Help w/ I-Pod

[3-LockBox]

My son got an I-Pod graris (sorta) after we broke the bank on his braces (teeth). I do not own a Mac and I do not want to use I-Tunes. How can I put MP3s on this thing with my PC. I did the drag and click thing but it doesn't show up on the I-Pod.
<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->

[BarryL]

Don't know why you don't want to use iTunes. It's a great program.

[3-LockBox]

Don't know why you don't want to use iTunes. It's a great program.

I already have lots of MP3 on my computer, and no way in hell am I going to pay 99 cents for a 128kbps-MP3. Basically, all I want to do is transfer the stuff from my hardrive to the Ipod

[BarryL]

You can rip songs into iTunes. You don't have to buy them. What I don't know is that if you transfer your songs into iTunes whether it automatically removes them from your other program. Unfortunately I don't know the answer your question.

[3-LockBox]

Thanks anyway - I knew the minute I p!ssed and moaned about it in a public forum I'd figure it out.

[ForeverAutumn]

What I don't know is that if you transfer your songs into iTunes whether it automatically removes them from your other program.

Theoretically, once an MP3 file is on your computer you should be able to play it from any media player that will play MP3s. I have iTunes and MediaMonkey on my system and I can play songs that I've ripped into iTunes on MediaMonkey and vice versa. But, I always use iTunes to sinc my iPod.

I suspect that you won't be able to put songs onto your iPod without iTunes. But I don't know that for sure. However, you should be able to install iTunes on your computer and use it to transfer your existing MP3s to your iPod without having to buy new files. I have over 2500 songs on my iPod, but I've only ever purchased one song from iTunes. The rest were ripped from CDs.

[3-LockBox]

Holy crap FA, I just noticed your post count...you must be all over AR. Which forums do you go to when your not here at RR?

[ForeverAutumn]

Holy crap FA, I just noticed your post count...you must be all over AR. Which forums do you go to when your not here at RR?

That's right...I get around. ;)

I spend a lot of time over at Favourite Films where there's a great Lost discussion thread during the Lost season. And the Off-Topic/Non-Audio forum is also a fun place to hang out. You should check it out. Right now they're throwing a party for me in honour of me turning 3000! Consider this (http://forums.audioreview.com/showthread.php?t=23010) your invitation.

I also like to go to the other forums when I have questions. Most recently I was shopping for new ear buds for my iPod and found some great advice over at the Portable Audio Forum.

[Rich-n-Texas]

If I may be so bold...

It seems to me that some people here in RR don't even know (or care) that there are many forums at Audio Review. Sometimes I feel like I'm imposing on someone's private clique when I stop in here. 3-LockBox, your question about your iPod could surely be answered in the Portable Audio forum, and yeah, we have a lot of fun in the Off Topic forum as well. GMichael is at his hilarious best in his Jokes thread.

I get the impression that people here sub to their threads and only stop in when they get e-mail. But, far be it from me to interfere.

[Slosh]

MediaMonkey will sync mp3 or wav to your iPod. In fact, MediaMonkey Gold can do on-the-fly transcodes and sync FLAC, WMAL, or APE to mp3 for the iPod (or lossy wma and ogg for players that support those formats). MM doesn't currently support Apple Lossless or AAC, however.

But really, use iTunes. The greatest benefits of the iPod are the smart playlists and gapless playback, neither of which will work without iTunes AFAIK.

I use MediaMonkey to convert my lossless files to mp3 for iPod use but use iTunes to sync and make playlists. MM's Lame 3.97 mp3 encoder is much better than the one iTunes uses. V0 @ 245 kb/s sounds virtually identical to Apple Lossless on the iPod, and even on good home audio equipment it's pretty damn impressive although sometimes you can tell it's definitely lossy. Point is the iPod's sonics just aren't good enough to tell the difference through my $20 JVC Marshmallows (which are awesome considering the price). Ditch those iBuds ASAP.

[noddin0ff]

I did the drag and click thing but it doesn't show up on the I-Pod.
<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->

You mean you drag and dropped MP3 files to the icon on your desktop? You may have copied files over taken up space you'll want to reclaim. At least on a Mac, the iPods can function as flash drives. You can copy files to a 'partition' on the iPod that won't be seen by the music functions on the iPod. The files can be anything, including audio files. They will reside there and take up space unless you put them in the trash and empty the trash.

When you iPod is connected and iTunes is open, you can select the iPod in the side menu and you will presented with screens displaying information about the contents of the iPod. There's a graphic at the bottom that gives the space available, the space used by music, AND the space taken up by files in the flash partition.

