BenBurch
Gatekeeper of The Left
Any MP-3 (within limits - some MP-3s are badly-formed) can be loaded into an iPod and played. Drag the file into iTunes, and thence into a playlist to be loaded into the iPod. Select the playlist in the iPod sync panel and sync.
The iLounge has a tutorial on purchasing music online.
That same site has tutorials on how to do almost anything with your iPod.
That same site has tutorials on how to do almost anything with your iPod.
Rolfe
Adult human female
Thanks, guys. I've been struggling a bit to get my iPod to do all I want it to (haven't even managed to play the infamous Jeni Barnett clip yet), so I'll take the time to look at these links.
My current bete noir is a Bach cantata which a friend bought for me using her computer and her iTunes, the day after I got my iPod. Now, I can't back-copy it onto my own computer, or move it to my new iPod (the original one having lost screen function after going through the washing machine). iTunes help was no use. Currently, the donor (who has moved away from the area) is supposed to me sending me the files on a memory stick. Don't even know if that will work.
Why is nothing ever simple?
Rolfe.
My current bete noir is a Bach cantata which a friend bought for me using her computer and her iTunes, the day after I got my iPod. Now, I can't back-copy it onto my own computer, or move it to my new iPod (the original one having lost screen function after going through the washing machine). iTunes help was no use. Currently, the donor (who has moved away from the area) is supposed to me sending me the files on a memory stick. Don't even know if that will work.
Why is nothing ever simple?
Rolfe.
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jimtron
Illuminator
If you sync your iPod with your computer, you should be able to access all song files. On a Mac they're in yourusername: music: iTunes: iTunes Music. If your friend bought the piece from iTunes, you may be having probems because of DRM. If you buy songs from Amazon there's no DRM, and you can still add them to iTunes and iPod.
What do you mean by copy it back the other way?
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Rolfe
Adult human female
It was bought from iTunes. I think it's DRM. I'd just bought the iPod and hadn't even downloaded iTunes myself. I was having trouble because I didn't have an admin password for my office computer, and iTunes was going to take nearly 8 hours to download to my own computer over a dialup. The girl in the next office had managed to get iTunes on her computer, and as I had expressed a desire for this particular cantata, and as I'd done her a big favour a little while previously, she kindly took my iPod and bought the cantata for me, using her computer.
Now the damn thing is stuck on that original iPod, which isn't practically operational, and I can't get it onto either my office computer (admin password having been blagged from IT) or my new home computer (which downloaded iTunes in 14 minutes via the new broadband).
She managed to email me two of the files involved, and that worked, but the rest of the files are too big for my mailbox. (Thinks. Now have new mailbox too. Could be worth another shot.)
Rolfe.
Now the damn thing is stuck on that original iPod, which isn't practically operational, and I can't get it onto either my office computer (admin password having been blagged from IT) or my new home computer (which downloaded iTunes in 14 minutes via the new broadband).
She managed to email me two of the files involved, and that worked, but the rest of the files are too big for my mailbox. (Thinks. Now have new mailbox too. Could be worth another shot.)
Rolfe.
Sounds like you tripped over the DRM rules. She bought the cantata from the iTunes music store using her account. This allows her to transfer the songs to any iPod she owns, but not a friends iPod. When she transfered it to your iPod, the software simply assumed the iPod belonged to her. DRM doesn't allow you to copy her song.
There is an option on the iTunes music store to gift a song to another person. The recipient get an email message telling them how to download the song to their computer using their iTunes account. The DRM knows they own the song and are allowed to play it or transfer it to any iPod they own.
About the only way for her to transfer the song to you now is to create an audio CD on her computer. You could then import the cantata from that CD using iTunes on your computer, then transfer it to your iPod.
The music companies recently relaxed their insistence on DRM, so most of the current content on the iTunes Music store doesn't have these restrictions.
ETA: There is now an option to replace DRM restricted songs from the IMS with DRM free versions for a small fee per song. Unfortunately you have to upgrade all of your songs that have DRM free versions available and can't pick and choose what to upgrade.
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Anecdotal advice ...
... from me.
I've been an iPod user for quite some time, and an iTunes user since version 1 (before there even was a shop).
