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ipods: is there something a non-hifi person can use


The Magnificent Goldberg

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I heard a rumour that the next generation will not only contain a music player, telephone, video camera, razor, gps, nail clip, saw (to cut off your arm if it gets under a heavy stone or a meteorite - what? you rather die than cutting off your own arm? What a sissy you are!), microwave (to dry up your little dog), umbrella, missile defense system, submarine, and it will also wipe your ass...

I guess that's about all a non-hifi person needs to know :)

What, no shoulder held Stinger missile launcher?

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I would never know what to do with a 160GB ipod. I guess I'd fill it up and never listen to 90% of it.

The same could be said for quite a few of our record collections!

I've gone for the larger option because with the 80gb I was already thinking of deleting things to fit on others. I'd also found myself, especially when out walking, wanting to listen to something that I would not have considered at the top of my listening list.

I can now comfortably have all the Shostakovich symphonies, string quartets and concertos (for example) and it hardly makes an impression on the memory. Which gives me access to these when out.

A luxury, yes. It would be cheaper to just remember to bring specific recordings on a CD-walkperson. But I just like having it there.

*********

MG, as others have said, just do it. Itunes takes a bit of getting used to but is actually very easy to use.

You don't strike me as the sort to get over-worried by the technicalities that are important to some.

You'll love it.

[i also don't use the automatic synch - I want to control what goes on the ipod.]

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There's a whole lot of music on my 160gb which I haven't heard yet, but that's what I love about the shuffle all mode. It will play something I've never heard, followed by an old favorite, followed by more that I've never heard. So often I'm craning my neck over to the thing saying to myself, "what the hell is that?."

I've made favorites playlists from every genre I listen to, and an "Overall Favorites" playlist so I can just indulge in a listening binge of every song I love. It's also great to shuffle a single genre, and hear a big block of similar styled tunes.

It satisfies both my eclectic tastes and inner control freak, depending on which one has the helm. :rlol

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Yes, just plunge in.

Two more iterations you may want to consider:

The new iPod Shuffle: It doesn't hold a lot (4 gb right now), but it's inexpensive, and, what I love is, while music's playing, you can press a button on the headphones and a computer voice tells you the track name and artist. It's wonderful at work; before, I used to pull the iPod out all the time to see what track was playing. This is much more unobtrusive. I also think the voice is really cool (although it insists on reading all Stan Getz tracks in French).

The new iPod Touch: While the iPod Classic holds more (160 gb vs. 64 gb), the iPod Touch has wifi and a web browser. This makes it more versatile: in a wifi setting, you can surf the web, send emails and make phone calls.

A question about the new ipod shuffle. Do you have to use the phones it comes with or can you use your own? I'm not fond of the usual ipod phones.

Just saw this in the Apple store:

313clMX461L._SL500_AA280_.jpg

Belkin Headphone Adapter

Allows you to use any headphone with the iPod Shuffle.

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Yes, just plunge in.

Two more iterations you may want to consider:

The new iPod Shuffle: It doesn't hold a lot (4 gb right now), but it's inexpensive, and, what I love is, while music's playing, you can press a button on the headphones and a computer voice tells you the track name and artist. It's wonderful at work; before, I used to pull the iPod out all the time to see what track was playing. This is much more unobtrusive. I also think the voice is really cool (although it insists on reading all Stan Getz tracks in French).

The new iPod Touch: While the iPod Classic holds more (160 gb vs. 64 gb), the iPod Touch has wifi and a web browser. This makes it more versatile: in a wifi setting, you can surf the web, send emails and make phone calls.

A question about the new ipod shuffle. Do you have to use the phones it comes with or can you use your own? I'm not fond of the usual ipod phones.

Just saw this in the Apple store:

313clMX461L._SL500_AA280_.jpg

Belkin Headphone Adapter

Allows you to use any headphone with the iPod Shuffle.

Good news. Thanks mjzee.

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I've started ripping a bunch of CDs to my hard drive, in preparation for gettig an ipod. But I think I've found a problem that hasn't been mentioned.

