download audio

Tessie6 · 02-02-2011, 11:13 AM

OK, you've all helped with with headphones (my son has an extra he's bringing over this weekend), but now I need help downloading music.

Question #2: I can't seem to find anything in the user guide or on sony library help that tells me how to do that? Directions simple please.

Anyone have the answer for a non-computer literate person.

Question #2: Can I download an audio book from "Gutenberg" or similar sites and listen to it on the reader.

You people are wonderful in teaching me about this lovely device I have. I can read books and download them with no problem, but anything else "snows" me. And pun not intended with this storm coming down on you all. I live in Florida now but I spent many years in different northern states, so I feel for you all.

Edith

SeaBookGuy · 02-02-2011, 11:36 AM

To add audio content, you drag and drop the files into the MUSIC folder on your 505 (or storage card). You can add library books in mp3 format only (no mp4, no WMA, no Audible), including OverDrive and Net Library ones (again, I stress, in mp3 format). You might think about getting a 1 - 2 Mb SD card as a book takes up a fair amount of room.

I did not own my 505 very long, so perhaps Bookworm Girl - who has had far more experience than I with that device - will be able to explain in more detail.

P S: Over Drive books can be transferred via the Over Drive Manager, not dragged-and-dropped.

Bookworm_Girl · 02-02-2011, 12:56 PM

The important thing to remember is that the music files cannot have DRM. The ereader will accept MP3 files or Apple iTunes AAC files as long as they are DRM-free. Audiobooks that you get from Project Gutenberg should be fine. Just save them to your computer hard-drive. Your ereader will show as a separate drive in Windows Explorer when connected via USB. Just drag and drop the music files from your hard-drive to the MUSIC folder as SeaBookGuy mentioned. I don't have my 505 near me at the moment, but I think the file path is something like database/media/music on your ereader. If you are using the Sony Reader Library software, then you can drag and drop the music file from your hard-drive in Windows Explorer onto your ereader icon in the left-hand column of Reader Library, and it puts them into the correct folder for you.

By the way, you can transfer photos using the same methods. Just drag and drop into the PICTURES folder instead of music. Or drag and drop your photos into the Sony software as described above. Hope that helps!

SeaBookGuy · 02-02-2011, 01:07 PM

B_G:

The point of which I wasn't certain has to do with "albums"? Unlike our x50's, the 505 doesn't have that feature - the files get sorted in one "root" only, playing alphanumerically by tag through the entire audio holdings?

Bookworm_Girl · 02-02-2011, 01:18 PM

Yes, the 505 does not group songs into albums like the newer models. It will place all of your songs into a single list sorted by title. Therefore it is not very organized and mixes up all your music from multiple albums since they are listed by title rather than artist or album.

Tessie6 · 02-02-2011, 02:08 PM

ok, I have the PRS 650. I've gone to gutenburg and selected an audio file (it happens to be Little Men) just for experimenting. I click on the MP3 file and it starts playing. How do I get it to my Library file. I can't drag and drop or import the file or ??? What do I do now?

HarryT · 02-02-2011, 02:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tessie6

ok, I have the PRS 650. I've gone to gutenburg and selected an audio file (it happens to be Little Men) just for experimenting. I click on the MP3 file and it starts playing. How do I get it to my Library file. I can't drag and drop or import the file or ??? What do I do now?

Right click on it and select "Save Target As..." from the pop-up menu (or whatever the equivalent is in your browser). That lets you save the file, rather than play it.

WT Sharpe · 02-02-2011, 02:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tessie6

ok, I have the PRS 650. I've gone to gutenburg and selected an audio file (it happens to be Little Men) just for experimenting. I click on the MP3 file and it starts playing. How do I get it to my Library file. I can't drag and drop or import the file or ??? What do I do now?

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

Right click on it and select "Save Target As..." from the pop-up menu (or whatever the equivalent is in your browser). That lets you save the file, rather than play it.

Or "Save Link As..." if you're using Foxfire.

delphin · 02-03-2011, 12:17 AM

Here is the step-by-step . . .

