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 might not work. |
| • | Files can be recorded with a variety of fixed or variable bit rates. Song title, artist name, and album are 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 might use more disc memory space than necessary. To conserve space on the disc, minimize the length of the file, folder, or playlist names. 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 is displayed as F1 ROOT. All files contained directly under the root directory are accessed prior to any root directory folders. However, playlists (Px) are always 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. The empty folder is not displayed.
No Folder
When the CD contains only compressed files, the files are located under the root folder. The next and previous folder functions do not function on a CD that was 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 go 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. The new track name displays.
File System and Naming
The song name that is displayed 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. Parts of words on the last page of text and the extension of the filename does not display.
Preprogrammed Playlists
Preprogrammed playlists that were created using WinAmp™, MusicMatch™, or Real Jukebox™ software can be accessed, however, they cannot be edited using the radio. 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 LOADING CD displays. The CD should begin playing and the CD symbol displays. If the ignition and the radio are on, the CD begins playing. A CD can be loaded with the radio off, but it does not start playing until the radio is on.
F1 (Previous Folder): Press this button to go to the first track in the previous folder. Press and hold this button to reverse quickly within a track. Release this button to play the passage. REV and the elapsed time of the track displays. Pressing this button while in folder random mode goes to the previous folder and plays the tracks in that folder in random order.F2 (Next Folder): Press this button to go to the first track in the next folder. Press and hold this button to advance quickly within a track. Release this button to play the passage. FWD and the elapsed time of the track displays. Pressing this button while in folder random mode takes you to the next folder and plays the tracks in that folder in random order.
F3 RDM (Random): To play the tracks on the CD in random, rather than sequential order, press and release this pushbutton until RDM TRCK 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 plays all of the tracks in random order. To play the tracks in the current folder in random, rather than sequential order, press and release this button until RDM FLDR displays. This feature does not work with playlists. While in random, pressing and releasing either seek arrow goes to the previous or to the next random track. Press and release this pushbutton until NORMAL displays to turn off random play.
F4 RPT (Repeat): To repeat the current track, press and release this pushbutton until RPT TRCK displays. To repeat the tracks in the current folder, press and release this pushbutton until RPT FLDR displays. Press and release this pushbutton until NORMAL displays to turn off repeated play.
F6 DISP (Display): Press this pushbutton to switch between the elapsed time of the track and the MP3 playback information.
(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. Pressing either seek arrow for more than two seconds searches the previous or next tracks at two tracks per second. Release the seek arrows to stop searching and to play the track.
(Scan): Press the scan arrows to scan the tracks in each folder. The radio goes to the next track, plays for 10 seconds, then goes to the next track. Press the scan arrows again to stop scanning.
(Tune): Turning this knob fast tracks reverse or advance through the tracks in all folders or playlists. The track number and file name displays for each track. Turning this knob while in random fast tracks reverse or advances the tracks in sequential order.
(Information): Press this button, while an MP3 CD is loaded, to view the Title, Artist, Album, or Folder names. To view this information, perform the following:
- Press the knob to enter the main menu.
- Turn this knob until INFO displays.
- Press the same knob to select INFO. The display changes to show the additional MP3 information.
- Press one of the following pushbuttons to view that specific information.
- Press the BACK (F6) button to exit the display. To return to the original display, repeatedly press the BACK (F6) button or wait for the display to time out.
| • | F1 TTLE (Title): Displays the title name. |
| • | F2 ATST (Artist): Displays the artist name. |
| • | F3 ALBM (Album): Displays the album name. |
| • | F4 FLDR (Folder): Displays the folder name. |
