How to copy MP3 files to an MP3 Player

 

Introduction

 

MP3 is an audio format protocol that allows users to compress songs and other audio files without an obvious loss of sound quality. MP3 is the abbreviation used for Motion Picture Experts Group Audio Layer 3 (MPEG Audio Layer 3). Since it has the capability of reducing the size of the songs, it is the most popular standard for music distribution over the Internet. MP3 works by deleting the parts of audio files that is not audible to the human ear and thus achieves a significant compression ratio. This makes the MP3 files smaller and easier to download over an Internet connection. There are a number of MP3 players available, from softwares that runs on computer to hand-held portable MP3 players.

 

An MP3 player can "decode" the compressed MP3 digital files into full spectrum music. The players commonly have some form of memory inside to store the files, as well as decoder chips and amplifiers. They commonly have a USB connector to connect to computer, which acts as the source for the files. Also, they output connectors for headphones or attaching to powered speakers or a stereo system. This article focuses on handheld MP3 players and how to copy MP3 files to the player.

 

Steps to choose the best MP3 player

 

There are many MP3 players available and "the best MP3 player" really depends on one’s personal needs. If you prefer to have many songs and are not concerned about the budget then you should probably look within the hard-disk MP3 category like Apple iPod. However, if there is a budget constraint and you need a few hours' worth of songs then look at the flash MP3 player. In case you want to use the MP3 player while running or snowboarding, then the durability of the MP3 player should be the main criterion. After you have short listed the type of MP3 player that suits your requirements, it is the time to compare the brands and models. Each has its own strengths and applications. Some, like the Nomad IIc, offer excellent playback and digital recorder capabilities, while others such as the SonicBlue MP3 Sport player by Rio offer durability and shake free music.

 

MP3 players and MP3 music is in a constant state of flux. Recognizing that, most of today's best MP3 players now ship with reprogrammable firmware that will enable support of new digital audio formats and software extensions as they emerge.  

 

 

 

 

 

Downloading MP3 files to an MP3 Player

 

If you want to listen to your collected MP3 files whenever and wherever you want, small, portable MP3 players answer this demand. These players are like portable cassette or CD players, except that they are smaller and they use solid state memory instead of a physical medium like a tape or a CD.  Once MP3 files are on computer, you can use the software that came with MP3 player to download the files into MP3 player. Although the specific instructions will vary depending upon the software program and player, but these are some of the common steps:

 

v      Create a playlist from MP3 files.

v      Plug the player into computer's parallel or USB port (depending on the features of player).

v      Transfer the MP3 files according to the instructions.

 

 

The sections below discuss in detail some of the popular MP3 players in the market.

 

Flash-Based MP3 Player

 

The memory is "hard-wired" into the device. However, many flash-type MP3 players have a slot for removable forms of flash memory so that the user can expand the capacity.

 

Flash memory is solid state (no moving parts), so it is very durable and resistant to shock from sporting activities making it a good choice for music playback during exercise workouts and other vigorous activities. Some MP3 players require a specific software package provided by the vendor to manage and transfer files to the player. Other players are directly identified by computer as a removable disc drive and require no software.

 

Frontier Labs Nex Ia

 

Step 1: Installing Drivers on PC

 

  1. Click on Install USB drivers on the opening screen of the CD- Rom software. Once clicked InstallShield will guide through the installation.
  2. When InstallShield has completed the installation. Click Finish.
  3. Restart the PC after the installation is finished.

 

Step 2: Transferring Files to Nex Ia

 

  1. Nex Ia will appear as a Removable drive on the PC.
  2. Nex Ia does not contain internal memories and files are actually transferred to the memory card.
    1. Double click on the Removable Drive and see the content of the memory card.
    2. Locate the song files to be transferred. Drag and drop the song files to the removable drive.
    3. While the file is being transferred, the LCD screen will blink and indicate that file transfer is in progress.
    4. After it is downloaded, the blinking will stop.
    5. After the player is disconnected, it will display the list of songs immediately.

 

IRiver IFP-195T

 

Step 1: Installing Software on the PC

 

1.     Insert the Installation CD into the CD-ROM drive.

2.     If the installation is not started automatically, execute the setup.exe under the Root folder of the installation CD, and then the Manager program is automatically setup.

