I remember reading somewhere (maybe in the manual, but I can't find it) that the solstice reads ID3 tags on MP3 cds, and it gave a specific way on how to burn them.
Can someone help me out with this? Can I burn an mp3 cd from iTunes and have it display the song title and artist on the stereo?
I searched for mp3, but I think that it is too few letters, so I couldn't find any info on it here. Any help would be greatly appreciated, as I want to test out the MP3 player tonight on the ride home with the top down, in the balmy 65 degree Denver weather.
It will, I used Nero to burn a couple so far, and it shows titles. May just want to test and see if iTunes will burn in the right format-Sonic would not.
Coolest thing since sliced bread-beats having (for me) to buy another piece of hardware <iPOD>, or having a pile of CDs. Once all 6 are loaded up with MP3 in this format, I'll have 37 or 38 hours of music-ROAD TRIP!!
Location: Under an invisibility cloak, somewhere in the Northeast
Here is everything from the owner's manual
Quote:
The radio will play MP3 and WMA files that were recorded on a CD-R or CD-RW disc. The files can be recorded with the following fixed bit rates: 32 kbps, 40 kbps, 56 kbps, 64 kbps, 80 kbps, 96 kbps, 112 kbps, 128 kbps, 160 kbps, 192 kbps, 224 kbps, 256 kbps, and 320 kbps or a variable bit rate. Song title, artist name, and album will be available for display by the radio when recorded using ID3 tags version 1 and 2.
Compressed Audio
The radio will also play discs that contain both uncompressed CD audio (.CDA files) and MP3/WMA files. By default the radio will read only the uncompressed audio and ignore the MP3/WMA files. Pressing the CAT button will toggle between compressed and uncompressed audio format.
MP3/WMA Format
If you burn your own MP3/WMA disc on a personal computer:
• Make sure the MP3 files are recorded on a CD-R or CD-RW disc.
• Do not mix standard audio and MP3 files on one disc.
• The CD player is able to read and play a maximum of 50 folders, 50 playlists, and 255 files.
• 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.
• Avoid subfolders. The system can support up to 8 subfolders deep, however, keep the total number of folders to a minimum in order to reduce the complexity and confusion in trying to locate a particular folder during playback.
• Make sure playlists have a .m3u or .wpl extension (other file extensions may not work).
• Minimize the length of the file, folder or playlist names. Long file, folder, or playlist names, or a combination of a large number of files and folders, or playlists may cause the player to be unable to play up to the maximum number of files, folders, playlists, or sessions. If you wish to play a large number of files, folders, playlists or sessions, minimize the length of the file, folder or playlist name. Long names also take up more space on the display, potentially getting cut off.
• Finalize the audio disc before you burn it. Trying to add music to an existing disc may cause the disc not to function in the player.
You can change playlists by using the previous and next folder buttons, the tuner knob, or the seek buttons. You can also play an MP3 CD-R that was recorded using no file folders. If a CD-R contains more than the maximum of 50 folders, 50 playlists, and 255 files, the player will let you access and navigate up to the maximum, but all items over the maximum will not be accessible.
Root Directory
The root directory of the CD-R is treated as a folder. If the root directory has compressed audio files, the directory will be displayed as F1 ROOT. All files contained directly under the root directory will be accessed prior to any root directory folders. However, playlists (Px) will always be 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 will advance to the next folder in the file structure that contains compressed audio files and the empty folder will not be displayed or numbered.
No Folder
When the CD-R contains only compressed files, the files will be located under the root folder. The next and previous folder functions will not be displayed on a CD-R that was recorded without folders or playlists. When displaying the name of the folder the radio will display ROOT.
When the CD-R contains only playlists and compressed audio files, but no folders, all files will be located under the root folder. The folder down and the folder up buttons will search playlists (Px) first and then go to the root folder. When the radio displays the name of the folder the radio will display ROOT.
Order of Play
Tracks recorded to the CD-R will be played in the following order:
• Play will begin from the first track in the first playlist and will continue sequentially through all tracks in each playlist. When the last track of the last playlist has been played, play will continue from the first track of the first playlist.
