rip your own digitizing your records and tapes

Rip Your Own:
Digitizing Your
Records and Tapes
Casey Kim
Course Technology PTR
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Rip Your Own: Digitizing Your
Records and Tapes
Casey Kim
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Acknowledgments
Thanks and appreciation to Orren Merton, Cathleen Small, and Barry Wood for their
endless encouragement and patience. Special thanks to Alana McDonald. :)
About the Author
Casey Kim has more than 10 years of experience as a digital
audio engineer, composer, sound designer, musician, and DJ.
From original sound and music creation to remastering “classic”
audio, she has produced and worked on countless projects
within film, television, gaming, web, and interactive industries.
Currently, Casey focuses her attention on comprehensive digital
media creation and content development using a synthesis of
audio, video, animation, and graphic design to deliver complete
conceptual media experiences.

v
Table of Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix
Chapter 1
The Digital Lifestyle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
What Exactly Is a Digital Lifestyle? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
So How Do I Fit in to All of This? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Chapter 2
Choose Wisely: An Overview of Digital Music Players. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Device: Storage Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Flash-Based . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Hard Drive–Based . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
External Media–Based . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Device Roundup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Apple Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Creative Labs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Microsoft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
SanDisk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Sony . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Chapter 3
Imported Goods: A Guide to Digitally Importing
and Transferring Music onto Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Digital Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Sound Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Original Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Destination Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Software for Importing Music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Rippers and Media Players. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Recording Software. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Chapter 4

From Analog to Digital (and Everything in Between) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Digital Audio Interfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Internal versus External Audio Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Internal Soundcards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
External Soundcards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Other External Devices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Signal Flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Chapter 5
The Good, the Bad, and the Audibly Ugly. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
What Exactly Is Audio Restoration? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
To Restore or Not to Restore Yeah, It’s a Question . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Different Types of Noise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Getting Acquainted with the Editing Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
How to Read a Waveform. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Basic Audio Restoration Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Initial Preparation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Noise Reduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Impulse Artifact Reduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Software Tools for Audio Restoration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Plug-Ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Chapter 6
Organized Chaos: Organizing Your Digital Music Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Hard Drives: The “External” Question? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Hard Drive Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Desktop or Portable? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Hard Drive Preparations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Options and Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
A Word on File Organization. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135

Filenames and Nomenclatures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
What to Do with Your Old LPs, CDs, and Cassette Tapes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
vi
Table of Contents
Chapter 7
Putting the Pieces Together. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
A Word on Music Management Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Options and Preferences (Part II) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Library Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
File Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
The Order of Operations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
What to Expect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Extra, Extra! Read All About It!: Keeping Current . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
A Box Is Just a Box Until You Open It and There’s Stuff Inside. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
The First Date. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Second Base . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Sharing May Be Nice, but Protected Files Aren’t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Sometimes You Have to Disconnect to Reconnect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Do This, Don’t Do That: Best Practices for Successful Audio Adventures . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Dos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Don’ts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
vii
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Introduction
First and foremost, I’d like to thank you for picking up a copy of Rip Your Own. Whether
you’re standing in a bookstore thumbing through the pages or sitting in your favorite chair
absorbing the material through osmosis, as an author it’s good to know that in the age of
the Internet and the dawn of the e-book, physical books are still being read. Your support
is genuinely appreciated.

To be completely honest, when I started writing this book, I was concerned about whether
a publication on the subject was worthwhile or even necessary. When you work in the field
of digital audio, the digitization and management of audio is a second language. It becomes
a daily encounter that you rarely ever think about. But while promoting Rip Your Own,
I spoke to many individuals who expressed a need for the subject of media digitization
to be explored from the ground up. The primary complaint was that existing books on
the subject weren’t written in plain English and seemed to approach the subject from the
standpoint of someone who already has a great deal of audio experience.
My goal in writing Rip Your Own was to make the subject more accessible, no matter how
much experience you have. That being said, Rip Your Own is written for the beginner to
the intermediate user. I’ve tried to combine information about digital audio fundamentals
while cutting to the chase. This means that even if you have little or no experience with
digital audio, the chapters have been constructed in a way that will bring you up to speed.
And if you do have some experience with digital audio, it should be pretty easy to skip over
the preliminary “butter and pumpkins” and get right down to the more involved audio
processes and concepts.
I’d like to say that the methods and techniques described in this book are certainly not the
only way to go about digitizing, restoring, and managing audio. Through experimentation
and your own resources, you may discover new ways of obtaining the desired results and
achieving your own digital audio Zen that were never even mentioned here. I’ve been
working with audio for more than 10 years now, and I still learn something new almost
daily. At the very least, you should walk away from Rip Your Own with enough fundamental
information to get you on the right track. So study up, try new things, and above all,
HAVE FUN!
ix
Art courtesy of Alana McDonald.
B
ack in the day, people used to walk to each other’s houses to
have conversations. Information used to be organized and stored
in filing cabinets. And listening to your favorite music meant see-