1. Since you already know about the project Gutenberg site you might also want to try sites like -

http://www.booksshouldbefree.com/Top_100

http://librivox.org/newcatalog

2. When selecting your book, make sure to pick a book in MP3 format.

Then, to download a local copy, so you can transfer it to your PRS-650 -

- SINGLE click of the right mouse button on the link (opposite from the button you usually click to select) to bring up the extended options drop-down menu, then from that menu pick the option like 'Save Target As' or 'Save Link As' or even 'Save File As' (this varies depending on your browser).

When you pick the 'Save' option to download; sometimes you are then offered a second window to select WHERE to put the file after it is downloaded, but other times it will just dump it in your 'Downloads' folder or even put it right on your Desktop. (Your browsers 'options' or 'preferences' let you set how this works). Try to make a mental note of the name of the file it is downloading so you can find it later. If it does pop up a window to ask where to put the file, select a folder that you commonly use for downloads, or if you don't have one set up, you can just use either the your downloads folder or the Desktop.

3. Now you should typically have a single really big ZIP type file which contains the MP3s for your book. You can open this up like a folder to see the one or more MP3 files that make up the chapters of your audio book.

These files are what you will need to drag into your readers "audio" folder. To do this -

- first open up the Zipped folder with your books MP3s (a single book may be one or several files)

- Now plug in your PRS-650, and when it is recognized, a window should pop up asking what to do, select the option to 'Open Folder to view Files'

- You should now see your PRS-650's main folder which has subfolders like "Digital Editions" and "database".

- Open up the "database" folder using a standard left double-click

- Inside "database" you should find and double-click the folder named "media"

- Inside "media" double click the folder named "audio" and inside that should be all your audio MP3 files (Originally you should see the samples SleepyTime.mp3 and WaltzForEddie.mp3)

4. If all of the above went ok you should now have both your ZIPPED MP3 folder and your PRS-650 /database/media/audio folder open on your desktop. So now *finally* you can just corral your downloaded book's MP3 files by dragging a box around them with the mouse in the downloaded ZIP folder, and once they are highlighted, drag them across to the now open /database/media/audio folder (which will copy them to your PRS-650)

The MP3 files for most audiobooks require several hundred megabytes of space, which can take a few minutes to transfer even with a fast USB2 port (or 10 minutes or more if your computer only has USB1 ports). Make sure that this process is complete BEFORE you remove the USB cable.

That's pretty much it.

It's a fairly simple procedure, but the idiots at Microsoft put in a few GOTCHA's like the 'Wouldn't it be better to just Play the File without asking' thing that you already ran into.

For example, .MP3 files often don't even LOOK like .MP3 files because windowz STUPIDLY thinks it's really really really clever to HIDE all those silly 'file extensions' unless you go into your folder options and unclick the option to "Hide extensions for known file types".

So instead of -

MyAudioBook.mp3 or MyAudioBook.zip

you will probably just see MyAudioBook

The trouble with this little piece of Microsoft stupidity is that, as someone has already pointed out, there are some formats that work and some that DON'T WORK, so it's kind of nice to know the file extension before you start dragging files around.

For example, because windowz hides the .ZIP and .MP3 extensions, I had one friend who was dragging a ZIP compressed MP3 files onto his player, and then wondering why it wouldn't work.

It sounds much more complicated than it is. Once you do it once or twice, it should only literally take a few seconds to pop open the right folders and begin dragging the files across.

EDIT:
Another minor potential gotcha, if the Sony Library is active, it may just grab control of the Reader so you don't see the 'View Folders' option pop up. Check the lower right side of the screen in the 'system tray' (down next to where the time shows up), and see if there is a tiny tray icon for the Sony Library, and if so, try right and left clicking it to 'close' or 'exit' before doing the above. This won't hurt anything or change any permanent settings, but should allow your PRS-650 reader folder to pop up and open next time the reader is plugged into the USB.

