Audiobooks discussion

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Technical stuff > Importing Audiobook CD's to Android Phone

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message 1: by Sandi (new)

Sandi (sandikal) | 420 comments I recently got an Android phone--Galaxy 4S. I have four audiobooks on CD that I would like to listen to using my Galaxy. If worse comes to worse, I can always load them on my iPod, but I'd kind of like to get down to one device. So, how do I get these audiobook CD's onto my Android device. Is there an app for that?


message 2: by Chris (new)

Chris (chrismd) | 50 comments I have an S4, too. Love it. If their Audible books, you just need to download the Audible app. You should be able to find the books through that and download them to the phone. I haven't moved books over from the computer, but I would assume it's the same as music. Drag and drop. One note: they must be mp3 file. WMA format won't play.


message 3: by Kristie (new)

Kristie | 2212 comments I use the Smart AudioBook app on my Galaxy SII for audiobooks that were on CD, and it works great. Just download the CD's to your computer (I suggest you join all the tracks on a CD together into one file) and then move the files over to the downloads/music file on your phone. (If the book entails multiple files, create a main folder within your music folder to put all the files in.) The app will find your files, will bookmark as you play, etc. I've only listened to a couple audiobooks on the app, but it worked great.


message 4: by Sandi (new)

Sandi (sandikal) | 420 comments Do you transfer the audio to the computer using Media Player?


message 5: by Kristie (new)

Kristie | 2212 comments I use iTunes, but I would think media player should work as well.


message 6: by Sandi (new)

Sandi (sandikal) | 420 comments I have always used iTunes in the past, but don't I need to convert to MP3 for the Android?


message 7: by Kristie (new)

Kristie | 2212 comments ITunes will let you import the CD in mp3 format. I am not at home to look at it to tell you where that setting, but it is easy enough.


message 8: by Sandi (new)

Sandi (sandikal) | 420 comments Cool. I'll check it out when I get home.


message 9: by Kristie (new)

Kristie | 2212 comments It's under "Import Settings," which is found in different places, depending on which version of iTunes you have. When you're in Import Settings there's a drop-down that usually defaults to "AAC Encoder." Click on the drop-down to find "MP3 Encoder." It's that easy. :)

Good luck!


message 10: by Javi (new)

Javi | 3 comments Ok so has anyone actually tried this? I currently have an IPhone because of this need for audiobooks and I was under the assumption that there is no way to have audiobooks on androids like how iPhones have them. But if this app works then the door to androids is finally open. I don't use audible because ain't nobody got money for that! So if someone can confirm this method it'd be much appreciated!


message 11: by Kristie (last edited Aug 13, 2014 03:15PM) (new)

Kristie | 2212 comments Javier wrote: "Ok so has anyone actually tried this? I currently have an IPhone because of this need for audiobooks and I was under the assumption that there is no way to have audiobooks on androids like how iPho..."

Yes, it works. Burn the CD's as MP3 files onto your computer, then put them on your phone. (I put them in the music folder.) I then use the Smart AudioBook app on my android phone to listen. Works great. And of course, delete the files off your device and computer when you're done, so you're not keeping the library's books.


message 12: by Michael (new)

Michael (mobe1969) | 463 comments I actually use EAC (Exact audio copy) and it has the ability to copy each disc as one file (Shift F7 - extract range). I rip directly to M4B file extension (it is just aac/m4a with a different extension) so Itunes automatically identifies it as an audiobook.

I use iSyncr to sync it to my android phone. I have an "Audiobook" playlist that I sync, and I put the book I'm listening to on that, and just sync wirelessly.


message 13: by Kelly (new)

Kelly | 295 comments I also rip library audiobooks and use Smart Audiobook on my Android as well. I think I had to pay a couple bucks for the app but I love it. I love the many playback speeds, the ability to skip back 10 secs or 1 min, and the bookmarking option. I actually like it more than itunes and the audible app.


message 14: by Kate (new)

Kate | 1 comments Thanks for the info from everybody on this thread! It is really helpful.


message 15: by Josh (new)

Josh Brown I use MortPlayer
https://play.google.com/store/apps/de...

Just rip your CDs to MP3, create a folder on your Android (suggest creating folder on SD card instead of using up internal memory) and launch MortPlayer. Mort has a ton of handy features... it's pretty trick.


message 16: by Scott S. (new)

Scott S. | 722 comments You won't find anything an iPhone will do that an android won't. Here's another vote for the Smart Audiobook Player app. I combine all but the longest of my books into single tracks, but the app will handle multiple tracks just as well.


message 17: by Michael (new)

Michael (mobe1969) | 463 comments J. wrote: "You won't find anything an iPhone will do that an android won't. Here's another vote for the Smart Audiobook Player app. I combine all but the longest of my books into single tracks, but the app..."