When I have hundreds of albums on an ipod, I'll want to find them all organised the way I want them:

Mbalax

... Artist 1

...... Album 1

...... Album 2

... Artist 2

...... Album 1

...... Album 2

... Artist 3

...... Album 1

...... Album 2

Blues

... Artist 1

...... Album 1

...... Album 2

... Artist 2

...... Album 1

...... Album 2

... Artist 3

...... Album 1

...... Album 2

Djeliya

... Artist 1

...... Album 1

...... Album 2

... Artist 2

...... Album 1

...... Album 2

... Artist 3

...... Album 1

...... Album 2

and so on.

I achieve this by creating different folders on my disc. But I have a horrible feeling that the ipod won't let me do that; that it will insist that the genres are what it finds in the "genre" tag and the artists are what it finds in the "artist" tag. And as far as genres are concerned, the seven or so different broad genres of music from Africa that I have are all "World music" to the system; and there seems to be no distinction between Swing, Soul Jazz, Bebop, New Orleans or Avant Garde - it's all jazz. Well, yes, it's all jazz, but that's not helpful in trying to find something. And, moreover, Red Garland is not the same artist as The Red Garland Trio (and would therefore be sorted into a different place).

I'm sure there's a way of getting around this - so, before I go too far to retag everything, what is it?

MG

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MG,

There are probably loads of ways of doing this. Here's what I do:

1. Give the album a genre title at the bottom of the tab - Jazz, Jazz Nordic, Jazz Soul etc. I find it easier to use my own labels - Classical English, Classical Germanic etc.

2. I always change Artist, Album Artist and Composer to the same name e.g. Grant Green or Bach. I'm not likely to care who the composer of each track is when using the iPod - can be found out later.

I do both of these by highlighting all the tracks on the album and then they all get the same data. You only need to go wrong once - an e on the end of Green or even a space afterwards and it gets stored separately. This is why its best to change the genre/artist data all in one go. Lots quicker too!

3. I change the album name to something simple - Kind of Blue rather than Miles Davis: Kind of Blue (you get some oddities provided by the automatic system).

Doing this all falls on the iPod logically. I tend to go to find things by going to Genre first, then look for the artist. I've had no problem with this in the last 15 months.

***********

If you are assembling things into a new order you need to change the track number (and sometimes disc number). The only time I do this is if I assemble an album from several sources e.g. I built up some later Grant Green albums from three compilations and then added the missing tracks from iTunes. Obviously the compilation tracks had different numbers so a bit of editing was needed.

But usually, this is unnecessary.

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Thanks Bev - I see you do have to do it by the tags, though I'm encouraged that you can invent your own genres if you feel like it. And it seems that you have to do it when you shove it into the ipod; you can't do this when you're ripping - I'm not using itunes for ripping, because there are no instructions and it's an incomprehensible programme - i rip stuff and can never find it afterwards. So I'm using Windows Media Player and will have to shove the stuff, willy-nilly, into the ipod when I get it.

MG

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To import using iTunes, insert the CD into the disc drive. In iTunes the CD will appear in the left hand column under Devices. Click on the CD title in the left hand column to display its contents in the window. There are two buttons in the lower right--one to Import, and the other for Import Settings. Imported files will be displayed in the Music area under Library in the left hand column. The folders will automatically be created inside a folder called iTunes Music Library, which you should be able to locate with a quick search if you can't find it in your computer's menu. Within the iTunes Music Library folder they will be listed under Artist, with subdivisions for Album.

Edited by Noj
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You can edit the information in your iTunes library; or you can edit in iTunes on the iPod itself.

When you link up the iPod you get an icon on the left telling you the iPod is connected. When you click music you get a window identical to the iTunes library which can be edited the same way.

So if you mis-edit something and only discover it on the iPod itself you can always go back and change.

Moving stuff from iTunes library to the iPod is dead simple. Highlight the tracks, drag and drop.

I had an earlier mp3 player where this was all a nighmare. Tracks got stored in the most bizarre places. iTunes does it very sensibly.

One thing to watch is those artist names. Sometimes the automatic system gives different names. Five tracks named Grant Green and three named Joe Henderson for example. This is why I always make sure the artist/album artist/composer titles are identical for an album.

I think the system was set up with compilations in mind where artists might change from track to track.

