LAME
MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3 (MP3) audio encoder
LAME is a software encoder that converts digital audio into the MP3 audio coding format. LAME is a free software project that was first released in 1998 and has incorporated many improvements since then, including an improved psychoacoustic model.
LAME was required by some programs released as free software, in which LAME was linked for MP3 support. This avoided including LAME itself, which used patented techniques and so required patent licenses in some countries. All relevant patents have since expired, and LAME is now bundled with Audacity.
History
Earliest versions
Around mid-1998, Mike Cheng created LAME 1.0 as a set of modifications against the 8 Hz-MP3 encoder source code, and named the resulting encoder LAME, as a recursive acronym for "LAME Ain't an MP3 Encoder", as initial releases of the software lacked the ability to produce encoded MP3 streams without third-party code. (Later releases allowed LAME to function as a standalone MP3 encoder.)
After some quality concerns were raised by others, he decided to start again from scratch based on the dist10 MPEG reference software sources. His goal was only to speed up the dist10 sources, and leave its quality untouched. That branch (a patch against the reference sources) became Lame 2.0 in October 1998. The project started to attract other contributors.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “LAME” is mPEG-1 Audio Layer 3 (MP3) audio encoder. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through LAME, MPEG-1 and Audio, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “mPEG-1 Audio Layer 3 (MP3) audio encoder” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 20, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q902513. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1998.
A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “LAME”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow LAME primary sources, LAME archive and LAME research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “LAME”?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “LAME” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.