Mpglib.dll

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Aug 3, 2024, 1:55:19 PM8/3/24

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Quick reference
What is mp3DirectCut?
Basic settings
Navigation
Audio editing
Prelisten and Output
Recording
Project files
Keyboard shortcuts
Command line parameters

mp3DirectCut is a frame based editor for MPEG audio.You can set ranges for cutting or changing the volumelike in common audio editors. At all operations the filewill not be re-encoded. This saves time and disk spaceand prevents loss of audio quality. You can easilynavigate through even large files and mp3DirectCutgives you a visualisation of the MP3 audio data.

The program needs either an installed MP3 ACM Codecor the 'mpglib.dll' to decode MP3 for playback. Thempglib.dll with the complete source is available atmp3DirectCut'shomepage.It decodes Layers 2 and 3. Thempglib.dll makes the editor more independent (if you don't have anACM) and supports Layer 2. But it takes a bit more cpu than ACM.

In the Play settings you can also select a Wave device andadjust the amount of frames to be decoded to each playbuffer between 'fast' (1 frame) and 'reliable' (8 frames).On slower machines set a higher value. If you want to havea fast response of the graphics select a faster value.

[](or keys: Left/Right and Page up/down)
These buttons are user definable.You can set the amount of frames to skip back/forwardin the configuration window between 10 and 10.000 for[] and between 1 and 1.000 for [].

Mouse
You can directly jump to any file position by left clickinginto the map area below the audio graph.
And: if you hold down the CTRL key and click into theaudio graph the cursor jumps to the shown audio position.

Some words about visualisation of MP3: the audio graphtakes volume information directly from the MP3 frames anddiffers from the real decoded audio amplitude. Even theheight which the frame bars can reach varies by differentMP3 types. The graph is for orientation and searchingpositions only. For a more reliable audio level info use theVU meter on the right.

Method 1: Left button sets the beginning of theselection (by clicking or dragging), the right button sets the end.
Method 2: Left button makes a new selection and enlarges it. The right button moves beginning or end (depending on which is nearer).

Cuts and Cues
To make a normal cut mark aselection and press [Cut]. If the selection has a lengthof 0 it will become a cue. Cues do not modify the audio,they can be used to locate positions and must be usedfor creating a cue sheet (see under Project files).

Gain areas
The [Gain] button opens a dialog which lets you modifythe volume of the selection. 'from .. dB' sets the initial volumechange, 'to .. dB' the final. So the range can be faded in anydirection or constantly be changed.

Volume areas are shown with the same backgroundcolor but different color of audio data.Note: Volume change works only with Layer 3.As the data remains encoded volume changes can onlybe made in a resolution of 1.5 dB steps.

First set it the "active range" (highlighted). The easist way is by using the "Autoselect" option (enabled by default). Alternativelyyou can highlight an area as described in the Navigation section.Then press [Edit]. The range will become the selection and will bedeleted (!). So after changing boundaries or fade values you must hit[Cut] or [Gain] again.

Limitations
The maximum number of different edit ranges is 200.Cuts and gain regions cannot overlap each others. If youcut a selection which covers other cuts they will allbe merged (be careful with gains, they will beconverted to cuts!). If you try to set a gain region which coversother cuts nothing will be merged but the gain region will be shortened.

Normal play ist already a prelisten mode because every cutand every gain modification is played as it will be saved.In addition there are some buttons to prelisten the selectionboundaries before cutting:

For compiling files in any arrangement use 'Append selection...'.Your selection will be appended to the choosen file. But donot to combine different formats. Type, mpeg version, layer,bitrate, samplerate... must match. The program does NOT check this.

For recording an MP3 directly to disk you need either anACM Codec or the Lame Encoder DLL (available through thehomepage of the Lame project).It is important to choose a base filename. Your recordings willbe saved under this name. Note that there will be no query foroverwriting existing files! If you select 'Add date & time'each recorded file will have date and time in its filename.

To initialize recording press [Rec]. Then you can adjustthe audio level using the VU meter. After pressing [Play]the file starts being written. With selected 'Append data'in the recording settings an existing file will not be deletedand you can make multiple recordings to one file. But takecare not to use different bitrates or samplerates in one file.

