Convert MP3 quality server side.

Arc

Hey guys. Does anyone know how to take an mp3 that has been uploaded and convert it to a lower quality version using php or some server side plugin?

I have people who want to upload 5meg files, but I also want to offer a lower quality version of rthe dial up users to download.

So someone uploads a 5meg file and I want to keep the 5meg file but also produce a lower quality version using a script.

I have read some people saying they use the LAME encoder for this, but I cant find any details on how.

Thanks.

bpat1434

You'd have to know what system calls to use to get the lame encoder to work. For windows you'd just be using the CLI version of Lame and calling something like:

C:\Program Files\LAME\lame.exe -V 9 --mp3input C:\temp\uploaded.mp3 ./download/uploaded_dialup.mp3

So what that would do is use the VBR (variable bit-rate) setting of 9 which is the lowest quality. You'd also let it know that the input is an mp3 input, and then you give it the input file and the output file.

LAME Usage Documentation

That's where I figured out how to convert it. Now, on linux you'd do the same thing, just needing to know where the lame file is supposed to be. Same flags and all.

Hope that helps in some way.

Arc

Yah it is on a linux server.

Do you have an example of the script?

I konw you use the system() function right?

so you would just call

system(path to lame.exe -V 9 --mp3input path to uploaded mp3 .path to where you want to mp3 to be stored) ?

is that right?

bpat1434

pretty-much... although for nix it woudln't be "lame.exe" but just "lame" since there is no ".exe" in nix 😉

I'd be more inclined to use [man]shell_exec/man than system, just so I can capture any output that lame may throw me. But they all do the same thing. I think the command would be something like:

$output = shell_exec('/usr/sbin/lame -V 9 --mp3input ' . realpath($_FILES['myMp3']['tmp_name']) . ' /home/<username>/public_html/downloads/mp3/dialup/' . $_FILES['myMp3']['name'] . '.mp3');