ing it performed live. Over no short period of technological evolution,
we now have the ability to have entire conversations on cell phones with
people on the other side of the planet. Personal computers are the new
filing cabinets, and music can be brought to life at any time and in any
place. And we owe it all to technology.
Every single day, we interact with some sort of technology that makes
some aspect of our lives more convenient. Interestingly enough, this
interaction often occurs without us even realizing it. But beyond simple
innovations, such as electric can openers and trash compactors, designed
to help us perform simple daily tasks with ease, lies the seductive and
all-consuming world of gadgetry.
This is where something I call the “digital lifestyle” comes in to play.
Portable media players, GPS navigation systems, and cell phones that
can surf the Web, take a five-megapixel photo, and walk your dog all
before you wake up in the morning are just a few examples of digital
devices that go well beyond the scope of being simply convenient. Yes,
we could do without these things, but do we really want to? The answer
is generally no. And once we accept that answer, we giddily embrace a
digital lifestyle. In fact, I hear there are support groups for this sort of
thing.
1
The Digital
Lifestyle
2
What Exactly
Is
a Digital Lifestyle?
You may already actively partake in a digital lifestyle. It sneaks right up on you. If you own
a laptop, a PDA, a digital camera, or a cell phone, you’re already a willing participant. The
mere fact that you’re reading this book indicates that you have, at the very least, an exist-

ing curiosity.
The concept of the digital lifestyle has always been. It’s technology that has changed over
time. If you’ll consider this, there have always been ambitious pioneers pushing the enve-
lope to bring new technologies to the public. And the public has generally always wanted
to be on the frontier of the latest advances, whether for convenience or a fascination with
the technology itself. The individuals who were the first to put new technologies to use
lived on the forefront of advancement. And chances are they were already looking for what
was coming next. The first person to trade in his record player for an 8-track was probably
also the first person to trade in his cassette deck for a compact disc player. The desire to
acquire the latest shiny gadgets is the concept behind a digital lifestyle. It’s not about who
has the most toys. It’s about who has the coolest toys.
Now that the concept has been defined, let’s draw a distinction between it and the digital
lifestyle itself. The digital lifestyle is the integration of new technology in your daily life. It’s
not a dependency, but a preference to not go without it. Imagine that you’re rushing out of
the house to run some errands. You get in the car, pull out of the driveway, and are halfway
down the block when you suddenly realize that you’ve left your cell phone on the kitchen
counter. Do you A) decide that it’s okay if you’re incommunicado for an afternoon; or B)
slam on the brakes, throw the car in reverse, and frantically run inside the house, hoping
you haven’t missed a text message as you went from zero to separation anxiety in less than
60 seconds? The answer, of course, will vary depending on your need to be reached that
day, how pressed for time you are, and so on, but I’m not going to lie…I’ve been guilty of
the latter on occasion. I highly prefer not to leave the house without my phone, even
though I know that it wouldn’t be the end of the world. Sometimes, I prefer to check my
e-mail on the road, even though I’ve got a perfectly good Internet connection at home.
And I prefer to have my portable digital music player with me when I go to the gym, even
though I can certainly get a decent workout without it.
In the last 20 years, a lot of us have had to make the conversion from living without certain
technologies to using them daily. Today, public schools teach fourth graders more about
computers than some of us may ever know. Anyone born after 1995 was pretty much
raised in a world where new technologies seem as functionally commonplace as the

