MP3

mp3	This is an audio codec. The name to use at the command line is mp3. This codec can be used inside the dummy (raw), mpeg, avi, matroska and mp4 containers.

MP3 is a popular type of audio compression described by the MPEG-1 specification (MP3's full name is MPEG-1 Layer 3 Audio).

VLC can play and create MP3 files.

Creating mp3 files

Note: If you try to create mp3 files it probably won't use the best compression techniques! A better alternative is to use the LAME MP3 encoder.

You can make mp3 files by using the mp3 audio codec. .mp3 files do not have a container, so you should use the dummy container. You should also specify the --no-video option if you're taking audio from a video.

An example of this at the command prompt is:

% vlc "input_file" :no-video :sout='#transcode{acodec=mp3,ab=128}:std{access=file,mux=dummy,url="out_file.mp3"}'

External Links

• MPEG 1 Audio FAQ for details on the differences between the layers.