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

[robert]

Originally Posted by kirkmc

You can't actually drag anything to the "Audiobooks" folder. If you do, it's the LIBRARY that highlights.

Kirk

PC Version:
I just tried it and stand corrected. However, "Library" cannot be highlighted -- only the Library sub folders can be. Dragging an m4b file to iTune's "Library" line or any entry under Library, including Music, places an m4b file in AudioBooks. Either my memory is faulty or a prior version of iTunes was showing homemade m4b files in music unless they were specifically dragged to the Audiobooks folder. Howver, I think that the current version of iTunes is the first to have an Audiobooks folder, so that points to memory or some other problem. I will eventually get around to correcting the tutorial, but since dragging to the Audiobooks folder works, not much pressure to do so.

[kirkmc]

On a Mac, dragging a file anywhere over the different libraries (below LIBRARY) highlights LIBRARY. If it's an .m4b file, it gets added to the Audiobooks library; if it's a podcast (and is tagged as such) it gets added to the Podcasts library; and so on. I agree that it's a minor detail; it was in a previous version that you could actually drag to the Audiobooks library, which existed at least in v6 if not earlier.

Best,

Kirk

[WendySS]

Thank you for this great explanation and it has been perfect for importing and burning bookmarkable audio CDs.

I have noticed however, that the last couple of AudionCDs I made have some terrible skipping issues. I don;t think that it is the result of the CDs being bad. Is there something I can do to prevent this skipping? The instructions you provided say to uncheck error correction. Would that be a way to prevent this happening?

[robert]

Originally Posted by WendySS

Thank you for this great explanation and it has been perfect for importing and burning bookmarkable audio CDs.

I have noticed however, that the last couple of AudionCDs I made have some terrible skipping issues. I don;t think that it is the result of the CDs being bad. Is there something I can do to prevent this skipping? The instructions you provided say to uncheck error correction. Would that be a way to prevent this happening?

Wendy,

When I had this problem I fixed it by using a Compact Disc Laser Lens Cleaner disc to get the dirt off the CD laser lenses. These are inexpensively available at computer stores or retail outlets like Radio Shack. The cleaner disc has brushes that clean the lenses which get dirty over time. Follow the directions and perhaps repeat one or more times. I have had to do this on my computer CD/DVD drives and on my auto GPS CD input to make them work properly. The GPS unit spins the cleaner disc and immediately rejects so I had to continuously insert it over an hour and a half drive to get it working properly. Lots cheaper than dealer cost to fix/replace.

Radio Shack also has an inexpensive Compact Disc Cleaner (not to be confused with the lens cleaner) which includes a spray bottle of Cleaning Solution and a scrubber/squeege device to clean individual CDs. Library copies sometimes need cleaning this way.

Error correction extends the rip time enormously and I think you will find cleaning the lenses will work. Let us know.

Robert

[robert]

I am having problems joining mp4 files with YAMB. YAMB join results in a file that contains only the first CD, mysteriously dropping three CDs. I have played with this until I am totally frustrated. I will let it rest and give it another try. I am using YAMB 1.6. Recently a new 2.0 version became available. If I can't figure out the 1.6 version, I will try the new one.

Mystery since YAMB has worked for me in past. Must be skipping a step that I did not document in the YAMB Join tutorial linked in the first post of this thread.

In the meantime, I am listening to a file for each CD.


EDIT: Discovered that this problem only exists when SoundTaxi is the source of the m4a file. Ripping CDs, using iTunes, into m4a files join fine with YAMB. See link in tutorial at beginning of thread.

[moriond]

Robert,

I haven't had any difficulties with YAMB 1.6. However, there may be some oddities about file recognition under Windows iTunes. When you choose the file name for created, joined file are you giving it a completely new name (i.e., not one associated with any previous .m4a or .m4b file)? Do you create the file with an extension (like .m4a) and check that the specific file can be imported and seen in iTunes?

Check to see that the file that you have created/added is really a new file -- for example, once you have selected it or started to play it under iTunes, do a ctrl + r and look to see which file is highlighted under the parent directory.

Another thing, I find it easier to do file renames (from .m4a to .m4b) from the command prompt.

[robert]

Originally Posted by moriond

Robert,

... [1.] When you choose the file name for created, joined file are you giving it a completely new name (i.e., not one associated with any previous .m4a or .m4b file)? Do you create the file with an extension (like .m4a) and check that the specific file can be imported and seen in iTunes?

[2.] Check to see that the file that you have created/added is really a new file -- for example, once you have selected it or started to play it under iTunes, do a ctrl + r and look to see which file is highlighted under the parent directory.

[3.]Another thing, I find it easier to do file renames (from .m4a to .m4b) from the command prompt.

1. Unique name: The Lost Painting Joined
2. Shows in iTunes and is a new file, I think. A possible explanation. I will join again and look for your cautions. It certainly gives me pause for thought and I will check it out.
3. On one try I renamed mp4 to m4b in the Add File to iTunes window and thought maybe that was what was causing my problems. If that works, it will greatly simplify renaming. Will have to rework tutorial.

