How to use LAME with Ubuntu (Linux)?

Hey guys, I’m popping in again after a long absence. But hey, I’m just plain busy, and not with music or computers lately. But I have a question, and here it is:

I temporarily have a machine with Linux, and I downloaded a LAME thingamajig. But in the Ubuntu OS LAME comes as a folder full of parts that you have to assemble! I am not going to get into learning how to assemble packages of code… do any of you more savvy dudes know how to either do this, or where I can find a LAME I can just install and set up a ‘shortcut’ to on my desktop?

Thanks for your forbearance, as usual!

Did you try a “lame for linux” search (of course you did) - I saw a lot of them and some are code and some don’t say.
I’m sure someone will have a clue.

Look for an mp3 codec that can be installed with a “Package Manager”.

I don’t know if there is one available that specifically uses the LAME codec, but there’s bound to be a codec for mp3’s in Ubuntu/Linux that can be installed easily without all the terminal crapola.

I had Ubuntu Studio on my laptop for a while in a dual boot config with XP. I really enjoyed goofing around with Ubuntu/Linux for a bit and I APPLAUD heartily the ethos the Linux movement has created! WOOT! BUT (and it’s a BIG BUT!!) Linux ain’t for me and/or “Average Joe” UNTIL one can push the big GO button and do EVERYTHING you can do with minimal effort like you can with WinBlows or OSX.

One BIG PITA I encountered was this; I had Ubuntu working fine with a wired Ethernet connection. FireFox and OpenOffice was great, performance was noticeably “snappier” than XP so initially, I was impressed. Then I went about trying to get the Wi-Fi to work. Goobered around with it for two frikkin’ days! Gave up. A few days later, upon boot-up Ubuntu says “Hey there’s new stuff out here! Do you want it!” Stupidly thinking “Hey! This might fix my wireless problem!” SURE! Sez I… gimmee… The updates downloaded and installed… re-boot. Now the WIRED Ethernet connection is FUBAR! Ugh…

Hey Linux guys? Gimme a Linux OS that works like XP without all the MS GARBAGE, is streamlined and fast, can update without breaking the WORKING stuff and doesn’t require a PhD in Computer Science to use.

Thank you Linuxly much…

D

Well I did the “…for Linux” search, and finally found it on the Synaptic thing included with Ubuntu, that has a bunch of ready-to-install apps. I instlalled it, but now I can’t find it, Audacity doesn’t know where it is, and a system search yields “no results”.

Silence from the studio audience here at my house… and it’s back to XP! With XP I had a shortcut to LAME on the desktop, I’d drag a file .wav icon to it- and voila! mp3.

Thanks for the help though!

Search ‘Linux + front end for LAME’

Check this link
Scroll down to Linux section:

Lame install + Audacity

Do you know about apt? Try

apt-get lame

It should install the binaries (you likely pulled down the source code.)

If you really want to learn something, try compiling that source. It is probably pretty easy. Do these commands in order when in that directory.

./configure -> pay attention for any errors. There may be some other packages from apt you will need to install (gcc or the like)

make

make install


That is all there is to compiling the source usually. Keep in mind, this will only compile and install the LAME binary. This means it will only be usable from the command line. (Which is fine for nerds like me.) But as was mentioned above, for a GUI, look for a front end that works in Gnome.