[ForeverAutumn]

I use MediaMonkey to convert my lossless files to mp3 for iPod use but use iTunes to sync and make playlists. MM's Lame 3.97 mp3 encoder is much better than the one iTunes uses. V0 @ 245 kb/s sounds virtually identical to Apple Lossless on the iPod, and even on good home audio equipment it's pretty damn impressive although sometimes you can tell it's definitely lossy. Point is the iPod's sonics just aren't good enough to tell the difference through my $20 JVC Marshmallows (which are awesome considering the price). Ditch those iBuds ASAP.

Hey Slosh, are you saying that you can rip MP3s at 245kb on Media Monkey and then sync those files onto your iPod using iTunes?

[Mr MidFi]

Just for the record, I have about 3500 songs on my iPod...and over 90% of them are MP3s. The only ones that aren't are the ones I bought from Apple...the rest I ripped from CDs.

And yes, iTunes is an amazingly slick piece of software. A genuine pleasure to use, even in a Windows environment.

NP: "Jimmy Jazz" from London Calling

[3-LockBox]

It seems to me that some people here in RR don't even know (or care) that there are many forums at Audio Review. Sometimes I feel like I'm imposing on someone's private clique when I stop in here.

You know, that gets said a lot around here, but I never understood why someone would say that...because you posted something and no one responded? Hell, if that bothered me, I would have disappeared long ago, even in this forum's heyday. I have benefited way more from participation on this board than I've contributed; my collection has grown from recommendations and from comps I've received gratis from the other members, whereas you can count the number of comps I've offered on one hand, and prolly the same for my recs. My threads don't garner a lot of posts, but I get the info I want because basically, I want to listen to music. I visit two or three other music websites that are more specialized to what I seeking as well, so I'm not completely reliant on this one.

But perhaps I'm not reading enough into it...maybe when no one responds to my posts, its not because they don't have a response, maybe its their way of telling me to stick it and go away.

:6:

[3-LockBox]

That's right...I get around. ;)

I spend a lot of time over at Favourite Films where there's a great Lost discussion thread during the Lost season. And the Off-Topic/Non-Audio forum is also a fun place to hang out. You should check it out.

I go to FF every now and then, but I don't have a whole lotta favorite films, really. I first started out going to AR long ago to look in on talk of Minidisc players. Back then, I was TA, but then my moniker got corrupted by a troll, so I changed it to the current one. The general forum was where I used to hang out and take part of many weekly threads such as the 'audio voodoo threads', the 'get Yech' threads, and to participate in the first (and only?) virtual bar experience at ye old 'Pogue & Bone'. But the general forum could get so nasty; many flame wars over tweaks, Bose, Yech, Mrtycrfts, et, el. Maybe its a kinder, gentler forum now... I'll check it out.

[ForeverAutumn]

I go to FF every now and then, but I don't have a whole lotta favorite films, really. I first started out going to AR long ago to look in on talk of Minidisc players. Back then, I was TA, but then my moniker got corrupted by a troll, so I changed it to the current one. The general forum was where I used to hang out and take part of many weekly threads such as the 'audio voodoo threads', the 'get Yech' threads, and to participate in the first (and only?) virtual bar experience at ye old 'Pogue & Bone'. But the general forum could get so nasty; many flame wars over tweaks, Bose, Yech, Mrtycrfts, et, el. Maybe its a kinder, gentler forum now... I'll check it out.

I'm not referring to the General forum. It's the Off Topic - Non Audio forum. They are two different forums. There may be an occasional disagreement there, but I haven't seen any all out flame wars. For the most part everyone is pretty respectful of others.

[Rich-n-Texas]

You know, that gets said a lot around here, but I never understood why someone would say that...because you posted something and no one responded?
Oh heck no! It certainly doesn't bother me if I say something that ilicits no response. I've been around discussion forums for about ten years now and I realize that's just part of the cyberspace community experience. In fact, I was once named "Thread Killer Extraordinaire" at a Go-fast car forum I used to be a regular at. :ihih:


Hell, if that bothered me, I would have disappeared long ago, even in this forum's heyday. I have benefited way more from participation on this board than I've contributed; my collection has grown from recommendations and from comps I've received gratis from the other members, whereas you can count the number of comps I've offered on one hand, and prolly the same for my recs. My threads don't garner a lot of posts, but I get the info I want because basically, I want to listen to music. I visit two or three other music websites that are more specialized to what I seeking as well, so I'm not completely reliant on this one.

The point I was trying to make was that technical questions like the one you asked about your iPod (which incedentally I just learned quite a bit about with some of the responses) are generally posted in the Portable Audio forum. I only meant that as a suggestion, and by no means am I trying to twist anybody's arm. Moderators on some boards move questions not related to a particular forum to a more appropiate one.