Alternately, you should always be able to open your PRS-650's and drag in files, by selecting it from the main "My Computer" window (which you can find on the 'Start Menu'.

Lastly, if you are comfortable with the Sony Library software, you could also try to use the Sony Library to Drag and Drop your MP3 files onto the Reader (I haven't done it this way myself, as I have always found the above direct PRS-650 folders method simpler.)

Tessie6 · 02-03-2011, 06:56 AM

Yeah, it worked. At least it's in the library. When I finally wake up to the fact and my son brings over the headphone I can see if I can put it on my reader. I CAN listen to it on the library. Tthe complete and simple directions worked.

THANK YOU.

Tessie6 · 02-03-2011, 07:14 AM

Now to find a few sites where I can download easy listening music for free. I'm old enough to like the 50s and 60s and also country western classics like Eddie Arnold and his genre.

anyone know of any free sites.

HarryT · 02-03-2011, 07:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tessie6

Now to find a few sites where I can download easy listening music for free. I'm old enough to like the 50s and 60s and also country western classics like Eddie Arnold and his genre.

anyone know of any free sites.

Music from the 1950s and 60s is protected by copyright, and is illegal to download free of charge. Please don't ask for assistance with downloading illegal material; it's against MR's rules.

Tessie6 · 02-03-2011, 10:23 AM

Didn't know that. Will definiely not look for it then. Thanks for keeping me honest.

Tessie6 · 02-03-2011, 10:43 AM

Is there any music that is not copyrighted. Bach has been dead for a long-long time. Most classical music from that time - is it free.

Graham · 02-03-2011, 12:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tessie6

Is there any music that is not copyrighted. Bach has been dead for a long-long time. Most classical music from that time - is it free.

The music itself may be out of copyright, but what you're looking for is a more recent recorded performance, which will generally still be copyrighted.

If you have CDs that you own available nobody will object to you copying them to a computer ("ripping") as mp3 files for your own use. If you're running a Windows machine simply start Windows Media Player with a CD in the drive and you should see the option to Rip CD. In the Rip Settings change the format to MP3 to keep things simple, and under More Options you'll see where the program is going to put your mp3 files on your computer.

There is quite a lot of genuinely free music being made available, but it tends to be more recent stuff by new bands.

Graham

02-02-2011, 11:13 AM	#1
Tessie6 Connoisseur Posts: 63 Karma: 112 Join Date: Dec 2009 Device: Sony PRS505	download audio OK, you've all helped with with headphones (my son has an extra he's bringing over this weekend), but now I need help downloading music. Question #2: I can't seem to find anything in the user guide or on sony library help that tells me how to do that? Directions simple please. Anyone have the answer for a non-computer literate person. Question #2: Can I download an audio book from "Gutenberg" or similar sites and listen to it on the reader. You people are wonderful in teaching me about this lovely device I have. I can read books and download them with no problem, but anything else "snows" me. And pun not intended with this storm coming down on you all. I live in Florida now but I spent many years in different northern states, so I feel for you all. Edith

02-02-2011, 12:56 PM	#3
Bookworm_Girl E-reader Enthusiast Posts: 4,871 Karma: 36507503 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Southwest, USA Device: Kindle Oasis 3; Kobo Aura One; iPad Mini 5	The important thing to remember is that the music files cannot have DRM. The ereader will accept MP3 files or Apple iTunes AAC files as long as they are DRM-free. Audiobooks that you get from Project Gutenberg should be fine. Just save them to your computer hard-drive. Your ereader will show as a separate drive in Windows Explorer when connected via USB. Just drag and drop the music files from your hard-drive to the MUSIC folder as SeaBookGuy mentioned. I don't have my 505 near me at the moment, but I think the file path is something like database/media/music on your ereader. If you are using the Sony Reader Library software, then you can drag and drop the music file from your hard-drive in Windows Explorer onto your ereader icon in the left-hand column of Reader Library, and it puts them into the correct folder for you. By the way, you can transfer photos using the same methods. Just drag and drop into the PICTURES folder instead of music. Or drag and drop your photos into the Sony software as described above. Hope that helps! Last edited by Bookworm_Girl; 02-02-2011 at 12:58 PM.

