Beginners Guide. Copying an Audio CD to a Bookmarking iPod File. All iTunes process.

[robert]

Originally posted by bjmark
Thank you all. This info has been of great help to newbie me. 2 questions: Has all worked up to Creating Smart Playlist. When stated Play Count = 0, is this the Limit To box/info? Or where? Also, in moving to iPod "regular way" with Smart Playlist created there, book all transferred, but didn't go into S.Plylst. So cleared & tried Dordales way: create in iTunes & move. Has moved 5 of 8 files, now keep getting Attempt to copy to iPod failed. An unknown error (-36). Any ideas here? Thanks

I have edited the post to be more explicit about how to create the smartlists and added an option to create a smartlist for each book instead of one smart playlist for all the genre. Learn something every day -- hadn't considered that contains, means just that. So, can use 'contains' "Book Name" as "song" criterion and the extraneous Part or File number will not interfere with that book file being identified as part of that smart play list.

bjmark, will you please try the edited instructions and pm me if clear, or where you had difficulties.

I think that you may have not created the smart list with all the criterion or that you have not made sure that the files have all the pertinent criteria, i.e., playcount = 0, genre same in smart playlist and file, etc.

Dunno about unknow error - 36. Sometimes, just exiting iTunes or rebooting solves that problem for me.

BTW, gang, OT, but most of the way thru a just under five hour and 70 mb homemade m4b file on my 4G with not a single lock up. In car with iTrip and jogging (battery) environments.

Good luck.

[tgrier]

Thank you for this post... It was very helpful.

Does Itunes have the Bookmark feature? or is it only on the ipod itself?

T

[robert]

Originally posted by tgrier
Thank you for this post... It was very helpful.

Does Itunes have the Bookmark feature? or is it only on the ipod itself?

T

both iPod and iTunes provide bookmarking. I use manual transfer, not synching, so I am not sure if synch makes the bookmark common. Bookmarks are easily lost on iPod by accidental brushing of the > or < buttons or by leaving iPod off overnight without connection to charger or computer. Recommend attaching iPod to computer or charger when not in use.

[Griffinwings]

After having uploaded the book, would you have to undo the things you did at the beginning? I.e., uncheck those boxes and reset it - or would Itunes do that itself??

[robert]

Originally posted by Griffinwings
After having uploaded the book, would you have to undo the things you did at the beginning? I.e., uncheck those boxes and reset it - or would Itunes do that itself??

iTunes will not revert to default, so you should reset your importing preferences for music to stereo and higher bit rate. AAC is preferred for both music and audio books. That is:

1. Open iTunes, and Click on the top menu Edit > Preferences and click on the "Importing" Tab:
-”Import Using”: select “AAC Encoder” Leave as is
- uncheck Create Filenames with track number Optional, as needed
-uncheck “Use error correction when reading Audio CD”s.” probably leave as is, really slows an aac conversion
-In "Settings" box, choose "Custom" from dropdown
-In Customs Widow that opens
-select Stereo setting: 32 kbps for audible.com format 4 quality;16 kbps for format 3 quality
-Set Channels to Stereo. Tho requires more testing, appears that iTunes version 4.7.1.30 has fixed the mono lock up bug, so can set at custom, 64kbps, mono for format4. Please post results.
about to edit to mono is ok. I have spot checked two mono m4b files and am now listening to a 6 hour mono m4b book completely -- no lock ups in 2:30, so optional to do audio books at stereo, or use mono to save space with audio books which would require resetting.


-Click OK

Robert

[rawdata]

Ok, I've done everything in these posts, but can't get my iPod to remember where I was when I go away from that book and come back again. How do you actually tell the iPod to bookmark that location in the book you're listening too? This is a highly useful feature to me since some of the books in a single file that I have are over 20 hours long and if you try to fast forward using the diamond progress bar, you can only go a little over two hours before the iPod gets lost and you have to start from the beginning.

Like others, I listen to my books as well as other music. When I go back to the books, I'd rather not have to revert to the "post it pad stuck to the back of the iPod with the time written on it" method of bookmarking...

Thanks!

[robert]

Originally posted by rawdata
... How do you actually tell the iPod to bookmark that location in the book you're listening too? ...
Thanks!

