this_is_nascar
Flashaholic
I just purchased a 15-gig iPod. I'm in the process of transferring my audio CD's to I-Tune, so they can be loaded into the iPod. Does anyone else have an iPod? Any tricks or gotcha's I need to be aware of?
Just Got an iPod
- Thread starter this_is_nascar
- Start date
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zumlin
Enlightened
If you want to have a longer stand-by runtime, don't set the clock and the date so that the microprocessor doesn't have to stay awake when you iPod is off.
BB
Flashlight Enthusiast
I don't have one, but the Ipod battery is replaceable--it is just not as easy (you have to split open the case or send it in for "repair") or as cheap as replacing a couple of AA cells...
-Bill
-Bill
I had a 10 GB iPod but just sold it and bought an iPod Mini. The Mini doesn't have the fingerprint issues of the larger models. It still holds plenty at 4 GB, yet its form factor and case (solid aluminum cored from bar stock) makes it a better unit. What I do (for either model) is run my CDs through my computer hard drive, which automatically opens iTune and downloads them. Apple has made the whole process pretty simple. If you're using a firewire, you may need a 6 to 4 pin adapter. I had to buy one separately. It downloads tons faster with the firewire than with the regular USB. Good luck!
Luminocity
Newly Enlightened
TIN,
I have been 'Podding for about 18 months now and have really enjoyed it. iTunes is great for managing your music library.
Ripping: When you rip a CD, be certain that you use MP3Gain to adjust the volume of each MP3 to approximately 89db. MP3Gain is available at: mp3gain.sourceforge.net/.
If you don't go through this process, you will find that certain mp3's will distort when you use the iPods built in EQ settings. It is well worth the time to take care of this up front.
EQ settings: If you like a decent amount of bass, the R&B seems to do the best job out all the presets, even better than the Bass Boost preset.
Headphones: You may want to invest in a pair of Koss Sporta Pro headphones. They are only $30 and provide better bass response than many other models costing far more (Yes, I prefer solid but not boomy bass).
Play lists: After you get the basics down, start experimenting with play lists. I think that you will find the play list capabilities of the unit and iTunes to be quite robust. I created a play list with about 500 songs and frequently use this list (with random play enabled) when traveling in the car.
Automotive Connectivity: For hookup in your car, line-in is the best if your head unit supports that. If not, a Sony cassette adapter is probably 2nd best. If neither of those are an option, then an FM modulator is your last option. If you have to go that route, the Griffin i-Trip is more elegant than other FM modulation solutions. I am fortunate that I was able to rig up a line-in for my personal car stereo. When I travel, I take both my cassette adapter and my i-Trip so that I can be assured that I use my iPod in any company pool car or rental car. Makes the driving component of those long business trips downright enjoyable!
Cases: In order to protect your unit from drops and other mishaps, you will want to purchase a 3rd party case. There are a ton of cases our there. I use the Mareware Sportsuit Convertable. It does scratch the unit a bit (iPods scratch very easily), but the built in padding provides great protection from drops, yet all controls and ports are still accessible, something many other solutions do not provide.
Battery issues: There are several aftermarket companies that sell replacement batteries for the iPod along with instructions on replacement. You should not have to worry about that for several years though, especially if you keep the battery topped off (I think we all know the rules for maintaining LI-ION batteries). A better deal though is to just buy the iPod at Best Buy and go for their service plan. Depending on the price of the unit the plan will cover you for either 2 years or 4 years (< $300 - 2years, >=$300 - 4 years). The cool thing about their plan is that if your unit craps out, they replace it with the latest and greatest model. My 30 gigger crapped out on me and since Apple had replaced the model with a 40 gigger, that is what I would up with. Not a bad upgrade!!! Unlike other suppliers, the Best Buy plan does not require you to purchase another policy if they replace your unit. Where did you purchase your unit? If not from Best Buy and you are still within your return period, I would suggest you return the unit and repurchase it at BB with the service plan.
I recently purchased an iPod Mini and other than the smaller capacity, I find that I like it better for certain activities, especially the gym. I could have lived without the Mini, but my flashaholic tendencies affect all my hobbies and interests, so a couple of months after the Mini came out, I had to have one!
On a side note, I always get a kick out of seeing the on-line debates that go on about the differences in tint of the display backlighting (varies from pure white to bluish white). I have posted several replies explaining the tint inconsistencies in white LED's, but they usually fall on deaf ears. Some of these guys repeatedly blame Apple again and again. I just have to laugh.....
Anyways, enjoy your new 'Pod.
BTW, the best iPod forum is ipodlounge.com.
I have been 'Podding for about 18 months now and have really enjoyed it. iTunes is great for managing your music library.
Ripping: When you rip a CD, be certain that you use MP3Gain to adjust the volume of each MP3 to approximately 89db. MP3Gain is available at: mp3gain.sourceforge.net/.
If you don't go through this process, you will find that certain mp3's will distort when you use the iPods built in EQ settings. It is well worth the time to take care of this up front.
EQ settings: If you like a decent amount of bass, the R&B seems to do the best job out all the presets, even better than the Bass Boost preset.
