# Install mac with Homebrew, dnf, pacman, zypper Monkey's Audio lossless codec. Version 13.18 via Homebrew; verified 2026-07-02. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:mac ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install mac ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata ### Linux - dnf (92%): ```sh sudo dnf install mac ``` Evidence: Fedora Rawhide package metadata: mac from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst - pacman (92%): ```sh sudo pacman -S mac ``` Evidence: Arch Linux sync databases: mac from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz - zypper (92%): ```sh sudo zypper install mac ``` Evidence: openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: mac from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:mac - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 13.18 - **Source summary:** Monkey's Audio lossless codec - **Homepage:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** BSD-3-Clause - **Source archive:** - **Last updated:** 2026-07-02T00:05:53Z - **Generated:** 2026-07-10T07:20:53+00:00 ## Executables - mac (cli) - mac (alias) ## Build dependencies - cmake ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Bottle: available on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-10 - Package-manager version: 13.18 - Package-manager updated: 2026-07-02 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://www.monkeysaudio.com - info: Release/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories. ## Project history and usage Monkey's Audio is a lossless audio compressor and APE file-format implementation by Matthew T. Ashland. In Homebrew it is packaged as `mac`, the command-line utility built from the official Monkey's Audio SDK/source distribution. ### Project history The official site presents Monkey's Audio as a fast, efficient, bit-perfect music compressor that can compress and later decompress audio back to the original data. The site footer and license identify Matthew T. Ashland's copyright as spanning 2000-2026, and the homepage thanks users for 26 years of the project. The developer page documents an SDK intended to make the compression technology easy to embed in other software. It says the SDK includes source code for compression, decompression, verification, conversion, analysis, and APE tagging, plus Visual Studio and Xcode projects. ### Adoption history Monkey's Audio predates most modern package-manager audio codecs and is historically associated with the `.ape` format, high compression ratios, APE tags, and Windows audio tooling. The official homepage claims more than 10 million downloads and broad support by media players and rippers. Homebrew packages the SDK as a Unix-style `mac` command and builds bottles for macOS and Linux targets. That makes a historically Windows-oriented codec available to package-manager users as a normal CLI encoder, verifier, and decoder. ### How it is used The official help describes compress, decompress, verify, convert, and make-APL modes. It documents compression-level tradeoffs and pipe-based workflows such as feeding WAV output from FFmpeg or FLAC into `mac.exe`. The Homebrew formula tests the Unix command by compressing a WAV fixture to APE, verifying the APE file, decompressing it back to WAV, and comparing hashes, which captures the package's command-line purpose. ### Why package nerds care The Homebrew `mac` formula is package-nerd notable because the package name is short and opaque while the upstream project name is Monkey's Audio. It is also a good example of a package manager turning an upstream SDK/source bundle into a portable command-line codec. ### Timeline - 2000: Monkey's Audio copyright history begins, according to the official license and site footer. - 2023-08: The official license page identifies the current license as 3-Clause BSD. - 2026-07: Official homepage listed Monkey's Audio 13.18 and described 26 years of the project. - 2026-07: Homebrew formula packaged the official SDK/source zip as `mac` 13.17. ### Related projects - The official help page names FLAC, WavPack, ALAC, and FFmpeg in conversion or external-encoder workflows. The Homebrew formula packages Monkey's Audio as `mac`, distinct from unrelated tools whose names include MAC addresses or macOS cleanup. ### Sources - - - - - - ## Security Notes No matching local secret-handling manifest was found for mac. Nucleus package metadata is still published here so future coverage has a stable package URL. ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** mac - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 0 - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - dnf - mac - 12.73-1.fc45: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: mac from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | Monkey's Audio Codec | https://monkeysaudio.com - dnf - mac-devel - 12.73-1.fc45: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: mac-devel from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | Development files for mac | https://monkeysaudio.com - dnf - mac-libs - 12.73-1.fc45: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: mac-libs from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | Library for Monkey's Audio Codec | https://monkeysaudio.com - pacman - mac - 12.95-1: normalized package name match | Arch Linux sync databases: mac from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz | APE codec and decompressor | https://www.monkeysaudio.com/index.html - zypper - mac - 10.26-1.7: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: mac from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst | APE codec and decompressor | https://www.monkeysaudio.com/ - zypper - mac-devel - 10.26-1.7: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: mac-devel from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst | Development files for APE | https://www.monkeysaudio.com/ ## Related links - [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata. - [Archive and compression packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/archive-compression-tools/) - Matched archive or compression metadata. - [Networking and protocol packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/networking-protocol-tools/) - Matched network, protocol, or remote-service metadata. - [Media and graphics packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/media-graphics-tools/) - Matched media, image, audio, video, or graphics metadata. - [cmake](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cmake/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [djvulibre](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/djvulibre/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, compression, media. - [fdk-aac](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/fdk-aac/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: audio-codec, cli, media. - [flif](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/flif/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, compression, media. - [imgdiet](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/imgdiet/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, compression, media. - [jpeg-turbo](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/jpeg-turbo/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, compression, media. - [jpegoptim](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/jpegoptim/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, compression, media. - [libgsm](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/libgsm/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: audio-codec, cli, media. - [libilbc](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/libilbc/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: audio-codec, cli, media. - [musepack](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/musepack/) - Both packages work with overlapping file formats or content types. Shared terms: audio, audio-codec, cli, codec, compression. - [tta](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/tta/) - Both packages work with overlapping file formats or content types. Shared terms: audio, cli, codec, lossless, lossless-audio. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/mac.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/mac.yml) ## Sources - Nucleus package database - Geiger risk classifier - package-page enrichment - curated package history - package version freshness - av.db category and tag curation - package relationship graph - external package-manager database matches - cross-ecosystem install command graph