an MKV file by using MKVEGUI and extracting them. I then tried to convert the AAC file to an MP3 by using dBpowerAMP. When I clicked on the "Convert" button, however, the conversion began, and after a couple seconds, this message popped up:

The CODEC required to compress <File name here.mp3> could not be opened.

I assume it is talking about the Lame MP3 codec, yet I installed it onto my computer. Well, at least I tried to; I heard that in order to actually install the codec, you must right-click on the codec's ACM file and click "Install," but when I right-click on the ACM file, no "Install" option appears. Is this the reason no codec could be found with dBpowerAMP? If so, how can I correctly install it? Thanks for any help.

[gastorgrab]

You have to right-click on the (*.INF) file.

The ACM file is the codec.

The INF file is the installer.

[LINK1290]

Alright, I right-clicked the INF file and chose "Install," and a message popped up saying that the software I was trying to install (the Lame MP3 codec) did not pass the "Windows Logo test" to check compatability with Windows XP, but I had it continue installation anyway. This *might* be part of the problem, considering dBpowerAMP still says that the codec cannot be opened even after I tried installing Lame MP3. What do I do now? Should I try looking for another way to convert the AAC to an MP3, or is there someway else I can get the codec to work?

P.S. I plan to join this to-be MP3 with the AVI video using VirtualDubMod, then burning the result onto a VCD. Is there an easier alternative that I can use to get this result, or do I have to continue this Lame (no pun intended) endeavor?

[celtic_druid]

Thought that dbPowerAMP used its own lame codec?
Anyway if the mkv used he aac then you are probably going to be converting without the SBR part as the aac would no longer contain a header telling the decoder that it is he.

[LINK1290]

Uh, okay, I think I understood some of that...
So, I need an SBR part? Is that obtainable? Or should I try to convert it some other way?

[celtic_druid]

SBR (Spectral Band Replication) is part of the aac stream if it is he aac and not lc. What I was saying is that without the header the decoder probably isn't going to know and therefor the SBR part would be missing... Like decoding an mp3pro file with a regular mp3 decoder.

[LINK1290]

But why does my procedure not work with this AAC, while several guides I've seen tell people to work with their AACs and it works fine? For example, look at Baldrick's guide found here:

https://www.videohelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=241422

I've also tried his procedure to demultiplex the MKV file, and in the second picture of his guide, the bitrates are shown on the right side. When I do the same, no bitrates appear, although I highlight "Lame MP3" as shown in the picture. That is why I feel as though something is going wrong with the installation of Lame MP3, although I'm not sure. I'm sorry if I'm not being clear; there are quite a lot of things that I must explain. If I'm leaving any details out, please tell me and I'll try to explain my situation a bit better.

[Poppa_Meth]

You should have a lame_enc.dll, a lame_acm.xml, and a LameACM.acm file in your c:\windows\system32 folder. If they aren't there you can manually copy them there and see if that works.

[LINK1290]

I tried to demultiplex the MKV file in the way the guide told me to, and I found out that the reason I couldn't see the bitrates was because I didn't check the "Check all formats" square; I wasn't aware that I needed to do so. Anyway, I continued to use Baldrick's guide, and when I needed to save the audio track as a WAV (second insturuction of the third picture), this message came up:

No audio decompressor could be found to decompress the source audio format.

There we have it, another problem to solve. What now?

[celtic_druid]

VDub/VDubMod requires an ACM decompressor to process the audio in full processing mode.

Why are you running VDubMod anyway if you are using MKVExtract? Surely it is one or the other?

Anyway to decode the audio I would suggest using mplayer.

mplayer.exe -ao pcm -vo null -vc dummy input.mkv -aofile output.wav

No issues with he aac or anything like that either and if there are multiple audio streams you can pick that one that you want with -aid # or -alang lang.

[LINK1290]

See, I tried both procedures to see if one or the other would work. I'll try using MPlayer right now.

[LINK1290]

Here's another n00b question: When I double-click on the .exe file for MPlayer, a window pops up and almost instantly disappears; what do I do?

[celtic_druid]

That would be because it is a commandline app, also why I posted a command line.

Just replace input.mkv and output.wav in the above.