Basic queries on use of iPod Mini G2 Converted to "8GB CF"

I now also have an iPod mini with flash-based storage. I previously did similar mods on 3rd gen and 4th gen "classic" iPods. iPod mini is very accommodating to replacing its micro hard drive with flash-based storage. A key reason is because its "MicroDrive" already uses the compact flash (CF) card form and connector. But current prices for the physically smaller (and more popular) SD card is much lower at the same capacity, compared to CF card, so I used an SD card to CF card adapter, and converted a 64GB SD card into a CF card. This is the adapter I used

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EPMWT1M/

Its size (including thickness) is an exact match for the 4GB MicroDrive it replaces. I already had a 64GB SD card that I used with my Mac, but they cost less than $25 on sale these days! And the adapter is $13. Amazingly, the iPod mini's onboard software (designed for 4GB to 6GB of storage) works perfectly at 64GB. The available capacity is about 59GB; I have about 54GB loaded.

So, if you outgrow 8GB in your iPod mini, here's your "next" project... 🙂 Back to your actual questions.

First problem I have is that iTunes didn't allow me to "manually manage" my music prior to the "restore" since those options were greyed out!

Probably because (at that time), it was set up to sync to your daughter's iTunes library. The iPod can only be associated with one iTunes library at a time. When you did a Restore on it using your iTunes library, the previous association was removed.

If everything currently on the iPod exists in your iTunes library (on the computer), don't worry about "consequences." You can re-sync anything back to the iPod, if you remove something by mistake. Here's one convenient way to set things up...

In your iTunes library, create a new playlist. You can call it iPod Songs. Add ALL the songs you want on your iPod to that playlist. At this point, the iPod does not need to be connected. You are working with your iTunes library only. You can post back, if you want tips on working with playlists.

Then, connect the iPod and select it in iTunes (click its device button on horizontal bar) to show its settings screen in iTunes window (like you see above in my screenshot). Along the left side (in the sidebar), under Settings, click Music. To the right, the iPod's Music settings screen is shown.

NOTE: For anyone else reading this, any songs on the iPod that are not in your iTunes library will be lost.

Checkmark the box for Sync Music, if it's not already. Below that, choose the option to sync Selected playlists, albums, artists, and genres. Below that, under Playlists, find and select (checkmark) that iPod Songs playlist. You don't need to select anything else on that screen (you can if desired). Click Apply. iTunes syncs only the songs you put on that iPod Songs playlist to the iPod. Anything else that is currently on the iPod is removed.

Going forward, you can update that iPod Songs playlist in your iTunes library (add/remove songs). The iPod does not need to be connected. The next time you connect the iPod (or click Sync if already connected), iTunes automatically updates the iPod with the same changes. This is how I use my 8GB iPod nano, except I have more than one playlist that sync to the iPod (a few playlists for running and a "favorites" playlist).

I could then move on to the next possible stumbling block, "e-books". which are currently listed in both Albums and Songs... hopefully there is some way of recognising them on the iPod as "books".

I think you mean audiobooks. Text-based "e-books" do not work with iPods (except for iPod touch). If audiobooks appear in your iTunes music library, they need to be categorized as audiobooks in iTunes. Right-click a "song" (that is actually an audiobook) in iTunes, and Get Info. You can select multiple items at the same time and Get Info on the selection. In the Info window, go to the Options tab. Change Media Kind to Audiobook, and OK. The item now appears in your iTunes Audiobooks library (not your Music library). The iPod also see the item as an audiobook, not a song, when synced.

To set up syncing for audiobooks, the procedure is similar to songs. On the iPod's settings screen, in the sidebar, under Settings, click Audiobooks. Set up the iPod's Audiobooks settings screen, and Apply.

One day I'll get round to digitizing my vinyl and maybe some of my cassettes, ... if Audacity can make them acceptable!