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Moving stuff from iTunes library to the iPod is dead simple. Highlight the tracks, drag and drop.

So far, this has not been my experience here today. I can't seem to create a drop and drag setup; instead I get this sync page that doesn't show a lot of info. I get stuff on the ipod, only to find it's gone the next time I look. :angry:

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I'm not sure what you're doing but everything in your library, assuming the song is checked, when you sync up should show up on your ipod. You can also create a playlist (check the plus sign at the bottom left of the iTunes screen, call it what you want, and then drag in whatever you want. Since my son mostly uses iTunes, for what I want on my nano (although I'm thinking of getting an iTouch) I create separate play lists. Just easier to manage, plus he has about 9,000 songs so I have to control what I want inputted into the Nano or what I want won't make it in.

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I'm not sure what you're doing but everything in your library, assuming the song is checked, when you sync up should show up on your ipod.

Some of us (maybe most of us?) sync manually, not automatically. There are things I want to keep in iTunes, but don't want on my ipod. Not only that, but those of us who have multiple ipods want to sync different material from the iTunes library to different ipods.

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Sorry to be so thick, Jon, but I've more questions:

To import using iTunes, insert the CD into the disc drive. In iTunes the CD will appear in the left hand column under Devices.

My left hand column doesn't have "devices" in it; just Library, Store and Playlists. Which one will it come under?

Click on the CD title in the left hand column to display its contents in the window.

If it's a CD I've made myself from an LP or K7, it won't have a title. Will it say something like "Unknown CD"?

There are two buttons in the lower right--one to Import, and the other for Import Settings.

No buttons - just something called "Genius". Does this go away, when I put a CD in?

Imported files will be displayed in the Music area under Library in the left hand column.

I've never seen this. On the few occasions I've tried to play with itunes, I've only been able to find them by looking at the "recently added" line under "playlists".

The folders will automatically be created inside a folder called iTunes Music Library, which you should be able to locate with a quick search if you can't find it in your computer's menu.

Yes, I've found this and I guess I can fire up the music from Windows by clicking on it.

Within the iTunes Music Library folder they will be listed under Artist, with subdivisions for Album.

In the middle of the screen, there are nine big icons, which I know I can change from artists to genres. And I can change it to a list. But it's just a list of tracks. How do I get it to look like a hierarchical directory? Or can't I?

I've also noticed that, if you do anything wrong, it goes off and invites you to buy some other record by the artist you're on and you can't close that window - you have to close the whole programme. Or am I missing something?

Sorry to be a bother.

MG

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Joe--If your iPod is set to sync its library with iTunes, then whatever you remove from iTunes will be removed from your iPod the next time you hook it up.

That's why I keep it on manual. I'll just manually drag from my external hard drives when I need to start a new iPod. I don't need iTunes to keep it all together.

I preserve all my settings and labels using a program called iPod Access, which allows me to back up everything on the iPod to an external. I can also pull whatever track I want off the iPod with that program and burn CDs with it. It's an inexpensive but very handy program that bypasses that lame crap they programmed into the iPod to prevent sharing.

Edited by Noj
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Sorry to be so thick, Jon, but I've more questions:

My left hand column doesn't have "devices" in it; just Library, Store and Playlists. Which one will it come under?

Devices will only be visible if you have an iPod hooked up or a CD in the computer.

If it's a CD I've made myself from an LP or K7, it won't have a title. Will it say something like "Unknown CD"?

Yes.

No buttons - just something called "Genius". Does this go away, when I put a CD in?

When you put a CD in, and click on it in the left hand column so that you're viewing all the tracks on the CD, then and only then will those two buttons be visible.

I've never seen this. On the few occasions I've tried to play with itunes, I've only been able to find them by looking at the "recently added" line under "playlists".

It should be the very top of the left hand column. LIBRARY in caps, then Music right beneath it.

In the middle of the screen, there are nine big icons, which I know I can change from artists to genres. And I can change it to a list. But it's just a list of tracks. How do I get it to look like a hierarchical directory? Or can't I?

When you change it to a list, look along the top of the list and you'll see a variety of ways to sort the list. Sort them by clicking on any one of the options (Name, Time, Artist, Album, Genre).