02-03-2011, 12:17 AM	#9
delphin Evangelist Posts: 434 Karma: 346901 Join Date: Dec 2010 Device: SONY PRS-650	Here is the step-by-step . . . 1. Since you already know about the project Gutenberg site you might also want to try sites like - http://www.booksshouldbefree.com/Top_100 http://librivox.org/newcatalog 2. When selecting your book, make sure to pick a book in MP3 format. Then, to download a local copy, so you can transfer it to your PRS-650 - - SINGLE click of the right mouse button on the link (opposite from the button you usually click to select) to bring up the extended options drop-down menu, then from that menu pick the option like 'Save Target As' or 'Save Link As' or even 'Save File As' (this varies depending on your browser). When you pick the 'Save' option to download; sometimes you are then offered a second window to select WHERE to put the file after it is downloaded, but other times it will just dump it in your 'Downloads' folder or even put it right on your Desktop. (Your browsers 'options' or 'preferences' let you set how this works). Try to make a mental note of the name of the file it is downloading so you can find it later. If it does pop up a window to ask where to put the file, select a folder that you commonly use for downloads, or if you don't have one set up, you can just use either the your downloads folder or the Desktop. 3. Now you should typically have a single really big ZIP type file which contains the MP3s for your book. You can open this up like a folder to see the one or more MP3 files that make up the chapters of your audio book. These files are what you will need to drag into your readers "audio" folder. To do this - - first open up the Zipped folder with your books MP3s (a single book may be one or several files) - Now plug in your PRS-650, and when it is recognized, a window should pop up asking what to do, select the option to 'Open Folder to view Files' - You should now see your PRS-650's main folder which has subfolders like "Digital Editions" and "database". - Open up the "database" folder using a standard left double-click - Inside "database" you should find and double-click the folder named "media" - Inside "media" double click the folder named "audio" and inside that should be all your audio MP3 files (Originally you should see the samples SleepyTime.mp3 and WaltzForEddie.mp3) 4. If all of the above went ok you should now have both your ZIPPED MP3 folder and your PRS-650 /database/media/audio folder open on your desktop. So now finally you can just corral your downloaded book's MP3 files by dragging a box around them with the mouse in the downloaded ZIP folder, and once they are highlighted, drag them across to the now open /database/media/audio folder (which will copy them to your PRS-650) The MP3 files for most audiobooks require several hundred megabytes of space, which can take a few minutes to transfer even with a fast USB2 port (or 10 minutes or more if your computer only has USB1 ports). Make sure that this process is complete BEFORE you remove the USB cable. That's pretty much it. It's a fairly simple procedure, but the idiots at Microsoft put in a few GOTCHA's like the 'Wouldn't it be better to just Play the File without asking' thing that you already ran into. For example, .MP3 files often don't even LOOK like .MP3 files because windowz STUPIDLY thinks it's really really really clever to HIDE all those silly 'file extensions' unless you go into your folder options and unclick the option to "Hide extensions for known file types". So instead of - MyAudioBook.mp3 or MyAudioBook.zip you will probably just see MyAudioBook The trouble with this little piece of Microsoft stupidity is that, as someone has already pointed out, there are some formats that work and some that DON'T WORK, so it's kind of nice to know the file extension before you start dragging files around. For example, because windowz hides the .ZIP and .MP3 extensions, I had one friend who was dragging a ZIP compressed MP3 files onto his player, and then wondering why it wouldn't work. It sounds much more complicated than it is. Once you do it once or twice, it should only literally take a few seconds to pop open the right folders and begin dragging the files across. EDIT: Another minor potential gotcha, if the Sony Library is active, it may just grab control of the Reader so you don't see the 'View Folders' option pop up. Check the lower right side of the screen in the 'system tray' (down next to where the time shows up), and see if there is a tiny tray icon for the Sony Library, and if so, try right and left clicking it to 'close' or 'exit' before doing the above. This won't hurt anything or change any permanent settings, but should allow your PRS-650 reader folder to pop up and open next time the reader is plugged into the USB. Alternately, you should always be able to open your PRS-650's and drag in files, by selecting it from the main "My Computer" window (which you can find on the 'Start Menu'. Lastly, if you are comfortable with the Sony Library software, you could also try to use the Sony Library to Drag and Drop your MP3 files onto the Reader (I haven't done it this way myself, as I have always found the above direct PRS-650 folders method simpler.) Last edited by delphin; 02-03-2011 at 02:42 AM.

