Question about Audible audio books

[David Munch]

Why dont you burn the audible files down directly to a data disk, instead of converting them to mp3? Assuming this is for backup of course.

Edit: upon rereading I see this already answered.

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by AJ Starr

I won't touch Audible. I use AudioBookStand.com and buy my audio books in MP3 format. I get the disk that I then have for backup, and I transfer to my MP3 players as many times as I want...no DRM on MP3's.

I won't touch Audible after this, you can be sure of that. I was tempted to try a membership, and when these free books became available, I thought it was a good way to see how it works. And it's just way, way more trouble than it's worth. I keep telling myself the books were free, I should be grateful; but I've wasted a lot of time at every single step of the process, and I've yet to be able to listen to one book.

However, if you're a techie, there is a way to play the audio file while recording it with Audacity and then saving it as an MP3.

I'm not a techie, but I do know how to do that. However, I greedily downloaded all the free classics, and I don't want to have to devote some 300 hours to recording that much material.

[melmac]

There is a way to remove the DRM and burn the resulting MP3 to a data disc it takes about 20-30 mins for each book part(bout a 7hr segment) most books I've done so far are only two parts so 40-60 mins total. I usually let it run while I'm doing the housework or watching a movie, its not very difficult.

Usually however I just use my audible app on my phone it's pretty darn awesome

[Barbara1955]

I have another type problem.... I cant get them to play on my MP3! 1 is a Sansa Clip the 2nd is a GPX I spent hours using each format with no luck! Any Ideas?

IF you get them on a MP3 you can do a copy/paste to burn thme to CD!

They will also play on the computer thru Windows Media Player.

[Rich_D]

I love Audible, but I've never tried burning a book to a CD either. I just download them to my phone and listen to them that way. I used to use a Sansa MP3 player, but stopped when I upgraded to a smartphone. I know only certain models of mp3 players work with Audible, they have a list on their site. Not all Sansa players work.

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by melmac

There is a way to remove the DRM and burn the resulting MP3 to a data disc it takes about 20-30 mins for each book part(bout a 7hr segment) most books I've done so far are only two parts so 40-60 mins total. I usually let it run while I'm doing the housework or watching a movie, its not very difficult.

Can you point me in the right direction? I've tried some Googling, but I either find instructions that are way too confusing, or software to buy, and I'm not willing to buy software.

I did try a virtual CD drive, as someone else suggested, but the only one I found that was free didn't work. iTunes hemmed and hawed and finally ended up giving me an error message.

So now all I know to do is to buy a batch of fresh CD-RW discs, and burn and convert, and hope that everything works perfectly since I'm only allowed to do it once. Or--and this is becoming a more attractive alternative every hour--I could just dump all the Audible crap and go back to LibriVox.


P.S. My mp3 players are also Sansa--Clip Zip and Clip+. Part of my reason for wanting the CDs with mp3 files was that I didn't want to have to deal with any Sansa issues.

[AJ Starr]

Originally Posted by Katie1

I have another type problem.... I cant get them to play on my MP3! 1 is a Sansa Clip the 2nd is a GPX I spent hours using each format with no luck! Any Ideas?

IF you get them on a MP3 you can do a copy/paste to burn thme to CD!

They will also play on the computer thru Windows Media Player.

I've noticed on the file structure of my MP3 players that "play" audio books, that there is a folder for "audio books" and a separate folder for music. My mp3 files go into the "music" folder, but the books from Audible should go into the "Audio books" folder and play as an "audiobook" not as music.

I, too, have a Sansa Clip, and a GPX.

AJ

[BeccaPrice]

I have years - probably 7 or 8 of them - of 2-credits-a-month worth of audio books. It gripes me that I can't back them up in a usable format due to Audible's DRM. I do re-listen to books, so I can't think of them as disposable.

My problem is that I'm just not techy enough or audio-savvy enough to figure out how to back them up in a usable format, the way I do my ebooks. What we need is an Alf for audio books, some simple tool that even dummies like me can use.

[Barbara1955]

Thanks AJ Maybe mine are Hidin LOL What Format do you use?

