VS XP3: No MP3 available with AVI files!

[Mary H]

I searched, but didn't find this...

I badly need to be able to make AVI files with Xvid and MP3 audio! I can't believe they removed MP3 from this product!

I upgraded for the increased speed and a few other small features, but I feel that I just threw the money away since I still have to use ver. 12 for the majority of my projects.

What are people using instead of MP3? Is there no way to add it back in with a plugin or some such? Xvid was installed manually, and causes no problems. MP3 works fine from other software, BTW, like AutoGK, TMPGEnc Xpress, etc. So I know it's on the system.

But MP3 is definitely not in the list of audio options when you go into AVI Options in VS X3. I've looked for it many times.

This is the Trial version of VS Pro X3, which has been upgraded with a valid registration code and activation code. I hadn't tried it for a couple of weeks, and today when I closed it after verifying the above audio offerings, it asked if a patch should be installed. I said yes, but it made no changes to the audio choices.

[Mary H]

Following up on the 'no MP3 with AVI output' issue... I submitted a support request with Corel earlier today that read as follows:

"I've used VS since ver. 9 to create AVI (Xvid) news clips with MP3 audio for my website. I upgraded recently to VS Pro X3 and was dismayed to find that there is no option to choose MP3 audio with AVI files! MP3 output works fine with TMGEnc Xpress 4, AutoGK, and other software, so I know it works on my system. I prefer to use VS only because of the overlay and title functions.

What do I have to install or update to restore MP3 function to VS Pro X3? I upgraded in good faith and feel that my money was wasted since the software is useless to me now."

This is the reply I got back a little while ago:

"Thank you very much for your e-mail. No, MP3 is not an available codec for the audio part of an AVI file in VideoStudio X3".

So what I want to know is... how is that SOME people say they still have it, when even tech service says it's not included??? I told them this is ridiculous and crazy, and I want my upgrade money back!

[Ken Berry]

There was no real point in your starting a new thread when you have already raised your problem in another thread. And I, of course, am the 'SOME people' that you refer to that *can* access MP3 audio with XVid movies. I am glad, however, that you raised the matter with Corel, and that they replied.

Perhaps I can now add a little more information which might back-up Corel's claim about MP3 and XVid in X3. However, it does not really explain why it is happening.

Coincidentally, just yesterday I bought a new computer and am considering making it my main video editing computer. It came with Windows 7, so I first installed VS X3. I also installed the XVid codec. When I first opened X3 and went through the routine I described in the other thread, though XVid showed up as an output option in Share > Create Video File > Custom > AVI > Options, the available audio output associated with it did NOT include either mpeg layer 2 or 3 (i.e. no MP3). This remained the case after I rebooted.

I thought about it for a bit, then installed X2 which I had also installed on my other computer. (I also installed the two available patches for X2, including the Windows 7 compatibility one.) And that is what did the trick. X3/XVid now has the same MP3 option for output as X2 does.

As I say, I don't understand exactly why this is the case -- though obviously both versions must share some common files. But it is a possible solution for people like you if they have access to X2.

[sjj1805]

Go to Settings, Make Movie Templates Manager and create a new template.

[Mary H]

Ken Berry: There was no real point in your starting a new thread when you have already raised your problem in another thread.

Thanks Ken, but I was chided over there in the 'wish list' by a mod for discussing the problem there. So I started a new thread. I appreciated your responses, even though I became more confused.

I did have VS X2 installed, and MP3 continued to work there for a while. After a couple of uninstalls, reinstalls of both X3 and X2, they wound up with neither one having the MP3 option. Guess I wasn't holding my mouth right. LOL! Maybe I'll try it again in a different order. Right now I have X3 installed on a separate computer with Win7-32 for testing, and put X2 back on my Win7-64 video processing machine so I'd have it to use in the meanwhile.. (All patches have been applied in each case.)

sjj1805: Go to Settings, Make Movie Templates Manager and create a new template.

Thanks, I'll try that.

[Mary H]

Go to Settings, Make Movie Templates Manager and create a new template.

Nope, sorry, doesn't work. No matter which Compression type I choose, MP3 is not included in the list of available Audio formats below.

[Mary H]

OK, I have verified that Ken's method of installing X3 first, THEN installing X2 works to make MP3 available for AVI files! Crazy!

First I tried it on my Win7-32 file-server computer, which was a clean Win7 installation. X3 had just been installed, so I installed X2, and MP3 appears in both! So then I went to my (much more powerful) Win7-64 video processing computer. I removed everything relating to Videostudio of any version, cleaned the registry, restarted. Then installed X3, let it update. As expected, no MP3. Then installed X2, plus all patches. Voila! Both X3 and X2 now have MP3 as a choice with AVI files!

Thank you so much Ken! But Corel... come on! Not only do you tell me it's NOT available, but you offer no way around it? And what about the people who never read this, or those who didn't have X2, and just bought X3 outright? They're up that famous creek without a paddle! And even in my case... I'd really prefer not to have 2 full installations on the computer at once! But I'll live with it for now, just to have X3 working properly.

[Ken Berry]

I agree that it potentially leaves quite a few users of X3 who have no previous version installed, up the proverbial creek. Quite a few people, after all, use either XVid or DivX.

Not that I want to muddy the waters of that proverbial creek too much, , but in talking with Corel over this problem, I have also noted to them the fact recent versions of the DivX codec do not seem to be recognised by X3 (or X2 for that matter). And it seems that Corel has dropped the old version 5.1.1 legacy DivX codec from the installation. It appears in X2 and previous versions.

[sjj1805]

....... I'd really prefer not to have 2 full installations on the computer at once! But I'll live with it for now, just to have X3 working properly.

If you see my signature block it no doubt explains why I had the MPEG 3 Audio available!
As for having X2 and X3 both installed - you have the best of two worlds.
Edit in X3 and render a video.
Now Author in X2

[Mary H]

....... I'd really prefer not to have 2 full installations on the computer at once! But I'll live with it for now, just to have X3 working properly.

If you see my signature block it no doubt explains why I had the MPEG 3 Audio available!
As for having X2 and X3 both installed - you have the best of two worlds.
Edit in X3 and render a video.
Now Author in X2

Yes, that's totally understandable. One point though... From the beginning, I DID have X2 and X3 both installed. MP3 still didn't appear in X3. (Even though I was using MP3 successfully in half a dozen other apps.) It was only after I deleted both, and reinstalled in reverse order, that everything worked again, magically.