FAQ:Installation and Plug-Ins
From Audacity Manual
|< Index of Frequently Asked Questions
How do I download and install the LAME MP3 encoder?
Because of software patents, we cannot distribute MP3 encoding software ourselves. Follow these instructions to use the free LAME encoder to export MP3 files with Audacity.
Windows
- Go to the download page
Left-click this link, do not right-click. - In "For Audacity on Windows", left-click the link Lame v3.99.3 for Windows.exe and save the file anywhere on your computer.
- Double-click "Lame v3.99.3 for Windows.exe" to launch it (you can safely ignore any warnings that the "publisher could not be verified").
- Follow the Setup instructions to install LAME for Audacity, making sure not to change the offered installation location of "C:\Program Files\Lame for Audacity" (or "C:\Program Files (x86)\Lame for Audacity" on a 64-bit version of Windows).
You should now be able to export MP3s without any further configuration, choosing File Export Dialog.
then selecting "MP3 Files" in theTroubleshooting
Occasionally, there can be .dll conflicts on the computer. Try right-clicking this alternative 3.98.4 build of lame_enc.dll. Choose "Save Target As" or "Save Link As" and save it to "C:\Program Files\Lame for Audacity" or "C:\Program Files (x86)\Lame for Audacity" according to where you installed LAME previously. Accept any prompts to replace the old file with the new one. Then try exporting an MP3 again.
If there are still problems, they will likely be due to a conflict with Audacity still trying to detect the path to an older lame_enc.dll file. To correct this:
- Ensure there are no older versions of lame_enc.dll in any locations where Audacity detects it, namely:
- C:\Program Files\Lame for Audacity (where the installer puts the new .dll)
- the Audacity installation folder (usually C:\Program Files\Audacity) or in the Plug-Ins folder inside that
- Exit Audacity and navigate to the 1.3 preferences .cfg file at:
- Windows 2000/XP: Documents and Settings\<user name>\Application Data\Audacity\audacity.cfg
- Windows Vista/7: Users\<user name>\AppData\Roaming\Audacity\audacity.cfg.
- Open audacity.cfg in a text editor such as Notepad, and delete the two lines starting with:
- [MP3]
MP3LibPath=
- [MP3]
- Save the changes to audacity.cfg and restart Audacity
Note that the above four steps will remove old paths to lame_enc.dll for Audacity version 1.3 and later only. If you still use (or have ever used) Audacity 1.2, that version will continue to look for the .dll in the location stored in its own Preferences setting.
Mac OS X
In case of difficulty, please download the zip version "Lame_Library_v3.98.2_for_Audacity_on_OSX.zip" from "Alternative zip download for Lame 3.98.2" below and follow the instructions.
- Installer
- Go to the LAME download page.
- Download Lame Library v3.98.2 for Audacity on OSX.dmg.
- When you have finished downloading, double-click the .dmg to mount it, then go to the Finder (in Safari, the "Lame Library v3.98.2 for Audacity" virtual disk image will be extracted and mounted automatically after downloading).
- Double-click "Lame Library v3.98.2 for Audacity.pkg"; the standard OS X Installer will start
- Click through the steps in the Installer, accepting the defaults in all cases; this will install the LAME binary "libmp3lame.dylib" in /usr/local/lib/audacity.
- Audacity should detect LAME automatically when you export as MP3. If Audacity cannot find LAME:
- Click then choose "Libraries" on the left.
- Click "Locate..." under "MP3 Export Library", then "Browse..." in the "Locate Lame" dialog.
- The "Where is libmp3lame.dylib?" window will open at /usr/local/lib/audacity; select "libmp3lame.dylib", click "Open" then "OK" and "OK".
- Alternative zip download for Lame 3.98.2
- Download http://lame1.buanzo.com.ar/Lame_Library_v3.98.2_for_Audacity_on_OSX.zip
- Extract the contents of the zip to a folder called "Lame_Library_v3.98.2_for_Audacity_on_OSX" anywhere you have full permissions (such as your Desktop) then follow the instructions at steps 6.1 to 6.3 above to locate "libmp3lame.dylib" using the Libraries Preferences. This is a good solution if Audacity does not recognize libmp3lame.dylib when installed to /usr/local/lib/audacity.
You should now be able to export MP3s without any further configuration, choosing File Export Dialog.
then selecting "MP3 Files" in theIn case of difficulty, or if you have an older version of Audacity, please view our detailed instructions on the Audacity Wiki.