Headphones: You may want to invest in a pair of Koss Sporta Pro headphones. They are only $30 and provide better bass response than many other models costing far more (Yes, I prefer solid but not boomy bass).
Play lists: After you get the basics down, start experimenting with play lists. I think that you will find the play list capabilities of the unit and iTunes to be quite robust. I created a play list with about 500 songs and frequently use this list (with random play enabled) when traveling in the car.
Automotive Connectivity: For hookup in your car, line-in is the best if your head unit supports that. If not, a Sony cassette adapter is probably 2nd best. If neither of those are an option, then an FM modulator is your last option. If you have to go that route, the Griffin i-Trip is more elegant than other FM modulation solutions. I am fortunate that I was able to rig up a line-in for my personal car stereo. When I travel, I take both my cassette adapter and my i-Trip so that I can be assured that I use my iPod in any company pool car or rental car. Makes the driving component of those long business trips downright enjoyable!
Cases: In order to protect your unit from drops and other mishaps, you will want to purchase a 3rd party case. There are a ton of cases our there. I use the Mareware Sportsuit Convertable. It does scratch the unit a bit (iPods scratch very easily), but the built in padding provides great protection from drops, yet all controls and ports are still accessible, something many other solutions do not provide.
Battery issues: There are several aftermarket companies that sell replacement batteries for the iPod along with instructions on replacement. You should not have to worry about that for several years though, especially if you keep the battery topped off (I think we all know the rules for maintaining LI-ION batteries). A better deal though is to just buy the iPod at Best Buy and go for their service plan. Depending on the price of the unit the plan will cover you for either 2 years or 4 years (< $300 - 2years, >=$300 - 4 years). The cool thing about their plan is that if your unit craps out, they replace it with the latest and greatest model. My 30 gigger crapped out on me and since Apple had replaced the model with a 40 gigger, that is what I would up with. Not a bad upgrade!!! Unlike other suppliers, the Best Buy plan does not require you to purchase another policy if they replace your unit. Where did you purchase your unit? If not from Best Buy and you are still within your return period, I would suggest you return the unit and repurchase it at BB with the service plan.
I recently purchased an iPod Mini and other than the smaller capacity, I find that I like it better for certain activities, especially the gym. I could have lived without the Mini, but my flashaholic tendencies affect all my hobbies and interests, so a couple of months after the Mini came out, I had to have one!
On a side note, I always get a kick out of seeing the on-line debates that go on about the differences in tint of the display backlighting (varies from pure white to bluish white). I have posted several replies explaining the tint inconsistencies in white LED's, but they usually fall on deaf ears. Some of these guys repeatedly blame Apple again and again. I just have to laugh.....
Anyways, enjoy your new 'Pod.
BTW, the best iPod forum is ipodlounge.com.
James S
Flashlight Enthusiast
iPod is great. Love my 15gig model. Wish they would move the anodized aluminum case up to the full sized ones from the mini. Definitely like that better than the plastic. But even the plastic is nice and sturdy.
Best tip for increasing the battery life is to not have the eq or "sound check" on as that will make the CPU turn on some other DSP circuitry. Also load in regular MP3 or aac files and not AIFF or something that doesn't compress as much. That way it doesn't need to spin up the spin up the drive as much.
as far as replacing the battery, it's not very hard. i've done it for a friend. replacement battery run you under $50. So your battery cost is fixed at about $50 for 18 to 24 months. Even if it craps out in 18 then thats under $3 a month in battery money to run the thing. Mine is almost to 23 months and it still lasts long enough that I don't worry abou tit. Maybe in another 6 months /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif So this is really a non issue. You'd spend a lot more on AA's to keep any other model running and they are bigger and heavier too /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Best tip for increasing the battery life is to not have the eq or "sound check" on as that will make the CPU turn on some other DSP circuitry. Also load in regular MP3 or aac files and not AIFF or something that doesn't compress as much. That way it doesn't need to spin up the spin up the drive as much.
as far as replacing the battery, it's not very hard. i've done it for a friend. replacement battery run you under $50. So your battery cost is fixed at about $50 for 18 to 24 months. Even if it craps out in 18 then thats under $3 a month in battery money to run the thing. Mine is almost to 23 months and it still lasts long enough that I don't worry abou tit. Maybe in another 6 months /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif So this is really a non issue. You'd spend a lot more on AA's to keep any other model running and they are bigger and heavier too /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
MicroE
Enlightened
Nascar--Don't make the same mistake that I did.
All mp3 players are NOT compatible with all music download services.
I used Walmart.com to download some songs. They were $0.88 each instead of Apple's $0.99 each. I figured that I would save a few dollars. Wrong. The security system used by WM is not compatible with ipod. The files can transfer to ipod but they can't be played.
It's some sort of DRM (digital rights management) issue. All I know is that I paid for the songs but I can never play them on my ipod.
Beware.......
All mp3 players are NOT compatible with all music download services.
I used Walmart.com to download some songs. They were $0.88 each instead of Apple's $0.99 each. I figured that I would save a few dollars. Wrong. The security system used by WM is not compatible with ipod. The files can transfer to ipod but they can't be played.
