MP3 CD-R Disc
MP3 Format
If you burn your own MP3 disc on a personal computer:
| • | Make sure the MP3 files are recorded on a CD-R disc. |
| • | Do not mix standard audio and MP3 files on one disc. |
| • | Make sure playlists have a .m3u or .wpl extension, other file extensions may not work. |
| • | Files can be recorded with a variety of fixed or variable bit rates. Song title, artist name, and album will be available for display by the radio when recorded using ID3 tags version 1 and 2. |
| • | Create a folder structure that makes it easy to find songs while driving. Organize songs by albums using one folder for each album. Each folder or album should contain 18 songs or less. |
| • | Make sure to finalize the disc when burning an MP3 disc, using multiple sessions. It is usually better to burn the disc all at once. |
The player is able to read and play a maximum of 50 folders, 50 playlists, 10 sessions, and 255 files. Long file names, folder names, or playlist names could use more disc memory space than necessary. To conserve space on the disc, minimize the length of the file, folder or playlist name. You can also play an MP3 CD that was recorded using no file folders. The system can support up to 11 folders in depth, though, keep the depth of the folders to a minimum in order to keep down the complexity and confusion in trying to locate a particular folder during playback. If a CD contains more than the maximum of 50 folders, 50 playlists, 10 sessions, and 255 files the player lets you access and navigate up to the maximum, but all items over the maximum are ignored.
Root Directory
The root directory is treated as a folder. If the root directory has compressed audio files, the directory displays as F1 ROOT. All files contained directly under the root directory are accessed prior to any root directory folders. However, playlists (Px) always are accessed before root folders or files.
Empty Directory or Folder
If a root directory or a folder exists somewhere in the file structure that contains only folders/subfolders and no compressed files directly beneath them, the player advances to the next folder in the file structure that contains compressed audio files and the empty folder does not display.
No Folder
When the CD contains only compressed files, the files are located under the root folder. The next and previous folder functions have no function on a CD that is recorded without folders or playlists. When displaying the name of the folder the radio displays ROOT.
When the CD contains only playlists and compressed audio files, but no folders, all files are located under the root folder. The folder down and the folder up buttons search playlists (Px) first and then goes to the root folder. When the radio displays the name of the folder the radio displays ROOT.
Order of Play
Tracks are played in the following order:
| • | Play begins from the first track in the first playlist and continues sequentially through all tracks in each playlist. When the last track of the last playlist has played, play continues from the first track of the first playlist. |
| • | If the CD does not contain any playlists, then play begins from the first track under the root directory. When all tracks from the root directory have played, play continues from files according to their numerical listing. After playing the last track from the last folder, play begins again at the first track of the first folder or root directory. |
When play enters a new folder, the display does not automatically show the new folder name unless you have chosen the folder mode as the default display. See DISP later in this section for more information. The new track name displays.
File System and Naming
The song name that displays is the song name that is contained in the ID3 tag. If the song name is not present in the ID3 tag, then the radio displays the file name without the extension (such as .mp3) as the track name.
Track names longer than 32 characters or four pages are shortened. The display does not show parts of words on the last page of text and the extension of the filename is not displayed.
Preprogrammed Playlists
You can access preprogrammed playlists which were created by WinAmp™, MusicMatch™, or Real Jukebox™ software, however, you do not have editing capability. These playlists are treated as special folders containing compressed audio song files.
Playing an MP3
Insert a CD partway into the slot, label side up. The player pulls it in, and READING DISC displays. The CD should begin playing and the CD symbol displays. If you want to insert a CD with the ignition off, first press the button or the DISP knob.
If the ignition or radio is turned off with a CD in the player it stays in the player. When the ignition or radio is turned on, the CD starts to play where it stopped, if it was the last selected audio source.
The CD player can play the smaller 3 inch (8 cm) single CDs with an adapter ring. Full-size CDs and the smaller CDs are loaded in the same manner.