The fact that I sometimes feel like I'm imposing goes back to an incident where I got ripped here for reasons unknown, about something a writer or critic said in comparison to another band, which I paraphrased in a thread I posted. Kinda left a bad taste in my mouth about RR at that time, but didn't stop me from participating and enjoying the convesations and music recommendations. (Read... you can't get rid of me that easy! :wink5: )


But perhaps I'm not reading enough into it...maybe when no one responds to my posts, its not because they don't have a response, maybe its their way of telling me to stick it and go away.

:6:

Been there, done that, got the resume to prove it! :biggrin5:

[Dave_G]

I know Ipods are as popular as anything, but I have never owned one and probably never will.

I don't like how ipod's and their music content run over computers. I prefer to seperate my audio from my computing.

Dave

[Slosh]

Hey Slosh, are you saying that you can rip MP3s at 245kb on Media Monkey and then sync those files onto your iPod using iTunes?edit: short answer = yes :)
Yeah, but that's not exactly what I do. I rip everything in lossless then make mp3 copies with MM just for the iPod. The transcode/sync thing that MM Gold does allows you to get mp3s on the iPod without having to keep those mp3 files on your PC. I don't do this because sometimes friends want to put some of my stuff on their mp3 players so I just keep all of my mp3s in a separate folder away from "My Music". Lame V0 @ 245kb/s sounds great but the encoding time is sloooow (but definitely worth it).

If I ripped in mp3 I would definitely use MM (over iTunes) and then add those songs to my iTunes library. MM itself can sync to the iPod but then you give up smart playlists and gapless playback (if you have a 5th generation or newer iPod, that is).

[Slosh]

Just for the record, I have about 3500 songs on my iPod.I currently have 2564 with 9.8GB left :)

NP:

[ForeverAutumn]

edit: short answer = yes :)
Yeah, but that's not exactly what I do. I rip everything in lossless then make mp3 copies with MM just for the iPod. The transcode/sync thing that MM Gold does allows you to get mp3s on the iPod without having to keep those mp3 files on your PC. I don't do this because sometimes friends want to put some of my stuff on their mp3 players so I just keep all of my mp3s in a separate folder away from "My Music". Lame V0 @ 245kb/s sounds great but the encoding time is sloooow (but definitely worth it).

If I ripped in mp3 I would definitely use MM (over iTunes) and then add those songs to my iTunes library. MM itself can sync to the iPod but then you give up smart playlists and gapless playback (if you have a 5th generation or newer iPod, that is).

Do you know if this will work with a 4th gen iPod? I've been looking for a reason to justify an upgrade. This might be it.

I don't see Lame VO @245kb/s on MM. Do I need to upgrade to the Gold version? Is Extreme VBR @ 256kbps the same? Sorry for all the questions, but I'm not very savvy when it comes to this kind of stuff.

As for keeping stuff on my computer...I've got 150 GBs of free space, so I'm not too concerned.

[Slosh]

Do you know if this will work with a 4th gen iPod? I've been looking for a reason to justify an upgrade. This might be it.It should but you may want to upgrade to a new iPod just for the gapless playback. Very nice to hear tracks that flow together with no pause in between :)

I don't see Lame VO @245kb/s on MM. Do I need to upgrade to the Gold version? Is Extreme VBR @ 256kbps the same? Sorry for all the questions, but I'm not very savvy when it comes to this kind of stuff.

As for keeping stuff on my computer...I've got 150 GBs of free space, so I'm not too concerned.No, you only need Gold to do the on-the-fly transcodes. For ripping the free version is all you need. You may want to check if there are any updates or newer builds. Anyway, go to Rip CD > Format > mp3 > settings > use manual settings > V0. It should be in there. If not you may need to update MM. Please note this will slow down your rip time considerably but the results are well worth it.

Extreme VBR @ 256 is quite good as well but I hear less encoding artifacts with V0 and the files end up being a bit smaller (most songs end up being in the 200-220 kb/s range but I've seen some as low as 135 and others as high as 300)

edit: oops, missed a step

[ForeverAutumn]

It should but you may want to upgrade to a new iPod just for the gapless playback. Very nice to hear tracks that flow together with no pause in between :)
No, you only need Gold to do the on-the-fly transcodes. For ripping the free version is all you need. You may want to check if there are any updates or newer builds. Anyway, go to Rip CD > Format > mp3 > settings. It should be in there. If not you may need to update MM. Please note this will slow down your rip time considerably but the results are well worth it.

Extreme VBR @ 256 is quite good as well but I hear less encoding artifacts with V0 and the files end up being a bit smaller (most songs end up being in the 200-220 kb/s range but I've seen some as low as 135 and others as high as 300).

