Q: I use my iPod for classical music. Many classical CD’s (and albums on iTunes) separate a work into its movements, with each movement having its own track. Since I don’t keep a constant eye on my iPod’s screen as I listen, it can be hard to remember which movement I’m listening to. Ideally, I’d like to be able to insert “blank space” of a few seconds of silence, which I can manually place at the end of the last track for each movement in a playlist. Is there any way to create this file, or do you know if one exists?
– Karen
A: While we could never imagine deliberately interrupting classical pieces with foreign silence, we definitely see how it could be useful to you, and yes – it’s certainly possible to do.
In an effort to faciliate the transfer of MP3’s to older MiniDisc players, several websites have created silent MP3s of various lengths, and made them available online. Near the bottom of this website, for example, there are silent MP3’s in various short lengths. Simply download one you’d like (right-click and choose “Save Target As…”), and save it to your desktop. Then, import it into your iTunes library using its “Add To Library” feature, or by simply dragging the file into your Library window.
Then, you can then manually drag as many copies of this track as you’d like into your playlist, and place them between the other tracks.