It's some sort of DRM (digital rights management) issue. All I know is that I paid for the songs but I can never play them on my ipod.
Beware.......
Jack_Crow
Enlightened
Guys,
Just a bucket of cold water for a moment.
No doubt Apple makes a nice product. I just diden't want to afford it. Also my internet connetion via the Army won't allow 'music down loads'.
I use two 40G Nomads here for the trooper radio station here at Camp Scania Iraq. In time that will upgrade to a real PC but for the next few weeks, this is it.
I change players every ten days or so. The music list in the 'off line' player get's updated to keep the mix fresh.
Each player averages about 6k titles. A mix of music, movie sound track clips, Old Time Radio shows, comidy bits, trooper donated stuff, KBR country, base annoucements, and some Scania Live recordings (locally produced).
It supports collections of songs i call 'mixes'. We have mixes for the Army, Air Force, Navy, Love, Sex, God, Dining hall, Mechanical, Medical, and FHO.
FHO is an idea I stole from WNEW FM in New York. It was a show for some amazing music that just sounds good on high preformance head phones. So "For Headphones Only" is a good thing. That pushes all the system preformance to the limit. The audio chain, and the RF system.
So far, very few beefs. Mostly from the Iraqi's outside the wall, they want me to run more power. Base managment nixed that since we use this to announce chappel events, and it would be bad to tell any OpFor (bad guys) just when a bunch of troopers are going to be in one place at one time. The station stays at one watt, and the antenna stays at the same location.
These players run on external power and run 24x7. They do this rather well. Even for a one watt radio station.
As for the battery question, the Nomad battery is a drop in and simple to change if and when it goes bad. I have not had them long enough to know when that will happen.
For the most part they run on external power.
One of the above guys mentioned an FM modulator. This radio station is a large edition of what I made for my self back home.
I had a 6mW FM Stereo Transmitter in my truck. That would cover about two blocks. Local broadcast was so comercial back home, I would hear the same song at the same time each morning. That got old fast. I built for my self a little station that played songs I wanted to hear. So while driving, while at work, and at home this thing would crank out the tunes all day and night. The load on a car batter was trivial.
Here is a link for some photos.
http://photos.yahoo.com/ka2zev
The first is the radio station, MP3 player, FM Exciter, Amplifier.
The second is the antenna on our trailer.
The third is a BBQ made out of armor plate. How many can grill a steak while geting shot at.
The fourth is a cute trooper with a macheine gun. She's spoken for.
The fifth is your truly, a thermite grenade, and Sargent C.
You want light and heat, this is the gizmo for you!
Hope all is well.
Jack Crow aka Radio Mike
WTFO FM 105.9
Stereo Scania
Just a bucket of cold water for a moment.
No doubt Apple makes a nice product. I just diden't want to afford it. Also my internet connetion via the Army won't allow 'music down loads'.
I use two 40G Nomads here for the trooper radio station here at Camp Scania Iraq. In time that will upgrade to a real PC but for the next few weeks, this is it.
I change players every ten days or so. The music list in the 'off line' player get's updated to keep the mix fresh.
Each player averages about 6k titles. A mix of music, movie sound track clips, Old Time Radio shows, comidy bits, trooper donated stuff, KBR country, base annoucements, and some Scania Live recordings (locally produced).
It supports collections of songs i call 'mixes'. We have mixes for the Army, Air Force, Navy, Love, Sex, God, Dining hall, Mechanical, Medical, and FHO.
FHO is an idea I stole from WNEW FM in New York. It was a show for some amazing music that just sounds good on high preformance head phones. So "For Headphones Only" is a good thing. That pushes all the system preformance to the limit. The audio chain, and the RF system.
So far, very few beefs. Mostly from the Iraqi's outside the wall, they want me to run more power. Base managment nixed that since we use this to announce chappel events, and it would be bad to tell any OpFor (bad guys) just when a bunch of troopers are going to be in one place at one time. The station stays at one watt, and the antenna stays at the same location.
These players run on external power and run 24x7. They do this rather well. Even for a one watt radio station.
As for the battery question, the Nomad battery is a drop in and simple to change if and when it goes bad. I have not had them long enough to know when that will happen.
For the most part they run on external power.
One of the above guys mentioned an FM modulator. This radio station is a large edition of what I made for my self back home.
I had a 6mW FM Stereo Transmitter in my truck. That would cover about two blocks. Local broadcast was so comercial back home, I would hear the same song at the same time each morning. That got old fast. I built for my self a little station that played songs I wanted to hear. So while driving, while at work, and at home this thing would crank out the tunes all day and night. The load on a car batter was trivial.
Here is a link for some photos.
http://photos.yahoo.com/ka2zev
The first is the radio station, MP3 player, FM Exciter, Amplifier.
The second is the antenna on our trailer.
The third is a BBQ made out of armor plate. How many can grill a steak while geting shot at.
The fourth is a cute trooper with a macheine gun. She's spoken for.
The fifth is your truly, a thermite grenade, and Sargent C.
You want light and heat, this is the gizmo for you!
Hope all is well.
Jack Crow aka Radio Mike
WTFO FM 105.9
Stereo Scania
