What is LAME?
LAME is a freeware application used to convert large, uncompressed audio files into smaller MP3 files for portable audio players. LAME has a longstanding reputation within the audiophile community as arguably being the best program for creating MP3 files. The name springs from the outdated recursive acronym LAME Ain’t an MP3 Encoder, referring to initial versions of the program which called for complimentary encoders. Today LAME is a stand-alone encoder and decoder. LAME is very handy for converting CD or record collections into high-quality MP3 files for greater portability. When tunes are ripped from a record album or CD the output is generally a wave (.wav) file. Wave files have the advantage of sounding 100% identical to the original source, preserving all nuances of the sound environment. The disadvantage of a wave file is that preserving all that data takes up a lot of memory, roughly 10 megabytes (MB) per minute of song. An encoder like LAME reads the uncompressed audio file (in