Just to be contradictory: You can update single albums to DRM-free, you don't have to update (and pay) them all. The "update all" button is bigger and shinier than the small "buy" buttons in the album list, though
Things I consider "good practice":
- Tell iTunes to convert the music which it reads from CDs (that you own, of course) not to its "native" AAC format. Use MP3 instead (switching to this is in the "advanced" preferences). MP3 works fine with just about any hardware/software. I've not yet found anyone who could tell the difference between original and MP3 with 192 kBit (or better, if you don't mind the storage space)
- Only drag-and-drop MP3 files into iTunes if you KNOW they have their singer/title info already in the MP3. Else, you'll end up with lots of "Unknown 0001" mp3 files. This you can edit in iTunes, of course. But it's no fun if you've just thrown in the root directory with one bazillion obscure songs of dubious origin. Just speaking from confessions of people who now absolutely HATE iTunes, despite their disregard for the old "garbage in, garbage out" rule...
- Importing from CD and letting iTunes fill in the singer/songwriter data automatically is best.
- Telling iTunes to "manage files in the music folder" is good. Don't even bother looking inside the folder. If you do, don't start mucking around in there except for copying files from there to your car stereo's memory card.
- Telling iTunes to "copy files instead of moving them" is better. Especially if they all are called "untitled.mp3"
- If you buy something from the iTunes store, look for "iTunes Plus". Those are not locked, but they do carry your user account in their file info.
- Always convert things you bought to MP3. Car radios love MP3. They usually don't love AAC or AAC Protected. Converting a bought, unprotected file is as easy as right-clicking and choosing "Convert to MP3" once you've set "MP3" as your format of choice in the preferences. Maybe rename the album name of the new MP3 files to something with "MP3" added, to keep it apart from the AAC files.
- Backup the things you bought. I prefer to burn an audio CD on top of backing up the files. Yes, you can re-import the CD straight to MP3 in iTunes. It'll even fill in title/author info for you (at least it does on my Mac).
Well, so much for my 2c. Feel free to tell me how I'm a clueless moron not to be allowed near a computer
... from me.
I've been an iPod user for quite some time, and an iTunes user since version 1 (before there even was a shop).
Just to be contradictory: You can update single albums to DRM-free, you don't have to update (and pay) them all. The "update all" button is bigger and shinier than the small "buy" buttons in the album list, though
Things I consider "good practice":
- Tell iTunes to convert the music which it reads from CDs (that you own, of course) not to its "native" AAC format. Use MP3 instead (switching to this is in the "advanced" preferences). MP3 works fine with just about any hardware/software. I've not yet found anyone who could tell the difference between original and MP3 with 192 kBit (or better, if you don't mind the storage space)
- Only drag-and-drop MP3 files into iTunes if you KNOW they have their singer/title info already in the MP3. Else, you'll end up with lots of "Unknown 0001" mp3 files. This you can edit in iTunes, of course. But it's no fun if you've just thrown in the root directory with one bazillion obscure songs of dubious origin. Just speaking from confessions of people who now absolutely HATE iTunes, despite their disregard for the old "garbage in, garbage out" rule...
- Importing from CD and letting iTunes fill in the singer/songwriter data automatically is best.
- Telling iTunes to "manage files in the music folder" is good. Don't even bother looking inside the folder. If you do, don't start mucking around in there except for copying files from there to your car stereo's memory card.
- Telling iTunes to "copy files instead of moving them" is better. Especially if they all are called "untitled.mp3"
- If you buy something from the iTunes store, look for "iTunes Plus". Those are not locked, but they do carry your user account in their file info.
- Always convert things you bought to MP3. Car radios love MP3. They usually don't love AAC or AAC Protected. Converting a bought, unprotected file is as easy as right-clicking and choosing "Convert to MP3" once you've set "MP3" as your format of choice in the preferences. Maybe rename the album name of the new MP3 files to something with "MP3" added, to keep it apart from the AAC files.
- Backup the things you bought. I prefer to burn an audio CD on top of backing up the files. Yes, you can re-import the CD straight to MP3 in iTunes. It'll even fill in title/author info for you (at least it does on my Mac).
Well, so much for my 2c. Feel free to tell me how I'm a clueless moron not to be allowed near a computer
Blue Mountain
Resident Skeptical Hobbit
Getting technical here:
Information about the artist, album, etc (collectively known as "metadata") is not part of the MP3 standard. That's supplied by another less formal specification known as ID3WP.