refrigerator in your kitchen. The generation of which I speak was born into a digital lifestyle.
The Digital Lifestyle Chapter 1
It’s a world where address books and good memory retention have been replaced by the
contact list on your mobile phone, “hard to refold and always too big to read in the front
seat” paper road maps have been trumped by global positioning systems, and handwritten
letters are delivered instantly and electronically in the form of e-mail messages with the
click of a mouse. Later generations may never have memories that life was ever any other
way, and the tall tales of how things used to be will be appropriately exaggerated and passed
on around campfires…or at the very least, inside solar-heated RVs during the commercial
breaks in quality satellite-television programming.
So How Do I Fit in to All of This?
It might be that a portable digital music player will be the first and possibly only gadget you’ll
ever buy. It definitely isn’t a prerequisite that you fully immerse yourself in technology to
gain benefit from Rip Your Own. And of course, there is absolutely nothing wrong with
getting a digital music player for practical and functional purposes. (At least, that’s what
I tell myself every time I upgrade.) Then again, this could be the beginning of a beautiful
friendship between you and technology.
Regardless of how involved you currently are or intend to be in a digital lifestyle, the
specific point of this book is to be your guide to digital music players. There is a lot of
information here, but I’ve done my best to keep it well organized and at all costs prevent
a brain meltdown caused by information overload. You and I have the same goal here: to
help you get the most out of your music and whichever digital music device you choose.
In any event, let’s get on with it.… Welcome to the digital lifestyle.
3
Brief History of Recording Technology—
Part 1: The First Recording
The earliest known recording of sound was discovered in Paris in March of 2008 by
a group of American audio historians. Researchers reported that the 10-second vocal
recording of “Au Clair de la Lune” was captured on a “phonoautograph” on April 9,
1860. That’s almost two decades before Edison invented the phonograph!

Art courtesy of Alana McDonald.
W
hich music player you choose is an important
decision. It’s not important like “Should I become an organ
donor?” or deciding whether to take a vow of silence or
anything, but it’s still important. The right digital music player with the
right features and capabilities will ease the process of getting started
and make the overall experience of using a digital music player more
enjoyable.
When choosing your digital music player, there are a lot of things to
consider, such as manufacturer, model, feature sets, capabilities, form
factor, storage types, capacities, and connectivity, to name a few. Sound
overwhelming? Fear not. I’m here to guide you through the selection
process.
In this chapter, we’re going to take a look at the most popular digital
media players available on the market today. We’ll review the different
models, what they can do, and how choose the one that will work best
for you based on your specific needs. So, let’s get started.
2
Choose Wisely:
An Overview of
Digital Music Players
6
Device: Storage Types
What type of device do you want? Of course we’re talking about digital music players,
but do you want a player with a large internal hard drive? How about a small-capacity,
flash-based device? Or maybe you’d like to use a music-capable device that uses external
memory cards. Regardless of which storage type you’re leaning toward, or even if you have
no inclination one way or another, this section will discuss various storage types and the
differences between them so that you can begin whittling down the options.

Flash-Based
Flash-based music players, like those shown in Figure 2.1, rely on either internal or external
flash memory. Flash memory is a method of storing data that requires no moving parts.
Think of it a bit like a thumb drive or a memory stick with a headphone jack. The most
common types of flash-based music players have a predetermined amount of internal flash
memory and do not use external memory cards. Flash-based players are limited to smaller
capacities that range anywhere from 128 megabytes up to 64 gigabytes. And because there
are no moving parts, there’s much less potential for errors or skips in the audio due to
movement or impact. Another advantage to flash-based music players is that they generally
have a very small form factor. This is great if you have an active lifestyle into which you will
be incorporating your music player.
External flash-based memory would be more like a removable memory card, like those
you’d find in a digital camera or a cell phone, which can store music and be inserted into a
music-capable device for playback. One of the advantages of external flash-based memory
cards is that they’re very affordable if you already have a music-capable device that can use
them. Also, if you fill up your memory card and don’t want to delete any of your music to
make room for new songs, you can always just get another memory card and switch
between them.
External flash-based memory cards can get all the way up to 32-gigabyte capacities these
days, but not all devices are designed to use these larger-capacity cards. Most devices, as of
the time this book was written, are only capable of using up to 8-gigabyte flash memory
cards. But inevitably, as time goes on, card capacities will get larger, and devices will be
updated to make use of them. Be sure to check the external memory capabilities of your
specific device before committing to external memory for storing music.
Choose Wisely Chapter 2
Hard Drive–Based
Another very common storage type for digital music players is the internal hard drive (see
Figure 2.2). These types of players actually have a very small hard drive, moving parts and
all, running the show inside. They typically have a larger form factor than that of internal
flash-based drives, and they always have a small screen on the front that provides feedback