Yeah? Well on my old iPhone I had one audio player that handled music, audible audio books, and non audible audio books, and syncing was so damn easu. On android I damn well need three different audio players one for music one for audible one for others, and other programs to sync. Android is so clunky.


message 18: by Kristie (new)

Kristie | 2212 comments Michael wrote: "J. wrote: "You won't find anything an iPhone will do that an android won't. Here's another vote for the Smart Audiobook Player app. I combine all but the longest of my books into single tracks, ..."

I'm curious what the syncing program is. Is that to be able to move files without plugging in the phone? I just plug in my phone to my computer, move the files into my music folder, and Smart AudioBook finds them there. Not as slick as iTunes obviously, but I find iTunes to be a little less than perfect at times as well.


message 19: by Scott S. (new)

Scott S. | 722 comments Don't know what to tell you, I don't have any trouble with mine. I should have said "You won't find anything an iPhone will do that an android won't except be oversimplified for the masses." lol

I use a separate player for audiobooks and music, but to me that makes sense. I don't want the same settings for audiobooks and music. I'm fairly confident the music player I use, Rocket...something, could handle my audiobooks if that's what I wanted.

But what you're describing isn't even an android issue, that's an app issue. The makers of that app have apparently decided not to pursue both ios & android. I truly doubt they wanted to make the app for android and ran into limitations.


message 20: by Michael (new)

Michael (mobe1969) | 463 comments Kristie wrote: "I'm curious what the syncing program is. Is that to be able to move files without plugging in the phone? I just plug in my phone to my computer, move the files into my music folder, and Smart AudioBook finds them there. Not as slick as iTunes obviously, but I find iTunes to be a little less than perfect at times as well. "

ISyncr - it is great, and the closest you'll get to itunes/iphone syncing

J. wrote: "But what you're describing isn't even an android issue, that's an app issue. The makers of that app have apparently decided not to pursue both ios & android. I truly doubt they wanted to make the app for android and ran into limitations.
"


The point is, on an iphone you have both an all in one solution that works great (the ios player even has multiple playback speed for books), or you can use audibles player. With android you have exactly ONE choice for playing audible books. Then you HAVE to get another player to play non-audible books. It is an unintegrated mess where you don't even have the level of choice ios has


message 21: by Scott S. (new)

Scott S. | 722 comments What device do you have? The default player on my S4 has multiple speed settings.

Again though, this sounds like an app issue more than anything. I suggest switching back to the iphone in the future, it is definitely the simpler option a certain group needs.

I haven't looked for an alternate audible player. Audible's DRM pisses me off, so I convert all my audible files to mp3s. Doing so pretty much removes all the fuss of picking a player.

What app was it that you were using on the iphone? Isyncr is still around.


message 22: by Michael (new)

Michael (mobe1969) | 463 comments J. wrote: "What device do you have? The default player on my S4 has multiple speed settings.

Again though, this sounds like an app issue more than anything. I suggest switching back to the iphone in the futu..."

Xperia Z.

On the iphone? I was just using their standard iOS all in one music player.

Yes the DRM is annoying. I'd prefer just using Smart audiobook player for all, but there just aren't efficient enough ways for dealing with it. At least, none I'm aware of. I really dislike the fact that you have less choice on android for listening to audible content than you do on iOS.


message 23: by Ethan_Orin (new)

Ethan_Orin | 2 comments If you meant to import audiobooks from Audible or iTunes to your Android phone, this tutorial will help you: http://www.tuneskit.com/audiobook-tip...


message 24: by Russell (new)

Russell | 2 comments To Sandi and Kristie and Javier.

I just installed Smart AudioBook Player on my Galaxy Note 3, just a minute ago. (after reading Kristie's comment).

I have the audio ebook, The Martian, that I downloaded from an ebook website, saved to my PC
It is:
The Martian (Unabridged)
AAC audio book (.m4b)

I used my PC to open the files on my Galaxy Note 3, and I dragged and dropped the entire file into the Audible app file:
Russell's Galaxy Note 3\Phone\Audible

I then opened the Smart AudioBook Player app, let it scan my cellphone for ebooks, and boop, there it was...The Martian.

It has a cover, it is reading to me perfectly well, and I am now listening the beautiful voice of R. C. Bray narrating the audio ebook, The Martian.

I hope this helps y'all.


message 25: by Kristie (new)

Kristie | 2212 comments Russell wrote: "To Sandi and Kristie and Javier.

I just installed Smart AudioBook Player on my Galaxy Note 3, just a minute ago. (after reading Kristie's comment).

