[How to] Put music on my new player

[seadzz]

I just bought a new player how do I get music off a CD and on to my player?

Answer:

Your new player is a wonderful device. however, to use it you must convert your music into a format that the player can store. Your player is similar to the HD in your computer, however it does not have anywhere near the storage space that your computer does. This being the case you need to squeeze the music files down into a smaller size than what is on your CD's so it can fit into your player. This process is called compression.

Lucky for you your player supports mp3, wma and depending on model ogg vorbis. If you have a ifp-3XX, ifp-5XX and others ogg is supported and you will have to download this firmware from iRiver. (Downloading is easy and will be covered in this FAQ list.) Most H series also support ogg so please RTM.

Getting back to compression, providing you have selected the codec (the
choice of mp3, wma or ogg) the process of getting music into your player can begin. You need to download some freeware from the internet first.

A good choice for people new to ripping and encoding is Cdex since it comes with all the newer encoders built in, and is relatively easy to use. Other people prefer EAC because iit's been around for a long while, and does a very good job with scratched or damaged CD's. And it's also very easy to use.
Go and download one or both of them before you go forward. I suggest getting comfortable with either of the programs also...if you want a very basic ripper\encoder some people use Audiograbber (google to find) All of these programs are freeware by the way. Caution: As download sites tent to move over time you may need to goodle to find the most current site for any title mentioned above.

1. Lets assume you have either ripper installed in your computer. Go to setting and select the encoder you want to use.(or you can just use a front end encoder such as Razor LAME or Oggdrop Remember, Keeping the file sizes small, will allow you to store more files on your unit. 128 Kbps is the recommended bitrate benchmark because it's small but doesn't sacrifice too much quality. VBR is recommended for quality and size as well.

Stick a CD into your computer and rip and encode the CD following the Cdex or EAC instructions. Make sure you tell the program where you want to store the tracks....a file called converted music on your desktop is a good place so it is easy to find. But this may vary depending on how you may have your HD partitioned.

3. Once you have the tracks ripped and encoded all you need do is connect your ifp to your computer and use the IMM (if player is supported by this software) or use WIndows Explorer to drag and drop these new files to your player. Presto you now have music in your player.

Please note: this information is targeted at the novice and in no way should be considered the "engraved in stone" method of encoding, codec selection or bitrate management. All it is intended to do is get some music in your player fast. Please read other more detailed FAQ's to help you in working through the rest of finer points.

sdz

(P.S. Rippers and encoders and how to use them should or will be in a seperate FAQ section. Please refer to them if you're confused about how to use them. Some people ..such as the editor here..are very picky about what they use to rip and encode their stuff, and there's a LOT of options. Never be afraid to experiment. A good way to go about it, is to take a CD you're very familiar with, and do what you will. Use it to encode with different codecs, bitrates etc..)