• Play will begin from the first track in the first folder and will continue sequentially through all tracks in each folder. When the last track of the last folder has been played, play will continue from the first track of the first folder.
When play enters a new folder, the display will not automatically show the new folder name unless you have chosen the folder mode as the default display. The new track name will appear on the display.
File System and Naming
The song name that will be displayed will be the song name that is contained in the ID3 tag. If the song name is not present in the ID3 tag, then the radio will display the file name without the extension (such as .mp3) as the track name.
Track names longer than 32 characters or four pages will be shortened. The display will not show parts of words on the last page of text and the extension of the filename will not be displayed.
Preprogrammed Playlists
You can access preprogrammed playlists that were created using WinAmp™, MusicMatch™, or Real Jukebox™ software, however, you will not have playlist editing capability using the radio. These playlists will be treated as special folders containing compressed audio song files.
Playing an MP3
Insert a CD-R partway into the slot (Single CD Player), or press the load button and wait for the message to insert disc (Six-Disc CD Player), label side up. The player will pull it in, and the CD-R should begin playing.
If you turn off the ignition or radio with a CD-R in the player it will stay in the player. When you turn on the ignition or radio, the CD-R will start to play where it stopped, if it was the last selected audio source.
As each new track starts to play, the track number and song title will appear on the display.
The CD player can play the smaller 3 inch (8 cm) single CD-Rs with an adapter ring. Full-size CD-Rs and the smaller CD-Rs are loaded in the same manner.
If playing a CD-R, the sound quality may 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 may 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 will 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.
Notice: If you add any label to a CD, insert more than one CD into the slot at a time, or attempt to play scratched or damaged CDs, you could damage the CD player. When 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.
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.
If an error appears on the display, see "CD Messages" later in this section.
EJECT: Press the CD eject button to eject CD-R(s). To eject the CD-R that is currently playing, press and release this button. You will hear a beep and Ejecting Disc will be displayed. Once the disc is ejected, Remove Disc will appear on display. The CD-R can be removed. If the CD-R is not removed, after several seconds, the CD-R will be automatically pulled back into the player and begin playing. For the Six-Disc CD player, press and hold the eject button for two seconds to eject all discs.
(Tune): Turn this knob to select MP3 files on the CD-R currently playing.
SEEK : Press the left SEEK arrow to go to the start of the current MP3 file, if more than ten seconds have played. Press the right SEEK arrow to go to the next MP3 file. If either SEEK arrow is held or pressed multiple times, the player will continue moving backward or forward through MP3 files on the CD.
(Previous Folder): Press the pushbutton positioned under the Folder label to go to the first track in the previous folder.
(Next Folder): Press the pushbutton positioned under the Folder label to go to the first track in the next folder.
REV (Reverse): Press and hold this button to reverse playback quickly within an MP3 file. You will hear sound at a reduced volume. Release this button to resume playing the file. The elapsed time of the file will appear on the display.
FWD (Fast Forward): Press and hold this button to advance playback quickly within an MP3 file. You will hear sound at a reduced volume. Release this button to resume playing the file. The elapsed time of the file will appear on the display.
RDM (Random): With random, you can listen to MP3 files on the CD-R in random, rather than sequential order, on one CD-R or all discs in a six-disc CD player. To use random, do one of the following:
1) To play MP3 files from the CD-R you are listening to in random order, press the pushbutton positioned under the RDM label until Random Current Disc is displayed. Press the same pushbutton again to turn off random play.
2) To play songs from all CDs loaded in a six-disc CD player in random order, press the pushbutton positioned under the RDM label until Randomize All Discs is displayed. Press the same pushbutton again to turn off random play.
(Music Navigator): Use the music navigator feature to play MP3 files on the CD-R in order by artist or album. Press the pushbutton located below the music navigator label. The player will scan the disc to sort the files by artist and album ID3 tag information. It may take several minutes to scan the disc depending on the number of MP3 files recorded to the CD-R. The radio may begin playing while it is scanning the disc in the background. When the scan is finished, the CD-R will begin playing again.