The value of 'Buffer' shows how much data iswaiting to be encoded by the codec. If it grows the codec isnot fast enough to encode MP3 in realtime. The unencoded bufferportion should not be over 10% for more than some seconds.On modern systems it should be always 0%.

If you launch mp3DirectCut with '/r' in the command lineit will start the recording immediately with the encodingsettings of your last session. You can use this option forautomated recordings. See more under Command line options.

An mp3DirectCut project file (*.mpd) contains the name of theaudio file and all cuts, gain areas and cues. If you work withlarge files and make a lot of cuts you should frequently saveyour work to a project file.

Cue Sheets (*.cue) contain a link to the audio file and cues (cutswith a length of 0). Cuts and gain settings will not be saved.When loading a Cue sheet the program reads title and artistnames and shows them in the graph area. If you split a fileusing a Cue sheet you can create filenames with titles.

Auto record
'/r' starts the recording immediately. Use this feature for timerrecordings. In Window's scheduler you can also set a durationtime after which the program will be terminated. For multipletimer recordings be sure to check 'Add date and time' or'Append data' in the recording settings, otherwise previousrecordings will be overwritten.

If every developer thinks that adding more features is the only way to improve a piece of software, then I think the story of almost every application made will have more or less the same ending - they will become bloated and slow. We can see examples of this everywhere, from operating systems to browsers to media players.

But what an increasing number of people want is exactly the opposite - applications which are minimal, small and fast. In the realm of music players, 1by1 is one which fits that description - a small, fast, and lightweight audio player that only does one thing but does it really good.

Compared to other media players which are hundreds of megabytes, 1by1 is really tiny. Its size is only around 150KB and it can be used as a portable app. Therefore it's small enough to be kept inside your Dropbox folder or USB drive or be installed on every computer you use.

If you want to install it in your Dropbox folder or USB drive to use it as a portable app, choose the folder or drive as the location where you want to put it during the installation process. But please make sure that both the 1by1 application and a file called "mpglib.dll" are located in the same folder.

Sometimes, the installation process will put "mpglib.dll" in a different location and thereby render 1by1 unfunctional as a portable app. If this happens and you are unable to locate the file, you can just download it from here, and extract it to the same location as the application inside your USB drive or Dropbox folder.

The first time you open 1by1, you'll quickly notice that the app is definitely not the prettiest one in town. It's a bit difficult to get around the functions, especially if you are using it the for first time. Plus it's hard to tell what each button does just by looking at the shape. You have to hover your mouse above each button and let 1by1 tell you its function.

The default interface is divided into three - the folder browser on the left, the song browser on the right, and the song information at the bottom. Once you get past the first time user confusion, using 1by1 is fairly simple. You navigate to a folder with a music file inside, pick a song, and press play. The app will go through the songs one by one if you do not interfere.

Just pick a folder and play, no complicated database required. If you want to play sets of songs in a certain arrangement, arrange them inside folders. If you're the kind of person who can't live without smart playlists, then 1by1 is not for you. On the other hand, 1by1 is perfect for those who just want to listen to their collection without any fuss.

You can completely minimize the player to get out of your way while working on something else by clicking on the minus button like any other Windows application. You can put it on minimal view by clicking the minimize button (showed in the picture below).

Having a fast player means nothing if you have to go back and forth to the application to click on different buttons. You can go around the player faster if you learn some of the basic shortcuts. Hover your mouse above the buttons to view them.

Other than the basic audio playing buttons, I think you should know the Options button at the furthest right of the player. You can access many player functions here, including the "Settings" window (F6). There are many customizations inside the Settings window, but you might want to visit the "Audio Enhancer" section first. Here's where you can enable or disable the audio enhancer and audio equalizer.

Despite the look, I think 1by1 is a great little audio player. It comes without all the bells and whistles of other big players, but that's the strong point of this app. If you need a good audio player that won't put stress on your system, you should try 1by1. Don't forget to tell us what you think of it in the comments below.