#### Beyond Linux® From Scratch (systemd Edition) - Version 11.1

### Chapter 42. Multimedia Libraries and Drivers

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# FAAC-1_30

## Introduction to FAAC

FAAC is an encoder for a lossy sound compression scheme specified in MPEG-2 Part 7 and MPEG-4 Part 3 standards and known as Advanced Audio Coding (AAC). This encoder is useful for producing files that can be played back on iPod. Moreover, iPod does not understand other sound compression schemes in video files.

This package is known to build and work properly using an LFS-11.1 platform.

### Package Information

- Download (HTTP): https://github.com/knik0/faac/archive/1_30/faac-1_30.tar.gz

- Download MD5 sum: 8d61e6d55088e599aa91532d5e6995b0

- Download size: 240 KB

- Estimated disk space required: 4.7 MB

- Estimated build time: less than 0.1 SBU

User Notes: https://wiki.linuxfromscratch.org/blfs/wiki/faac

## Installation of FAAC

Install FAAC by running the following commands:

    ./bootstrap                                &&
    ./configure --prefix=/usr --disable-static &&
    make

This package does not come with a test suite. However, basic functionality can be tested by encoding a sample WAV file (the sample file is installed by the alsa-utils-1.2.6 package:

    ./frontend/faac -o Front_Left.mp4 /usr/share/sounds/alsa/Front_Left.wav

Then, decode the result using the faad program from the FAAD2-2_10_0 package and play back the decoded file (requires the aplay program from the alsa-utils-1.2.6 package:

    faad Front_Left.mp4
    aplay Front_Left.wav

aplay should identify the file as “Signed 16 bit Little Endian, Rate 48000 Hz, Stereo”, and you should hear the words “front left”.

Now, as the `root` user:

    make install

## Command Explanations

`--disable-static`: This switch prevents installation of static versions of the libraries.

## Other AAC encoders

The quality of FAAC is not up to par with the best AAC encoders currently available. Also, it only supports AAC and not High Efficiency AAC (also known as aacPlus), which provides better quality at low bitrates by means of using the “spectral band replication” technology. There are the following alternative programs for producing AAC and HE-AAC streams:

- Nero AAC Codec: available only in the binary form, the command-line AAC and HE-AAC encoders for Linux are in the same archive as the Windows application.

- 3GPP Enhanced aacPlus general audio codec: available in the source form, can encode only HE-AAC up to 48 kbps out of the box, but the maximum bitrate can be changed by editing the tuning table in the `FloatFR_sbrenclib/src/sbr_main.c` file.

Note, however, that iPod supports only Low Complexity AAC profile, which is the default in FAAC, but may not be the default in Nero AAC Encoder and is completely unavailable in the 3GPP encoder.

## Contents

Installed Program: faac
Installed Libraries: libfaac.so and libmp4v2.so
Installed Directories: None

### Short Descriptions

faac | is a command-line AAC encoder
`libfaac.so` | contains functions for encoding AAC streams
`libmp4v2.so` | contains functions for creating and manipulating MP4 files

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