Audacity and OSX 10.8 - MP3 export problems

If you are using Audacity and OSX 10.8, you might find that Audacity won't pick up the right path to the Lame dynamic library file for exporting MP3s, even if you use the recommended Lame install package that puts it in the user library where Audacity wants to find it. The problem is that if you have multiple accounts on a machine, the /usr/library is helpfully hidden by Apple. We've found Audacity can find it if you are in the administrator's account, but if you are in another account, say "student," it won't find it.

The best solution for us has been to create a Lame folder inside the Audacity folder in the Applications folder, point the Lame installer there, and then point Audacity there once the Lame dylib is installed. But this is a pain to do individually if you have a set of lab computers, etc.

However, if you edit the audacity.cfg file and then do a mass copy to the machines, it should work. At the bottom of the .cfg file, after MP3LibPath put in the path to your lame dylib file that you now have in the applications folder (or wherever you have put it):

[Export]
Format=MP3
Path=/Users/faculty/Desktop
[MP3]
MP3LibPath=

Problem is, how do you find this folder because the Library directory is hidden (this is the usr/library, not the root library)? If you click on the Go dropdown menu and while holding it down hit the Option key, "Library" magically appears as one of the places you can go -- and you'll find the .cfg file there.

Hope that helps - Doug

(Here is some more on the topic, including another way to get to the applicable Library folder http://forum.audacityteam.org/viewtopic.php?f=47&t=68006)