Linux/Unix
Most distributions have some sort of package manager that fetches software packages from the Internet and installs them for you. Open that package manager, search for LAME, and install it if it is not already installed. The following are detailed instructions for installing LAME using the Synaptic package manager on recent Ubuntu or Debian systems:
- Open Synaptic:
- In GNOME (the default desktop environment for Ubuntu and many other systems), access Synaptic by clicking
- In KDE there will be a similar menu accessible from the bottom-left of the screen
- Enter your password when asked for it
- In the Synaptic window, choose "Settings", then “Repositories”
- In the "Ubuntu Software" tab, check the box for "multiverse", then hit the Close button
- Back in the main Synaptic Window, type “lame” in the "Quick search" box
- The search results will show the packages “lame” and “libmp3lame0” at the top of the list; mark both for installation by double-clicking
- Click "Apply", and on “OK” for any warnings; the LAME software will automatically download and install
- Right-click over the entry for "libmp3lame0" > Properties
- On the "Installed Files" tab, note the location of "libmp3lame.so.0", probably at /usr/lib/libmp3lame.so.0
- Close all the Synaptic windows
- Open Audacity, click then on "Libraries" in the list on the left
- In "MP3 Export Library" check if a LAME version number displays to right of "MP3 Library Version". If so, LAME has been detected and you should now be able to export MP3 and skip the remainder of these instructions. If the MP3 Library is stated as "not found":
- Click the "Locate...” button
- In the "Locate Lame" dialog that appears, click "Browse"
- In the "Where is libmp3lame.so.0?" dialog, navigate to the location you noted in step 9, select "libmp3lame.so.0", click "Open", then "OK" and "OK" to exit Preferences
If your distribution does not have a LAME package, please view these instructions on the Audacity Wiki.
How do I download and install the FFmpeg Import/Export Library?
FFmpeg 0.6.2 for Windows and Mac listed below should be used with the latest version of Audacity from http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/.
Windows
- Go to the download page
Left-click this link, do not right-click. - In "For Audacity on Windows", left-click the link FFmpeg_v0.6.2_for_Audacity_on_Windows.exe and save the file anywhere on your computer.
- Double-click "FFmpeg_v0.6.2_for_Audacity_on_Windows.exe" to launch the installer (you can safely ignore any warnings that the "publisher could not be verified").
- Read the License and click Next, Next and Install to install the required files to "C:\Program Files\FFmpeg for Audacity" (or "C:\Program Files (x86)\FFmpeg for Audacity" on a 64-bit version of Windows).
- Restart Audacity if it was running when you installed FFmpeg.
- If you have problems with Audacity detecting FFmpeg, follow the steps to manually locate FFmpeg.
- Alternative zip download for FFmpeg 0.6.2 - extract the contents to a folder called "FFmpeg_v0.6.2_for_Audacity_on_Windows" anywhere on your computer, then follow the instructions below to locate avformat-52.dll in the Libraries Preferences.
Mac OS X
In case of difficulty, please download the zip version "FFmpeg_v0.6.2_for_Audacity_on_OSX.zip" from "Alternative zip download for FFmpeg 0.6.2" below and follow the instructions.
- Installer:
- Go to the LAME download page
- Download FFmpeg (0.6.2 OSX 10.4+ DMG)
- When you have finished downloading, double-click the .dmg to mount it, then go to the Finder (in Safari, the "FFmpeg Libraries for Audacity" virtual disk image will be extracted and mounted automatically after downloading).
- Double-click "FFmpeg Libraries for Audacity.pkg" to launch the standard OS X Installer.
- Click through the steps in the Installer, accepting the defaults in all cases; this will install the FFmpeg libraries in /usr/local/lib/audacity
- Restart Audacity if it was running when you installed FFmpeg
- If you have problems with Audacity detecting FFmpeg, follow the steps to manually locate FFmpeg.
- Alternative zip download for FFmpeg 0.6.2
- Download http://lame1.buanzo.com.ar/FFmpeg_v0.6.2_for_Audacity_on_OSX.zip
- Extract the contents to a folder called "FFmpeg_v0.6.2_for_Audacity_on_OSX" anywhere you have full permissions (such as your Desktop) then follow the instructions below to locate libavformat-52.dylib in the Libraries Preferences. This is a good solution if Audacity does not recognize libavformat-52.dylib when installed to /usr/local/lib/audacity.
- You can also build Audacity from SVN and link to a system copy of FFmpeg built from source, using these instructions.
Linux/Unix
- You may download (or build) a suitable FFmpeg library for your own purposes. To build, obtain the source code from the FFmpeg project. If you download a pre-built library, this might be either a "shared" or "static" build. A static build consists of a single libavformat library, whereas a shared build has at least three libraries (libavformat, libavcodec and libavutil). It is recommended to use a shared build, but Audacity will also work with a static build.
- If you compile Audacity from source code, it will link to the installed FFmpeg headers, which should always be compatible with an installed FFmpeg binary.
FFmpeg version information: Audacity 1.3.8 to 1.3.12 inclusive did not compile or work correctly with FFmpeg versions greater than 0.5, and 1.3.13 to 1.3.14 inclusive did not compile or work correctly with FFmpeg versions greater than 0.6. If you are not using the latest version of Audacity, please upgrade.
