FFmpeg Configuration

AudioPie uses FFmpeg for audio processing. This guide covers FFmpeg configuration and troubleshooting.

What is FFmpeg?

FFmpeg is a powerful open-source tool for handling multimedia files. AudioPie uses it to:

• Read MP3 file information (FFprobe)
• Convert MP3 to AAC
• Combine audio tracks
• Embed chapters and metadata
• Add cover art

Bundled FFmpeg

AudioPie includes a bundled version of FFmpeg that works out of the box:

• No configuration required
• Works on all platforms
• Tested for compatibility

The bundled FFmpeg is used by default when no custom path is set.

Using System FFmpeg

If you prefer using your system's FFmpeg installation:

Linux

# Check if FFmpeg is installed
ffmpeg -version
ffprobe -version

# Install if needed (Ubuntu/Debian)
sudo apt install ffmpeg

# Install if needed (Fedora)
sudo dnf install ffmpeg

# Install if needed (Arch)
sudo pacman -S ffmpeg

Typical paths:

• /usr/bin/ffmpeg
• /usr/bin/ffprobe

Windows

1. Download FFmpeg from ffmpeg.org
2. Extract to a folder (e.g., C:\ffmpeg)
3. Add to PATH or set in AudioPie settings

Typical paths:

• C:\ffmpeg\bin\ffmpeg.exe
• C:\ffmpeg\bin\ffprobe.exe

macOS

# Install with Homebrew
brew install ffmpeg

# Check installation
which ffmpeg
which ffprobe

Typical paths:

• /usr/local/bin/ffmpeg
• /opt/homebrew/bin/ffmpeg (Apple Silicon)

Configuring Custom FFmpeg

To use a custom FFmpeg installation:

1. Open Settings (gear icon)
2. Set FFmpeg Path to your ffmpeg executable
3. Set FFprobe Path to your ffprobe executable
4. Close Settings to save

Verifying Configuration

After setting custom paths, try adding a track to verify:

• If successful, FFmpeg is working correctly
• If errors occur, check the paths

FFmpeg Requirements

AudioPie requires FFmpeg with these codecs:

Codec	Purpose	Required
libmp3lame	Read MP3 files	✅
aac	Encode AAC audio	✅
mov/mp4	M4B container	✅

Most FFmpeg builds include these by default.

Checking Codec Support

# Check for MP3 support
ffmpeg -codecs | grep mp3

# Check for AAC support
ffmpeg -codecs | grep aac

# Check for M4B/M4A support
ffmpeg -formats | grep m4a

Troubleshooting

"FFmpeg not found"

1. Check if paths are set correctly in Settings
2. Verify FFmpeg is executable:

   chmod +x /path/to/ffmpeg

3. Try clearing the paths to use bundled FFmpeg

"FFprobe not found"

FFprobe is usually installed alongside FFmpeg. If missing:

1. Reinstall FFmpeg completely
2. Download from official sources
3. Ensure both binaries are from the same version

Encoding Fails

Error: Encoding failed...

Possible causes:

• Source file is corrupted
• Insufficient disk space
• FFmpeg doesn't have write permissions
• Incompatible FFmpeg version

Solutions:

• Try bundled FFmpeg (clear custom paths)
• Re-encode source files with another tool
• Check disk space
• Update FFmpeg to latest version

Slow Encoding

If encoding is very slow:

1. Check FFmpeg Threads setting
2. Ensure you're not running other intensive tasks
3. Consider reducing output bitrate
4. Check CPU usage during encoding

Wrong Duration Detected

If track durations are incorrect:

# Check file directly
ffprobe -v error -show_entries format=duration \
  -of default=noprint_wrappers=1:nokey=1 \
  "path/to/file.mp3"

If FFprobe reports wrong duration:

• Source file may have issues
• Try re-encoding the source
• Check for VBR (Variable Bit Rate) issues

Chapters Not Working

If chapters don't appear in the output:

1. Verify chapters are configured in AudioPie
2. Check FFmpeg version supports Nero chapters:

   ffmpeg -version
   # Should be 4.0 or newer

3. Try building a simple test case

FFmpeg Version Compatibility

AudioPie is tested with:

• FFmpeg 4.x
• FFmpeg 5.x
• FFmpeg 6.x

Older versions (3.x and below) may have issues.

Checking Your Version

ffmpeg -version
# FFmpeg 6.0 or newer recommended

Advanced Configuration

Custom FFmpeg Build

If you need a custom FFmpeg build:

# Example: Build with specific options
./configure --enable-gpl --enable-libmp3lame --enable-libfdk-aac
make -j8
sudo make install

Using FFmpeg from Container

If running AudioPie with Docker/Flatpak:

• FFmpeg must be available inside the container
• Use bundled FFmpeg for best compatibility

Performance Tips

Encoding Speed

Threads	Speed	CPU Usage
1	Slow	Low
2	Moderate	Medium
4	Fast	High
8+	Very Fast	Very High

Quality vs Speed

For faster builds with same quality:

• Ensure FFmpeg threads are set appropriately
• Use SSD for output location
• Close other applications during build

Memory Usage

FFmpeg typically uses 100-500 MB RAM during encoding. Ensure you have sufficient free memory for:

• FFmpeg process
• AudioPie application
• Operating system