GarageBand (which comes pre-installed on Macs) works well to digitize analog sources. It's not just for "weekend musicians." It's a large (seemingly complex) application, but the parts I use for this particular task are limited (I don't need to know "everything" about the app). I only need one recording track in the "project," for the analog source (turntable or cassette tape player). I record one side of the tape or record continuously, pause recording, then record the other side, to get the raw audio source into the single project. I can then edit the recording into separate songs using GarageBand, and "share" (convert and export) the song directly into my iTunes library as AAC files. It has useful capabilities, like doing a fade-in or fade-out, and "effects" to help reduce background hiss and make the recording sound better. I've even edited out the effect of an old scratched record "skipping back." But back to the actual topic... 🙂

I notice from your screen shot that you don't have the "Manually Manage Music" option checked...

Yes. You can have the iPod set to use manual loading or automatic syncing, one or the other. The Manually manage setting is not checked, if the Sync Music setting is checked. Some people use the Manually manage method because of the misconception that you cannot pick and choose songs with automatic syncing. Totally untrue. You can put the EXACT songs you want on an iPod Songs playlist (one or more), and set up automatic syncing to sync the selected playlist(s), which is what I described in my previous post.

This method is also FAR better if you ever need to do a Restore on the iPod due to data corruption. If you were manually adding and removing songs from the iPod, it could take you hours to manually load the iPod the same way after the Restore (assuming you can remember). But if you were using automatic syncing with one or more playlists, it takes just a few seconds and mouse clicks to set up automatic syncing again, exactly like it was before. Then click Apply and let iTunes do all the work of loading the iPod. Same thing if you get a new iPod. The playlists exist in your iTunes library, not just on the iPod. (And remember to back up your iTunes library on the computer, along with the rest of your user data, in case your computer or its drive fails.)

My iPod has been automatically named "Admin's iPod", can I edit that to a more personal name...?

Yes. In my screenshot (previous post), see the little picture of iPod near upper left corner? Click the iPod's name to the right of the little picture. Its name become editable. Change it to whatever your want, and press Return on keyboard.

Maybe I would be better to just leave these in the iTunes Library, and when I create the "iPod Songs Playlist", actually create it at "Track level" so that I can avoid duplicates which would occur if I took the easier route and created the playlist at "Album level"

Playlists are always at the "track level"; it's a list of songs, not albums. Playlists can have complete albums, but it's still a list of songs. When you sync a playlist to the iPod, on the iPod, you can access and play the songs using the playlist or the album or the artist or the genre (or just shuffle all songs on iPod). And yes, if you create a playlist to sync to the iPod, you pick precisely what's on the playlist, so the condition of your overall iTunes music library does not matter. You can fix your iTunes music library slowly over time, while having exactly what you want on the iPod.

For some reason, I thought you used a Mac... I don't own an iPad; I did not consider using an iOS device to digitize analog audio. I may try that in the future. 🙂 I sometimes hear a song on TV that I want to save as an audio file. I "DVR" it, and then connect audio-only output from the cable box to my Mac. Using an iOS device would be more convenient, with the right adapter and app.

8+ hours on a charge is more than good enough. I think that's close to the original specs, for "up to" how long battery lasts from full charge. Using flash-based storage instead of the original micro hard drive probably helps - no moving parts now. It is likely that its original storage used more power.

You did not need to uncheck songs. Putting songs on the playlist is how you choose the songs that go on the iPod, not checking and unchecking songs.

do I really have to drag each track across individually?

Of course not... You can select all of your checked songs at the same time, and add them all at once. To do this, show your music library list using the Songs view, to show a plain list with columns. Clicking on a column heading sorts the list by that column. Click the heading of the checkmark column, to sort the list by songs having or not having a checkmark. All of your checked songs are together on the list.

To select multiple (consecutive) items on any list in iTunes, click the first item, hold down Shift key, and click the last item. The two clicked items and all items in between are selected at the same time. Do that to select ALL checked songs in your music library at the same time. Then drag entire selection to the playlist (or right-click selection and Add to Playlist -> [name of playlist]).

