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Ask iLounge 4-28-05

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By Kirk McElhearn

Contributing Editor
Published: Thursday, April 28, 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 have a Sony VAIO notebook computer with Windows XP, and import all my music from CDs with SonicStage. I just got an iPod, and it will not accept my music files. Short of re-loading all the CDs (which are now in storage) or burning all this music onto a disc and then re-loading onto the VAIO via iTunes or Windows Media player (which will take hours), is there any other way to get my music on my iPod? 

- Suzanne

A: Alas, no. SonicStage generally imports music as MP3 files, but Sony’s software adds some kind of “protection” to the files, even when you import your music from CDs you own. This is not Sony’s proprietary ATRAC3 format, but rather a very strange type of MP3 format, which theoretically should not be called MP3 since it doesn’t meet the standards of this format. The only thing you can do, as you suggest, is re-import the music from the original CDs or burn the music onto audio CDs and import it from them.

You can find out a bit more about exactly what SonicStage does to these files at this link.


Q: I listen to lots of Classical music on my iPod, so it’s far more logical to file tracks by composer rather than artist. Last weekend, I shifted items around in the library on my PC creating folders for each composer, then taking the works (or albums) out of their old folders, which were under artists, at placing them in the new folders.

Last night I plugged by iPod into my PC only to find a message on my PC screen ‘Files under ***** ***** etc cannot be located’. I tried various things but to no effect, and it still will not update my iPod.

Is there any way I can get iTunes to understand the new location of the files and update the system?

- Chris

A: When you move music on your computer, iTunes doesn’t know that you’ve done so. It doesn’t scan your computer to find your music, so it simply notices that certain files are “missing.” If you’re not concerned about your play counts and last play dates, the best way to remedy this is to remove all the music from your iTunes library (select it all, then press Delete, but don’t have iTunes move it to the trash), then re-import it all (select File > Open, and select the main folder it’s in).

In the future, remember that iTunes can organize your music for you (iTunes > Preferences > Advanced has two options for this). Some of us who listen to a lot of classical music find that it’s easiest to change the artist’s name to that of the composer. If you have check Keep iTunes Music Folder Organized in the aforementioned preferences, you’ll have folders organized by composer in this case.


Q: I like to shuffle play my entire iTunes library and do the same on my iPod.

The problem is those darn Griffin iTrip “tracks.” Loud piercing beeps are not my idea of music. How do I keep the tracks on the iPod, so I can use the iTrip, without hearing them when I shuffle music?

- Edward

A: When you use the Party Shuffle with iTunes, you can select which playlist it uses (or your entire library) as the source. Select all the iTrip tracks, then add something unique to the comments field, such as iTrip. Next, create a smart playlist that selects everything but files with iTrip in the comments; click the Shuffle button at the bottom of the window to set this playlist to play back songs in shuffle mode. Use this as the source for the Party Shuffle.

On the iPod, you can’t exclude these tracks from the Shuffle Songs menu item, but you can use the same smart playlist as a source to listen to your music. Just select that playlist instead of selecting Shuffle Songs; since you’ve clicked the Shuffle button after creating the playlist, the iPod will automatically play it back in shuffle mode.


Q: I always liked the way the iPod lists artists’ names, the way band names starting with “The” are placed by the first letter of the next word. However, solo artists are still a problem. If I want “Miles Davis” to go under D, I have to make it say “Davis, Miles”, which isn’t as aesthetically pleasing. Is there any way to make it say “Miles Davis” yet go under the letter D, just as “The Deftones” would go under the letter D despite the first word?

- Dennis

A: Unfortunately, no. If you want to make this change, you’ll need to do it manually. Perhaps it is less esthetically pleasing, but the iPod (and iTunes) works in alphabetical order, with the exception of that leading “The.” Note that other articles, such as “A” or “An” do not get this special treatment, so A Certain Ratio will show up at A, not at C, where you would probably want them to be.


Q: I got the new U2 iPod for my birthday and I noticed that the Click Wheel does not light up at all (like the screen does). Is this normal? Did Apple drop the light-up feature from the Click Wheel and allow only the screen to light up?

- Paul

A: None of the Click Wheel iPods have lights on the Click Wheel. 3G iPods did have lights behind the control buttons (the four buttons below the screen), but neither the iPod mini nor the 4G iPod or iPod photo have this feature. So what you see is totally normal.


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.






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Ask iLounge Archives:

5-16-08: Using the iPhone with integrated in-car Bluetooth, Problems with iPods and depleted batteries, Transferring content to a new iPod, iPod displays audio but no video, Removing photos and album artwork from iTunes, Overdrive Media and iPods

5-9-08: About iPod battery life and charging, Using Apple FM Radio remote on older iPod models, Scan and Fix dialog using iPod on Windows Vista, Preserving iTunes metadata when reinstalling Windows, Importing multiple tracks into iTunes, About iTunes and ID3 tags

5-2-08: Transferring digital camera movies to iPod, Reordering and shuffling playlists, Transferring playlists between iTunes libraries, Importing audiobooks, Correcting tags on CD import, Burning CDs with longer gaps

4-25-08: Finding Duplicates in iTunes, Setting files to open in iTunes automatically, Resetting authorizations, 1G iPod nano and voice recording, Syncing a library larger than your iPod capacity, Grouping multi-disc albums

4-17-08: Ripping CDs to external hard drive, Zeppelin speakers and USB port, Bluetooth stereo on iPhone, Converting TV shows to iPod, Audio recording on iPod touch, Wireless security on iPod touch

See the rest of the Archives...


Next: First Looks: iPouch, BlueWave, TuneJuice, iPed shuffle

Previous: Transcript: 10 Questions with iLounge EIC on Your Mac Life radio

Comments

1

What is the difference between a Generation 1 and Generation 2 Apple iPod Photo 60 GB device?  I am trying to decide between a first generation with all the accessories and a second generation one with minimal accessories.  If there is no difference in capability or features, then the first generation seems the way to go.  Please advise.

Thank you.

Posted by alansimon on May 2, 2005 at 12:58 PM (PDT)

2

I have a mazda6 with the Bose car stereo, 6 CD changer in dash, is their any way I can connect my iPod directly into the car stereo?

Posted by ubergeek on May 3, 2005 at 8:09 AM (PDT)

3

If i want to replace my 3G 15GB ipod at the ipod store, b/c it has hold button problems, will they be able to give me a new one, eventhough it is a 3G ipod?

Posted by quinter22 on May 4, 2005 at 9:26 PM (PDT)

4

You know, when you connect your iPod to the PC, it shows up as a removable hard disc. Is it advisable to defrag the ipod? Is there any benefit in doing that - longer battery life? quicker song access?

Posted by bola in Malaysia on May 5, 2005 at 12:57 AM (PDT)

5

How do i download my music from my IPOD onto another computer into the library file in ITUNES?

Posted by johnnyxxxx on May 9, 2005 at 5:35 PM (PDT)

6

I am new to having an iPod, but i have a lot of downloaded tracks on LimeWire and Windows Media Player. I am having trouble importing all these tracks, i need help, any suggestions?-Thankyou

Posted by simonhewitt on May 31, 2005 at 2:46 PM (PDT)

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