3.     The installation CD contains the following contents :

a.     Device Driver

b.     Manager Program

4.     You can save MP3 files or other types of files on the PC or the Player by using the Music Manager Program.

 

Step 2: Installing “New hardware”

 

1.     Connect the USB cable to the USB port of the computer. Type “A”:  USB port on the panel of the PC and Type “B”: USB port of iFP-100. Connect the USB cable to match the direction as shown in the figure below:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2.     “USB CONNECTED” will appear on the LCD of the player.

3.     Select the folder “iRiverDriver” to install it.

4.     Next keep on following the instructions on the screen to install the Software.

 

Step 3: Installing “Manager”

 

1.     Click “SETUP.EXE” in the ROOT to start the installation.

2.     Select the folder to Install. Click “NEXT”. Generally assigned as “C Driver Program File iRiver iRiver- Manager.

3.     Complete the installation of “Manager”.

 

Step 4: Downloading From the PC

 

   Activate the Manager program after connecting the USB cable   

   between the player and the PC.

a.     Double click the Manager icon on the PC to open the Manager program.

b.     Select the folder on the PC to download to the player.

c.      Select the folder to be saved in the player.

d.     Click the “Download” icon or select “Download” in the Transfer menu to download.

 

Step 5: Uploading To the PC

 

a.     Double Click the Manager icon on the PC.

b.     Select the folder to be saved on the PC.

c.      Select files in the player to save.

d.     Click the “Upload” icon or select “Upload” in the Transfer menu to upload.

 

 

Tips and Tricks

 

1.    Deleting Files On The Player

 

a.     Stop playback.

b.     Click the “NAVI/MENU” button.

c.      Select the files to delete by using VOL + or VOL - .

d.     Click the “MODE” button. “File delete are you sure?” is displayed on the LCD. Select “yes” by    and use  to delete.

 

2.    Deleting Folders on the Player

 

a.     Stop playback.

b.     Click the “NAVI/MENU” button.

c.      Select the folder to delete.

d.     Click the “MODE” button. “File delete are you sure?” is displayed on the LCD. Select “yes” by   and use  to delete.

 

Hard-Drive Player

 

Apple iPod (with Dock Connector)

 

Step1: Installing the software.

 

  1. Insert the iPod CD in the  computer and install the software.
  2. The software installer installs iTunes (on a Mac) or MUSICMATCH Jukebox (on a Windows PC), and the iPod User’s Guide as a file.

 

Step2: Importing music to PC

 

  1. Insert an audio CD into the computer and open MUSICMATCH Jukebox.
  2. Click the Recorder button and click Record.
  3. Repeat for any other CDs with songs that you want to import.

 

Step 3: Connecting iPod and Transfer Music.

 

  1. Connect iPod to computer using the iPod cable.
  2. When iPod is connected to the computer, MUSICMATCH Jukebox (on a Windows PC) opens automatically and transfers the songs and playlists in music library to iPod.
  3. When the transfer is complete, the main menu appears on iPod.

 

Tips and Tricks

 

  1. To queue a List of Songs, follow the steps below:
    1. Highlight a song and press and hold Select until the song title flashes.
    2. Repeat step “a” for other songs to add.
    3. Select Playlists > On-The-Go to view list of songs.
    4. One can also queue entire lists of songs. For example, to queue an album, highlight the album title and press and hold Select until the album title flashes.

 

  1. To open the MUSICMATCH Jukebox as soon as the iPod is plugged, follow the following steps:
    1. In MUSICMATCH Jukebox, select File > Send to portable device.
    2. Select iPod in the Source list and click the Options button.
    3. Click the iPod tab and deselect “Automatically launch MUSICMATCH Jukebox on device connection.”

 

  1. To create a playlist in MUSICMATCH Jukebox on a Windows PC:
    1. Open the Playlist window (if it isn’t already) and click File in the Playlist window.
    2. Click Library and drag songs from the Library to the Playlist window.
    3. Click Save in the Playlist window.

 

  1. Transferring Songs to iPod Automatically:

 

a.     By default, iPod updates automatically when connected to a computer. iTunes or MUSICMATCH Jukebox updates the iPod music library to match the songs and playlists in computer’s music library, transferring new songs to iPod and deleting songs from iPod that aren’t in music library.

