Audiobooks on an iPod? Confused...

[kotatsu]

I have some audio book MP3 files, which I imported into iTunes. They were flagged as 'speech'.

However when I transfer them to the iPod, it sorts them under music in genre 'speech'. Shouldn't they be under the Audiobooks menu?

Anyone know how to sort this out?

Thanks!

[BuonRotto]

I'm betting that in order for it to show up in the Audiobooks area, it is looking for iTMS-purchased audiobooks and using either a different genre name or some other criteria to recognize the file as an audiobook.

[danielctull]

I'm sure I read soewhere that the audiobooks from iTunes are AAC files with yet another extension (m4a being normal AAC, m4p being protected). In this case if you want it to turn up as an audiobook (with the speed adjusting and such) you need to convert to AAC and rename it to the extension of audiobooks.

I can't remember where I saw this, or even if I did, so if someone else who's bought an audiobook on iTunes maybe confirm that?

[kotatsu]

They're not even AAC files, they're plain old MP3.

You would have thought that flagging them as 'speech' would have been enough...!

[danielctull]

Originally posted by kotatsu
They're not even AAC files, they're plain old MP3.

What I was saying is they have to be in AAC format. Here is what I have from Macworld magazine:


Book Smart
The updated software does more than just give Audible-format audiobooks thier own Menu listing; you also gain new control over their speed. The software lets you speed up or slow down how fast an audiobook is read without changing the pitch and making it sound like you're listening to a tape player running low on battery power or to a person who inhaled helium just before recording the audiobook - a useful feature for speed-listening or for foreign-language instruction.
As with iTunes, the iPod recognizes an audiobook by its file type. If you use a utility such as FileBuddy to change the file type of any AAC file from <<M4A>> (unprotected) or <<M4P>> (iTunes Music Store file) to <<M4B >> (with a blank space at the end), you'll be able to change the speed of a song the way you would an audiobook.
You'll also be able to take advantage of audiobooks' bookmarking feature, allowing you to continue playing back a song from where you left off (a great for long pieces such as classical symphony movements).


So to answer your question, convert MP3 to AAC audio file and then change the file type. :)

[michaelb]

Hmm... I have a couple of weeks worth of audiobooks, including the complete Dune series (in itself a mammoth amount of audio!), and this is the first time I've heard there is actually an 'Audiobooks' section!

I'd better pay more attention to the Apple channel! But this is only 4th Gen iPods, right?

[curiousuburb]

Originally posted by danielctull
What I was saying is they have to be in AAC format. Here is what I have from Macworld magazine:



So to answer your question, convert MP3 to AAC audio file and then change the file type. :)

Nice find. Useful.

[dfiler]

Originally posted by curiousuburb
Nice find. Useful. Definately! (Goes back to reread the explanation 2 more times)

[spike]

There's a script called Make Bookmarkable (http://www.malcolmadams.com/itunes/scripts/ss.php?sp=makebookmarkable) that will change the file type for you. Just select the tracks in iTunes and run the script, no need to edit each file individually.

[kotatsu]

You can run scripts in iTunes? I had no idea!

How do you do it? :)

[danielctull]

Originally posted by kotatsu
You can run scripts in iTunes? I had no idea!

How do you do it? :)

1. Shut down iTunes

2. Go to Home : Library : iTunes

3. Create a folder called "Scripts"

4. Put the Script file into the newly created Scripts folder

5. Voila, a little AppleScript icon apears in the menu of iTunes! :)

[kotatsu]

Embarassed to say... but I'm using iTunes on XP. :)

Guess Apple Script won't work too well!

Any other way to convert MP3 files into AAC?


Wouldn't it have been nice if it could have just used the 'speech' genre to flag things as audiobooks!

[danielctull]

Originally posted by kotatsu
Embarassed to say... but I'm using iTunes on XP. :)

Guess Apple Script won't work too well!

Any other way to convert MP3 files into AAC?


Wouldn't it have been nice if it could have just used the 'speech' genre to flag things as audiobooks!

Well easy enough to convert the MP3 tracks to AAC (M4A) through iTunes. Make sure you are setup to import songs to AAC through Edit > Preferences > Importing tab. Then click the MP3 track and go to Advanced > Convert Selection to AAC. (Sorry if you knew that bit already...).

Now open an Explorer window and find the new converted track whereever that may be. Go to Tools > Folder Options > View tab. Now look down the checkbox list and find "Hide extensions for know files types" and make that unchecked if it isn't already. You should now see your file with the .m4a extension which you can right-click > rename to "filename.m4b " although the space doesn't seem to stay, it now gets the protected 'lock' iTunes icon.

My iPod syncs to my Mac, so I'm just about to see if this renaming method works...

Edit:
Just to say it does work with that method - I just converted an MP3 song to M4A then renamed to M4B and the resulting speed up slow down effects are really impressive! Very strange that lack of change in pitch...

[kotatsu]

Fantastic, that's done the trick! Thanks!

[iShawn]

Originally posted by danielctull
Well easy enough to convert the MP3 tracks to AAC (M4A) through iTunes. Make sure you are setup to import songs to AAC through Edit > Preferences > Importing tab. Then click the MP3 track and go to Advanced > Convert Selection to AAC. (Sorry if you knew that bit already...).

Now open an Explorer window and find the new converted track whereever that may be. Go to Tools > Folder Options > View tab. Now look down the checkbox list and find "Hide extensions for know files types" and make that unchecked if it isn't already. You should now see your file with the .m4a extension which you can right-click > rename to "filename.m4b " although the space doesn't seem to stay, it now gets the protected 'lock' iTunes icon.

My iPod syncs to my Mac, so I'm just about to see if this renaming method works...

Edit:
Just to say it does work with that method - I just converted an MP3 song to M4A then renamed to M4B and the resulting speed up slow down effects are really impressive! Very strange that lack of change in pitch...

I was able to do this but the apple script seemed not to work for me. Do I highlight the tracks or do I use the check marks for the apple script?

[Macaddict16]

Originally posted by danielctull
Just to say it does work with that method - I just converted an MP3 song to M4A then renamed to M4B and the resulting speed up slow down effects are really impressive! Very strange that lack of change in pitch...

Does the speed up and slow down only work on the iPod itself or also in iTunes?

Macaddict16

[danielctull]

Originally posted by iShawn
I was able to do this but the apple script seemed not to work for me. Do I highlight the tracks or do I use the check marks for the apple script?

IIRC, you have to highlight them then use the bookmarkable apple script.

Originally posted by Macaddict16
Does the speed up and slow down only work on the iPod itself or also in iTunes?

Macaddict16

Only on the iPod can you speed up/slow down. It does save the bookmarks in iTunes, meaning you can play another track and come back to play it where you left off.

[Sheryl22]

Here is a website http://www.apple.com/itunes where I have downloaded so many Audio Books. You better try it once.
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