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The Free iPod + iPhone Book4

Ask iLounge 2-26-05

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By Kirk McElhearn

Contributing Editor
Published: Saturday, February 26, 2005
Category: Ask iLounge

Ask iLounge offers readers the opportunity to get answers to their iPod-related questions from a member of the iLounge editorial team. We'll answer several questions here each week, and of course, you can always get help with more immediate concerns from the iLounge Discussion Forums. Submit your questions for consideration using our Ask iLounge Submit Form. We reserve the right to edit questions for grammar, spelling, and length.

The most asked question at iLounge.com:

How do I copy music from my iPod onto my computer?

Click here for the answer.

The second most asked question at iLounge.com:

How do I put DVDs on my iPod?


For converting DVDs, web video, TV shows and home movies to your iPod, iPhone or Apple TV, we have a three-part series outlining the best formats, settings, and various tools to use for converting all types of video content for use on these devices.

The Complete Guide to iPod, Apple TV and iPhone Video Formats

The Complete Guide to iPod, iPhone and Apple TV Video Conversion (Mac)

The Complete Guide to iPod, iPhone and Apple TV Video Conversion (Windows)

Top five questions most recently asked by iLounge readers:

Q: What are the best speakers to use with my iPod? (15, 76-79, and 90-92)

Q: What are the best headphones to use with my iPod? (10, 72-75, and 90-92)

Q: I really want to get a nice case for my iPod. Do you have any suggestions? (36-37, 54-67, and 90-92)

Q: How can I connect my iPod to my car stereo? (14, 32-35, 68-71, and 90-92)

Q: Are there any batteries that I can use to extend my iPod's battery life? (82-83 and 90-92)

A: Answers to these and many other questions can be found in two places. Our Free iPod Book 3.3 provides a complete report card to all of the iPod accessories we've reviewed as of summer 2007, as well as over 125 iTunes and iPod tips & tricks. Further, our new 2008 iPod & iPhone Buyers' Guide has accessory tutorials at the page numbers listed in parentheses above. These and other publications in our Library are free downloads, developed by the editors of iLounge!

And now, for this week's Ask iLounge column:

Q: I own and run a bar in Bath, England. I am dying to know how to set up an iPod to run the music for the bar. We have two amplifiers running two different areas of the bar but they are not near where we would want the iPod; is it possible to use a long cable?

- Paul

A: Connecting an iPod to one amplifier is pretty simple. You need to get a cable that has a 1/8” (3.5 mm) plug on one end (that’s the end that connects to the iPod’s headphone jack, or to the line-out jack on the Dock), and two RCA jacks on the other end (that connect to your AUX input on the amplifier). Connect the two, switch the amp to AUX, and you’re up and running.

However, since you talk about two amplifiers; you could use a splitter cable from the iPod (that’s a cable that has one 1/8” plug going into two 1/8” jacks) and then connect two cables, one to each amplifier. We’ve reviewed a few audio splitters for the iPod in our reviews section that might be of interest to you.

And if your two areas of the bar are far apart, you’ll also need to be careful about latency problems. Latency occurs when the cables aren’t the same length, and when one amplifier is a few microseconds (or more) ahead of the other. If there is enough of a difference, you could hear the music out of phase.


Q: I have imported several compilation CDs, but I don’t like the way all the artists appear in my artist list; it makes it long to scroll through the Artists list. A solution could be to rename all these artists as “Various Artists” or something similar, but then I would lose the artist information…

Is it possible to make a sub-folder? Or do you have another idea as to how to organize compilations?

- Mark

A: It’s true that most compilations record every artist, and list each of them in the Artist list on the iPod, even if they only have one song. Your idea of changing them to Various Artists is a good one, at least for your usage. If you did this, you could add the artists’ names in the Comments field, for example, so you could still find them in iTunes, or even with smart playlists. Another idea would be to change the names of the artists to the names of the compilations; if they are all Various Artists, then you’d have music from several compilations listed under that name.

As for sub-folders, or nested folders, iTunes and the iPod don’t support this. It is certainly a feature that many people would like to see, so keep your eyes out for it, perhaps, in future versions of iTunes and the iPod software.


Q: If you are looking at a song that’s playing, how can you add it to the On-The-Go playlist? Is there any other way that going back to the album or playlist and selecting the song?

- Gadi

A: Unfortunately, you can only add a song to an On-The-Go playlist when you see the song title in a list, not when it is playing. Many iPod users would like to see this changed, especially since the Shuffle Songs feature on the 4G iPod or the iPod mini might encourage you to add songs as you randomly come across them.


Q: Will the iPod shuffle allow me to play both audiobooks and music?  Or will I have to decide before I sync which one I want to listen to?