as to what you’re doing or listening to on your music player.
You can get a music player with an internal hard-drive capacity of up to 120 gigabytes.
Large storage capacity is one of the great benefits of an internal drive. One hundred and
sixty gigabytes can store about 40,000 songs, or approximately 111 days’ worth of music
(in dog years…just kidding). I keep referring to the hard drive of these types of music players
as “internal,” but that isn’t to suggest that the drive may be removed or replaced. As with
internal flash-based players, the drive size is predetermined and cannot be upgraded to a
larger size.
7
Figure 2.1
Flash-based digital music players.
Figure 2.2
Drive-based digital music players.
8
If you’re looking for high-capacity storage for mass amounts of music, you want to use larger
files or lossless file types (which are explained in Chapter 3, “Imported Goods: A Guide to
Digitally Importing and Transferring Music onto Your Computer”), and form factor is less of
a consideration, then a hard drive–based music player may be just the ticket.
External Media–Based
All right, so do you remember those external memory cards we talked about a moment
ago, when we discussed flash-based players? That type of storage would also fall under this
category. Digital music devices that use any type of removable media, such as a memory
card or a MiniDisc, are considered to be external or removable media-based devices because,
as the name suggests, you can separate the storage from the device itself.
Music-capable cell phones/PDAs, “advanced devices,” and MiniDisc players all use removable
media. Typically, any multifunction device—or a device that does more than simply play
back music, such as a cell phone or a PDA—has a limited amount of internal memory, and
it’s mostly reserved for storing necessary operational software on the device. Therefore, in
order to store additional data—or in this case, music—external removable media must be
used to increase the amount of available storage the device has. The most common types of

removable media for music-capable devices are flash-based SD, Mini SD, and Micro SD cards,
which are available at different speeds and in a variety of capacities.
Another noteworthy type of removable digital media is the MiniDisc, or MD. MiniDisc was
developed by Sony as a solution for a high-quality portable optical storage device. MD discs
are housed inside a hard plastic casing, like a cassette cartridge, to prevent the physical
disc inside from being scratched. MD players and media had a much smaller form factor
than conventional CDs and portable compact disc players. Compared to a CD, a MiniDisc
was about half the physical size, but it could fit just as much audio as a regular CD (see
Figure 2.3). You could almost say that the original MiniDisc was the first step toward the
ultra-compact digital music players that are available today. The technology even utilized
a computer connection and software solution for transferring music and managing your
playlists, which up to that point (1991) had never been done before.
The original MiniDisc could hold up to 80 minutes of CD-quality digitized audio. The cur-
rent generation of MiniDisc is called Hi-MD. Hi-MD offers 1 gigabyte of storage that can be
used for audio or data. This means you can store roughly 100 minutes of near CD-quality
audio or about 200 compressed MP3s (about 1,000 minutes of music) as data, which is still
accessible as listenable audio on a Hi-MD player. The only quirky thing about MD is that
it’s proprietary. You can only listen to Hi-MD discs on a Hi-MD player and nowhere else,
whereas with some other types of removable media, such as SD cards like the one shown
in Figure 2.4, you can move them to any other device that uses the same kind of media.
Choose Wisely Chapter 2
9
SD Memory Types
SD stands for Secure Digital. SD memory is the most common removable memory
type used in music-capable multifunction devices, and it is available in several types:
SD, SDHC, and SDXC.
Ǡ SD (Secure Digital). SD memory cards are standard-capacity memory cards
that range anywhere from 128 megabytes up to 4 gigabytes.
Ǡ SDHC (Secure Digital High Capacity). These are second-generation SD cards.
They’re also referred to as SD 2.0 and are available in capacities ranging from