Locating the FFmpeg library manually
If you installed FFmpeg while Audacity was running, then the first time you use FFmpeg to import or export, Audacity will ask you to configure Preferences to locate the FFmpeg library. To do this, access Preferences then click the Locate... button, then Browse....
If the "FFmpeg Library Version" says "not found":
- Click "Find Library".
- If a "Success" message indicates Audacity has now automatically detected the library and asks if you want to detect them manually, click "No", then OK to close Preferences.
- If the "Locate FFmpeg" dialog appears, click "Browse...".
- Navigate to the avformat library, and select it. It may have different names, such as "avformat-52.dll" on Windows, "libavformat-52.dylib" on Mac or "libavformat.so.52" on Linux.
- Click "Open" then "OK", and "OK" again to close Preferences.
"FFmpeg Library Version" should now show a number. If not, you may have installed the wrong libraries. Click the "Download" button to obtain the correct library for your operating system.
Why do I receive an error when I export to an FFmpeg format?
If you receive a "cannot find audio codec" error when exporting to an FFmpeg format, the FFmpeg library you are linking to does not support this codec. To export to this format, you will need a build of the FFmpeg library that supports this codec.
Distributable libraries will not include support for AMR WB (wide band), due to licensing issues. Exporting to AMR WB will return the error "FFmpeg cannot find audio codec 0x 12001". To obtain AMR WB export support, you could build FFmpeg yourself from source and enable the relevant library in the configure step.
How do I install VST plug-ins?
Audacity supports almost all VST effect plug-ins and should scan automatically for these when run for the first time. VST instrument (VSTi) plug-ins are not currently supported.
To install new VST effects, place them in the “Plug-ins” folder inside the Audacity installation folder. On Windows, this is usually under Program Files (or Program Files (x86) on 64-bit Windows); on Mac OS X, it is usually in the "Applications" folder. VST effects will also be found if they are added to (or already exist in) various system locations. To display the newly added plug-ins:
- Go to the
- Under "VST Effects", put a check mark in "Rescan VST effects next time Audacity is started"
- Exit Audacity and launch it again.
There is no need to add the VST Enabler which was required by previous versions of Audacity.
See also: Why do some VST plug-ins not work or display incorrectly?
Why do some VST plug-ins not work or display incorrectly?
Audacity will by default display VST effect plug-ins with a full graphical interface where the plug-in supplies this. Any plug-in that requires to be left open while processing audio will not work correctly. VST instrument (VSTi) plug-ins are not currently supported.
If any plug-in displays incorrectly, you can uncheck "Display VST effects in graphical mode" in the Effects Preferences to display a simpler tabular interface for the plug-in (this also affects all other plug-ins).
If you experience a problem with a specific VST effect plug-in in Audacity, please contact us.
See also: How do I install VST plug-ins?
How do I install plug-ins on Linux?
Individual plug-ins can be installed by putting the plug-in into the Audacity Plug-ins folder. This will usually be /usr/share/audacity/plug-ins if Audacity was installed from a repository package, or /usr/local/share/audacity/plug-ins if you compiled Audacity from our source code. These locations are usually set as read only, so the plug-ins will need to be copied as root.
Alternatively you can create a folder called .audacity-files in your home directory and create a sub-folder called plug-ins and put your plug-ins into that. (Note: the dot in the name .audacity-files indicates that it is a hidden folder).
Many LADSPA plug-ins are available in the repositories of most major Linux distributions. If Audacity is installed from a repository package it should be configured to automatically find these plug-ins.
If Audacity is unable to find installed LADSPA plug-ins it may be necessary to set an environmental variable to indicate to Audacity where the LADSPA plug-ins are installed. For Debian based distributions this can be done by entering the following code at the command prompt (change <user> to your account user name):
export LADSPA_PATH=$LADSPA_PATH:/home/<user>/.ladspa:/usr/local/lib/ladspa:/usr/lib/ladspa
If you wish this path to be set each time you boot, the LADSPA_PATH environmental variable may be added to ~/.profile or this file may be added if it does not exist. An example of how to add the LADSPA_PATH environmental variable:
LADSPA_PATH=$LADSPA_PATH:/home/<user>/.ladspa:/usr/local/lib/ladspa:/usr/lib/ladspa export LADSPA_PATH
For OpenSuse 64, LADSPA plug-ins may be found in /usr/lib64/ladspa. This path can be set by adding the following line to your /etc/environment file:
LADSPA_PATH=/usr/lib64/ladspa
What should I do if I have problems downloading or installing Audacity?
If you can't download Audacity, or if the downloaded setup file is corrupt, try downloading it from our alternate servers. If you receive a corrupted file once, it's a very good idea to clear the download list or cache in your web browser or download manager before downloading again.
- Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 SP1 Redistributable Package (x86) for 32-bit Windows
- Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 SP1 Redistributable Package (x64) for 64-bit Windows.