02-03-2011, 07:14 AM	#11
Tessie6 Connoisseur Posts: 63 Karma: 112 Join Date: Dec 2009 Device: Sony PRS505	MUSIC Now to find a few sites where I can download easy listening music for free. I'm old enough to like the 50s and 60s and also country western classics like Eddie Arnold and his genre. anyone know of any free sites.

02-03-2011, 10:43 AM	#14
Tessie6 Connoisseur Posts: 63 Karma: 112 Join Date: Dec 2009 Device: Sony PRS505	Music Is there any music that is not copyrighted. Bach has been dead for a long-long time. Most classical music from that time - is it free.

02-02-2011, 11:36 AM	#2
SeaBookGuy Can one read too much? Posts: 2,015 Karma: 2487799 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Naples, FL Device: Kindle PW 3, Sony 350 and 650	To add audio content, you drag and drop the files into the MUSIC folder on your 505 (or storage card). You can add library books in mp3 format only (no mp4, no WMA, no Audible), including OverDrive and Net Library ones (again, I stress, in mp3 format). You might think about getting a 1 - 2 Mb SD card as a book takes up a fair amount of room. I did not own my 505 very long, so perhaps Bookworm Girl - who has had far more experience than I with that device - will be able to explain in more detail. P S: Over Drive books can be transferred via the Over Drive Manager, not dragged-and-dropped. Last edited by SeaBookGuy; 02-02-2011 at 11:37 AM. Reason: add info re: Overdrive

02-02-2011, 01:07 PM	#4
SeaBookGuy Can one read too much? Posts: 2,015 Karma: 2487799 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Naples, FL Device: Kindle PW 3, Sony 350 and 650	B_G: The point of which I wasn't certain has to do with "albums"? Unlike our x50's, the 505 doesn't have that feature - the files get sorted in one "root" only, playing alphanumerically by tag through the entire audio holdings?

02-02-2011, 01:18 PM	#5
Bookworm_Girl E-reader Enthusiast Posts: 4,871 Karma: 36507503 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Southwest, USA Device: Kindle Oasis 3; Kobo Aura One; iPad Mini 5	Yes, the 505 does not group songs into albums like the newer models. It will place all of your songs into a single list sorted by title. Therefore it is not very organized and mixes up all your music from multiple albums since they are listed by title rather than artist or album.

02-02-2011, 02:08 PM	#6
Tessie6 Connoisseur Posts: 63 Karma: 112 Join Date: Dec 2009 Device: Sony PRS505	ok, I have the PRS 650. I've gone to gutenburg and selected an audio file (it happens to be Little Men) just for experimenting. I click on the MP3 file and it starts playing. How do I get it to my Library file. I can't drag and drop or import the file or ??? What do I do now?

02-03-2011, 06:56 AM	#10
Tessie6 Connoisseur Posts: 63 Karma: 112 Join Date: Dec 2009 Device: Sony PRS505	Yeah, it worked. At least it's in the library. When I finally wake up to the fact and my son brings over the headphone I can see if I can put it on my reader. I CAN listen to it on the library. Tthe complete and simple directions worked. THANK YOU.

02-03-2011, 10:23 AM	#13
Tessie6 Connoisseur Posts: 63 Karma: 112 Join Date: Dec 2009 Device: Sony PRS505	Didn't know that. Will definiely not look for it then. Thanks for keeping me honest.

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