Add MP3 files to Birds Library

Using a Dell DJ MP3 player for field playback of bird songs.

Rev A2, November, 2005

Step 5 – Add MP3 files to Birds Library

Okay, now we’re getting close to creating a sausage after lots of handle cranking. This step is almost identical to adding the source CD tracks to the “Raw Birds” library. In fact, it’s actually the same library since, as I mentioned earlier, Musicmatch only supports one library.

Operationally, adding MP3 files to the library is identical to adding the source CD tracks (see Step 2); only the tagging is different. First, Genre is set to “Birds” instead of “Raw Birds”. This enables all tracks in each Genre (pseudo library) to be manipulated independently as though they were separate libraries.

Secondly, I use capital letters in the family names and species names to improve readability on the player, as shown in DJ Screens 1-6. I could also have done this on the “Raw Birds” library but I find that lower case provides better on screen readability on a monitor.

Before adding tracks to the MP3 “Birds” library for the first time, I performed steps 2-4 for a base of about 300 tracks (significantly less than that in terms of actual species because of separate songs and calls for a number of species). Thus, the work involved was a lot less than for the “Raw Birds” library of 700+ tracks, but still required a significant amount of tedious editing work. I’ve subsequently added to the MP3 Birds library and continue to do so as the need for specific species arises.

Step 6 – Copy Birds Library to Dell DJ

At last, the final step. Musicmatch incorporates software plug-ins for a number of portable devices including, of course, the Dell DJ which connects to the computer via a USB 2 interface. A couple of connection options ship with the DJ -- I use the cradle shown here.

When the DJ is connected, Musicmatch can be configured to start automatically and display the Portable Device Manager window. The disk on the DJ is read and the display shows all the tracks currently present on the player, an example of which is shown in Musicmatch Screen 8.

Music tracks appear after the bird tracks. I’ve scrolled down to the last bird family to illustrate this. The DJ behaves identically.

The usage summary at the bottom shows how little disk space is required. Of the 846 tracks using a total of 1.76 GB, only 361 using 138 MB belong to the Birds library, the rest are music tracks. You could include every bird in the world and still have room for plenty of music (it might take you a while though!).

Dell DJ explorer software can also be used to perform the same functions but, generally, I stick with Musicmatch to maintain library integrity. The library is backed up on any day that I change it as part of my routine daily backup.

I typically only use DJ Explorer for creating temporary client playlists (more convenient than Musicmatch for this function) and to copy photo files for temporary storage.

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