In the beginning there was MPecker. It was a free MP3 encoder for Mac OS Classic created by Rafael Luebbert who wished to bring this technology to the Mac - as it was supposedly the first MP3 encoder on that platform, a dist10 derivative with very simple interface and minimal features: it only allowed a handful of bitrates, and offered batch encoding.

By the time version 1.0 rolled out, it was already showing improvement. Much prettier interface, bigger choice of bitrates and four experimental psychoacoustic models to choose from. Quite slower too, which I guess is a reflex of the quality improvements. It was still freeware.

Then in 1999, famous Mac software developer Proteron bought the program, improved it and relaunched as MPegger, a commercial software costing US$ 24,95. But the improvements were varied: full range of bitrates for MP3 encoding, as well as three VBR modes. MP2 encoding. CD ripping (with CDDB support). ID3 tagging. Volume normalization. You can see a mirror of the MPegger web page at the Internet Archive.

At the same time Proteron was developing another MP3 encoder called N2MP3, using an unknown encoding engine (probably dist10 as well) and with much of the same functionalities as MPegger, but in a drag'n'drop-oriented interface. It cost US$ 34,95.

The last iteration of this encoder was N2MP3 Pro, a mix of MPegger and N2MP3. One unusual feature in this encoder is that it allows users to chose the encoding engine they want: MPegger, LAME (version 3.89), or "Fraunhofer"; besides MP2 and Vorbis. It seems the encoder in N2MP3 was discarded - or simply renamed (see next paragraph). Another new feature is microphone and line-in recording.

In the paragraph above, Fraunhofer is surrounded by quotation marks for a reason: that is not the encoder you would expect by that name (which would be MP3enc or Fastenc). It is actually just a misleading way to refer to the dist10 encoder (because, in principle, Fraunhofer participated in the dist10 development). For instance, the user manual describes LAME as "a GNU Project optimization of the Fraunhofer encoder", which is as inaccurate as a phrase can be: LAME never had any relation with the FSF/GNU Project (other than using one of their licenses) and bears no relation with the encoders we understand as being created by FhG.

All this makes more irritating the knowledge that N2MP3 Pro was sold for the price of US$ 59,95 - 25 dollars more expensive than N2MP3 -, for encoders that they obtained for free (dist10, LAME and Vorbis). Considering this behavior, no surprises then that the company went under in the late 2000s. A mirror of the N2MP3 Pro web page can still be viewed at the Internet Archive.


Date: 2001-01-23
Version: 2.01
Interface: Graphical
Platform: Mac OS Classic (PPC)
Download: N2MP3Pro.sit - 3.007kB

Date: 2000-01-26
Version: 1.5b3
Interface: Graphical
Platform: Mac OS Classic (PPC)
Download: N2MP3v1.5b3.sit - 1.324kB

Date: 1999-09-22
Version: 1.02
Interface: Graphical
Platform: Mac OS Classic (PPC)
Download: N2MP3v102.sit - 1.329kB

Date: 1999-12-21
Version: 1.1
Interface: Graphical
Platform: Mac OS Classic (PPC)
Download: MPegger11.sit - 572kB

Date: 1998-09-03
Version: 1.0b5
Interface: Graphical
Platform: Mac OS Classic (PPC)
Download: MPeckerEncoder1.0b5c3.sit - 168kB

Date: 1997-05-17
Version: 0.19a6
Interface: Graphical
Platform: Mac OS Classic (PPC)
Download: MPeckerEncoder019a6.sit - 202kB

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Luebbert also created a simple, freeware MP1/2/3 decoder for Mac OS called MPecker Drop Decoder. The Proteron guys took this code and turned it into the MPegger Drop Decoder. It cost US$ 9,95, but was included for free on puchases of MPegger or N2MP3. According to this, it is one of the most accurate MPEG audio decoders for Mac.


Date: 2000-12-16
Version: 2.01
Interface: Graphical
Platform: Mac OS Classic (PPC)
Download: MPeggerDropDecoder.sit - 296kB

Date: 1999-08-08
Version: 1.6.4
Interface: Graphical
Platform: Mac OS Classic (PPC)
Download: MPeckerDropDecoder164.sit - 231kB

Date: 1998-09-16
Version: 1.3
Interface: Graphical
Platform: Mac OS Classic (PPC)
Download: MPeckerDropDecoder13.sit - 75kB

Date: 1997-10-27
Version: 1.02
Interface: Graphical
Platform: Mac OS Classic (PPC)
Download: MPeckerDropDecoder102.sit - 71kB