There are two versions of ID3:
You don't have to know about the ID3v2 frame IDs are or how to create them unless you're a geek like me who has spent the last month writing a program to manipulate ID3 tags
. Your MP3 player software will be able to handle them for you.
A word of caution: if you have a file named, for example, "David Bowie - Space Oddity.mp3", your computer's MP3 software can likely deduce that the artist is David Bowie and the song is "Space Oddity" even in the absence of an ID3v1 or ID3v2 tag. So before transferring a file like this to your MP3 player, use your MP3 software to make sure there is an ID3 tag containing this information.
People who create MP3 files without making sure the ID3 information is complete or accurate are the bane of the music-sharing culture on the internet.
Information about the artist, album, etc (collectively known as "metadata") is not part of the MP3 standard. That's supplied by another less formal specification known as ID3WP.
There are two versions of ID3:
- The original version, which tried to cram information about the album, artist, track title, genre, year, track number, and a comment into a very limited space at the end of an MP3 file
- The follow-on version known as ID3v2. This is much more comprehensive, defining a container known as the ID3 "tag" in which information is stored as a series of "frames". There are 72 different frames in the specification
, of which maybe a dozen are in active use. The ID3v2 tag is stored at the beginning of the MP3 file, and all modern players know to look for this and extract information from it (as opposed to trying to play it as an MP3 frame.)
You don't have to know about the ID3v2 frame IDs are or how to create them unless you're a geek like me who has spent the last month writing a program to manipulate ID3 tags
. Your MP3 player software will be able to handle them for you.A word of caution: if you have a file named, for example, "David Bowie - Space Oddity.mp3", your computer's MP3 software can likely deduce that the artist is David Bowie and the song is "Space Oddity" even in the absence of an ID3v1 or ID3v2 tag. So before transferring a file like this to your MP3 player, use your MP3 software to make sure there is an ID3 tag containing this information.
People who create MP3 files without making sure the ID3 information is complete or accurate are the bane of the music-sharing culture on the internet.
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elgarak
Illuminator
- Joined
- Nov 7, 2003
- Messages
- 4,472
Not true. There's an option on the main page of the iTunes store, "Upgrade to iTunes Plus", which brings you to a list of all your DRM titles which have DRM free version available. You can buy all, or just some. It's possible that you cannot upgrade just parts of an album, but that's about it.
This morning I had one album, and one song available. I just upgraded the song with no problem.
Upgrading not only removes the DRM, you go from 128 kpbs AAC to 256 kpbs AAC. Which means the files are larger, which can lead to problems once you re-sync a nearly full iPod with the same songs...
You can check whether or not the file has still DRM on it within iTunes by right-click/control-click/two-finger-click and select "Get Info". In the Summary Tab, it says either "Purchased" (no DRM) or "Protected" (DRM).
Seconded. For a solution, you might want to convert the files to MP3, create a smart playlist 'include where type contains "mp3" ' and then check the sync preferences to include this playlist only.
Another option is to right-click the column titles and add the "Kind" column to the display. It'll then say "protected AAC", which means it's a .m4p file, or "bought AAC", which is a .m4a file.
Actual wording may differ, since I'm not on an english version of the OS...
Wudang
BOFH
Another option is not to use bloody iTunes at all.
To copy a CD to MP3 use Exact Audio Copy http://www.exactaudiocopy.de/
To manage your ipod use Winamp
To copy a CD to MP3 use Exact Audio Copy http://www.exactaudiocopy.de/
To manage your ipod use Winamp
Rolfe
Adult human female
Now that raises an interesting quetsion. When I copy CDs using iTunes, what I get are .m4a files. I'm very happy with the sound quality of the result. Would I be so happy with .mp3?
The first thing my friend did for me when I first got the iPod and didn't have access to iTunes (before the cantata episode), was to transfer some of her music to my iPod. It was a selection of popular classics, and included some music I'm very fond of. I couldn't listen to them.
I don't know what was wrong. The music just didn't sound right. Since this was the first stuff I heard on the iPod, I began to be very concerned that the sound quality of the medium just wasn't good enough, and that it was all just one big waste of money. I said, listening to this music should make me happy. It doesn't. What's wrong?