4 gigabytes all the way up to 32 gigabytes. SDHC cards have write speed class
ratings for better performance with devices that require the memory to cap-
ture data quickly in real time. Think of the write speed of an SDHC card in
the same manner as the write speed of a CD writer in your computer. Obviously,
the higher the write speed, the faster the card will be able to record and save
data. Write speed can certainly be an advantage in some scenarios, such as
with digital cameras or audio recorders, but when it comes to storing and
listening to music, the write speed of a card will not be a deal breaker.
•
Class 2 = 2 MB/s – 13x
•
Class 4 = 4 MB/s – 26x
•
Class 6 = 6 MB/s – 40x
Ǡ SDXC (Secure Digital Extended Capacity). SDXC was announced in early
2009. It’s said to eventually have a maximum capacity of 2 terabytes, but
the largest capacity card planned as of the time this book was written is 64
gigabytes, which is pretty good for a storage device that is only slightly larger
than a guitar pick.
There are several ways to transfer music from your computer onto your SD card so
that you can listen to it on your music-capable device. We’ll explore this in more
detail in Chapter 7, “Putting the Pieces Together,” but at this point, for the sake of
simplicity, the method I recommend is a memory card reader.
Memory card readers range between $10 and $20 dollars at any general electronics
store. Some computers even come with a card reader built right into the tower or
laptop. If you have a memory card reader, you can take the memory card out of your
music-capable device, plug it into the card reader on your computer, and then drag
and drop music files directly over to the card as if it were a hard drive. Then all you
have to do is simply reinsert the card back into your music-capable device and com-
mence listening enjoyment.

External or removable media/memory is great if you already own a multifunction device,
such as a music-capable cell phone. In the case of memory cards, it’s definitely the least
expensive way to start listening to your music on the go. Also, the ability to continuously
expand your storage space by adding multiple cards can give you some options with regard
to managing your music. For example, I know a guy who stores different genres of music
on each memory card and just swaps them out on his music-capable phone depending on
what mood he’s in.
A MiniDisc player, such as the one shown in Figure 2.5, may be a good option if you want
higher storage capacities and the tangibility of a disc but without the bulk of a conventional
CD. Also, in the event that you’d like to digitize a live recording, many MD players double
as stand-alone MD recorders with stereo microphones that will record a live audio signal
directly to a MiniDisc.
So the question to be answered is, do you want a large-storage-
capacity device or a small-storage-capacity device?
If you want a larger-capacity device that can hold more than 16
gigabytes of music, a hard drive–based music player would be the
way to go. If you want a small-capacity device for 8 gigabytes or
less, a flash or external media–based device may be just the ticket.
10
Figure 2.3
MiniDisc versus compact disc.
Figure 2.4
Removable memory SD.
Figure 2.5
MD player.
Choose Wisely Chapter 2
Device Roundup
All right, so now you should be pointed in the right direction toward what type of storage
you want your digital music player to have. This decision should help narrow down your
choices a bit from the buffet of players currently available. Digital music player manufac-

turers typically offer at least one device in their product line that uses one or more of the
aforementioned storage types. Simply put, no matter which brand of player you choose,
you should have the option of flash- or drive-based models.
As you can imagine, there are hundreds of different manufacturers and models of MP3
players out there. If I covered all of them, the information in this book would be obsolete,
because you’d probably be able to have music telepathically beamed directly into your
brain by the time you finished reading it. Having considered that, I’ve tried to focus on the
mid- to high-quality devices and the most popular manufacturers. The reason is this: With a
good understanding of the general features and functionality of the devices we do discuss,
you’ll easily be able to find your way around any device you choose.
This section is organized first by manufacturer and then by model. We’ll cover different
product lines, specifications, capabilities, price ranges, and even what accessories they
come with. Because actual pricing may vary, I’ve used symbols to convey the price range.
And as always, you can check out the manufacturer’s website for up-to-date pricing and
specifications.
$: Less than $100
$$: $100 to $200
$$$: $200 to $300
$$$$: Over $300
So without further ado, listed alphabetically by manufacturer, here’s the device roundup.
Apple Inc.
Apple Inc. made its mark with the original iPod back in 2001 and has been a major
player in portable digital audio ever since. If fact, in most retail environments, digital
audio/media players are categorized in one of two ways: MP3 players…and iPods. With its
signature clickwheel navigation and sleek styling, the iPod family is easily one of the most
recognizable lifestyle music products in the world. Also, the white earphones are a dead
giveaway.
11
Since the initial launch, more than 150,000,000 iPods have been sold worldwide, and the
number continues to grow. iPod culture, much like Apple culture, is a society of loyalty:

