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Forney_bill wrote: "Sometimes the number of files strike me as unwieldy. I use a free program called MergeMP3 to consolidate the files. So instead of having 30 MP3 files, I might have 3... or 1. ..."I use something similar called MP3 Splitter and Joiner Pro to have it both ways - split large MP3 files or join a lot of small ones. As you say, it depends on file sizes and numbers of files.
I wound up getting the paid shareware because it was the only program I could find that didn't occasionally create corrupt MP3 headers in the output files. With other freeware programs this would happen during file split operations as opposed to merge operations which is what your're doing.
It's kind of an exception to the rule, though. Mostly I don't have to use it.
Sure is a lot of experimentation to get things the way we want them, eh? It took me a long time to settle on the methods I use. If anything changes, I'll have to start over with the same lengthy process. I'll keep MP3Merge in mind if I have to do that.
Thanks and happy listening,
Alan Mintaka
"Sure is a lot of experimentation to get things the way we want them, eh?"Yes sir. I am glad to see the MP3 fromat is working for you. I am just now going down the MP3 backup road in earnest, and I still had lingering doubts about bookmarking. Looks like you are not having problems though so I feel better.
For whatever reason I have some none DRM M4a formats and some M4b formats. They seem to play alright outside of iTunes in other programs, so I didn't convert those to MP3.
I am going to order a MP3 player other than iPod (maybe a Sansa Disk Clip)and see how the files play. I see Amazon has a little 4G clip for only $30. If anyone has a player recommendation, I am all ears.
Sansa Clip models bookmark beautifully as long as you tag the genre as "audiobook" specifically.
Forney_bill wrote: "I am going to order a MP3 player other than iPod (maybe a Sansa Disk Clip)and see how the files play. I see Amazon has a little 4G clip for only $30. If anyone has a player recommendation, I am all ears."I'm a confirmed Sansa Clip fan. Check at NewEgg for refurbished models of the 4GB Clip+, often you can find these for $20, and 4GB SD chips for $6 or so. I have been using refurbs for 3-4 years and have had no trouble with them.
CatBookMom wrote: "Forney_bill wrote: "I am going to order a MP3 player other than iPod (maybe a Sansa Disk Clip)and see how the files play. I see Amazon has a little 4G clip for only $30. If anyone has a player reco..."I wish I'd had the same experience as all of you with Sansa, but I bought one for my son, and after a couple months it just would not work right despite numerous attempts with customer service. I'd really rather go the Sansa route, since they are so much more affordable and expandable, but I'm gun-shy after my first experience.
Kristie wrote: "CatBookMom wrote: "Forney_bill wrote: "I am going to order a MP3 player other than iPod (maybe a Sansa Disk Clip)and see how the files play. I see Amazon has a little 4G clip for only $30. If anyon..."The other Sansa fans I know st Ravelry have commented that there may be some problems with the Clip Zip that don't exist with the older Clip and Clip+. But, like any other product, sometimes there are just lemons. Sorry your son's was one of those.
CatBookMom wrote: "Kristie wrote: "CatBookMom wrote: "Forney_bill wrote: "I am going to order a MP3 player other than iPod (maybe a Sansa Disk Clip)and see how the files play. I see Amazon has a little 4G clip for on..."His was the Clip+, I believe it was an older version when I bought it a couple years ago.
The other issue is that I spend a lot of time listening in my car, and so I need a player compatible with Ford Sync. I did a little research, and it seems that folks often have issues getting Sansa and Sync to play nice. I wish my car's Sync would recognize the Audible app on my phone, which would make my life so much simpler (no need for a separate player!), but alas my car is one year too old to have that capacity. It can never be simple, can it?!
Forney_bill wrote: "I am going to order a MP3 player other than iPod (maybe a Sansa Disk Clip)and see how the files play. I see Amazon has a little 4G clip for only $30. If anyone has a player recommendation, I am all ears. ..."I'm using a Sansa Fuze right now. I also have a Sansa Clip+, which I bought when my first Fuze died - mechanical problems with the navigation wheel.
My Clip+ has lasted longer than the original Fuze, so the Clip+ does seem to have more staying power than the Fuze, at least in my case.
The thing I don't like about the Clip+ is the interface. The display and navigation switch are just too small for old eyes and fingers. Also, despite its durability, it needs to be reset every now and then. It just plain dies, long before the battery runs down. When that happens the solution is to power it back on by holding the power key down for about 30 seconds. It always recovers, but all memory of what you were listening to and where you were are gone. Firmware updates haven't fixed the problem. It's not a deal breaker because you can navigate back to where you were listening, eventually. It's just another inconvenience in addition to the tiny interface.
So I bought another old-model Fuze - the one with the mechanical navigation wheel, NOT the touch screen model, which is a disaster. I found the older model being sold as "new" on Amazon by one of their third party marketplace sellers.