First, look at file in iTunes Library, and determine if the "File Kind" is "Protected AAC audio file". If so, highlight and right click on the file name, choose Show File, and look to see that the file has an *.m4b extension. If either one of the answers is no, you did something incorrectly in the step by step. Most likely you still have an m4a file. Go back to the renaming steps. Actually, if it is m4a, all you have to do is select rename on the left side of the Show Song file window, key in the b, enter, double click on the renamed files -- which will insert the renamed file in iTunes, and R click clear the m4a indexed names from library, drag to iPod.

Are you apple or pc?

Suggest you consider MarkAble for PC (link below next to EZGuide), which will manage the whole process for you.

Just reread your post. 20 hours long likely exceeds the maximum length the iPod will accomodate. If greater than 320 mb, you need to reduce file size. The max file size may be even less. Some think in the 120 MB range.

Good luck.

Robert

[rawdata]

Thanks for the tips. The file is protected AAC, .m4b, and 288M at 24kbps and 16kHz. Also ripped in Stereo mode. It is a conversion from .mp3, but everything went smoothly in the transition. I should also note that I've done 4-5 of these and they just don't seem to work for me. Some are also smaller files, ripped at different speeds, though still over the 120M range and under the 320M limit.

I'm using OS X and a 40G iPod.

Thanks again for your help!

[robert]

OS X? Mac?

You are using the Doug Adams Applescripts?

I have no exprience with mac but have tried to make the guides mac friendly, but that is not easily done. Maybe someone with Mac experience will weigh in. Try looking at and posting in this thread:

http://forums.ipodlounge.com/showthr...threadid=68629

It may be the file sizes are too large. Some think 120 is the max file size that will operate satisfactorily on iPod.


I would like to include in the guides a link to mp3 merge for mac freeware if you have one, please.

[lole34]

I did everything on the instructions untill the renaming the file. I don't know what you mean, what file am I renameing? I have never done anything with files on a computer and this is all verry overwhelimg. I can't get my itune to realize that my audio books are audiobooks and when I snyc with my ipod the go in the album catagory. Bookmarking dose not work for me eather. I don't know why this is not working for me or what I am doing wrong I am just verry fustrated. Also when I imported my first cd it has 99 "songs" all of about 45 sec but when I join tracks it will only do it to number 83 please help.

[Podunk]

Lole, I'm gonna suggest that you do what I do. In the future, just get your audioobooks from Audible.com

They are already in a format for the iPod and you won't have to worry about all this nonsense.

You just download, snyc and listen, and the file wll automaticallly be int the Audiobooks Menu on your iPod.

You can even get your first two books free by clicking by signing up at Audible.com

[Suze]

Thanks so much for the instructions. Everything worked out great. EXCEPT, I just don't get this part at all-

B. Rename the files, remove the song names that no longer have a file associated with it from iTunes, and add the renamed files to iTunes song list

Please, would someone explain this.

Thanks so much,
Suze

[robert]

Suze,

Look at the appropriate guide listed in signature below for precise instructions on how to do what you ask. Probably Guide 3 or 4, depending on the original source of your files.

Better yet, try MarkAble, also linked in sig below for beginner friendly do it all for you. It will rename and remove files so that you don't have to figure out how to do it with the guides. Free trial and $15 if you want to continue to use it.

[ns_tulkas]

This is a good tutorial. The only problem I'm having is even though the files are labled .m4b, they still do not show up under the auidiobook category in my ipod.

The tracks were originally .mp3 files downloaded from the internet. I have deleted all the files with the .mp3 and .m4a extensions, and made sure the files in iTunes are the ones with the .m4b extensions I had converted. I then tried deleting them from iTunes and reinserting them, then re-syncing with the ipod, but still no luck.

I don't understand why this won't work?

[Mac OS X Panther, 4G 20GB iPod]

[robert]

what file type shows for these files in iTunes under the "kind" column? If not showing as Kind = AAC file, then you did not convert properly. Go to Edit/preferences/Importing tab and change to import as AAC files. See guide for more details.

Uh, oh, I see mac now. You will have to use the apple script conversion. See the guide and
http://forums.ipodlounge.com/showthr...threadid=68629