How Do I Set Up My MP3 Player With a Mac Computer?
By Marshal M. Rosenthal
MP3 players may be portable, but you have to use a computer to put music on them before they can be taken out of the house. Setting up an MP3 player on a Macintosh computer only requires using a syncing program that is compatible with the type of MP3 player that is going to be used. There are different syncing programs to use, depending upon the type of MP3 player that is connected to the Mac. None of these MP3 syncing programs are complicated to use, and once the syncing program has transferred the music desired to the MP3 player, the MP3 player can be taken away for listening to.
Attach an iPod connection cable to the appropriate connector on the Apple MP3 player. Attach the other end of the iPod connection cable to a USB port on the Mac. Download the free Apple iTunes program to the Mac's desktop for use with an Apple MP3 player (see the link in Resources). Double-click on the iTunes icon when it has fully downloaded. Follow the menu prompts to install the iTunes program onto the Mac's hard drive. Double-click on the iTunes program's icon on the desktop to launch it. Wait for the icon of the Apple MP3 player to appear in the program's left column. Drag the songs you want to put onto the Apple MP3 player from the Mac's hard drive into the upper left corner of the iTunes program to turn them into the default MP3 audio format. Click on the "Music" tab at the top of the iTunes program. Select the songs from the list presented. Press the "Sync" button at the bottom of the iTunes program. Right-click on the icon of the Apple MP3 player and select "Eject" once the syncing is completed. Disconnect the iPod connection cable from the Apple MP3 player and from the USB port of the Mac.
Download an MP3 syncing program to the Mac's desktop for use with non-Apple MP3 players, like the MediaMonkey syncing program (see the link in Resources). Double-click on the MP3 syncing program's icon when it has fully downloaded. Follow the menu prompts to install the MP3 syncing program onto the Mac's hard drive. Double-click on the MP3 syncing program's icon on the desktop to launch it.
Attach one end of a USB cable to a MP3 player and the other end to the USB port of the Mac. Wait for the icon of the non-Apple MP3 player to appear in the MP3 syncing program's "Devices" column. Click once on the icon of the non-Apple MP3 player. Drag the songs you want to put onto the non-Apple MP3 player into the center column of the MP3 syncing program.
Press the "Transfer" or "Copy" button on the MP3 syncing program to copy the songs from the Mac's hard drive onto the non-Apple MP3 player. Quit the MP3 syncing program when the songs have been copied. Drag the icon of the non-Apple MP3 player to the Trash. Disconnect the USB cable from the non-Apple MP3 player and from the USB port of the Mac.
Run a Windows emulator on the Mac. Download the Microsoft Zune syncing software to the desktop for use with the Zune MP3 player (see the link in Resources). Double-click on the Zune syncing software program's icon when it has fully downloaded. Follow the menu prompts to install the Zune syncing software program onto the Mac's hard drive. Reboot the Windows emulator.
Attach one end of a USB cable to the Zune MP3 player and the other end to the USB port of the Mac. Run the Zune software. Wait for the icon of the Zune MP3 player to appear in the left side of the Zune software. Click once on the icon of the Zune MP3 player.
Select the "Add" tab and navigate in the window that appears to the song you want to transfer to the Zune. Click once on the song (hold down the "Shift" key to select multiple songs). Click the "OK" button to close the window.
Click on the "Transfer" button on the Zune software to copy the songs from the Mac's hard drive onto the Zune. Quit the Zune software when the copying is done. Quit the Windows emulator. Disconnect the USB cable from the Zune MP3 player and from the USB port of the Mac.
Drag the songs you want to put onto the non-Apple MP3 player into the center column of the MP3 syncing program. Press the "Transfer" or "Copy" button on the MP3 syncing program to copy the songs from the Mac's hard drive onto the non-Apple MP3 player. Quit the MP3 syncing program when the songs have been copied. Drag the icon of the non-Apple MP3 player to the Trash. Disconnect the USB cable from the non-Apple MP3 player and from the USB port of the Mac.
References
Tips
- Try and have copy-protected free music since that can be put on any type of MP3 player.
Warnings
- You cannot use the iTunes syncing program with non-Apple MP3 players.
Writer Bio
Marshal M. Rosenthal is a technology maven with more than 15 years of editorial experience. A graduate of Brooks Institute of Photography with a Bachelor of Arts in photographic arts, his editorial work has appeared both domestically as well as internationally in publications such as "Home Theater," "Electronic House," "eGear," "Computer and Video Games" and "Digitrends."