Import FFmpeg into Audacity

I'm trying to import FFmpeg into Audacity (so I can encode AAC audio)

But the latest FFmpeg Windows build doesn't include the avformat-55.dll file I need. Where can I find this file, or is it not included anymore?

Solution 1:

The FFmpeg project recommends Windows builds from the following sources:

• https://www.gyan.dev/ffmpeg/builds/
• https://github.com/BtbN/FFmpeg-Builds/releases

On one of these pages, select a “shared” build so the DLL will actually be there. It will be located in the “bin” folder. However, the current version is 57. It may or may not work with Audacity.

Also keep in mind to pick the correct choice from 32/64 bit: It needs to match Audacity’s “bitness”. You can look in Task Manager to find out whether it’s a 32-bit process.

On the official Audacity wiki, theres a section on how to get FFmpeg. It directs you to this page: http://lame.buanzo.org/#lamewindl You can find the required FFmpeg version there.

Downloads from that page are terribly slow, so I’ll provide a mirror: http://download.futuretech.in/ffmpeg-win-2.2.2.zip

Unfortunately, there’s no checksum on the original page, so I cannot prove that my mirror isn’t tampered with. Use it at your own risk.

Solution 2:

As of January 2021, the official Audacity manuals' instructions for Installing FFmpeg for Windows advise downloading FFmpeg from lame.buanzo.org; scroll down the page and click the link "FFmpeg RECOMMENDED ZIP OPTION: ffmpeg-win-2.2.2.zip", unzip it in your desired location, then point Audacity to avformat-55.dll in the unzipped folder.