Video render with mp3: Error initializing audio encoder... Bug in ffmpeg, not Reaper

[Fabian]

My postings in the Video mangling subforum did not get much traction, so I stick my neck out here and claim that this a bug in Reaper.

As the title says, when I try to render video with mp3 as audio format, I get an error message saying "Error initializing audio encoder". In short, it is not possible (for me) to render any video format together with mp3 as audio format. Rendering mp3 audio only works fine.

Details and screen caps etc here: https://forum.cockos.com/showthread.php?t=245022

W7x64, Reaper v6.15/x64

[Fabian]

Is it just me?

Would anyone care to confirm or refute, please.
Thanks,

[nofish]

Works here:


My (very vague) hunch would be LAME/FFMPEG incopatibilty?
I'm using LAME 3.99.5/FFMPEG v58.46.100 (Zeranoe build iirc).

edit:
You can get your current installed FFMPEG version via Preferences > Video... > Show available decoder information

edit2:
Just to be sure, did you actually install FFMPEG?
https://forum.cockos.com/showthread.php?t=82459

Reaper by default only includes a minimal FFMPEG version, not sure it's possible with that one.

[Fabian]

Originally Posted by nofish

Works here:


My (very vague) hunch would be LAME/FFMPEG incopatibilty?
I'm using LAME 3.99.5/FFMPEG v58.46.100 (Zeranoe build iirc).

edit:
You can get your current installed FFMPEG version via Preferences > Video... > Show available decoder information

Ouch!

I use ffmpeg/libav DLL decoder v58.91.100, latest (and final?) Zeranoe build. And Lame 3.99.5.

Thanks for checking this. Now I know it is not Reaper but something else, maybe what you suggest... I'll start by trying to hunt down ffmpeg v58.46.100.

Thanks again.

[nofish]

Feel free to shoot me a PM if you don't find it...

[Fabian]

Originally Posted by nofish

Feel free to shoot me a PM if you don't find it...

Thanks.
I found older versions on Wayback Machine.

And indeed, with an older version of ffmpeg it works for me here now to render mov/mp4 with mp3 as audio format. This is probably something the devs need to look into.

Still, with this older version both the mp3 and aac have the audio 12 ms late, mp3 has more of the audio cut off at the beginning than aac, and aac has clearly audible artifacts.

[Fabian]

OK, so experimenting with different versions of ffmpeg, it seems that this is a bug with the recent version of ffmpeg on Windows. Versions 4.3.0 and 4.3.1, which are both internally labeled v58.91.100, give this error:

[mp3_mf @ 000000000064c300] could not find any MFT for the given media type
[mp3_mf @ 000000000064c300] could not create MFT
Error initializing output stream 0:1 -- Error while opening encoder for output stream #0:1 - maybe incorrect parameters such as bit_rate, rate, width or height

for this command line

ffmpeg -loop 1 -i image.jpg -i audio.wav -c:v libx264 -tune stillimage -c:a mp3 -b:a 192k -pix_fmt yuv420p -shortest out.mp4

If I use ffmpeg version 4.2.3 (v58.54.100) or earlier, it works fine.

If I have "aac" instead of mp3, it works fine with new and old versions of ffmpeg (but with bad crackling).

[gxray]

Necroing this to say I just ran into this today too -- same problem.
(Also want to preface this with I know absolutely NOTHING about working with video, or how encoders/codecs work)

Available Decoder Info:

Using output: DirectShow
Current video frame: 1920x1080 'YV12' #131

Available decoder information:

========== VLC ==========
VLC v3.0.x
Loaded from: C:\Program Files\VideoLAN\VLC

========== ffmpeg/libav ==========
ffmpeg/libav DLL decoder v58.91.100

Loaded from: C:\Users\rayga\AppData\Roaming\REAPER\UserPlugins\avcodec-58.dll
ffmpeg/libav configuration:
  --disable-static
  --enable-shared
  --enable-gpl
  --enable-version3
  --enable-sdl2
  --enable-fontconfig
  --enable-gnutls
  --enable-iconv
  --enable-libass
  --enable-libdav1d
  --enable-libbluray
  --enable-libfreetype
  --enable-libmp3lame
  --enable-libopencore-amrnb
  --enable-libopencore-amrwb
  --enable-libopenjpeg
  --enable-libopus
  --enable-libshine
  --enable-libsnappy
  --enable-libsoxr
  --enable-libsrt
  --enable-libtheora
  --enable-libtwolame
  --enable-libvpx
  --enable-libwavpack
  --enable-libwebp
  --enable-libx264
  --enable-libx265
  --enable-libxml2
  --enable-libzimg
  --enable-lzma
  --enable-zlib
  --enable-gmp
  --enable-libvidstab
  --enable-libvmaf
  --enable-libvorbis
  --enable-libvo-amrwbenc
  --enable-libmysofa
  --enable-libspeex
  --enable-libxvid
  --enable-libaom
  --enable-libgsm
  --enable-librav1e
  --disable-w32threads
  --enable-libmfx
  --enable-ffnvcodec
  --enable-cuda-llvm
  --enable-cuvid
  --enable-d3d11va
  --enable-nvenc
  --enable-nvdec
  --enable-dxva2
  --enable-avisynth
  --enable-libopenmpt
  --enable-amf

ffmpeg/libav search path:
  %PATH%
  C:\Program Files\REAPER (x64)
  C:\Users\rayga\AppData\Roaming\REAPER\UserPlugins\64
  C:\Users\rayga\AppData\Roaming\REAPER\UserPlugins
  C:\Program Files\REAPER (x64)\Plugins

========== DirectShow ==========
DirectShow available

I used Zeranoe archive from here:
https://github.com/tormyvancool/ffmp...red-for-reaper

Just wanted to trim a .webm I had and then save the trimmed file.

Turns out I needed the extended FFMPEG for importing video from WEBM, and when trying to render it as any video file with MP3 output, I get:



Not entirely sure what to do -- downgrade to a different FFMPEG inside of "UserPlugins"?

[Fabian]

Yeah, versions 4.3.0 and 4.3.1 are both internally labeled v58.91.100, and they do not work with mp3 as audio format. Use 4.2.3 or earlier.

EDIT: It seems that the github page has updated ffmpeg, but not the readme file. Version 4.1.3 has its internal label 58.35.100, so the one you have installed is not 4.1.3, but either 4.3.0 or 4.3.1. You can find 4.2.3 on WaybackMachine https://web.archive.org/web/20200918...oe.com/builds/

[AaronGrooves]

I've been dealing with this same error message for over a year, and I haven't been able to export any h264 files in Reaper. But seeing your shot of the "Available Decoder Info" gave me a clue. My Reaper was getting its "avcodec-58.dll" from C:\Windows\System32. I have no idea how these files got there, but once I temporarily removed them, Reaper read the files from UserPlugins and everything now works.

This has caused me literally a year of headaches. I can't thank you all enough for this thread!

[Flaneurette]

Could you post the ffmpeg command? see if I can test it from my side, I have a 2021 build and experience no issues.

[Fabian]

Originally Posted by Flaneurette

Could you post the ffmpeg command? see if I can test it from my side, I have a 2021 build and experience no issues.

I'm not sure if you're asking me, but... one command line I used is given in posting #7 above.

[urednik]

For me the new reaper v6.43 and FFMPEG 4.4.1 work. Here are instructions by Jon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWSum2b_Wcg