I have the audio ebook, The Martian, that I dow..."


Thanks Russell. I hope you enjoy The Martian and the Smart AudioBook player!


message 26: by Russell (new)

Russell | 2 comments Kristie wrote: "Russell wrote: "To Sandi and Kristie and Javier.

I just installed Smart AudioBook Player on my Galaxy Note 3, just a minute ago. (after reading Kristie's comment).

I have the audio ebook, The Mar..."


Thank you Kristie. :)


message 27: by ElaineY (new)

ElaineY | 11 comments For anyone thinking of switching from iPhone to Android or wondering which is easier for audio files:

I had an iPhone and hated having to go through iTunes to get my audio files on my iPhone. I used it to listen to both audiobooks and music. I rarely used the Audible app to download the audiobooks as my internet connection wasn't always consistent and it took too long to download compared to dragging a file to i-Tunes. I hated the synching process as it meant my entire audio folders were affected even if I just want to add/delete one file!

I finally switched to an Android, Samsung Galaxy S6 and love how easy it is to import my audio files! The phone's directory automatically opens up when I connect the phone to my PC. I create a folder for my audio files - one 'AUDIOBOOKS' and one 'MUSIC' then just drag&drop the files I want into the folders. They are automatically in my S6 without having to do that stupid synching thing or having to go through an external program.

To play my audiobooks, I installed SMART AUDIOBOOK PLAYER which is miles better than the Audible app player (gives several speeds options, equalizer, volume booster, etc) and also MAPLE PLAYER JB when I want to adjust the pitch of a narrator's voice (I dislike high-pitched female narrators). Maple allows me to deepen a voice without alterating the speed.

I have absolutely no regrets ditching my iPhone for the Android and can play all my audiobooks and music using just the Smart Audio Player. I've even deleted the Audible app since I don't need it - but note that you have to convert the Audible format to mp3 first or the Audible files won't play.


message 28: by John (new)

John S | 1 comments I just traded my Windows Phone for a Galaxy S7 Edge, because no one makes apps for Windows Phones any more. I was using the Windows App Audiobooked to listen to audiobooks. This app allowed you to load all the CD's for a book (if it was not an mp3) and then combine them into one book so that you didn't have to fumble with the phone each time you got to the end of a CD. I downloaded Smart Audiobook Player on the Edge, but it doesn't seem to allow CD's to be combined. I tried moving all the files into one directory, but on the second CD, there were duplicate file names, so that is not going to work. Does anyone know of an Android App that will let you combine the audio files from several CD into one book and then keep up with where you are in the book?


message 29: by Scott S. (new)

Scott S. | 722 comments Have you tried putting all the CD folders under a single folder? I haven't tried this, but I haven't found much that Smart Audiobook Player won't do.


message 30: by Natalie (new)

Natalie (haveah) | 106 comments J. wrote: "Have you tried putting all the CD folders under a single folder? I haven't tried this, but I haven't found much that Smart Audiobook Player won't do."

Smart Audiobook Player looks in the same folder for a book. And they have to be named the same. So you may need to go back and name them all Book1.mp3, Book2.mp3 (or Book1.wav, etc), for SAP to play them sequentially.


message 31: by Andy (new)

Andy | 17 comments I rip audiobook CD's to my PC as disc length mp3 files (I use EAC to do this on a low bitrate setting to save space). I name them "book01.mp3, book02.mp3...etc), all in the same folder. EAC's a bit fiddly, so if you have another perferred ripper, use whatever you like. I like to get the best sounds out of the smallest file for books, since they can be so big, and EAC's allowed me to get some good settings to do so.

Once that's done, I use a program called MP3Tag (http://www.mp3tag.de/en/) to edit the metadata on the files.

Select the folder in mp3tag. Highlight all the files in the file list on the right. In the box on the left, I fill in Title, Artist, and Genre (audiobook). Save. Once you've done that, keep all the files highlighted, go to "Tools" on the menu bar, and do the auto-numbering wizard. Use a leading zero, and let it number the tracks for you sequentially. Hit OK. That last step adds the track number to the metadata, which I think is what gets the books to play in the proper order. I'm not sure if it's required with the Android apps, but it was back when I used a Sansa Clip, so I continue to do it.