BTW, and off topic: Very disappointed that your suggestion for the unabridged version of The Name of the Rose was not chosen by audible.com. The only unabridged I can find is a CD set at Amazon.com.uk for 54 pounds. Ouch! Just got a print edition from the library. The book I did the YAMB join on is a non-fiction piece, The Lost Painting: The Quest for a Caravaggio Masterpiece by Jonathan Harr. Reads like a good novel and great so far -- almost through the fifth of six files. Available on OverDrive and audible. Smithsonian Magazine that came today has an extensive article on Caravaggio.

Ciao,
Robert

EDIT: Discovered that this problem only exists when SoundTaxi is the source of the m4a file. Ripping CDs, using iTunes, into m4a files join fine with YAMB. See link in tutorial at beginning of thread.

[moriond]

Originally Posted by robert

EDIT: Discovered that this problem only exists when SoundTaxi is the source of the m4a file. Ripping CDs, using iTunes, into m4a files join fine with YAMB. See link in tutorial at beginning of thread.

I should have asked whether the files being joined were encoded with iTunes or with a 3rd party application. I've only used YAMB to join (bookmarking) aac files that were generated by iTunes, and have had no problems in these cases.

Originally Posted by robert

BTW, and off topic: Very disappointed that your suggestion for the unabridged version of The Name of the Rose was not chosen by audible.com. The only unabridged I can find is a CD set at Amazon.com.uk for 54 pounds. Ouch! Just got a print edition from the library.

I think Tim suggested this work; I only pointed to the Books on Tape unabridged edition. Audible does offer an abridged version of The Name of the Rose. The recent addition of Jhumpa Lahiri's The Interpreter of Maladies reminds me, you got this from Amazon, didn't you? How did you like it? I thought this collection (read in text) was better than The Namesake.

[Augie]

Robert, your article that leads this thread was exactly what I was looking for. I recently bought my first iPod and quickly realized that importing audiobook CDs like they were music CDs just doesn't work -- too many tracks and none of them bookmark-capable by default.

I've "boiled down" your article, including only the minimum number of steps required, and I have detailed those steps for the computer novice:

http://www.augustinecentral.com/ipod/audiobooks

Thanks again.

[DRI1988]

I had files in MP3 format then I converted them to AAC like I learned from here to listen them with bookmarks,... then they locked up the Ipod. I deleted them and inserted again. It worked. But now the audiobook doesn't play. It appears on menu but when I play it doesn't work. I can forward the file, but still it doesn't work. Am I doing anything wrong?
It shows as protected file...

[robert]

Originally Posted by DRI1988

I had files in MP3 format then I converted them to AAC like I learned from here to listen them with bookmarks,... then they locked up the Ipod. I deleted them and inserted again. It worked. But now the audiobook doesn't play. It appears on menu but when I play it doesn't work. I can forward the file, but still it doesn't work. Am I doing anything wrong?
It shows as protected file...

Any file converted to aac shows as protected, so that is not the problem.

Suggest you soft reset your iPod -- toggle lock button several times, and with it unlocked press center button of wheel and menu button at the same time. That may clear the lock up problem.

Effective soft reset will show Apple Logo in display and then go to menu.

What version of iTunes and iPod software?

[ejsjrnc]

Thanks for this....I had a bunch of audiobooks that I had ripped to m4a and couldn't find a program to stitch them all together that worked.

On a side note - if you select all of the files using CTRL-A when you are adding instead of ctrl-clicking to add them to YAMB, it seems to select them in order so you don't have to remove the last file from the top of the list.

[truelove98]

I have followed all the rules for placing bookmarked audiobooks files into my Audiobook folder, but they are still showing up in my music folder too. How do I get them out of my music folder while remaining in my audiobook folder?

[iPodBlanc]

Ok, I tried to import Disc 1 of an audiobook using the instructions from this thread. After I did, I had two seperate audio files, one 40:06 minutes long, and one 42:54 minutes long. I added up the lengths from the cd, and the length should be over 50 minutes. Both the files start in the same place, but they end in different places. Where did I screw something up?

[robert]

Originally Posted by iPodBlanc

Ok, I tried to import Disc 1 of an audiobook using the instructions from this thread. After I did, I had two seperate audio files, one 40:06 minutes long, and one 42:54 minutes long. I added up the lengths from the cd, and the length should be over 50 minutes. Both the files start in the same place, but they end in different places. Where did I screw something up?

Probably in the join tracks instructions. Make sure you highlight all the tracks, select join tracks. Go back to the join tracks instructions in the tutorial and have another try. Did you perform two imports? You may not see all the tracks unless you scroll down. After making sure tracks are in order, highlight top track and then scroll down to last track, hold down shift and highlight to highlight all the tracks then execute join tracks command and then import according to tutorial.