If playing a CD-R, the sound quality can be reduced due to CD-R quality, the method of recording, the quality of the music that has been recorded, and the way the CD-R has been handled. There can be an increase in skipping, difficulty in finding tracks, and/or difficulty in loading and ejecting. If these problems occur, check the bottom surface of the CD. If the surface of the CD is damaged, such as cracked, broken, or scratched, the CD does not play properly. If the surface of the CD is soiled, see Care of Your CDs for more information.
If there is no apparent damage, try a known good CD.
Do not add any label to a CD, it could get caught in the CD player. If a CD is recorded on a personal computer and a description label is needed, try labeling the top of the recorded CD with a marking pen instead.
Notice: If a label is added to a CD, or more than one CD is inserted into the slot at a time, or an attempt is made to play scratched or damaged CDs, the CD player could be damaged. While using the CD player, use only CDs in good condition without any label, load one CD at a time, and keep the CD player and the loading slot free of foreign materials, liquids, and debris.
If an error displays, see "CD Messages" later in this section.
1 (Reverse): Press this button to reverse within the current track.2 (Fast Forward): Press this button to fast forward within the current track.
3 (Repeat): With repeat, one track, the entire folder, or playlist can be repeated. Press and release this button until REPEAT TRACK, REPEAT FOLDER, or REPEAT P-LIST displays. The current track, folder or playlist continues to repeat. Press and release this button until REPEAT OFF displays to turn off repeated play.
4 RDM (Random): Press this pushbutton to hear tracks in random, rather than sequential order. You can random the entire folder, playlist, or CD. Press and release this pushbutton until RANDOM FOLDER, RANDOM P-LIST (play list), or RANDOM DISC displays. Once all of the tracks in the current folder or playlist have played, the system moves on to the next folder or playlist and play all of the tracks in random order. When in random, pressing and releasing either SEEK arrow takes you to the next or previous random track. Press and release this pushbutton until RANDOM OFF displays, to turn off random play.
5 (Previous Folder): Press the button to go to the first track in the previous folder. Pressing this button while in folder random mode takes you to the previous folder and random the tracks in that folder.
6 (Next Folder): Press the button to go to the first track in the next folder. Pressing this button while in folder random mode takes you to the next folder and random the tracks in that folder.
SEEK : Press the left SEEK arrow to go to the start of the previous track. Press the right SEEK arrow to go to the start of the next track. To scan tracks, press either SEEK arrow for more than two seconds until SCAN displays. The radio goes to the next track, plays 10 seconds, then goes to the next track.
DISP (Display): Press this button to switch between track mode, folder/playlist mode, and ID3 tag. The display shows only eight characters, but there can be up to four pages of text. If there are more than eight characters in the song, folder, or playlist name, pressing this knob within two seconds takes you to the next page of text. If there are no other pages to be shown, pressing this button within two seconds takes you to the next display mode.
| • | Song name and time of day mode displays the current song name and time of day. |
| • | Folder/playlist mode displays the current folder or playlist number the track number and the elapsed time of the track. |
| • | Song name and track number mode displays the current song name and track number. |
| • | ID3 Tag and folder mode displays the ID3 tag information and the folder number. |
| • | Song and folder mode displays the number of songs in the folder and the folder number. |
To change the default on the display, press the DISP knob until you see the display you want, then hold this knob for two seconds. The radio produces one beep and the selected display is now the default.
INFO (Information): INFO displays when a current track has ID3 tag information. Press this button to display the artist name and album contained in the tag.BAND: Press this button to listen to the radio when a CD is playing. The inactive CD remains inside the radio for future listening.
CD: Press this button to play a CD when listening to the radio. The CD symbol displays when a CD is loaded.
EQ (Equalization): Press EQ to select an equalization setting while playing a CD. The equalization is set when a CD is played. See "EQ" listed previously for more information. If you select an EQ setting for your CD, it is activated each time you play a CD.
(Eject): Press this button to eject a CD. Eject is activated with either the ignition or radio off. CDs can be loaded with the ignition and radio off if this button is pressed first.