That should always work with whatever app you use. I personally like "Listen", but Smart Audiobook player is good, too. I go back and forth.


message 32: by Henrys (new)

Henrys Roberts | 2 comments You can use iTunes, Windows Media Player, or DumpMedia Audible Converter to convert your audiobook CD to MP3 and then add them to your Android phones. These three tools can satisfy your needs.


message 33: by Pamela (new)

Pamela Crane | 29 comments I downloaded CDs to my phone, got the Smart Audiobook Player, and have had nothing but problems. How do you download the CDs in the correct hierarchy that the app recognizes them and plays them without having to start and stop at each CD? I thought this was going to be an easy app but it isn't for me. Are there other audiobook players that I might have more success with? It almost looks like this is the only one out there.


message 34: by John, Moderator (new)

John | 3922 comments When I "rip" CDs, say War and Peace, I do each one without chapters or breaks, labelling them WP 01, etc. Never had a problem with Smart Audio Player not following that order.


message 35: by Pamela (new)

Pamela Crane | 29 comments "When I "rip" CDs, say War and Peace, I do each one without chapters or breaks, labelling them WP 01, etc.
Is there a tutorial link on how to rip the CDs and how to label them? I am ripping with Windows Media Player and I don't know what to do with them once they are ripped to the PC. Thanks


message 36: by John, Moderator (new)

John | 3922 comments I use a free program called Express Rip for converting CDs to mp3 format. It is important to select the option "rip all tracks as one file" before beginning the conversion itself.

Once all of the disks are ripped as single files, I run them through another free software option called "mp3 tag" to add cover art along with details like book and author name, getting a very nice finished product.


message 37: by Pamela (new)

Pamela Crane | 29 comments John wrote: "I use a free program called Express Rip for

Thank you! I am going to get this and try it.



message 38: by John, Moderator (new)

John | 3922 comments Pamela wrote: "John wrote: "I use a free program called Express Rip for

Thank you! I am going to get this and try it."


Good luck and be sure to label the first nine discs with a two-digit 0 first: 01, 02... 09, 10, 11 etc.


message 39: by Pamela (new)

Pamela Crane | 29 comments Good luck and be sure to label the first nine discs with a two-digit 0

Thank you for your help. This worked and I can now listen to audio books ripped from CDs on my phone!


message 40: by John, Moderator (new)

John | 3922 comments Excellent! On rare occasions, the cost of the book on CD at Amazon has been less than the cost of an Audible credit for me.


message 41: by MelanieMorgan (last edited Sep 05, 2022 11:42PM) (new)

MelanieMorgan | 2 comments well, I use iTunes before, but I found it complex for me. I have tried to use Audible Converter to change the audiobook file format for several months. It helps me convert to MP3 format and upload it to my MP3 player! I have tried different converters before, but I recommend AMusicSoft, it will help you get many audiobooks for free. (https://www.amusicsoft.com/audible-co...)
I found this guide, which may be helpful for you if you want to burn Audible to CD with AMusicSoft.(https://www.amusicsoft.com/audible-co...)


message 42: by Yeong (new)

Yeong Liang | 1 comments Can you extract Audiobook files from CD? If not, you may need to buy and download your audiobooks from Audible. And, if you're going to add audiobooks to your Android phone music player, I don't think you can directly do that. You may need to use NoteBurner audiobook converter to convert your audiobooks to open audio format. This tool called NoteBurner iTunes Audio Converter right now, but it's still work for you. https://www.noteburner.com/audio-reco...


message 43: by Coleman (new)

Coleman Blake | 2 comments I am a linux user. The only Windows I have is a Windows 7 partition on a backup laptop.

There are plenty of linux tools for ripping CDs to mp3 and transfering the files to my Android phone shouldn't be a problem.

I haven't found a linux CD ripper that lets you join the tracks or rip multiple CDs to one directory. Please let me know if you know of one.
If I rip all the CDs for a book and then rename/reorganize them into "TitleTrack000.mp3, TileTrack001.mp3", will SmartAudioBook play them OK?


message 44: by John, Moderator (new)

John | 3922 comments Coleman wrote: "I am a linux user. The only Windows I have is a Windows 7 partition on a backup laptop.

There are plenty of linux tools for ripping CDs to mp3 and transfering the files to my Android phone shouldn..."


I suppose so, but I prefer TITLE 01, TITLE 02, etc. for each CD.


message 45: by Coleman (new)

Coleman Blake | 2 comments Do you know if it's the naming of the .mp3 files or the order they occur in the directory that determines the order SmartAudioBook plays them?


message 46: by John, Moderator (new)

John | 3922 comments It's that they should all be the same name, except for ending with 00001, 00002, etc.


message 47: by Anber_liang (new)

Anber_liang | 1 comments If you want to listen to audiobooks on your Android phone, you can use TuneSolo Apple Music Converter to try to convert the audiobook files to MP3 format, and then rip them to CD. In this way, you can not only listen to audiobooks on your Android phone, but you can also listen to them on other devices.


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