Thanks for the help. I'm going to try this on my 4th gen. But you've given me some good reasons to upgrade too. Bigger files means that I'll probably want to go from a 40G to an 80G iPod sooner. :biggrin5:

Edit: The secret to finding Lame VO @245kb/s is to change to Manual Settings.

[Slosh]

Bigger files means that I'll probably want to go from a 40G to an 80G iPod sooner. :biggrin5:80GB = about 12,000 songs!!! Well, that should keep you busy for a while :)

[ForeverAutumn]

80GB = about 12,000 songs!!! Well, that should keep you busy for a while :)

I know it's probably overkill, but if I'm going to buy a 30GB, it seems kind of silly not to pay the relatively small additional cost to increase the memory by 160%. Besides, if I have the option of video, I'll probably download some TV shows to watch when I'm travelling. And I'll use it to store pictures too.

....not that I'm trying to rationalize or anything. :rolleyes:

[Mr MidFi]

I find myself wishing my 20-GB pod w/ monochrome screen would just up and die or something, so I could justify buying a new one. But no...I seem to have the most indestructable one ever built. Just my luck!

NP: "Satisfy My Soul" by Bob Marley

[ForeverAutumn]

That's how I feel. Although I'm starting to have some annoying little software glitches with mine. Like I'll choose an album to play and it will start playing something completely unrelated. Or it'll start playing all my songs in alphabetical order by artist, always starting with And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead.

But the damn thing won't just up and die on me.

[Troy]

I'm honored by your quote Slosh. I think.

Yes, I only use this and the movie forum here. My bookmarks drop me directly into each forum page.

Yeah, 3LB, it's a common misconception that iTunes requires you to repurchase your music when it's really great for simply ripping your CD collection too. It is simply the easiest, most elegant interface for working with music on your computer.

Dave, the thing about iPods is that you use the computer for compiling and organization of your music and then take the iPod and interface it with your car or your living room big rig system. Yeah, you use the computer for organization, but the iPod gives you the ability to use ALL your music anyplace.

3498 songs in mine, and I like every single one.

[3-LockBox]

Oh yeah, I'm figuring it out now, but its actually my son's I-Pod, not mine. I will say this for it, I like the sound quality of the I-pod compared to at least three other brands, namely Sandisk, Zen, and Philips. And I like the concept of a built-in battery (my Sandisk uses batteries).

And yes of course, I-pod has a vast array of accessories and compatibility, but for right now, they're just too damned expensive.

I'm liking what I'm seeing as far as flash memory goes, that is, its coming down in price. I wonder if they are all scarificing soemthing for all that extra storage space. Sandisk Sansa has a new one that came out that supposedly has better playback quality, 8 gig memory, with video capability and an expandible memory slot - it was on sale for $169.00 a few weeks ago.

Sounds like a lot of you have the mini hard drive type players (given the large capacities mentioned). How have they held up? I've heard not so good things about them.

[Troy]

Your son can afford an iPod but you can't? How's that work?

You guys with the oldfangled pods, my 1st gen wouldn't hold a charge anymore so I got a new 30GB for Xmas. Wow, what a vast improvement. You'll kick yourself for waiting so long when you finally do get the new one.

[3-LockBox]

Your son can afford an iPod but you can't? How's that work?

well, I see I mispelled gratis in my original post...

[Slosh]

I'm liking what I'm seeing as far as flash memory goes, that is, its coming down in price. I wonder if they are all scarificing soemthing for all that extra storage space. Sandisk Sansa has a new one that came out that supposedly has better playback quality, 8 gig memory, with video capability and an expandible memory slot - it was on sale for $169.00 a few weeks ago.
I got that one for my mother for her b-day and quite frankly it sounds awful, but she says it's fine. She pretty much only uses it at the gym so she's not focusing on the music, obviously. Also its interface is really slow.

My iPod (30GB 5th generation) was actually my daughter's. She somehow managed to break the HDD and Apple wanted $286 + $30ish to ship there and back. Yeah right. I got her a new one, only this time with a good protective skin. So the broken iPod sat in a drawer for about six months. I figured I'd use it for parts one day if necessary. I already had a Toshiba Gigabeat S30 for myself and it definitely sounds better than the iPod. Even mp3 on the Toshiba sounds better than lossless on the iPod. Of course lossless on the Toshiba sounds better still and unlike the iPod you can hear the difference. Also its interface is much quicker than the iPod. But . . . since I've pretty much only been putting lossless files on it I got to the point where I was running out of room and there's not much on there I want to delete off so I googled replacement iPod HDDs and came across www.ifixipodsfast.com and got a new one for $100 and installed it myself (very easy, BTW).