SIDE NOTE: To select multiple items on any list in iTunes that are not consecutive, hold down Control and Alt keys at the same time (Command and Option keys on a Mac) and click the items. All clicked items are selected at the same time when you hold down those keys. You can also unselect items by holding down those keys and clicking selected items. For example, you can use the first method to select consecutive items (like all songs on an album) at the same time, then use the second method to unselect songs that you don't like. Using the two methods, you can select any combination of items on any list in iTunes, which is an important skill for creating and maintaining playlists.

You can now do what I described in my first reply, and set up automatic syncing to sync just that one playlist to the iPod. Going forward, just add new songs you want on the iPod to your iPod Songs playlist (and remove songs you no longer want on the iPod). You don't need to check and uncheck songs in your iTunes library.

Later, you can create more than one playlist for your iPod, each for a different purpose. On my 8GB iPod nano, I have several playlists for running and a "favorite songs" playlist. Don't worry about having the same songs on multiple playlists. iTunes only syncs each song once to the iPod, even if they are on more than one playlist.

my entire iTunes library is checked!

I'm confused... Didn't you just say

over the last couple of days I have gone through my library unchecking duplicates and those songs I don't want on my iPod.

How can your entire iTunes library be checked, if you just went through to uncheck songs you don't want on the iPod?

The other topic you linked to is about creating a smart playlist. You can do that, although it's an overly complex way to create a playlist with checked songs.

Please clarify you current situation. In your main iTunes music library song list, are all of your songs currently checked, or did you uncheck the songs that you don't want on the iPod?

I think you are over-thinking it. 🙂

I believe you are saying that currently, all songs you want on the iPod are checked in your iTunes music library. And the songs you do not want on your iPod are not checked. If this is the case, to make things as simple as possible, do the following. Don't use playlists (for now).

Select the iPod in iTunes (click the device button on horizontal bar) to show the iPod's Summary settings screen in iTunes window. There is a checkbox there for Sync only checked songs. Checkmark it. If you look way back at my screenshot, you'll see that it is checked there. I use it because there are some items in my iTunes music library (like nature sounds and sound effects) that I don't want on my iPod, so using that option excludes items I have unchecked.

Then, in the sidebar (of the iPod's settings screen), under Settings, click Music. On the iPod's Music settings screen, checkmark the box for Sync Music. Below that, choose the option to sync Entire music library. Click Apply. iTunes sync your complete music library to your iPod, minus unchecked songs.

This method should work fine for now. Later, when your iTunes music library size exceeds what the iPod can hold, unchecking and checking songs to select what does and does not go on the iPod may become a pain. THEN, you can create playlists in your iTunes library with only the songs you want on the iPod and set up the iPod's Music settings screen to sync only those playlists (without using the checkmarks). Hopefully by that time, you won't be an iTunes "novice" anymore... 🙂

The only setting that matters (for how iTunes categorizes an item in iTunes) is the Media Kind setting on the Info window's Options tab. If you set Media Kind to Audiobook, they now appear in your iTunes Audiobooks library. To see this library, click the button for Audiobooks, which is shown on the horizontal bar (near left end) along with the buttons for Music, TV Shows, Movies, etc. If you don't see the one for Audiobooks, click the three dots, and set Audiobooks to be visible on the horizontal bar. All items in your iTunes library with Media Kind set to Audiobook appear in the Audiobooks library.

To sync audiobooks to your iPod, on the iPod's settings screen in iTunes, in the sidebar, under Settings, click Audiobooks. The iPod's Audiobooks settings screen is shown to the right. Checkmark the box for Sync Audiobooks. This turns ON syncing for audiobooks. You can choose the option to sync All audiobooks. Otherwise, choose the option to sync Selected audiobooks, and make your selections from the list below. Click Apply to sync audiobooks to the iPod.