Creative mp3 player rhomba

Creating a combination of songs that's perfectly portable

Modern musical accompaniment

If we lived in a world written by William Gibson, we could simply turn on that new iPod or other portable music player that appeared under the Christmas tree, jack ourselves in and experience waves of endless bliss in C major (or for you Goths, D minor).

The iPod and its half-pint cousin, the iPod mini, are easy to use. But they don't come without baggage. Your relationship is not only with the player itself, but also with the computer that feeds it music.

Our mobile family of four plunged into the portable music world several years ago. We now have five music players: an iPod 20G, a Nomad Jukebox Zen NX 20G, a Creative Rhomba, and two Rio S10s. I'm no techie, but I do serve as the IT manager, troubleshooter and disc jockey for all five.

Drawing both on my experiences and those of other users, here are some suggestions for making the most of your new music player. They're not intended as substitutes for your user's manual or online help; actually, they're less about technical stuff and more about enjoyment and organization.

The iPod family dominates the world of hard-drive music players, but there are many competitors now. In the tips that follow, I use the word "player" for suggestions that apply to any model, "iPod" if it's specific to a member of the Apple family.

Rip it up. While or even before your player is absorbing its initial charge of electricity, spend some of your time ripping your CDs (i.e, making mp3 or other electronic copies of the songs you like) and creating a music library, suggests Dan Herwig, who owns an iPod 15G player.

Herwig, an interactive designer for Hanson Dodge Creative, has loaded his iPod with 4,528 tracks drawn largely from his own CDs. He's also purchased and downloaded music from the iTunes store online.

Paula Lindner plans to rip the 300 CDs in her car to the 15- gigabyte Dell Jukebox she acquired this summer. In the meantime, she's listening to about 500 tracks she's downloaded.

"I tend to be real anal about the way all of my things are labeled," said Lindner, an Alverno College student who also works as a children's hairstylist at Just Kidding in Whitefish Bay. She makes sure her music is neatly organized on her computer and correctly tagged, or labeled, before she transfers it to her player.

Even busy people can find time to rip a CD every day. Before you take a shower, for example, put a CD in the computer, open your music management program (iTunes or Windows Media Player or whatever you use), and start the process. By the time you're dressed, copies of the songs will be stored on your computer's hard drive, ready for syncing to your player.

The ears have it. The beautiful white earbuds and cable are a familiar part of Apple's striking advertisements for the iPod family. Manufacturers of some other music players also include earbuds with their gizmos. But there's no law, other than the peer pressure of style, that says you have to use them.

"Get a real set of headphones," suggests Herwig, who describes his own as "big cans." "You will get a much better experience than what comes in the box."

Because I am genetically incapable of keeping earbuds in my ears, I purchased (and through regular handling wore out) several pairs of cheap earphones before my delightful wife surprised me one holiday with a knockout pair of Sennheiser headphones.

I've been mocked on my arrival at work as looking like an air traffic controller, but I'm willing to endure a little abuse for the quality of the sound. And in a Wisconsin winter, they double nicely as earmuffs.

The playlist is king. When you're standing at the door with Sparky's leash in your hand, do you want to be scrolling or clicking through 4,000 tunes to choose a soundtrack for your constitutional? I didn't think so.

In the mp3 era, the playlist is the successor to the CD: a pre- arranged grouping of songs with a succinct and, one hopes, memorable title. And unlike many CDs, you don't have to include any filler songs in the playlists you make.

On the iPod and many other players, the Playlists category is at the top of the lists of ways to reach your music, so it makes sense to take advantage of it.

Herwig has about 25 playlists on his iPod. Because his workplace has a centralized mp3 jukebox that he uses, Herwig actually began making playlists as a way of creating groups of music that were safe to play at work.

Now he has playlists of music for running, for driving, for sharing with family and friends, even one for camping. Herwig, who enjoys electronic and alternative music, likes to choose songs to create an extended mood.

Lindner makes playlists for her early morning workouts at the gym. If she's going to walk and run, she leans on her harder rock choices. If she's lifting weights, she listens to a country or hip-hop playlist.

I was surprised recently to discover I had made 68 different playlists on my Nomad Jukebox Zen NX. I like to make occasional playlists of newly acquired or ripped songs. Because I listen, at different times, to both rock and jazz, I've made a number of lists for gratification of those itches. I've also made some goofy playlists just for kicks, such as one titled "The Definite Article," a fistful of songs whose titles begin with the word "The." (It has held up well on repeated listens.)

iTunes and other music management players can help you automate and, if you're daring, randomize the process with smart playlist options. You can direct the software to generate playlists of certain lengths out of specific genres of music or feature specific performers.

You might also choose to make a few playlists of favorite albums for quicker access on your player.

Back it up. Welcome to the IT department. You can check out any time you like, but as long as you own a portable player, you can never leave.

Mp3s, WMAs, AACs and other music files exist solely as bits of electronic information, and are subject to the same kinds of disruptions and mayhem as any computer files. It's essential to back up your files.

Ripping your CDs to your computer hard drive before transferring them to your player provides one form of backup, but that is not enough. Hard drives fail and computers crash; if yours does, your music is going down with it.

Backing up is particularly crucial if you purchase music downloads from iTunes, MusicMatch, Wal-Mart or other online merchants. I learned this the hard way when a computer upgrade at home that involved a new hard drive left me unable to use some music I had purchased. Now I immediately burn a CD of any music I purchase online.

Herwig archives his music by burning it to DVDs, which can hold many CDs worth of music.

Accessorize. "The first thing, get a good case for it," Herwig said. He was talking about an iPod, but the advice applies to any player. "As sturdy as they are, they scratch."

Lindner bought a case for her Dell Jukebox with a belt clip so she can wear it in the gym.

If you own a member of the iPod family, a Google or Froogle search will lead you to many choices of cases in a wide variety of styles. Cases can be found for other players, too; I have a sturdy leather one from Vaja (www1.vajacases.com) for my Nomad.

If you want to share your music with others, look for powered speakers you can plug into your player's headphone jack, or a sound docking device with speakers that you can plug the player into.

Lindner, who spends a lot of time in her car, bought an insert for its cupholder that makes it easier to use her Dell Jukebox when she's commuting. With the aid of an FM transmitter, she plays her music through the car's audio system.

It's not a lossless format. If music is a multisensory experience for you, don't toss those CDs out yet. Beyond their obvious value as backups, they have cover art, lyrics, lists of musicians and song credits, even liner notes. In contrast, a portable player shows only the name of the song, the artist and the album title. (For purchased downloads, iTunes on your desktop also will show you the CD cover.)

For some listeners, visual and textual information is vital. Music lover and Web designer Wayne Bremser is adamant about this point; his online essay "Jazz in 2500? iTunes versus Preservation" (www.harlem.org/itunes) sums up what he thinks is lost and what should be done about it.

I agree with many of Bremser's points. When I'm on the go, I can't tell by looking at my player screen which of the multiple versions of tunes by jazz pianist Thelonious Monk feature which sidemen -- and that's information that would help me choose which one to listen to.

As a designer, Herwig considers album covers and other visuals an integral part of the package. He's written to Apple, the iPod's maker, encouraging them to incorporate this element in music downloads.