Hrm, weird - I tried to post this once and the forum ate it. Anyway, on with the show...
I've found a way to turn MP3s into audio books for your iPod. As some of you may know, there's no clear way to use an MP3 as an audio book on your iPod, unless you download it from iTunes in that format. I've done this with my TYGaelic CDs and a few other MP3s I have laying about and it's worked well so far - I thought it would be useful for anyone wanting to do this to learning materials in MP3 (or CD) formats.
Converting MP3s to audio books:
1. Import the MP3 into iTunes
2. Right click and choose 'Convert to AAC'
3. Browse to the converted file(s) (right click, choose 'Show In Windows Exporer' in iTunes) and rename all .M4A files to .M4B
4. Delete the old references in iTunes and teh old MP3s from your PC (unless you want to keep them as MP3s)
5. Use 'Add folder to Library' and select the folder with the new audio book files
Now, if you're starting with a CD that you want to convert, you'll need to change your import settings as follows:
Edit > Preferences > Advanced > Importing.
- Import Using: AAC Encoder
- Setting: Custom (If it’s already selected, select it again.) This brings up a dialog for the AAC encoder.
- AAC Encoder: For spoken word, set Stereo Bit Rate to 32 Kbps, check Optimize for Voice, and click OK.
- Back on the Importing dialog, uncheck Create Filenames with Track Number.
- Import away! (As AAC and start at step 3 above)
Here's the original source, though I've simplified a bit: http://oakroadsystems.com/genl/itunsabk.htm
Enjoy!
Tìoraidh,
am Bàrd