Once the disc has been scanned, the player will default to playing MP3 files in order by artist. The current artist playing is shown on the second line of the display between the arrows. Once all songs by that artist are played, the player will move to the next artist in alphabetic order on the CD-R and begin playing MP3 files by that artist. If you want to listen to MP3 files by another artist, press the pushbutton located below either arrow button. You will go to the next or previous artist in alphabetic order. Continue pressing either button until the desired artist is displayed.
To change from playback by artist to playback by album, press the pushbutton located below the Sort By label. From the sort screen, push one of the buttons below the album button. Press the pushbutton below the back label to return to the main music navigator screen. Now the album name is displayed on the second line between the arrows and songs from the current album will begin to play. Once all songs from that album are played, the player will move to the next album in alphabetic order on the CD-R and begin playing MP3 files from that album.
To exit music navigator mode, press the pushbutton below the Back label to return to normal MP3 playback.
BAND: Press this button to listen to the radio while a CD is playing. The CD will remain safely inside the radio for future listening.
CD/AUX (CD/Auxiliary): Press this button to play a CD while listening to the radio. The CD icon and a message showing disc and/or track number will appear on the display while a CD is in the player. Press this button again and the system will automatically search for an auxiliary input device such as a portable audio player. If a portable audio player is not connected, "no input device found" will be displayed.
CD Messages
CHECK DISC: If this message appears on the display and/or the CD comes out, it could be for one of the following reasons:
• It is very hot. When the temperature returns to normal, the CD should play.
• You are driving on a very rough road. When the road becomes smoother, the CD should play.
• The CD is dirty, scratched, wet, or upside down.
• The air is very humid. If so, wait about an hour and try again.
• There may have been a problem while burning the CD.
• The label may be caught in the CD player.
If the CD is not playing correctly, for any other reason, try a known good CD.
If any error occurs repeatedly or if an error cannot be corrected, contact your dealer. If the radio displays an error message, write it down and provide it to your dealer while reporting the problem.
Hey, this really works! Yesterday I put four Trans-Siberian Orchestra albums on one CD, popped it into the Solstice's CD - MP3 player, and VOILA! I can see the name of every folder and each song - VERY NICE!
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I'm glad to hear that when you fast forward, you can hear the file playing at reduced volume. That comes in handy when fast forwarding through long audio book files, some of them can be 45 minutes long.
If it is the base radio it will not play Mp3, it is just a standard CD player.
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Options:
Air, $960; Chrome Wheels, $545; PCQ, Premium Package (Leather), $525; Radio, 6-Disc with MP3, $495; Monsoon, $395; Premium Acoustic Headliner, $150; and Sport Metallic Pedals, $115; all totals $29,180.00. No XM/OnStar and NO Spoiler. MODS (RKSport/Magnaflow dual exit exhaust system, K&N filter, Ventureshield.
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I have recently burned 4 loaded mp3 cd's using iTunes in OSX. First, make sure you import the songs in mp3 format in iTunes. Next, "Get Info" on each song that is missing Title, Album, Artist data, and fill it in. I used Toast to burn my CDs. Song info then appears on the player display.
Wish that after "Music Navigator" sorting, the information would be remembered by the CD player after the ignition is turned off. Takes several minutes for the player to sort all the music on a single CD, full of a dozen albums. Unless you are on a longer road trip, I just skip it.
Yea, the six-CD player is the way to go. Who needs an iPod! (I own a bunch of Apple stock.)
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If the audio isn't compressed why not just burn it as an audio cd?
I never really got into the compressed audio thing.. I dont know much about it really.. I was just hoping the cd player could play mp3's uncompressed like how it can in my 2003 grand am. from what ive read on the forum it seems the Base cd player is only gonna play store bought cd's.. so now im gonna have to rip that radio out and go after market or buy an ipod and use the input jack but that still sux..