 

  1. To update iPod with only certain songs:

 

a.     In iTunes, check the boxes next to songs you want to transfer (by default, all songs are checked).

b.     Select iPod in the Source list and click the Options button.

c.      Select “Only update checked songs.”

 

6.     To set iPod to transfer songs manually:

 

a.     In MUSICMATCH Jukebox, select File > Send to portable device.

b.     Select iPod in the Source list and click the Options button.

c.      Click the Synchronization tab and deselect “Automatically synchronize on device connection.”

 

7.     To set iPod to update with selected playlists:

 

a.     In MUSICMATCH Jukebox, select File > Send to portable device.

b.     Select iPod in the Source list and click the Options button.

c.      Click the Synchronization tab and select “Selected playlist synchronization.”

 

8.     To modify a playlist on iPod using a Windows PC:

 

a.     In MUSICMATCH Jukebox, click the My Library button to open the Library window.

b.     Select File > Send to portable device.

c.      Drag songs or playlists from the Library to a playlist on iPod.

 

Rio Nitrus

 

Step 1: Installation of Software

 

  1. Place the Rio installation CD label-side up into the computer’s CD-ROM drive.
  2. The Rio installation software launches automatically.
  3. Click Rio Music Manager INSTALL NOW (required) and follow the on-screen instructions. Additionally, you may click RealOne Player INSTALL NOW and follow its installation instructions.
  4. If prompted, reboot the computer when the installation is complete.

 

Transferring tracks from the PC to the Rio Nitrus by using Rio Music Manager

 

a.     Launch the Rio Music Manager.

b.     Click My Music in the left frame to access tracks. Rio Music Manager will scan the computer’s hard drives for digital audio tracks that are compatible with the Rio Nitrus player. Tracks are automatically categorized by album title and displayed in the Track List.

c.      Select tracks within a category of tracks.

d.     Use any of the following techniques to select tracks:

 

Track Type

Technique

Single track, album, or artist.

Left-click the track, album, or artist.

Multiple tracks, albums, and/or artists.

Press SHIFT+Click or CTRL+Click.

All tracks, albums, and artists.

Press CTRL+A.

No tracks, albums, or artists.

Press CTRL+N.

Every track except for the currently selected tracks.

Select Edit, Invert Selection.

 

e.     After the tracks have been selected they can be transferred to the Rio Nitrus by clicking 

 

Transferring tracks from the PC to the Rio Nitrus by using Real Player

 

1.     Launch RealOne software.

2.     Connect the player to a computer using the USB cable.

3.     Power the Rio Nitrus on.

4.     Click DEVICES at the bottom of the RealOne window. The Devices window is displayed.

5.     Double-click Rio Nitrus.

6.     Click ADD CLIPS in the command bar at the bottom of the RealOne window. The Add Clips window is displayed.

7.     Select the tracks to be transferred to the Rio Nitrus.

8.     Click Add Clip to queue the tracks to be transferred and close the Add Clips window.

9.     Click TRANSFER in the command bar at the bottom of the window to begin downloading the selected tracks to the Rio Nitrus.

 

Tips

 

v      Tracks labeled ‘Will Not Fit’ will not be transferred. This status means that the total size of the tracks being transferred to the Rio Nitrus exceeds the available space.

v      Tracks can be added from ‘My Library’ by selecting tracks to be transferred and clicking ‘COPY TO’ on the ‘My Library’ command bar.

v      Only MP3 and WMA tracks can be transferred. An error message will be displayed if unsupported tracks are transferred unsuccessfully to the player.

 

Conclusion

 

Digital audio players hold more music than Flash players. Apple offers a 40GB version of its iPod  and the Frontier Labs Nex Ia can use a 1GB Microdrive. Although, Flash players hold fewer tunes than hard drive-based devices do, but they can withstand jostling better. Also the flash memory-based models are a little cheaper. Hard drive-based players, on the other hand, can store an entire music collection. Some hard-drive models also allow creation of playlists on the fly, meaning one can cue up tracks on the device and set them to play in any order, rather than creating the playlist on PC.