That was when she did two things. One was to buy the Bach cantata that I wanted, and the other was to copy a CD of my own (Brahms' German Requiem) to my iPod. Especially with the Brahms, a beatific smile came over my face and I said, that's more like it! I practically had to have the earphones surgically removed.
Her own explanation was that her original music selection must have been degraded by having been copied a lot from one computer to another. Now even I know that this was nonsense. Digital copying doesn't degrade like tape. So it wasn't that. I later came to the conclusion that it was probably the file format, and the the files I hadn't liked were probably .mp3s. (I can't say for sure since I dumped them months ago.) I do know that all the files I listen to regularly are .m4a though.
This rather turned me against the whole concept of the mp3 format. But am I wrong? Are these .mp3s that you're all talking about actually fit to listen to?
Rolfe.
PS. I notice all the stuff I've bought from iTunes myself (more recently) is in .m4a format. I take it I wouldn't be having this problem if the cantata were in that format? That we must just have snuck in with that one before the unprotected files were the norm?
The first thing my friend did for me when I first got the iPod and didn't have access to iTunes (before the cantata episode), was to transfer some of her music to my iPod. It was a selection of popular classics, and included some music I'm very fond of. I couldn't listen to them.
I don't know what was wrong. The music just didn't sound right. Since this was the first stuff I heard on the iPod, I began to be very concerned that the sound quality of the medium just wasn't good enough, and that it was all just one big waste of money. I said, listening to this music should make me happy. It doesn't. What's wrong?
That was when she did two things. One was to buy the Bach cantata that I wanted, and the other was to copy a CD of my own (Brahms' German Requiem) to my iPod. Especially with the Brahms, a beatific smile came over my face and I said, that's more like it! I practically had to have the earphones surgically removed.
Her own explanation was that her original music selection must have been degraded by having been copied a lot from one computer to another. Now even I know that this was nonsense. Digital copying doesn't degrade like tape. So it wasn't that. I later came to the conclusion that it was probably the file format, and the the files I hadn't liked were probably .mp3s. (I can't say for sure since I dumped them months ago.) I do know that all the files I listen to regularly are .m4a though.
This rather turned me against the whole concept of the mp3 format. But am I wrong? Are these .mp3s that you're all talking about actually fit to listen to?
Rolfe.
PS. I notice all the stuff I've bought from iTunes myself (more recently) is in .m4a format. I take it I wouldn't be having this problem if the cantata were in that format? That we must just have snuck in with that one before the unprotected files were the norm?
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Rolfe
Adult human female
Another question. I own actual physical CDs of a number of things that are in the iTunes catalogue. I like having the CDs. I like the insert booklets that nearly always have really good stuff on them. I don't like downloads nearly so much because I can't refer to the booklets and see the exact cast lists or read essays about the music or whatever. So the chances are that I'm going to go on buying CDs and putting them on my iPod, rather than downloading what I want.
But it does make for a very dull iPod and iTues, visually. Where the downoaded albums have the cover artwork displaying, the CDs have a generic logo. Is there no way to get the cover artwork down from iTunes to match up with the appropriate CDs?
Rolfe.
But it does make for a very dull iPod and iTues, visually. Where the downoaded albums have the cover artwork displaying, the CDs have a generic logo. Is there no way to get the cover artwork down from iTunes to match up with the appropriate CDs?
Rolfe.
The quality of sound of MP3's depends on the amount of data you allow iTunes to use for it. MP3's with 128 kBit data rate do show degraded quality with complex sounds - like classical music. The computer needs to truncate parts of the sound waves to make it fit, and the result can sound pretty ugly.
Unfortunately, 128 kBit used to be the norm for MP3. These days, most devices can deal with up to 320 kBit data rate, and just going to 192 from 128 is going to be a major improvement. If memory is no issue, 224 kBit should please even the most discerning ear.
With even lower data rates (64 or 32 kBit), the loss becomes clearly audible as "warbling" or electronic distortion.
MP3 can also use "VBR" or variable bit rate, which uses more space for the more complex parts of a song. Instead of the constant data rate, you set the lowest (or highest, consult manual/annotation of program) permissible data rate, and the computer does the rest. Most devices can play this, too.
