Together with your iPod classic, you have

earphones

a USB 2.0 cable

a dock adaptor

What you also need

To use your iPod classic, you must have a computer.

Mac

A Mac requires

a USB 2.0 port

Mac OS X v10.4.11 or later

iTunes 8.0 or later

PC

A PC requires

a USB 2.0 port

Windows Vista or Windows XP (Home or Professional) with Service Pack 3 or later

iTunes 8.0 or later

Features

Your iPod classic has

a hold switch and headphones port on the top edge

a dock connector on the bottom edge

a two and a half inch colour LCD screen

a Click Wheel beneath the screen with the following buttons:

- menu - next/fast forward (??I) - play/pause (?II) - previous/rewind (I??)

a centre button

To find a menu item, move your thumb or finger around the Click Wheel

To select an item, press the centre button

To see the previous menu, press Menu

To switch on the backlight. Press any button or scroll the Click Wheel.

To view main menu. Press and hold Menu.

To adjust the volume. Use the Click Wheel.

To search for a song. Select Music on the main menu.

To search for a video. Select Videos on the main menu.

To play a song/video. Choose the song or video; press either the centre button or play/pause (?II). Please note: you cannot play songs or videos when you’ve connected the iPod classic to your computer.

To pause. Press play/pause (?II) or remove the headphones from your iPod classic.

To rewind or fast forward a song or video. Press and hold previous/rewind (I??), or next/fast forward (??I).

To play the previous song/podcast/audiobook chapter. Press previous/rewind twice (I??).

To listen to all songs in random order. Select Shuffle Songs on the main menu.

To skip to a certain part of a song or video. If you’re in the Now Playing screen, press the centre button. The scrubber bar appears with a diamond icon that indicates the current position in the song or video. Move the icon forward or backward with the Click Wheel.

To make a Genius playlist. Select or play a song; press and hold the centre button until a menu appears on the screen; select Start Genius; press centre button. Please note: Start Genius appears only when you have appropriate songs to create a Genius playlist.

To add a song to your On-The-Go playlist. Select or play a song; press and hold the centre button until a menu appears on the screen; select Add to On-The-Go; press the centre button.

To disable your iPod classic controls to prevent anything happening if you accidentally touch them. Move the hold switch to the HOLD position.

To reset your iPod classic if it doesn’t respond. Move the hold switch to HOLD and back again; press the centre and menu buttons at the same time and hold for around six seconds until the Apple logo comes on the screen.

Press and hold the centre button until a menu appears on the screen.

Go to the main menu and select Settings>About. Press the centre button until the serial number appears. The number is also on the back of your iPod classic.

Choose Search from the Music menu

Create a search word by using the Click Wheel to run through the alphabet, and the centre button to select each letter. Press the next/fast forward button (??I) for a space; press the previous/rewind button (I??) to delete a letter. Your iPod classic starts the search when you select the first letter

To see the results, press Menu

Select Cover Flow from the Music menu

Scroll through the album artwork with the Click Wheel, or use the next/fast forward (??I) and previous/rewind (I??) buttons

Choose an album

Press the centre button

Scroll through the available songs with the Click Wheel and select one

Press the centre button

Put the Dock Connector/USB cable into a USB 2.0 port on your computer

Plug the other end into your iPod classic’s dock connection

“Connected”

“Synchronising”

Click on the iTunes Eject button (?) or

for Mac users, drag the desktop iPod classic icon to Trash or

for PC users, eject iPod classic in My Computer, or select the Safely Remove Hardware icon in the Windows system tray and choose iPod classic

pull the cable from the bottom

buy items from the online iTunes store

import items from your CDs, DVDs or computer hard drive

Place a CD in your computer

Open iTunes

Select Import CD

When you’ve finished, eject the CD by selecting Eject ?

select your CD’s first song

choose File>Get Info

select Info

type in the name of the song

choose Next

when you’ve finished, select OK

Drag the appropriate folder to the iTunes heading marked Library, or

Select File>Add to Library and choose the appropriate folder

Select a song

Select File>Get Info

Select Artwork

Select Add

Go to the file containing the artwork

Select Choose

By using the slider, adjust the size of the artwork

Select Next to include artwork for another song or album

Select OK when you’ve finished

choosing a song on iTunes

selecting File>Get Info

selecting Lyrics

putting the lyrics in the text box

selecting Next to enter the lyrics for another song

clicking OK when you’ve finished

Select Add (+) or File>New Playlist

Enter a playlist name

Select Music in Library

Drag a song to the playlist

Select File>New Smart Playlist

Set up your rules

on iTunes, select the Genius button (located at the bottom of the iTunes window)

follow the instructions

connect the iPod classic to your computer and sync it

select one of your songs on iTunes

click the Genius button

set a maximum number of songs for the Genius playlist by selecting a number from the pop-up menu

select Save Playlist

select iPod classic in the source list of iTunes

choose Summary

in Options, choose “Manually manage music and video”

select Apply

select Music (or an alternative item in the iTunes source list)

drag the song or other item to the list’s iPod classic icon

select iPod classic in the source list

on your iPod classic, choose the song or other item

press Delete or Backspace on your computer keyboard

select iPod classic in the source list

choose Add (+) or File>New Playlist

type in a name for the playlist

choose the items you want in your playlist, and drag them to it

choose iPod classic in the iTunes source list

choose Movies

select “Sync movies”

select the videos you want to transfer to your iPod classic

choose Apply

connecting it to your computer (the computer must be on and not in sleep or standby mode – except for some Macs) or by

using an Apple USB Power Adaptor

To manually delete a song or other item from your iPod classic

This deletes the song or other item from your iPod classic, but retains it in your iTunes library.

To manually create a new playlist on your iPod classic

When you manage songs and videos manually, always eject your iPod classic from iTunes before disconnection.

