OK. I can't stand it anymore. Seeing rippers good releases get nuked because of this encode misunderstanding is is too much for me to bare. For everyone who doesn't know it yet there can be a bug with EAC and Lame 3.90.3 if you set the external encoder to :Lame Encoder" instead of "User Defined". Well, just kill the prob on the spot and check out below. 1. Start using Lame 3.97 TODAY! (if you aren't already) Get it here - http://www.rarewares.org/dancer/dancer.php?f=109 2. Get the newest EAC (if you don't have it yet) German Page - http://www.digital-world.de/index.cfm?pid=303&pk=1253374 English Page - http://www.digital-world.de/downloads/audio/software/1253089/index.html 3. Go to your Compressions tab in EAC - F11 \ External Compression Check "Use External Compression" Parameter Passing Scheme = "User Defined Encoder" >>>> NOT Lame MP3 Encoder! Browse to your Lame.exe (3.97!) if you didn't just replace your old one. !ATTENTION! Additional Command Line Options = -V2 --vbr-new %s %d The other check boxes are optional (even though I think it will auto set Bit Rate to 96kBit/s 4. Download Audio Identifier - http://www.bitattack.com/ or http://www.bitattack.com/catalog.html#AI Browse to the mp3s you want to check. Right Click and choose "Display Lame Tag" The important lines to check are: Version string: 3.97 Quality: 77 (V2 and q3) (Attention, if its V1 or V0 expect the nuke!) Encoding method: vbr old / vbr rh (or mtrh) ATH type: 4 Noise shaping: 1 (Attention, if its value is 2 or higher expect the nuke!) V2: preset standard or V2: preset standard (fast mode) - the suggested command line parameter in the Council Nfo ("-V2 --vbr-new") will give V2: preset standard (fast mode) - - This is what I have heard are the important results to watch for. I have no idea technically why they are important (soundshape?) but of course it gives us the quality level of the encode. If you want to know more You will have to search that out yourself. I'm just passing on what I was told were the problems with the nukes as of late. SO: I'm putting this info out to stimulate everyone and hopefully clear up confusion. If there is anything incorrect with this info I'm also hoping it will create an impulse to correct it, so that by next week EVERYONE knows what the hell is going on and how to fix it for themselves! ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Some ppl will have a smartass answer and say it was in the nfo blah blah, but I don't know why these encoding parameters weren't stated more clearly. (No i'm not talking about "use lame 3.97 with -V2 --vbr-new") but the exact parameters for EAC and the fact that there was a bug. I for one didn't know about this and thought I had been sticking "to the rules". Also I don't know why there wasn't more of a deal made (A count down - "7 more days and scene rules will be in effect so be ready everyone". (Again for the smartasses: Yes the dates are in the council rules but the real world is different plus the fact again that some ppl thought they WERE encoding correctly and HAD read the info using the CORRECT presets. Why would this all be happeing if it was "so clear"? But as we know some ppls egos are boosted by others mistakes so i'm sure there is even an enjoyment by some that THEY knew it already instead of us all just getting together and helping each other out when we saw there was a confusion). It would have saved everyone so much time and effort if this stuff had been more accented. But yes, it was in the info right? Well, If THIS info i'm posting now had been passed around IN the council rules or at least spread in the beginning of January it would have saved alot of rippers works and Nukenet nukes. But from what I have heard nukenet doesn't mind that anyway do they? Now they can show their stuff. I mean this whole deal was started and signed by 50+ groups so it was in everyones interest to have the whole lowdown. Or am I wrong? Anyway, I hope this updates all good rippers (and racers) to what is going on when you see a nuke and it only says "Read Rules" (Jezuz that tees me off). Power to all the blokes that keep this great mp3 scene going and hopefully in a couple days we won't see anymore "Read Rules" nukes, at least for encoding. Tagging is another subject for another info :P PZ