So since the iPod can't match the sonics of the Toshiba (still not too bad, though) I only put mp3s on and use it when quantity is more important than quality. Actually I find myself using the iPod more often thanks to its gapless playback and smart playlists.

[3-LockBox]

I got that one for my mother for her b-day and quite frankly it sounds awful, but she says it's fine. She pretty much only uses it at the gym so she's not focusing on the music, obviously. Also it's interface is really slow.

That sounds about right. I have a Sansa E140, w/ expandible memory and it has SRS WOW (just like Windows Media Player) and EQ. The ones that replaced it, the 230 and 240, do not have expandible memory and do not have the SRS WOW, and they sound like sh!t. Looks like I'll be hanging on to my E140.

Another thing that bugs me about the Sansa line (all of them, is that their random play feature is only semi random, I get repeats within a couple hours when I have at least 8 hours of music on board. And every time you turn the unit off, the random cycle starts all over again.

[Mike]

I had a 20gb ipod which gave up the ghost when my son very kindly stuck a dirty great big magnet on the back, I tried re-installing it and everything but it's totally shagged now.

So after Xmas I picked up a 4gb nano which suits my needs, it has a fantastic battery life compared to my previous one and so lightweight and slim it's a great piece of kit, it even doubles up as a portable flash card for files and photos. Other mp3 players might be cheaper, maybe better in sound quality I don't know but they all suffer poor software from what I hear from friends. I've never had any conflicting issues with Itunes and it's so easy to upload music, organise it, enhance it, tweek it, create playlists/albums etc.

A popular misconception is you have to buy your music from Apple, which is wrong you don't, mine all comes from my albums. But the added bonus is even if you don't have an ipod it's a great way of organising and playing your music on your pc.

Cheers
Mike

[ForeverAutumn]

No, you only need Gold to do the on-the-fly transcodes. For ripping the free version is all you need.

Just an FYI... Last night I tried to rip a disk to MP3 using MM. I got a message which basically said that my 30 day trial period was over and MM will no longer use MP3 encoding on the free version. Would I like to upgrade to Gold?

The upgrade is only $20, which is pretty reasonble for a decent piece of software, so I don't mind paying for it. There's probably ways around it, but I'm too lazy to find them.

....I'm still contemplating that iPod upgrade and now I'm questioning whether I really need an 80GB, or if I can get by with 30GB, since I've only used up half of that in two years. Has anyone downloaded TV shows or movies onto their iPod. How much space do they take?

[Slosh]

Just an FYI... Last night I tried to rip a disk to MP3 using MM. I got a message which basically said that my 30 day trial period was over and MM will no longer use MP3 encoding on the free version. Would I like to upgrade to Gold?

The upgrade is only $20, which is pretty reasonble for a decent piece of software, so I don't mind paying for it. There's probably ways around it, but I'm too lazy to find them.

....I'm still contemplating that iPod upgrade and now I'm questioning whether I really need an 80GB, or if I can get by with 30GB, since I've only used up half of that in two years. Has anyone downloaded TV shows or movies onto their iPod. How much space do they take?I didn't know that because I'm using Gold. Check your PM :)

I never put video on mine (or my Toshiba which also does video). I don't even do pictures (except if you count album art).

My friend asked me if I could put some albums on my iPod that weren't on my PC (that I don't want permanently on my PC) so I ripped them to VO (I know how to transfer stuff from the iPod to other computers). Wow, it's slow. About five minutes per CD on my machine. Still worth it for the improved sound quality but it'll take forever if you're rebuilding your library. Best use it for new CDs only.

[Slosh]

I'm honored by your quote Slosh. I think.
My quote? :confused:

[Troy]

You know, that sig line . . .

[ForeverAutumn]

I didn't know that because I'm using Gold. Check your PM :)

I never put video on mine (or my Toshiba which also does video). I don't even do pictures (except if you count album art).

My friend asked me if I could put some albums on my iPod that weren't on my PC (that I don't want permanently on my PC) so I ripped them to VO (I know how to transfer stuff from the iPod to other computers). Wow, it's slow. About five minutes per CD on my machine. Still worth it for the improved sound quality but it'll take forever if you're rebuilding your library. Best use it for new CDs only.

There's a few disks where I definately notice the lost quality on MP3 so I'll replace those for sure, and then I'll slowly replace the rest of them. I usually rip a bunch of CDs at a time and read a book while I'm doing it, to pass the time. I'm interested in seeing how much larger the files are too.

I'll try the VO over the weekend and let you know how I fare. Thanks for your help!