Off-topic: mp3 ripping bitrate

[Rajiv Aaron Manglani]

 >    So the question is this: should I just set it to a fixed bitrate  
(min==max), in
 >    which case I lose any filesize advantage with VBR encoders, or  
should I give the
 >    tool some leeway to make some

why not try `lame --alt-preset standard <input file> <output file>`  
and forget about mucking with any of those settings?


`lame --preset help` will give you some information on the various  
settings:

The --preset switches are designed to provide the highest possible  
quality.

They have for the most part been subject to and tuned via rigorous  
double blind listening tests to verify and achieve this objective.

These are continually updated to coincide with the latest developments  
that occur and as a result should provide you with nearly the best  
quality currently possible from LAME.

...

    "--preset standard" This preset should generally be transparent
                            to most people on most music and is already
                            quite high in quality.

    "--preset extreme" If you have extremely good hearing and similar
                            equipment, this preset will generally  
provide
                            slightly higher quality than the "standard"
                            mode.

...