[tether]

i expected using the ipod and itunes would be dead simple, and i'm sure its just me but i keep having probs trying to do stuff. i know there's probably better ways of putting music into itunes, and this is a baby question i know, but is there anything wrong with doing the following?:

to take music from a cd, i insert the cd which automatically downloads a folder with the tracks into the itunes music folder which is in Macintosh HD>Music>iTunes>iTunes Music> the folder names itself 'untitled artist'. i then create a 'new playlist' in iTunes, name it with the artist's name, drag the folder in iTunes Music into that folder, go back to the folder in iTunes Music, name that with the artist's name too, and then do the same again with another cd.

with music that was already in mp3 format, i was going to do stick it in the iTunes music folder and do the same.

and with data files that i wanted to transfer, i was going to drag them onto the ipod logo on the desktop, transfer them to another computer and drag them off

i know they're baby questions, but i keep having small little probs with it and wanted to check if that process is ok.

and.. just one last question: am i right in thinking that the files in the iTunes Music folder are my basic files (ie the ones i should look after and copy and transfer to another machine if i need to sometime) and that the lists in the iTunes are just references to those files which i can delete at will?

(the files in iTunes music have the extension .m4a - i was expecting them to be .mp3 - are the two the same thing?)

thanks very much

[icruise]

You're making this a lot harder than it is. If you want to get music from a CD into iTunes, insert the CD. Assuming you have an active internet connection, iTunes should automatically name all of the tracks for you. You don't have to do anything unless you have a very obscure CD that's not in the database. To import it, just click import. It will automatically go into iTunes, and assuming you have your iPod set to sync with iTunes (the default setting) the music will automatically be copied to your iPod the next time you plug it into your computer. That's it.

If you have music already in MP3 format, the easiest thing will be to just drag the folder with the music in it over to the "Library" entry to the left of the iTunes window. By default, iTunes will copy the music to Macintosh HD>Music>iTunes>iTunes Music> and also add it to your library. Or, if you want to leave the MP3 files where they are on your hard disk but add them to your Library, you can press the Option key while dragging.

As for the .m4a extension, this means that the music is in AAC format, which is what iTunes uses by default. AAC is actually better than MP3 in the sense that it sounds better at a lower bit rate (this means your music takes up less space than if you had used MP3). However, MP3 is a more common format, so if you plan to use your music with other MP3 players you might want to choose mp3. This setting can be changed in the iTunes preferences under "Advanced" and then "Importing". You can choose the format you want to use and the bitrate.

[analogika]

Originally Posted by Icruise

You're making this a lot harder than it is.

That is, in my experience, the single biggest problem Windows users have when they switch to Macintosh.

[tether]

many thanks for that - i'm having a bit more success with it now. cheers.