How to interface WMP 11 with iTunes

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KCav - 28 Mar 2007 23:38 GMT

Am getting started with Windows Media Player 11; have iPod that requires
iTunes; after I rip CD/DVDs and build a music library with WMP 11 I will
need to Export/Import files with iTunes. Can someone advice me how to do
this?

Will I need to use plug-ins to convert the file formats?
How can I avoid retyping song titles and artists names?

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Dale - 29 Mar 2007 04:14 GMT

Both Windows Media Player 11 and iTunes support ripping as MP3 files. Set
both to do that. Then, in the settings for WMP 11, add your music folder to
the monitored folders list if it is not already. Then, on iTunes, change
your library folder to the same folder that WMP 11 uses. There are two ways
to go forward from here. One easy and one hard.

If you rip with WMP 11 (bad idea) you have to manually add the results to
your iTunes library since iTunes doesn't have a folder monitoring service.

Simpler, and a better idea for reasons I shall explain shortly, is to rip
your CDs using iTunes. Windows Media Player will automatically pick them up
because it monitors the folder where iTunes (remember you configured this?)
saves the files when it rips.

Make sure that you do not configure iTunes to organize your library folders!
It will store them in a ridiculous directory structure by artist spelling
and track rather than as cohesive album units.

So, the big reason for ripping with iTunes instead of WMP 11? iTunes uses
the CDDB online database for identifying your CDs and tracks. WMP uses a
proprietary Microsoft/AMG database The CDDB database is commonly accepted as
being much more reliable than the Microsoft/AMG database. I use iTunes
exclusively, for now, to rip CDs just for that one reason. Read more about
online CD databases on my blog at
http://www.dalepreston.com/Blog/2007/03/online-music-databases.html.

Dale

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Dale Preston
MCAD C#
MCSE, MCDBA

> Am getting started with Windows Media Player 11; have iPod that requires
> iTunes; after I rip CD/DVDs and build a music library with WMP 11 I will
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> Will I need to use plug-ins to convert the file formats?
> How can I avoid retyping song titles and artists names?

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KCav - 29 Mar 2007 14:14 GMT

Hi Dale,

Thanks for the advise.

I have set iTunes Importing to use MP3 Encoder.

Should I use Higher Quality 192kbs or 128kbs? I listen to music on an iPod
with speakers.

Under Details I checked perform error checking when importing. OK?

My iTunes Music folder is under All Users/ Documents & Settings /Music.
Keep Music folder organized is unchecked.
Copy files to the music folder when adding to iTunes is checked. OK?

Thanks again for your help.

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> Both Windows Media Player 11 and iTunes support ripping as MP3 files. Set
> both to do that. Then, in the settings for WMP 11, add your music folder to
[quoted text clipped - 31 lines]
> > Will I need to use plug-ins to convert the file formats?
> > How can I avoid retyping song titles and artists names?

Reply to this Message

Dale - 29 Mar 2007 16:50 GMT

> Hi Dale,
>
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> Should I use Higher Quality 192kbs or 128kbs? I listen to music on an iPod
> with speakers.

Higher is always better. If your iPod has a lot of memory and you don't
mind reloading, I would even consider higher than 192 though I typically have
used 192KB. Of course now I sometimes wish I had used higher quality just
because the extra disk space is much cheaper than my time to re-rip the CDs.

I don't know if iTunes will reduce the quality when copying to a device. I
think WMP will. My grandkids have iPods that the sync sometimes on my PC but
I don't regularly have access to one to find out.

Again the real keys to this question are quality - higher is better - versus
storage space on your iPod - lower is better. You have to decide what works
for you.

> Under Details I checked perform error checking when importing. OK?

You may have to turn it off on marginal or scrached CDs but I would leave it
on normally.

> My iTunes Music folder is under All Users/ Documents & Settings /Music.
> Keep Music folder organized is unchecked.
> Copy files to the music folder when adding to iTunes is checked. OK?

Sounds good to me.

>
> Thanks again for your help.
[quoted text clipped - 34 lines]
> > > Will I need to use plug-ins to convert the file formats?
> > > How can I avoid retyping song titles and artists names?

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KCav - 29 Mar 2007 14:42 GMT

Hi Dale,

I am working on the configuration of WMP11. Under the Library, I set Add to
Library Monitored Folder -- same as iTunes. I also have Rip Music set to the
same location as iTunes. Should I be using the same folder? Rip settings is
mp3. Audio Quality is 192kbs.

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Dale - 29 Mar 2007 16:52 GMT

> Hi Dale,
>
> I am working on the configuration of WMP11. Under the Library, I set Add to
> Library Monitored Folder -- same as iTunes. I also have Rip Music set to the
> same location as iTunes. Should I be using the same folder? Rip settings is
> mp3. Audio Quality is 192kbs.

Yes, rip to the same folder. But, as I suggested before, for accuracy and
simplicity, rip using iTunes - WMP will automatically pick up the files if
both apps use the same rip folder. Actually, iTunes calls it import - which
I prefer as well. The connotations of "rip" are that you are ripping off the
CD. I am not ripping off anything when I copy my own CD to my PC.

> > Both Windows Media Player 11 and iTunes support ripping as MP3 files. Set
> > both to do that. Then, in the settings for WMP 11, add your music folder to
[quoted text clipped - 31 lines]
> > > Will I need to use plug-ins to convert the file formats?
> > > How can I avoid retyping song titles and artists names?

Reply to this Message

KCav - 29 Mar 2007 17:00 GMT

Hi Dale,

Are there advantages to copying a CD rather than ripping? I know you can
easly Add Folders to the iTunes Library.

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> > Hi Dale,
> >
[quoted text clipped - 44 lines]
> > > > Will I need to use plug-ins to convert the file formats?
> > > > How can I avoid retyping song titles and artists names?

Reply to this Message

KCav - 29 Mar 2007 17:02 GMT

10, 4

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> > Hi Dale,
> >
[quoted text clipped - 44 lines]
> > > > Will I need to use plug-ins to convert the file formats?
> > > > How can I avoid retyping song titles and artists names?

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J. Clarke - 29 Mar 2007 17:17 GMT

>> Hi Dale,
>>
[quoted text clipped - 12 lines]
> off the
> CD. I am not ripping off anything when I copy my own CD to my PC.

Actually, RIP comes from video production, where the stage in which an
analog video tape was digitized for nonlinear editing was called "Raster
Image Processing" or RIPping. While the CD is already digital somehow
the term got transferred to the process of importing audio files from a
CD. Has nothing to do with "ripping off" in the sense of stealing.

>> --
>> KC
[quoted text clipped - 43 lines]
>>>> --
>>>> KC

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--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

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Dale - 29 Mar 2007 19:12 GMT

Interesting tidbit. Thanks.

Signature

Dale Preston
MCAD C#
MCSE, MCDBA

> >> Hi Dale,
> >>
[quoted text clipped - 66 lines]
> >>>> --
> >>>> KC

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KCav - 29 Mar 2007 14:48 GMT

Hi Dale,

Thank you again for your help on rippng?

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Dale - 29 Mar 2007 16:52 GMT

You're quite welcome.

Signature

Dale Preston
MCAD C#
MCSE, MCDBA

> Hi Dale,
>
[quoted text clipped - 35 lines]
> > > Will I need to use plug-ins to convert the file formats?
> > > How can I avoid retyping song titles and artists names?

Reply to this Message