Hi,
I'm running the current version of MC15.0.142
I did "Check for Updates" and there were none, so I did all of this testing. Then before entering this bug, I browsed the forum and saw MC15.0.150 is available. Arrg. So I installed and did all of the testing again. No change and no Lame in the Plugins folder.
I use LAME. I like LAME. I wanted to make sure I had current version integrated into MC15.
I read everything I could find in MC15 about encoding and LAME. Great.
Yesterday I ripped 4 CDs using the "MP3 Encoder" with custom parameter "--Preset Standard". All OK.
Interesting, there is no "lame.exe" in the Plugins folder?
From the reading, I went and got Lame 3.98.4 X64 and put it in the Plugins folder. No change in file size.
So I put an old copy of Lame 3.96 in the Plugins folder … again no change. Down to the byte same with a file compare utility.
Ah, more curiosity.
I go into CD/DVD "Expert Options" and turn OFF "Encode concurrently with ripping. This change alone causes "Ripping error. Rip failed". I turn this back on.
I change to "External Encoder" "%IN %OUT -V 0" and I get "Ripping error. Rip failed."
So I change to "Uncompressed wave". Rip the CD track and then use "Converter". Interesting, converter seems to keep a different storage of setting, as they were not what I had set for rip.
Converting using "MP3 Encoder" with no lame.exe in the Plugins or lame 3.98 or lame 3.96 again were identical.
Converting to MP3 with VBR "Extreme" yielded different results than using "Custom" and "-V 0". But again doesn't care what lame version if any is in Plugins.
Converting using External Encoder now worked and shows the Lame verbose printout (I like). Now I know for sure what encoder is running.
BUT what a pain.
Since I can't prove what version of Lame is being used, my only choice is rip to WAV and then convert/encode the WAV to MP3 and manually add the album image into the MP3.
AND - wow Secure setting on CD is very slow.
Bottom line: 1) Plugins folder & lame is ineffective. 2) Ripping with external encoder fails.