[ScotiaBurrell]

Originally Posted by Catlady

. And it's just way, way more trouble than it's worth. .

I truly mean you no disrespect with this post -- but the problems you're having are problems of your own making.

A great many people use the service and find it to be great because they use it the way it is meant to be used: with the apps that Audible has produced and with a limited number of hardware device. its optimized for that. When you go outside that narrow band of bliss-free operation you're really on your own.

Don't blame them: if you really want CDs full of MP3s -- the best and quickest legal way to get them is to buy the books as audio CDs and rip them yourself (iTunes works well for this) or buy them from a site that will let you download them in the format you want.

I will note also that you are directing a lot of hate at a company over a product that you received for free.

I'm sorry and deeply apologize if I insulted you with this post.

[AJ Starr]

Originally Posted by Katie1

Thanks AJ Maybe mine are Hidin LOL What Format do you use?

I ONLY buy MP3 audios, either from AudioBookStand.com, where I get the disk in the mail, or from BooksOnBoard when they offer an audio book that I want in MP3 format.

I do not fool with WAV or WMA or whatever format Audible uses.

BTW, AudioBookStand.com has a sister site: AudioBookStandDL.com where you download the books, but they are in either WAV or WMA or some other format, and DRM'd.

I save all my MP3 Audiobooks on my computer, with a backup. And then I use SD cards, both full size and micro, to keep my Audio books on, so that all I have to do to change books is swap out the SD/MicroSD in my MP3 player.

AJ

[daffy4u]

Originally Posted by Catlady

P.S. My mp3 players are also Sansa--Clip Zip and Clip+. Part of my reason for wanting the CDs with mp3 files was that I didn't want to have to deal with any Sansa issues.

As Rich_D posted just above you, you can play Audible files in their native format on the Sansa players. I also own the Clip+ and Clip Zip players and use them for my Audible books all of the time. I use the Audible Manager software to add them. No iTunes necessary.

[sadievan]

Here is a link that tell how using Goldwave.

http://www.chuckegg.com/how-can-i-co...3-audio-files/

[Rich_D]

Originally Posted by daffy4u

As Rich_D posted just above you, you can play Audible files in their native format on the Sansa players. I also own the Clip+ and Clip Zip players and use them for my Audible books all of the time. I use the Audible Manager software to add them. No iTunes necessary.

The only time I have ever had to use iTunes was when my mp3 was stolen and I had to use my wife's old iPod until I replaced my Sansa. It was a horrible 2 week period that I try and block out...

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by ScotiaBurrell

I truly mean you no disrespect with this post -- but the problems you're having are problems of your own making.

Excuse me, but I am trying to burn a CD. Audible says I can do that. My reason for wanting to burn the CD is irrelevant. And I can't burn the CDs. I am not attempting to do anything exotic.

A great many people use the service and find it to be great because they use it the way it is meant to be used: with the apps that Audible has produced and with a limited number of hardware device. its optimized for that. When you go outside that narrow band of bliss-free operation you're really on your own.

As I said: Audible explicitly says I can burn to CDs. I AM using the service "the way it was meant to be used." If I could burn the damn CD and THEN had trouble ripping an mp3, yes, at that point you could say I was on my own. But I haven't even reached that point, because I CAN'T BURN THE CDs! Yeah, I'm frustrated, because now iTunes is crashing and giving me trouble.

Don't blame them: if you really want CDs full of MP3s -- the best and quickest legal way to get them is to buy the books as audio CDs and rip them yourself (iTunes works well for this) or buy them from a site that will let you download them in the format you want.

I will note also that you are directing a lot of hate at a company over a product that you received for free.

They gave me something for free that is totally useless to this point and has caused me nothing but annoyance because I can't do what they told me I could do--namely, burn a CD. And as I think I've stated, I was interested in joining Audible and considered this a great way to test out the service.

I couldn't even download the books in the first place without a chat session and two subsequent phone calls. So, yeah, I'm rather underwhelmed with Audible, to put it mildly.

I'm sorry and deeply apologize if I insulted you with this post.

I'm not insulted and no apology is necessary, but I don't like the implication that I'm only having problems because I'm trying to do something illicit or shady. I'm not.