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In spite of its unassuming size, the Apple iPod Shuffle is a surprisingly sophisticated MP3 player. With voice feedback, headphone control, playlist management, and podcast support, the iPod Shuffle is in many ways more advanced than the original brick-size iPod.
You don't need a PhD to get started with your first iPod Shuffle, but even seasoned iPod veterans could use a few pointers on this buttonless beauty. Just as we did with the iPod Touch and the iPod Nano, we've put together a video and a slideshow tutorial on setting up the iPod Shuffle.
If you have any additional tips to share, feel free to plug them into the comments section.
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Whether it's a two-hour Grateful Dead concert or a 45-minute DJ mix, we all have an MP3 in our music collection that gets skipped for being too long. Tragically, there's usually one or two great songs in these recordings that would otherwise be in heavy rotation if they weren't tied to such a tediously long file.
Well, today we're going to show you how to cut these songs loose by opening up and editing your MP3s in Audacity. The whole process is relatively painless, and if you set it up correctly, you can easily drag and drop files directly from iTunes, chop them up, and spit them back out.
We have a video and slideshow with all the details. If you have any other techniques to share, please suggest them in the comments section.
These days, there is a plethora of audio content available to stream over the Internet. Even traditional terrestrial radio often offers content streamed over the Web, diversifying the choices for how consumers can enjoy music and other audio. Although the legality is questionable, there are--and will always be--ways to record these streams. Streamed audio recordings for music are not going to offer the same sound quality as a ripped CD or even a purchased MP3, but it's a good option for talk programs and mixes that might not be available in other formats. This tutorial will show you how to record streamed audio as an MP3; just be sure to read the usage rules for any recording source before beginning.
Editors' note: This tutorial was completed using Windows XP.
Cost: Free
Time commitment: Varies
System Requirements: Windows
The Apple iPod clinched an early success over the MP3 player market by making it dead-simple to load and manage music onto a portable device. Ease of use still defines Apple's products, but when you're talking about a do-it-all device like the iPod Touch, there's only so much you can do to keep things simple.
As Apple's hottest-selling iPod, there are a lot of newcomers to the iPod Touch who may be a little surprised at its complexity. Compared with the iPods of yesteryear, the Touch is practically a handheld computer.
Last week I gave you an overview of setting up an iPod Nano. This week, we're giving the third-generation iPod Touch the same video and slideshow treatment.
If you have your own tips to share, feel free to add them in the comments section.
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There's an entire hardware industry built of products that ease the pain of recording audio to a basic home computer. But the truth is, you really don't need things like USB turntables, USB cassette decks, or USB microphones in order to make decent digital audio recordings.
A willingness to experiment and $15 PC microphone or $3 minijack cable should be enough to get you up and running with computer audio recording. The trouble is, most people just don't know where to begin. I can't promise that he following How To video and slideshow will turn your computer into a full-fledged, multitrack digital recording studio, but at least it'll demystify a few things and get you pointed in the right direction.
Once a song is turned into an MP3, you can almost guarantee it will play on your mobile phone, iPod, or computer. But if you're looking for one universal video format that will work with all of your devices, you may as well forget about it.
On the surface, there's nothing about a digital video file that looks any more complicated than an MP3. But anyone who's tried to play a YouTube FLV file in iTunes, or a BitTorrented DivX movie on their Zune, has probably experienced the brain-melting frustration of working with digital video formats.
There are dozens of video conversion applications out there designed to magically convert any given video format for your particular device. But if you really want to understand the root causes that make video files so fickle to work with, I've put together a video and slide show tutorial to shed some light on things.
Have your own digital video nightmare to share? Feel free to vent in the comments section.
As CNET's Senior Editor for MP3 player reviews, you'd think I'd be losing sleep over the fact that the majority of the mobile phones on the market include some form of integrated music playback. But in spite of manufacturer's efforts to fashion the mobile phone into a portable music powerhouse, there's still a lot of confusion out there when it comes to transferring music from a computer to your phone. Sure, most of us can figure out how to transfer music from iTunes to an iPhone, but what about loading music on your sister's LG enV Touch, or your dad's old Blackberry?