Once an iPod user…always an iPod user. So consider that a percentage of that 150,000,000
are people who’ve previously purchased an iPod, and then when it was time, replaced it
with another iPod. Perhaps even several times!
Apple Inc. really struck a fine balance between form and function with the iPod. You can
even have your iPod custom-engraved free of charge when you buy it directly from Apple’s
website. The entire iPod family works optimally with Apple iTunes (of course) for transfer-
ring music, but it is also supported by other software players. So, you’ll have some other
options when pairing your music player with a music library program in the event that
iTunes isn’t quite your cup of tea.
All iPods support a multitude of different audio formats, such as AAC (16 to 320 Kbps),
Protected AAC (from iTunes Store), MP3 (16 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3,
and 4), Apple Lossless, WAV, and AIFF. And all but the iPod Shuffle offer enhanced support
for photo and video formats. (We’ll discuss audio formats in Chapter 3.) Also, most models
have a range of preinstalled organizational features, such as a contacts list, a calendar, a
clock, and even games to round out the iPod experience. Multi-format support, lifestyle
integration, ease of use, reliability, and stunning good looks has quickly cemented the iPod
as a fixture of modern culture. Ranging in price from $79 to $399, the current iPod product
line consists of the iPod Shuffle, iPod Nano, iPod Classic, and iPod Touch (see Figure 2.6).
Let’s take a closer look.
12
Figure 2.6
The iPod family.
Choose Wisely Chapter 2
13
Clickwheel Navigation
Clickwheel navigation is Apple Inc.’s easy-to-use signature interface for the iPod
family of digital music and media devices. It can be found on the face of the flash-
based iPod Nano and the drive-based iPod Classic.
The clickwheel’s basic functionality allows you to access the iPod’s menu, scroll
through and highlight items, and make selections, in addition to performing basic

transport functions, such as start, stop, forward, fast forward, back, and rewind.
Clickwheels are comprised of two components, the “click” and the “wheel,” for a
total of five buttons (the center click and four directional buttons around the wheel;
see Figure 2.7). What is unique about clickwheel technology is that aside from the
physical click, the interface has no moving parts. The wheel component itself is
touch-sensitive and responds to the light contact of a fingertip. You can scroll
through selections, change volume, change the position within the song, or set your
song ratings by simply moving your finger around the wheel clockwise or counter-
clockwise, as if you were rotating it. The center button allows you to choose or con-
firm a selection you’ve made, and the four directions around the wheel can be
clicked to control the transport or access the iPod menus.
It’s a lot easier to use than it sounds. And without the bulk of physical buttons with
all their silly moving parts, the clickwheel definitely contributes to the iPod family’s
sleek appearance and makes its members unmistakably recognizable. Also, in all the
years I’ve used iPods, the clickwheel has always functioned flawlessly.
Figure 2.7
Clickwheel navigation.
Apple iPod Shuffle
The iPod Shuffle is Apple Inc.’s smallest flash-based music player (see Figure 2.8). In fact, it
may be the smallest music player ever. Measuring at only 1.8" 0.7" 0.3" and weighing
less than a small Bic lighter, at 0.38 ounces, it has a whopping 4 gigabytes of storage space,
or the equivalent of about 1,000 songs.
As the name suggests, the iPod Shuffle does indeed shuffle your songs, but you can also
listen to them in order or in your own user-created playlists as well. The third and latest
generation of the iPod Shuffle has a new feature called VoiceOver that, with the press of a
button, will actually speak the name of the artist and song you’re listening to. It’ll even tell
you the names of your playlists, which is really nice considering that, due to its incredibly
compact size, the iPod Shuffle is the only model in the iPod family without a screen on it
to display this information. Prior to the availability of VoiceOver, there was really no way to
know, other than auditory recognition, what was playing. When activated, the shuffle

function would play a musical grab bag of sorts, which may even be why the iPod Shuffle
got its name in the first place.
The player functions are accessed through the included inline remote located on the
earphone cord, as there are no actual controls on the player itself. The iPod Shuffle also
comes with a USB cable to accommodate a computer connection for transferring music
and charging.
Price: $
14
Figure 2.8
iPod Shuffle.