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Downloading and using the
mp3 audio files
N.B. This information is for guidance only. No guarantees can be given and no
liability accepted if the instructions don’t work with your particular system. Please refer, as well, to the manuals and
help pages that came with your computer or with any software subsequently
added, or ask a computer-savvy friend to help.
Thank you for choosing ‘French by Repetition’
Each audio file contains ten modules. The audio files can, of course, be
listened to on this website simply by clicking the links on each module page. However, if you download the files, you will find
many other ways of using them. They can be added to an mp3 player and listened
to when jogging, walking the dog or doing the housework or they can be written
to a CD and played in the car or whilst working in the kitchen.
Downloading the audio files
To download the audio files for use away from your computer right click on the links provided on the module pages and select, on the resulting menu, ‘Save link as’. This will open a window from where you can find or create a suitable storage
folder on your computer. Once you have decided on your location simply click ‘Save’
Using the audio files on your computer
Once downloaded the audio files may be used in a variety of ways:
iTunes, Windows Media (WM) Player and other media players
Depending on how your computer preferences are set the audio files may be added
automatically to iTunes or WM Player (or your preferred music media player
software) when you download them. If not, you can easily add the files
yourself. Open the folder where the mp3 files are stored, and your media player
software, and have the two windows side-by-side on your computer screen. Then
left-click on the audio file(s) of the module or modules you want (using the
shift key when you click allows you to select multiple files at the same time;
or, if you want to select items from different parts of the list at the same
time, use the control key [command on an Apple Mac]). Keep the mouse button
depressed and drag the file(s) into your media-player software window and
release the button. The files will then appear as tracks in your media-player
and can be used in exactly the same way as music tracks. To make the tracks
easier to find in your media-player, highlight all of the ‘French by Repetition’ tracks then go to the File menu and scroll down to ‘New playlist from selection’. You will be given the opportunity to name the playlist. Choose a memorable
name so you’ll be able to find them easily whenever you need them ... we suggest you call
the playlist ‘French by Repetition’! From any media player it is then easy to burn the mp3 files to a CD or add
them to an mp3 player.
Making a CD of the audio files ...
a) ... from within a media player
This is the best way to make a CD that is playable by standard CD players. The
files are mp3 files and these can’t be played by most standard CD players including in-car systems (though some
newer systems are now adding this capability). If you create an audio CD from
within your media-player software, the
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software will automatically convert the files to a suitable format for playing
the CD in a CD player.
Create your ‘French by Repetition’ playlist (as described above) then, with a blank CD-R at the ready, simply open
up the playlist in your media-player software, go to the File menu and scroll
down to ‘Burn playlist to disk’ and follow the instructions on the screen. If you are asked whether you want an
audio disk or an mp3 disk, choose audio disk unless you have a player which
will play mp3 disks. The media-player software will tell you when to insert the
CD-R and when it is ready for use. Remember that a blank CD-R can take about
650 mb of data and that each ‘French by Repetition’ mp3 file is a little over 1 mb in size.
b) ... from the downloaded files themselves
If you have a CD player which can play mp3 disks you can create a disk directly
from the downloaded audio files.Start by inserting a blank CD-R into the
CD-drive of your computer. The computer will ask you what you want to do with
the disk. Choose ‘Burn data to disk’ and follow the instructions.
Adding the audio files to an mp3 player ...
a) ... from within a media player
Many currently available mp3 players are compatible with a particular computer
media-player software. Apple iPods, for example, are fully (and only)
compatible with iTunes which is also manufactured by Apple. If you have iTunes
installed on your computer it will recognise when an Apple iPod is connected,
via its usb cable, to the computer and will ask if you want the player to be
sychronised with iTunes. If you say ‘yes’ this makes adding files to the iPod very easy and intuitive. When connected,
the iPod appears in the menu on the left of the main iTunes window and files
can be easily added to or deleted from it by clicking and dragging or by
highlighting and using ‘Copy’ and ‘Paste’ from the ‘Edit’ menu.
Other mp3 players may be similarly compatible with Windows Media Player and will
function with it in a similar way.
b) ... from the downloaded files themselves
All mp3 players are, of course, compatible with mp3 files so, if you have a
player other than an iPod (which is only compatible with iTunes) it is possible
to drag, or copy and paste, the audio files directly into your mp3 player from
the folder on your computer where you originally downloaded them to.
When you connect your mp3 player to your computer it will appear as an external
drive under the ‘My computer’ menu of a Windows computer or on the desktop of an Apple Mac. Double-click the
icon representing the player to open it up as a window and do the same with the
folder where you stored your audio files when you dowmloaded them. Put the two
windows side-by-side on your computer screen and simply drag the files from one
to the other ... or highlight, copy and paste as previously described.
It isn’t possible to provide instructions for every computer system out there as users
can configure their computers to interact with files in different ways, but we
hope this page has provided you with enough information to make a start.
We hope you enjoy using ‘French by Repetition’!
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