There's no fool-proof method for getting music onto any mobile phone, but I've put together a video and slideshow demonstrating a handful of techniques that should come in handy in most cases. Feel free to share other recommendations in the comments section.
To really be a Jedi-level iTunes guru, you must master the art of the Smart Playlist. The most enlightened of all the playlists (don't let Genius Playlists fool you), Smart Playlists can be used to quickly create genre playlists, sort out your least favorite tracks, or keep your kid's insipid music from infecting your iPhone.
To help you on your way toward total playlist domination, I've put together a little video and a slideshow to get the ball rolling. If you've got a favorite Smart Playlist tip to share, please be kind enough to drop it in the comments section.
Apple's iTunes software makes it dead-simple to copy music onto your iPod, but when it comes to moving files in the opposite direction--from the iPod to your computer--there's no obvious solution. I get an e-mail on this topic at least once a week, usually from someone who's had his laptop stolen or watched helplessly as his hard drive crashed. After an incident like that, it can be a relief to know your music collection (or at least part of it) is backed up on an iPod.
Of course, relief can quickly turn to frustration when you plug that iPod into a new computer and can't figure out how to grab those files. Worse yet, iTunes will sometimes prompt you to erase the iPod if it's not recognized. Saying yes will only end in tears.
To be fair, iTunes isn't completely useless when it comes to pulling media off your iPod. Under the iTunes File menu, there's an option for "Transfer Purchases From iPod" that will work to pull any content purchased through the iTunes Store back to your computer. It's a nice place to start, but to get the rest of your content off your iPod, you'll need to download some additional software.
There are two very useful applications out there that will transfer the rest of your music, videos, playlists, and metadata off your iPod and back to your computer. In truth, there are dozens of programs that can accomplish the same thing, but for the sake of simplicity, we'll stick with these two since they're easy to use, and work with all models of iPods and iPhones.
Update: an updated version of Pod to PC (version 3.02) offers compatibility with iPhone OS 3.0 but requires a $9.95 activation fee. The original, free versions of the software outlined in our slideshow and video are still available using the Download.com links below, however, they are not compatible with iPhone OS 3.0.
Depending on the type of computer you're transferring to, download Pod to Mac or Pod to PC from Download.com. If you're looking to get photos off your iPod, go ahead and download Pod Photo Transfer (PC only), as well.
To see how the process works, CNET's Tom Merrit made a handy video that walks you through the steps for retrieving files from an iPhone. The process is identical for iPods, so don't feel left out when Tom says "iPhone"--just overdub it in your mind with the iPod model of your choice. For a few extra iPod media transfer tips, check out our CNET slideshow.
The MP3 CD is the awkward love-child of audio CDs and MP3 players--a missing link from an era when the cheapest iPod still cost $300 and portable CD players were still the norm. Still, the format never went gangbusters, even in its heyday.
These days, even though MP3 CDs can be played on many recent models of DVD players, bookshelf audio systems, portable CD players, and aftermarket car stereos, most people are still pretty clueless about the format. It's really too bad, since the MP3/CD hybrid offers some practical advantages over standalone MP3 players like the iPod (no charging, easy to replace, no expensive cables to worry about).
Making an MP3 CD is easier than you think. All you need is a blank CD, a collection of MP3s, a computer with a writable CD drive, and five minutes. To see how it's done, check out my video tutorial and slideshow on burning your own MP3 CD.
Donald Bell is an electronic musician, a veteran record store employee, and a fearless hardware hacker. He's also CNET's Senior Editor for MP3 and digital audio.
Jasmine France is CNET's resident digital audio doyenne, writing and editing product reviews, crave blogs, and feature stories on all things MP3. And if you need advice on headphones, she's your girl.
