An audio encoder regulates quality and bitrate with a control strategy. The strategy includes several features. For example, an encoder selects a quantization level within a range of quantization levels, where the selecting accounts for non-monotonicity of quality measure as a function of quantization level within the range. The encoder then quantizes audio information by the quantization level. Or, an encoder determines first and second quality measures associated with a first and second quantization levels, respectively, then determines a third quantization level within a quantization level range based upon location of a target quality on a trajectory of quality measure as a function of quantization level. The first and second quantization levels define endpoints of the quantization level range, and the first and second quality measures define endpoints of the trajectory. The function relates logarithm of quality measure in proportion to inverse logarithm of quantization level.