AAC/MPEG-4 is a newer compression method, so if you don't need the almost ubiquitous usability of MP3, then I'd say just stay with it.
Yes, .m4a means "mpeg-4 audio" and it's unprotected (note the "bought by <account-name>" in the info, though). The cantata is .m4p ("protected") and it's bound to one specific user and his/her up to 5 computers and arbitrary number of iPods.
I suggest picking one musical piece where you noticed the "mp3 loss" of quality, and try a few settings for the encoding data rate until you find one that doesn't insult your ears. Then use this from now on.
I started with 160 in the times of 40 GB hard disks, and recently moved up to 192 kBit since storage isn't an issue any more. Then again, my listening habits are more popular culture than classic, and mostly in the car. I'm a bad role model
There should be a checkbox in the iTunes preferences, "Get Cover Art from iTunes store". This is ONE way.
CAVEAT: The images that iTunes downloads are NOT stored inside the MP3/MP4 files. iTunes has a special directory where it puts the images, and matches them to their music files.
Personally, i detest that.
Geek/Obsession confession: I scanned all the covers of my CD's, and put them into the MP3 files.
Here's how I did it:
a) find/scan/photograph and crop a JPEG file of the title. 600x600 pixels is just fine. If scanning, use the "de-rasterize" option of the scanner.
b) Select all titles of the album (klick on the "album name" column header to sort by album, then use shift key to select "from a to b")
c) Press Command-I (or right-click and use "get info").
d) "Do you want to edit multiple items? - Yes, don't ask again
e) drag JPEG file into the empty square beneath the year/track no. fields
f) press OK
g) Profit!
- no, actually, the JPEG image now gets copied into the MP3 files.Note: 14 tracks with 50 kByte image each means 14*50 kBytes of storage used up.
But "Cover flow" flipping never looked so good!
Rolfe
Adult human female
Oooh, thanks!
Rolfe.
Rolfe.
Rolfe
Adult human female
So, back on the .m4a vs .mp3 question. I've got a friend's geeky son lined up to convert some cassette tapes I have to audio files. I was asking him about using .m4a because I didn't like mp3 - or so I thought. But if I just ask him to use 224kBit data rate, then I should be OK? (I'm having trouble filling my 8GB iPod, it took the entire Ring cycle as a snack as .m4as.)
This is big complex stuff. The first things I'm going to give him are the Berlioz Te Deum and Mendelssohn's Elijah.
Rolfe.
This is big complex stuff. The first things I'm going to give him are the Berlioz Te Deum and Mendelssohn's Elijah.
Rolfe.
KoihimeNakamura
Creativity Murderer
There should be a checkbox in the iTunes preferences, "Get Cover Art from iTunes store". This is ONE way.
CAVEAT: The images that iTunes downloads are NOT stored inside the MP3/MP4 files. iTunes has a special directory where it puts the images, and matches them to their music files.
Personally, i detest that.
Geek/Obsession confession: I scanned all the covers of my CD's, and put them into the MP3 files.
Here's how I did it:
a) find/scan/photograph and crop a JPEG file of the title. 600x600 pixels is just fine. If scanning, use the "de-rasterize" option of the scanner.
b) Select all titles of the album (klick on the "album name" column header to sort by album, then use shift key to select "from a to b")
c) Press Command-I (or right-click and use "get info").
d) "Do you want to edit multiple items? - Yes, don't ask again
e) drag JPEG file into the empty square beneath the year/track no. fields
f) press OK
g) Profit!
Note: 14 tracks with 50 kByte image each means 14*50 kBytes of storage used up.
But "Cover flow" flipping never looked so good!
I use mp3tag for that.
Additionally, you /can/ copy from iPod to computer, but it needs something like gtkpod, which is a linux iPod utility.
(As a related note, I use rockbox, as I got tired of iTunes and messing with it. So..)
Rolfe said:
You want 224 or 320bit mp3's. .m4a's a container nayway (same as a .mp4 format, for the curious). 224 is very clear, 320 is probably what you wnat if the songs have more echoing effects. (Or, if you need /crystal perfect quality/ go lossless, but be warned, you probably won't hear the difference in 99% of the cases, and the format is huge.)
(ASIDE: Rockbox cannot play .m4a/.m4b aac formatted files over 1 hour.)