iPod and iTunes: The Missing Manual, Third Edition

Connecting the iPod to the Computer

A FireWire or USB 2.0 cable is the common bond between computer and iPod, but that’s for transferring battery power and music files. What about sound?

If that’s your goal, you can connect the two directly through their stereo jacks. You’d do that when, for example, you want to sample the iPod’s sound (by recording it onto your hard drive) and then tinker with it in an audio-editing program.

Tip

Want to dabble around in audio in search of your inner Moby? Music-mixing programs, many of them free or inexpensive, are all over the Web. The Hit Squad, a vast site for music-related shareware, has thousands of programs for Windows, Macintosh, and Linux at http://www.hitsquad.com.

To connect this way, you need a stereo miniplug cable with male connectors on both ends (under $10 at many of the stores mentioned in this chapter). One end goes into the iPod and the other goes into your computer’s sound-in port. Once you’ve cabled the two together, you’re ready to record. Start up your audio software and start recording, then press the iPod’s Play button to transfer all the snippets, samples, and sound clips you need directly from the device.

Once you’ve finished weaving your personal aural tapestry, save it as an MP3 file from your audio program, import it into your MP3 music library, and download it right back to your iPod.

Tip

If you’re just busting to hear what your iPod sounds like connected to a nice set of multimedia speakers, just pick up a male-to-female ...