LAME 4.0 cVBRb - Visual Studio SIMD x86
lamemp3.co.uk development build
================================

Build role
----------
Visual Studio SIMD performance build, Windows x64.

Main encoder EXE
----------------
lame.exe

The encoder EXE is the main command-line tool. For normal command-line MP3 encoding,
you can run the EXE directly from Command Prompt or PowerShell.

Example:

    lame.exe -V0 input.wav output.mp3

FLAC input
----------
FLAC input is supported automatically when a compatible x64 libFLAC.dll is present
in the same folder as lame.exe. No additional command-line option or lame.ini setting
is required.

Example:

    lame.exe -V0 input.flac output.mp3

If libFLAC.dll is missing, incompatible, or one of its required dependencies cannot
be loaded, FLAC input will fail with an explanatory error. WAV and other existing
input paths are unaffected.

The FLAC input path supports mono and stereo PCM FLAC and has been validated against
the existing WAV input path, including 24-bit / 176.4 kHz source material.

Optional lame.ini
-----------------
lame.exe can read an optional lame.ini file from the same folder as the executable.

The INI file supplies default LAME command-line arguments before the real command line
is parsed. Explicit command-line options therefore take precedence over INI defaults.

Example lame.ini:

    [LAME]
    Enabled=1
    Arguments=-b 192 --vbr-min-strict --bitrate-boost=2

With that file present, an application can use a normal command such as:

    lame.exe -V0 input.wav output.mp3

while the INI adds the cVBRb-specific defaults. The effective settings are equivalent
to:

    lame.exe -V0 -b 192 --vbr-min-strict --bitrate-boost=2 input.wav output.mp3

If lame.ini is absent, disabled, empty, or malformed, normal command-line behaviour is
used without applying INI defaults.

For cVBRb testing
-----------------
Example:

    lame.exe -V0 -b 192 --vbr-min-strict --bitrate-boost=2 input.wav output.mp3

The same cVBRb options may also be supplied through lame.ini when an application does
not expose them directly.

DLL files
---------
This bundle may include DLL files used by the encoder or by host applications:

- libmp3lame.dll
- libFLAC.dll (optional; enables FLAC input for lame.exe)

Keep the appropriate DLL files in the same folder when testing the full bundle,
especially if an application loads libmp3lame.dll directly.

Important DLL compatibility note
--------------------------------
The included libmp3lame.dll is not guaranteed to be a drop-in replacement for every
application. Some host applications expect a specific libmp3lame build, DLL name,
export table, calling convention, or ordinal layout. Compatibility therefore depends
on the application that is loading the DLL.

libFLAC.dll is used only as an optional runtime decoder for FLAC input to lame.exe.
Its presence is not required for WAV or other existing input formats.

If an application does not accept libmp3lame.dll, use the application's own recommended
LAME/libmp3lame package, or use the encoder EXE directly from the command line.

Notes
-----
- cVBRb adds bitrate-boost behaviour to the constrained VBR branch.
- Standard LAME command-line options remain available.
- lame.ini is optional and is intended for persistent defaults or fork-specific options
  that some host applications do not expose.
- Explicit command-line settings take precedence over lame.ini defaults.
- FLAC input is automatic when a compatible libFLAC.dll is available beside lame.exe.
- Corrupt FLAC input aborts with a non-zero exit code and incomplete output is removed.
- These are portable ZIP packages; there is no installer.
- Checksums are listed on lamemp3.co.uk for users who want to verify downloads.