I've also noticed that, if you do anything wrong, it goes off and invites you to buy some other record by the artist you're on and you can't close that window - you have to close the whole programme. Or am I missing something?

Sorry to be a bother.

MG

It does have an annoying tendency to try to redirect you to the iTunes store. I avoid this by not clicking on the iTunes Store area or the Genius function, which is supposed to operate like Pandora.

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I disable auto-synching too.

Advised, MG. I think you'll be better off doing this. Gives you more control.

Quite a few of these left hand links only appear when connected to the iPod.

When trying to re-label are you right clicking on the track/tracks? If you do this and click 'Get info' you get a window with several tabs. If you highlight several tracks the one you need jumps up instantly; if you click a single track you get one saying 'Summary' - go to the second ('Info').

You can change what you like in the bars below.

If you've uploaded a track you've copied off a tape or LP the bars should be empty.

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I'm not sure what you're doing but everything in your library, assuming the song is checked, when you sync up should show up on your ipod.

Some of us (maybe most of us?) sync manually, not automatically. There are things I want to keep in iTunes, but don't want on my ipod. Not only that, but those of us who have multiple ipods want to sync different material from the iTunes library to different ipods.

I do it too for my nano or that is I check only the categories I want the Ipod to snyc so I don't get my son's (heavy metal; ugh) collection on there.

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MG, as Noj suggests, finding things in iTunes is all about the auto-sorting function. You can pick and choose what headings you want to see when you're in "Music". You do this by going to the "View" menu and selecting "View options". Click to select or unselect the various column headings. Once you've done that, and you're back to viewing your music collection, just click on one of the headings to sort the music accordingly. I like to use "Date added", with my most recent additions at the top of the list. At any rate, this can be changed instantly when you want to sort things a different way, but don't worry- any change you make in sorting is not permanent. You can re-sort at any time.

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I should add to my previous post that once you've selected your view options (column headings), these can be easily re-arranged in the display when you're viewing your music list. Just click (hold) and drag any of the columns to the left or right until they're in the position you want.

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One other thing regarding sorting... when you click on a new column heading, your music will be re-sorted by that heading (e.g., "Artist"). If you click that same heading ("Artist") again, it will reverse the order (in this case, alphabetically, or in the case of "Date added", chronologically).

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Well, I had a go. Bleedin' 'ell!

So I've found out all about the sorting stuff. That's fine if you have only a few things in there, but I can't see any way to play some Zouglou, when I have twenty thousand tracks in there :) I'll end up playing Avant Garde Jazz all the time :D

It caught me on the hop to start off with - asked if I wanted to import the CD, so I said yes, then began to uncheck the tracks I didn't want. By the time I'd finished that, it had imported two tracks, before I'd had time to rename them (this was a CD from a vinyl drop wot I dun). Eventually, I discovered by interrogating the not terribly forthcoming help file how to stop it importing. So I changed the titles. That was easy. Putting the artist in was very hard, I found. I had to right click in the artist field, get up a little irrelevant menu, then left click just beside the menu, and I'd get a little editable space. I didn't find anything such as Bev described to copy the artist all down the selected tracks; had to do each one by hand - using copy and paste, so I didn't make mistakes. Then the same with the album title and the genre. It took ages. But I got it done in the end. What an awful programme! And it loaded the tracks from the CD OK. That was quite quick, compared with putting in all the data.

I was surprised that I had loads of stuff in the itunes library. Stuff I know I've never put in there, like BFT material - I always use Windows Media Player to listen to them. Anyway, I've deleted everything in there now except a Lou Donaldson interview :) which I don't have copied elsewhere. We'll start afresh some other time.

MG

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When you put in a CD and the window comes up asking 'Do you want to import the CD' click 'No'.

Then uncheck the tracks you don't want. Then click the bottom right 'Import CD' button. It will only import checked tracks.

Don't try and change anything until it is in your library. I initially got confused trying to rename the CD itself!

You don't have to change every track individually. Highlight all common tracks - then if you right click over them anything you chance in the main box will change on all highlighted. It does not show the bar for track title if you highlight multiple tracks so there is no danger of relabelling everything 'So What?'

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