overkill or not, 320k is still the best option next to lossless if space is not a concern in any way. Some issues which can occur when importing or working with MP3 files in Live are detailed in this article: Issues importing compressed audio files to Live. but this would also imply that the itunes mp3 encoder is in fact as good as the lame (or aac) encoder when you encode at 320kbps.
![itunes mp3 encoder vs lame itunes mp3 encoder vs lame](https://static.macupdate.com/products/8837/m/itunes-lame-encoder-logo.png)
Issues importing or working with MP3 in Live Audacity is also available for both platforms, but you'll need to follow some instructions to get it to export files as MP3 first.
![itunes mp3 encoder vs lame itunes mp3 encoder vs lame](https://sagebrush.com/wp-content/uploads/mp3_bitrate_list.png)
#Itunes mp3 encoder vs lame how to
A tutorial about how to convert audio files into MP3 with iTunes can be found in the Apple knowledge base. The internal mpglib decoding library has been replaced with the libmpg123 decoding library. This a point release with NO changes to the encoding library.
#Itunes mp3 encoder vs lame free
However there are many free tools to convert a WAV or AIFF file into an MP3. ENCODER: MP3 Encoder from iTunes 7.1.0.59 - Setting: Higher Quality (192 kbps) - 44100 Hz, normal stereo. win32 compile should work on XP, or later. MP3 Conversion tool recommendations (Live 1-9) It would be nice to see Audacity include the LAME MP3 encoder (or whatever MP3 encoder). Blade is best at high bitrates, and seems to skip less than Lame in most cd players. Lame 256kbps is actually better than Lame 320kbps. Note that LAME, iTunes/Quicktime, and WMP Codecs all add varying amounts of padding to the MP3 file's header, therefore, it is expected that MP3 files exported from Live and re-imported to Live will have audible padding present in the audio clip. Apple accelerated this even further with the release of the iPod and iTunes in 2001. They have a comparison of a few mp3 codecs. MP3 files can be exported in Live using the Export Audio/Video command.
![itunes mp3 encoder vs lame itunes mp3 encoder vs lame](https://ss1.coressl.jp/listening-test.coresv.net/img2/mp3192k_table.png)
Once an MP3 is dropped into a track, Live decodes it and writes the result to a temporary, uncompressed sample file. You can drag and drop the files from Live's Browser as well as directly from Explorer(Win)/Finder(Mac).