How to Transfer Music onto a Portable MP3 Player

You have finally taken the plunge with your first MP3 player and are so excited to use it for the first time. You break it out of the box and your excitement turns to dismay as your realize that you have no idea how to get music on the darned thing. The good news is that, in most cases, getting music onto your player is a fairly simple task. The bad news is that there are many different MP3 players, and not all of them use the same way to get music onto them. However, they all use the same basic principles. Hopefully armed with some basic information, you can figure out how to get music on your player with little difficulty.
The Process

Overall, the process of transferring music files consists of the following:

* Install music management software on your computer
* Determine the source of the music files that you want to transfer
* Create the appropriate music file format for your transfer
* Connect your MP3 player to your computer
* Transfer your music files to your player
* Disconnect your player

Step 1: Install music management software on your computer
In order to create music files from your CDs and transfer music onto your MP3 player, you need to install music software onto your computer if it is not already installed. Usually, the appropriate software for your player is bundled with the MP3 player. If so, install that software, as it is probably the best option for your MP3 player. Two of the more popular examples of music management software include MusicMatch Jukebox and iTunes.

Step 2: Determine the Source of the Music to Transfer
The next step in getting music on your MP3 player is to determine the music that you want to transfer. The music must be owned by you and be in a format that you can easily convert to a format that can be read by your player. The two most common ways are through a music CD that you own or through a download from an Internet music store. Though possible, it is more difficult to use an old album or cassette tape as your source for music. This article does not address these cases.

Step 3: Create MP3s or other appropriate media from the source
If you are downloading from the Internet, your music files should already be in a format playable by your MP3 player. Skip to Step 4.

If you are using a music CD as your source:

1. Insert the CD into your computer.
2. Launch the music management software that you installed above. The application should recognize the CD and if you are connected to the Internet, should provide you with the artist name, album title and all of the names of the songs.
3. Check the preferences for ripping/creating/importing MP3s. This should be under a main menu on your software. For creating basic MP3s, make sure that the selected encoder is for MP3s (Note: almost all MP3 players will play MP3 format, so if you are unsure what format to use, choose this one). Also note the name and the location on the computer of the MP3s that will be created from your CD. For the best sounding audio quality adjust the sound quality to the best option available.
4. Rip the CD. There is usually a button on the software to rip the CD. On iTunes, it is called import and located in the top right corner. On MusicMatch it is called record and is a red record button located on the Recorder window.
5. DO NOTHING on the computer until the rip is complete. This is important because you may create MP3s that skip if your computer is not dedicated to ripping the CD.



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