MP3 Insider

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.

How to set up an iPod Shuffle--photos

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.

How to edit an MP3 audio file

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

How to record streaming audio

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.

How to set up an iPod Touch--photos

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.

How to record audio onto a computer

As much as I like the way iTunes neatly organizes my computer's music and video library, I don't often use the integrated iTunes download store for grabbing new content. Maybe I'm just cheap, but most of my weekly music downloads come from combing through freebies from Last.fm, Hype Machine, and other music blogs. (Last.fm is a part of CBS Interactive, which also publishes CNET Reviews. )

Unfortunately, adding Web downloads into iTunes has always been a hassle. Up until iTunes 9, the best way to ensure that your Web downloads get added to iTunes was to launch iTunes and drag the specific song or video directly into the iTunes window.

Personally, because iTunes runs slowly on my old computer, I would put off updating my library until it was absolutely necessary or I really wanted to hear a new song on my iPod. The result was a disjointed library of music where new songs languished in my download folder where I would never hear them.

Thankfully, iTunes 9 now offers a shortcut for adding media to your library without launching the program. To see how it works, I've made a short How To video and slideshow to get you started.

How to quickly add media to iTunes

Who says you can't use the Zune HD with a Mac? Well, I did, for one...but contrary to popular belief I sometimes actually enjoy admitting when I'm wrong. As a Mac user with a penchant for non-iPod MP3 players, I often feel left out in the cold, especially when I see shiny new devices like the Zune HD. Sure, I could always use Boot Camp, but I prefer not to clutter up my pretty Mac with Windows XP, thankyouverymuch. Plus, dual booting isn't exactly a seamless experience.

That's where VMWare Fusion comes into play. At $80, the software is about the same price as Windows XP Home--not cheap--but it provides a super simple way to run apps and connect devices that are otherwise relegated to Windows machines. Plus, it integrates seamlessly into the Dock. Of course, I would prefer if Microsoft would just make the Zune HD and Marketplace Mac-compatible to begin with, but in the meantime, this will have to suffice. To see how VMWare Fusion works with the Zune, check out the video below.

Thanks, Nick!

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.

How to make sense of digital video files

Digital music site Last.fm is like Pandora on steroids. The site allows devoted music fans from around the world to compare tastes, stream music from their favorite artists, stay up to date on local shows, download free MP3s, and create their own custom radio stations.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Last.fm's open API has given rise to hundreds of user-created applications, plug-ins, web tools, mash-ups and widgets. No other music site offers more tools or more features to help users connect with each other and the music they love.

Unfortunately, the deep features that makes Last.fm so appealing to hardcore music nerds, can also make the site a little intimidating to first-timers and casual listeners. Like a freshman dance, folks will often just find one comfortable corner of Last.fm and lose sight of everything else going on around them.

If you're interested in breaking out of your Last.fm rut, I've put together a quick video guide and slideshow, illustrating some ways to take your experience further.

How to do more with Last.fm--screenshots

Disclosure: Last.fm is a property of CNET parent company CBS.