- Melanie

A: To any iPod, an audio file is an audio file; whether it is voice or music, silence or noise, it’s all the same to the iPod. The iPod shuffle does play both audiobooks and music, and even retains bookmarks in audiobooks just like the other iPods do, so you’ll be able to pick up listening to your audiobooks where you left off. Be aware, however, that audiobooks won’t be automatically added to the shuffle’s contents via Autofill, the iTunes random music selection feature; Autofill skips audiobooks, at least for now.

If you manually put both audiobooks and music on your iPod shuffle, you’ll probably want to listen to it in two different ways. If you want to listen to music, then just skip over the audiobooks when they come up (either in shuffle or non-shuffle mode). If you want to listen to an audiobook, you’ll either have to find it by skipping over songs, or you could simply put it first on the iPod shuffle playlist on iTunes before you sync, so you can start listening to it by setting the shuffle to non-shuffle mode and starting it up.


Q: When I plug my 20 GB iPod into my Sony home theater system, I have to turn the iPod volume to its highest setting as well as turning up the volume on the Sony amp in order to hear only a moderate increase. What’s wrong?

- Jeffrey

A: There are a few things to know about using the iPod with a stereo. First, the iPod’s volume from the headphone jack is attenuated; if you have a Dock, it is best to put the iPod in the Dock, then connect it to the stereo using the line-out jack. The Dock’s output gives you a higher level of volume, though you won’t be able to change the volume from the iPod; it is fixed, and adjustable only through your stereo at that point.

Second, make sure you have connected your iPod to a low-impedance input on the stereo, such as the AUX or Phono input. These inputs expect lower power than from, say, a CD player or a tuner, and amplify the sound more.


picKirk McElhearn is the author of several books including iPod & iTunes Garage. His blog, Kirkville features articles about the iPod, iTunes, Mac OS X and much more.








Ask iLounge Archives:

8-22-08: Cleaning up applications in iTunes, Playing back all songs on iPod, Excluding podcasts from Smart Playlists, Bookmarking tracks, Playing tracks back at a consistent volume level

8-15-08: Transferring play counts back to iTunes, Playing iPod while charging, Customizing iPhone alerts, Syncing movies to iPod nano, iTunes not recognizing new CDs, Sudoku reviews

8-8-08: iPhone and SIM card contacts, Syncing iPhone contacts, Hiding SMS previews on iPhone, Playing iPod touch on secondary computer, Syncing photos to iPod, Resuming interrupted iTunes WiFI Store downloads

8-8-08: iLounge Editor-in-Chief Jeremy Horwitz responds to reader questions on all things iLounge, including technical issues related to iPhone 3G, and behind-the-scenes editorial issues

8-1-08: iPhone Edition: Switching between apps, Car charging accessories, Activating older iPhone models, Sending MMS, App Store in wrong language, Excel and A2DP support

See the rest of the Archives...

Shop in the loungeStore for iPod + iPhone Accessories.

Next: The Complete Guide to the iPod shuffle

Previous: Understanding the iPod family: new iPod minis and photos

Comments

1

Do NOT connect your iPod to Phono inputs. Phono inputs expect a very low volume level (ie what comes from a record player) but also apply equalization settings to the signal (the RIAA curve), as records have naturally low bass and high treble:

http://www.tanker.se/lidstrom/riaa.htm

All other inputs on your receiver (AV/AUX/CD/Tape) are likely the same use any of them.

If you don’t have a dock, it’s likely that you’ll have to turn the iPod up to about 95% to get a line level signal. That’s completely normal. 

Posted by mattwardfh in Texas on February 26, 2005 at 10:18 AM (PDT)

2

If my computer is full how do i get my ipod to keep the songs even though i don’t have them on my computer any more

Posted by SJMcdaniel in Austin TX on February 26, 2005 at 7:30 PM (PDT)

3

My Computer crashed, My music is not in my Itunes anymore, but I still have it on my ipod, how can I get my music back on my computer without losing it?

Posted by Catwal in New York on February 27, 2005 at 6:56 AM (PDT)

4

Catwal, if you’re running a Mac, you should download iPod Rip. Worth it!

Posted by burnsbrightest on February 27, 2005 at 9:36 AM (PDT)

5

catwal, if you’re running a mac, you can also try broken helix, which is completely free!

Posted by yinyang on February 28, 2005 at 4:23 AM (PDT)

6

SJMcdaniel:  You need to set your iPod to one of the “Manual sync” modes as outlined in this iPod 201 article:
http://www.ipodlounge.com/articles_more.php?id=5029_0_8_0_M

Posted by AndyH in Berwyn, PA on February 28, 2005 at 8:33 AM (PDT)

7

Does anyone know how to print out just the album names? I want a list of all the albums I have in Itunes but I don’t want it on 80 pages with all the songs. I just want the artist and album name. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Posted by Richiefar in Spain on March 3, 2005 at 10:40 AM (PDT)

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