How to turn export a file to mp3 in audacity 2.3.1

[reggind]

Open Audacity. Look under help and about audacity. If you do not have version 2.3.1 (the latest as of now..) go and fetch the latest and install it.
Load the file you want to save as an MP3 - the initial file format does not matter, as long as audacity can open it.
Make any changes you want to make to the file..
Go to file menu item.
Choose export
Choose export as mp3
Accept the defaults..

If this is the first time you are exporting an mp3 you will get a popup telling you that you need to download the lame_enc dll, there is a box to click to download it right in the menu. Click on it.

Now things may get a bit confusing, you need to select the proper download for your OS. Click on the " LAME installation section" for your OS, in my case Windows.

When the next link opens up, click on the blue LAME download page link

left click on the Lame_v3.99.3_for_Windows.exe link. Note that this is the EXE and not the ZIP.

Save the file in an easy to find location such as downloads. Once it is downloaded, run the file, and just click through the install.

When the install is done go back to Audacity. Click OK, and you should get an error. and get taken back to the export as MP3 screen again. Again accept the defaults and say OK. This time you should get a screen that will let you fill in any metadata on the MP3 tags that you want to. I never bother with any, and now when you click OK, you should see the progress bar as it saves your newly minted mp3 file.

From here on out, you will be able to export without having to mess with the mp3 encoder dll again. You are now as they say, good to go.

Have fun...

[Cuchullain-1]

Allthough I´m not using Audacity - a nice description/Tutorial for it. In case I will use it one day, I´ll have some good instructions now. Thank´s for it !