The old Fuzes are big bucks these days but I still like them better. I'm just being very careful with this one and its navigation wheel. The Clip+ is now my spare, though I've always really needed a spare for the Clip+, not the other way around.
Hey - it could be that I wound up with a few lemons, i.e. the first Fuze and then the Clip+. It's all down to taste now and the old Fuze model with the Navigation Wheel is at the top of the heap as far as I'm concerned.
A Mess O' Thoughts,
Alan Mintaka
I decided to purchase Sound Taxi Pro for converting to mp3. It converts several files simultaneously and fairly quickly. I will still need MP3Splitter to break the resulting mp3s into smaller segments. I appreciate all the discussion.
How long does Sound Taxi Pro take? If it's significantly faster I might consider it.
This is going to sound smug - but this discussion makes me very, very glad I have an iPad. No conversion necessary - I just download and go.
I'm not sure, if I understand correctly it converts several faster than it converts one. Seems backwards to me, but the conversion did get faster once I added more files to the conversion list. I started the conversion when I went to bed and the eight or so files I added to the queue were done when I woke up. Because of everything I had heard about these programs I was expecting the conversion to take as long as the length of the book so I was thrilled with anything less than 8 hours. I have a few more files in need of conversion I'll try to get a better idea of how long it takes.
Jennifer wrote: "This is going to sound smug - but this discussion makes me very, very glad I have an iPad. No conversion necessary - I just download and go."I don't need to convert them to listen on any of my players either. Some folks like to have backup copies of the books.
Jennifer wrote: "This is going to sound smug - but this discussion makes me very, very glad I have an iPad. No conversion necessary - I just download and go."For me it is more of a personal issue with DRM. I don't like being limited in usage of something I've paid for. I have an ipod I can stick the files on if I'm in a hurry to listen, but I'm definitely not ok with going down the road with earbuds in my ears. :)
If I have the files in mp3 format I can stick them on a thumb drive and listen through my truck's cd player.
I certainly agree with you that it is frustrating to be told how to use something you own.
John wrote: "How long does Sound Taxi Pro take? If it's significantly faster I might consider it."I wouldn't say it is really fast - I still like it though
Which version of Sound Taxi would you recommend for just basically converting the Audible files and WMA audio files? I noticed they have 4 different versions.
I have the cheapest version Angie but that is probably why it takes awhile - I forgot you can pay for faster versions John.
I think speed was why I went with pro. No matter which version you get, Google "Sound Taxi discount code" or something to that effect, I found several that knocked a little bit off the price.
Thanks so much. I did a google search and got the $26.99 version for $11.99. Here's the link I used if anyone is interested.http://www.softdcc.com/coupons/soundt...
I am an Audible.com subscriber and a loyal fan of audiobooks. I would like to review audiobooks I have purchased and listened to but I am a bit put off by the Audible.com review format and its fill-in-the-blanks process. Does anyone have any suggestions? Best, Sean
there is an open format you can select - or the guided format - look to the right of the screen when you are in the review section - should say something like switch to freeform
no problem - it took me a while to figure it out as well because I HATE guided questions
I ran through that as well, freaking out at one point where it seemed the option was guided-only.
I wish Audible would either drop the guided form or construct better ones. I find reviewers repeat the same information or include info in one section that is asked about specifically later. It isn't until the last statement that allows for additional comments that the review seems to really begin. Sigh,even when Audible tries to make things simpler it just gets more complicated.
There is an audiobooks group on GoodReads and the Audible folks drop by regularly. They have discussion threads for "ask Audible" and things like that...maybe you could get them to listen.D
There's one part of the form now that I hate because people always put major spoilers there - "What was your favorite part of the book" or something like that. Before the form changed, most people didn't mention things like that in their reviews.
David wrote: "There is an audiobooks group on GoodReads and the Audible folks drop by regularly. They have discussion threads for "ask Audible" and things like that...maybe you could get them to listen.D"
We also have an Audible rep who interacts with us in this group. This folder, "Ask Audible" was set up for that purpose.
Come to think of it, I haven't seen a response from them in a while. Maybe they've defected to the other group. :)
They commented in another thread just yesterdayI think David was being sarcastic...
Are you implying that they don't listen? Hehehe!If they would, I'd complain about the odious search field. I don't know what it is, but man it's hard to type in a title ever since they changed up their website. I just tried to search for David's DeChance Chronicles and couldn't just leisurely type in the title. I had to wait for the page to catch up with me and then correct the missed letters.
I found a workaround to that. I just type in the author's last name (providing it isn't Smith or Jones!) or author name (in this format "Picoult Jodi").
Oh, and you're right Dee. I did just see Audible's response to a complaint. I'm catching up on the new posts from when I last checked the group.
