This is for iTunes users with the RNS510 who want to play their purchased music on the Columbus system

I have written a small guide to get you on your way

First of all, you need a tool to convert the iTunes format to stock MP3. I reccomend this free and easy to use tool.

http://www.maniactools.com/soft/m4a-to-mp3-converter/?ref=m4a-home&version=6.2&b=6202

Once you have this tool open, go into itunes and right click on the music you want to play in the car

This will bring Windows Explorer up, remember where the track is located

Click "Add Files"

Once you have all the files you want, to be converted, click setup like so, and choose "192 kbps" or higher, this will make sure you get a good audio reproduction

Make a new folder where the music will be exported to - I reccomend making a little folder on the desktop, nice and easy to find and can be deleted once you have the music on the SD card.

Click "convert"

This should take a few minutes depending on how meaty your computer is, once it is complete you will find all the MP3s in the folder you specified.

Look in that folder

You'll find the MP3s, use the keyboard shortcut "CTRL A", which will select the files, and then drag them to the SD Card folder.

Once they've transfered, take the car to the car, and providing you've followed the steps laid out here, have lovely iTunes purchased music in your equally lovely Columbus system!

I hope this helps some of you, I am not the best at things like this but being a music fanatic and an iTunes user, I felt compelled to get this done!

All the best,

Nik!

iTunes let you create an MP3 version, you don't need a 3rd party tool

Doesn't remove the DRM from the older .m4p files though. Or does it?

Doesn't remove the DRM from the older .m4p files though. Or does it?

It creates an mp3 version and leaves the mp4 files in place, at least it used to (I've not used version 10). I don't have an iPhone any more more I copied the few purchases I'd made to mp3 and binned iTunes...

This tool is excellent.

With the help of this fourm I used it to create MP3's then used the MP3 folder Structure software(Sebass.org). Then used the playlist creator 3.6.2(Odd Gravity) to create playlists at the beginning of the SD Card along with a single MP3.

The card and navigating work sooooooo quickly now.

Its odd to look at on the PC but works a treat in the car.

My SD card looks like this:

Drive:\1\2\3\4\5\6\7\A\Arctic Monkeys\HumBug\Cornerstone.mp3 etc etc etc

Artist A.M3U

Alternative.M3U

80's.M3U

Pyro.MP3

So there are quite a few folders before the Artist and MP3 but it just works so quickly now. The only thing you see on the Card when on the stereo is the Playlists and the one MP3 you put in the root.

Set up your playlists however you want.

.................. and the one MP3 you put in the root.

 

I realise this is an old thread, but hopefully someone will still see this.

 

Why do you need a single mp3 in the root ?

It allows you to select mix while it is playing and then the HU will shuffle randomly from the entire folder structure.

Thanks for the reply, but I'm still not sure I understand.

 

If I put all my mp3's onto my SD card within a folder and subfolder i.e. Music/Library/song.mp3 (where all of my mp3's are in that Library subfolder), is it OK to save my various m3u playlists on the root of the SD card, and how should each playlist entry be addressed ?

 

The m3u's are created via iTunes so contain the path to each mp3's location on my PC e.g. E:\Music/Library/song.mp3, hence why I kept a similar folder structure on my SD card, but I've no idea what I am meant to replace the 'E:' part of the filepath with.

Not knowing anything about iTunes, I cant help with that one sorry but I'm sure someone will be along to help.

Even though I mentioned iTunes, I'm not convinced it is relevant to my problem.  The 2 main issues I have are :-

1. not knowing where my playlists should be stored on the SD card relative to the mp3's themselves, and
2. not knowing how the mp3's should be referenced within the playlist (as I said earlier, the playlist get's created with my PC's file path e.g. "E:\Music\Music Library\song.mp3" and I don't know what to replace the "E:" bit with.  I've tried Googling it and "\\" or "..\" were suggested, but didn't work for me)