What's an MP3 CD?
I purchased or am interested in purchasing an audio Bible on MP3 CDs. How do I transfer the MP3s from the CDs to my computer and then to my MP3 player while keeping the files in proper order?
What are audio downloads and where can I purchase them?
What's an MP3 CD?
An MP3 CD is much different than your typical audio CD. In the audio production business, they often call audio CDs "redbook audio CDs." A redbook audio CD is the type of CD you play in a CD player. In contrast, an MP3 CD is much more like a data CD or CD-ROM.
When you put an MP3 CD in your CD-ROM drive, you can access the contents of the CD like you would any CD-ROM. In this case, the contents include a series of MP3 files, which are audio files that can be played on your computer using a media player like Windows® Media Player or Apple’s iTunes®. You can also copy and paste the MP3 files from the CD to your hard drive and transfer the MP3s to an MP3 player like Apple’s iPod®.
Some CD players and some DVD players can also play MP3 CDs. Check your owner’s manuals for more details.
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I purchased or am interested in purchasing an audio Bible on MP3 CDs. How do I transfer the MP3s from the CDs to my computer and then to my MP3 player while keeping the files in proper order?
The world of MP3s continues to grow. The bulk of this growth can be attributed primarily to the success of the iPod® from Apple®. In fact, Zondervan recommends iTunes®, also from Apple, for playing, managing, and transferring MP3s, especially if you're using an iPod. You can download iTunes for either Macintosh® or Windows® from Apple’s website.
Before you dive into the world of MP3s, understand that MP3 CDs are not traditional audio CDs; rather, MP3 CDs are better thought of as data CDs that contain MP3 files. This means that iTunes will not recognize MP3 CDs as audio CDs. You cannot import the audio from these CDs like you would a traditional audio CD. Instead you will have to browse the contents of the CD and copy the MP3 files from the CD to your hard drive.
Use the following instructions as your guide for enjoying the world of MP3s and MP3 CDs:
Step 1
Browse the contents of each MP3 CD and copy the MP3 files to a specified location on your hard drive. We recommend that you create a new folder on your hard drive and place the files inside this new folder.
Keep in mind that each MP3 CD holds up to 700 MB of data, so it could take you a while to copy all of the files to your hard drive. The amount of time it takes is dependent on the speed of your computer’s processor and the speed of your CD-ROM drive.
Step 2
Once you’ve copied all of the MP3 files from each MP3 CD to your hard drive, you may be overwhelmed by the sheer number of files you have to manage. There are a few methods you can use to manage the files for your listening pleasure.
Before considering how to manage the files, take a look at the names of each file. If you purchased the NIV Dramatized Audio Bible, look at 01gen04.mp3 for example. The file name indicates the book number, book name, and chapter number for the MP3 file. So, the example above represents Genesis Chapter 4, because the first book of the Bible (01) is Genesis (gen) and this file contains the fourth chapter as indicated by the 04.
Some of the file names from the NIV Dramatized Audio Bible end in 00, 00a, 00b, or 00c. These files contain an introduction to a book from the Bible or an introduction to a section of books from the Bible.
Step 3A
The As-Is Method
If you feel comfortable with the naming conventions for the files, then you may choose to simply leave the files as they are. You can treat the files like you would treat any other MP3. You can pull individual MP3s into your playlists and listen to a chapter at a time.
Step 3B
The Folders Method - recommended
We recommend that you manage the files by creating a new folder on your hard drive for each book of the Bible. It is a good idea to name each folder using a book number and book name to keep the folders in biblical order. Then, after you’ve created new folders for each book of the Bible, you can drag the files for each book of the Bible to their respective folders. Just be sure to keep files with the same book number and book name together.
Although somewhat time consuming, this method gives you the best opportunity to keep the files in proper order when adding to your iTunes library.
Once you’ve organized the files into folders, you can drag the folders one by one into iTunes. Because each folder contains all of the MP3 files for a particular book of the Bible, this method gives you the opportunity to listen to the Bible book by book. Just drag the folder for Ecclesiastes into iTunes, for example, and you can listen to all of Ecclesiastes in proper order.
This method is also good for loading the entire Bible into iTunes for transfer to your iPod. Simply drag the folders one by one into iTunes in biblical order.
Step 3C
The Smart Playlist Method
You can manage the MP3 files from The NIV Dramatized Audio Bible by using the "New Smart Playlist…" feature in iTunes. Simply drag all of the MP3 files from your hard drive into your iTunes library. Access the "File" menu and choose "New Smart Playlist…" The "Smart Playlist" dialogue gives you the opportunity to create a new playlist that only includes the files that meet criteria set by you.
The criteria you set (song name, artist name, album name, etc.) are set according to the information contained in ID3 tags, which are integrated into the MP3 files. Since the initial release of The NIV Dramatized Audio Bible on six MP3 CDs, we have re-mastered the six MP3 CDs to include more information in the ID3 tags. Whether you have an earlier or a later version of our product, we recommend that you experiment with the various criteria that iTunes offers. You will most likely get the best results when creating a new smart playlist according to song name or album name.
For example, in earlier versions of our product, you could sort your library by song names that contain "gen." This would produce a playlist that only includes the files for Genesis, since the song names for Genesis each contain "gen."
Step 4
The rest is up to you. Once you have the MP3s on your hard drive and have them in proper order, you can easily transfer them to your MP3 player. Then, you can listen to whatever you want, wherever you want.
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What are audio downloads and where can I purchase them?
Zondervan audio downloads are downloadable versions of Zondervan audio products. We’d love to make it easy and call them MP3s, but technically they’re not MP3s. Essentially, they're audio files that you can play on a computer, a PDA, or an MP3 player. You can also burn them to audio CD if you would prefer to listen to them on a CD player.
All Zondervan audio downloads are currently offered through Audible.com. For more details about audio downloads and how to purchase them, see Audible and tell them we sent you.
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