sox FAIL util: Unable to load MAD decoder library (libmad) function "mad_stream_buffer"

Asked 21/8, 2010 at 9:49 Answered 9/10, 2019 at 15:14

windows visual-c++dll mp3 sox

I compiled libmad for sox. When I try to read an mp3 I get this message:

sox FAIL util: Unable to load MAD decoder library (libmad) function "mad_stream_buffer".

Did I compile the project incorrectly?

Jutland answered 21/8, 2010 at 9:49 Comment(0)

Steps to using SOX to create MP3s:

Download latest version of SOX and install.
Download libmad-0.dll and libmp3lame-0.dll. The currently only known trustworthy source is ossbuild but this requires you to download a 1.5 GB archive. The selected two files are available here and here.
Add libmad-0.dll and libmp3lame-0.dll to the folder where SOX was installed to.
Use the command line to convert a file to .mp3:
```
sox input.wav -c 2 -C 128 output.mp3
```

Note: -c 2 makes it stereo, -C 128 specifies output as 128 kbps MP3

Comedown answered 29/5, 2014 at 17:32 Comment(8)

I spent an hour fussing with trying to install LAME manually before I happened across this. Thank you and OSSBuild! – Deterrence 2/10, 2015 at 17:38

@bulltorious, I can not download libmad-0.dll and lbmp3lame-0.dll. If I press Download button in Box, I get error in Firebug:

"NetworkError: 403 Forbidden - https://app.box.com/index.php?rm=box_download_shared_file&shared_name=tzn5ohyh90viedu3u90w2l2pmp2bl41t&file_id=f_69256952453"

. Thanks. – Onitaonlooker 9/11, 2016 at 15:36

As of August 2017 .DLLs are still there in 1.5 GB archive. Thanks. – Hutson 11/8, 2017 at 12:53

the link for just the two files is dead. – Merci 24/1, 2018 at 22:23

Download mirror: libmad-0.dll and libmp3lame-0.dll. – Pend 18/8, 2018 at 18:53

Working like a charm – Waterproof 25/1, 2019 at 11:50

Confirmed working on windows 10 pro, 64bit (the two "single file" links still work for me, I used the 7 zip version) – Embry 19/12, 2019 at 10:3

Get them from mirror.msys2.org/mingw/mingw32/… and mirror.msys2.org/mingw/mingw32/… respectively, then you don't have to download that 1.5GB – Passus 9/4 at 16:39

You can download SoX binaries together with libmad.dll and libmp3lame.dll from http://www.videohelp.com/software/SoX

http://www.videohelp.com/download/sox-14.4.0-libmad-libmp3lame.zip

Folsom answered 20/8, 2016 at 2:30 Comment(0)

Compiling SOX with Lame and Libmad for Windows http://www.codeproject.com/KB/aspnet/Compiling_SOX_with_Lame.aspx

Anywhere answered 28/1, 2011 at 10:43 Comment(1)

Useful article because the "finished" version (sox compiled with lame and libmad) is included. – Hewes 27/4, 2011 at 17:18

I have put together the original SoX binary and libmad and libmp3lame from http://code.google.com/p/ossbuild/source/browse/trunk/Shared/Build/Windows/Win32/bin/

SoX binary for Win32 together with libmad and libmp3lame

Guildhall answered 16/8, 2012 at 4:53 Comment(0)

I have put together the original SoX binary and libmad and libmp3lame from http://code.google.com/p/ossbuild/source/browse/trunk/Shared/Build/Windows/Win32/bin/

SoX binary for Win32 together with libmad and libmp3lame

Thanks that was easy. Thanks for sharing this easy solution.

Glenglencoe answered 12/10, 2012 at 5:38 Comment(1)

Here is the updated URL ossbuild.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/Shared/Build/Windows/Win32/… – Whitefly 12/12, 2012 at 8:28

for compiling from source:

since the the tutorial http://www.codeproject.com/KB/aspnet/Compiling_SOX_with_Lame.aspx is rather dated (and did not work for me with more recent VisualStudio versions):
the SOX project contains ready-to-use Visual Studio projects for compiling SOX and its dependencies/libraries on Windows (e.g. using a Visual Studio Community Edition).

The SOX source code repository at SourceForge contains a directory msvc10 (and also msvc9) for compiling SOX and its dependencies with VisualStudio. Detailed instructions for that are in the Readme.txt.

So, for example, for only compiling libmad.dll:

clone SOX repository, e.g. to directory sox-code/

git clone https://git.code.sf.net/p/sox/code sox-code

download libmad source code from SourceForge and decompress to directory libmad/ (cf. instructions of the SOX VisualStudio Readme.txt, see link above), i.e. the directory structure should look like

sox-code/
libmad/

open the VisualStudio project file (*.sln) in directory sox-code/msvc10 (if needed, change build configuration form Debug to Release)
in the Solution Explorer window open context-menu for sub-project LibMad and select Build (or in older VS versions Project Only → Build Only LibMad)
afterwards the compiled DLL is in sox-code/msvc10/Release (or Debug depending on the selected configuration)

tested with VisualStudio 2010 and Visual Studio 2017 CE

Wacky answered 9/10, 2019 at 15:14 Comment(1)

excuse me, can you check this question (https://mcmap.net/q/410447/-how-do-i-tell-libmad-which-file-to-decode/12690890)? It is about libmad – Bicorn 9/2, 2021 at 8:12

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