Janice wrote: "Are you implying that they don't listen? Hehehe!"Hi Janice and Jeanie,
Don't worry, we check GoodReads' audiobook forums daily! Even if we do not respond to you directly, please be assured that your feedback is always heard.
We have noted both of your suggestions and brought them up to the proper department to be looked into.
Thanks for your feedback!
Dee wrote: "They commented in another thread just yesterdayI think David was being sarcastic..."
No - David is an idiot and thought he was still responding to a thread in a different group. They have a single audiobook thread for "what are you listening to" in the Horror Aficionado's Group... I need to pay more attention. THIS is the thread (lol) WHACK
You are NOT an idiot! I do that all the time.
My guess is that the guided review questions are an attempt to get people to do more than just click the "rating" - getting reviews on Audible is a very tricky thing. A lot of people only comment if they hate the book, or love it... In the past we've had books with 42 ratings and not a single comment.
Funny, I feel like I repeat myself as I often enough write something along the lines of, "not great, not awful, fills time if that's what you're looking for ..."
I would have just agreed on the sarcastic point - even if it wasn't true...lol
Dee wrote: "I would have just agreed on the sarcastic point - even if it wasn't true...lol"I thought about that...
Audible.com wrote: "Janice wrote: "Are you implying that they don't listen? Hehehe!"Hi Janice and Jeanie,
Don't worry, we check GoodReads' audiobook forums daily! Even if we do not respond to you directly, please b..."
Thanks for the response. I hope you read all the threads and also get to see how often we express our love for Audible's product and Customer Service. Just because we come here to vent doesn't mean we don't love you, Audible.
And david, lol!
Audible.com wrote: "Janice wrote: "Are you implying that they don't listen? Hehehe!"Hi Janice and Jeanie,
Don't worry, we check GoodReads' audiobook forums daily! Even if we do not respond to you directly, please b..."
Thanks so much for your response! I agree with Jeanie's sentiments. :) I've always had great response whenever I've contacted Audible and think you have one of the best customer service models around.
I guess I just think larges companies don't worry about minor complaints such as search fields. So, thanks for passing that on.
David wrote: "Dee wrote: "They commented in another thread just yesterdayI think David was being sarcastic..."
No - David is an idiot and thought he was still responding to a thread in a different group. The..."
LOL! We all have moments. Mine came today when I was leaving a parking lot. The traffic light was red. I looked both ways, saw nothing and stepped on the gas. I was almost through the intersection when I realized that I had treated that red light like a stop sign. I just hope it wasn't one that had a camera attached to it. Groan!!
if it makes you feel better Janice - my car accident I had in 2011...driving home, looking up saw green kept going...the green was in the turn lane, and I wasn't - i rear ended a guy
Since you are here, audible--or could I have used the Southern plural, y'all?--how about a Nero Wolf series page? Yeah, yeah, I should email the Content folks... but we already know y'all are lurking out there and I'm already here on this thread and... just saying.
Agreed, Audible old pal ... Nero Wolfe books need to be identified by series order as there are a lot of them.
John wrote: "Agreed, Audible old pal ... Nero Wolfe books need to be identified by series order as there are a lot of them."Yes! I love these. I read most of the Nero Wolfe books back in the 70s, and own a lot of them in paperback. I've read some rather harsh reviews of Michael Prichard's narration, but I think he does very, very well. There's sort of a Walter Winchell tone to his readings, which I find fits the early stories. I'm not very familiar with the Timothy Hutton TV versions - though I keep meaning to find and watch - so perhaps those who don't like Prichard are more focussed on the Archie character than on Wolfe himself.
Many of these are available as OD audio, and even more of the books are available as OD ebooks - I just hope more people read these, because they are so very good, even if dated and (because of the era) quite sexist. A good mystery can overcome all of this, as the continuing popularity of Agatha Christie's work shows us.
Prichard does a better Nero than Archie I think, but he really is an excellent fit for the series. What seems to bother some folks, and I agree, is that Archie seems to find 31 y/o females to be "old maids" which deserves a Wolfian "Pfui!"
Audiobooks
Books mentioned in this topic
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Authors mentioned in this topic
David Monteath (other topics)David Monteath (other topics)
David Monteath (other topics)
Keith McCarthy (other topics)
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Sometimes the number of files strike me as unwieldy. I use a free program called MergeMP3 to consolidate the files. So instead of having 30 MP3 files, I might have 3... or 1.
Then I use MP3tag (also free) to drop in the tags and embed the art. I like the artwork. I like to see the bookcover when I play the book. I use the google image search function to find a file about 200x200 or 300X300, drop it in the book folder, and name it "folder.jpg".
Sometimes I don't worry about consolidating the files because the titles look good. Then I just use MP3tag.