To load videos on your iPod classic

You can add films and TV shows to your iPod classic in a similar fashion to the way you add songs (see above).

Your iPod classic syncs all videos automatically. To sync only selected videos

Select Help>iTunes Help for further details about iTunes and its features.

Charging

Your iPod classic has a built-in battery. When you charge the battery for the first time, leave it for around four hours or until the screen’s battery icon shows a full charge.

When your iPod classic’s battery runs down, it takes about two hours to reach an 80% charge, and four hours to reach a full charge.

Methods of charging

Charge your iPod classic by

Please note: (i) your computer’s USB port must be USB 2.0 (ii) the iPod classic will not sync with your computer when a “Charging, Please Wait” or “Connect to Power” message appears on the classic’s screen

A battery icon on your iPod classic screen indicates the amount of charge you have left.

Sync your Genius playlist to the iPod classic in the same way as ordinary playlists.

To load music on your iPod classic

Your iPod classic automatically syncs songs, playlists, audiobooks, videos, films, TV episodes, and podcasts in your iTunes library when you connect it to your computer. If you’ve deleted or added items to your iTunes library since you last connected the iPod classic, iTunes automatically updates the classic’s contents.

When you first connect the iPod classic to your computer, a message asks if you want automatic syncing. Please note that if you don’t want this, you can add items to your iPod classic manually.

To manage your iPod classic manually

Managing your iPod classic content manually allows you to delete and add songs and videos as you choose.

To set iTunes for manual management

To manually add a song or other item to your iPod classic

To add lyrics

View lyrics while a song is playing by

To make playlists

With iTunes, you can make your own playlists.

Smart Playlists

You can also set up a feature known as Smart Playlists. Smart Playlists update automatically when you place songs on iTunes that match your Smart Playlist rules.

Genius

Genius automatically creates playlists of songs that go well together. To activate Genius

To set up an iTunes Genius playlist

To add music already on your computer to your iTunes library

iTunes must be able to support the song file format.

Other features

When you put music in your iTunes library, you can include the album artwork and arrange for the lyrics to come up on your iPod classic screen. You can also make playlists, and set up features such as Smart Playlist and Genius.

To add album artwork

Any music you buy from the iTunes Store comes with the album artwork. Your iPod classic automatically displays this.

If you’ve imported music from a CD, and you have the album artwork on your computer, you can add it to iTunes.

iTunes uses the Internet to try to find the names of the songs on your CDs. If the names are not available on the Internet

To disconnect your iPod classic:

iTunes

iTunes is the software that enables you to buy, arrange and transfer music, videos, TV episodes, audiobooks, podcasts, and games. When you connect the iPod classic to your computer, iTunes automatically appears.

Main features

To place digital media in your iTunes library, you can

To place your audio CDs in iTunes

Other control options Your iPod classic serial number

If your iPod classic doesn’t respond to any controls, push the hold switch to the HOLD position and back again. Then, for approximately six seconds, press the Menu and centre buttons at the same time. The Apple logo will appear on your iPod classic screen.

Searching The search function

Use the search function for songs; album titles; artists’ names; playlists; podcasts; and audiobooks. You cannot use the search function for videos; notes; lyrics; contacts; or calendars.

Browsing with Cover Flow

Cover Flow displays album artwork on your iPod classic screen. The artwork appears according to the alphabetical name of the artist or group, and provides a visual method of browsing.

Connections Connecting the iPod classic to your computer

Connect the iPod classic to your computer to transfer music, videos, audiobooks, podcasts, photos, and files. The connection charges your battery at the same time.

Disconnecting

Never disconnect the iPod classic from your computer if one of the following messages is on the iPod classic’s screen:

When you see such a message, eject your iPod classic before disconnecting it.

The iPod classic controls Switching on

To switch on your iPod classic, press the Click Wheel or the centre button. The main menu then appears.

Switching off

To switch off your iPod classic, press and hold play/pause (?II).

Basic navigation

To navigate the menus of your iPod classic, use the Click wheel and the centre button.

Common control functions

David Pogue made the immensely-successful Missing Manual book series in order to fill in for the manual that should have been included with software. But an impassioned fan of MOTU’s BPM drum sampler went further than that – a lot further.

Simon (ssp/plastikaudio) has constructed an entire hardware controller for BPM. It gives MOTU’s software tangible form, with more than a little nod to the classic Akai samplers and Roger Linn. The form factor is oversized and roomy, with big knobs and faders and pads you can reach out and grab – no tiny hands or mice required.

Now, naturally, most people are never going to go this far. It ought to make clear to developers just how hungry people are for smart tangible control of software, however. And if someday software could come with controllers that were as easy to assemble as LEGO kits, imagine what users could do. In the meantime, the semi-ambitious can follow Simon’s own documentation if they want their own. (Now, if only someone could build the imaginary display, too.)

Obviously, you should just start releasing mock-ups and allow the genius of the Internet to turn it into reality when you least expect it.

Simon writes:

It’s the only full scale replica of the Motu Bpm Software. Its a full size, control surface with every control mappable to any parameter.

The unit is based on the mb64e from ucapps.de which is a diy controller kit of various boards which you can use to build any type of controller you want. The only thing you need to do then is choose components and interfaces and also design a case for everythign to go into.

The casework and everything else was designed by myself and then lasercut and cnc bent. I then painted and labeled the interface also. Also the BPM interface pcb’s were designed by myself also and then optomised by NILS from the midibox forums.

More information:
Akai MPC Forums discussion
MOTUNATION discussion (with shots of the metal casing)
midibox.org discussion

And the software it’s designed to control – worth checking out for features like Euclidian polyrhythm editing. (Hint: math can really groove.)
http://www.motu.com/products/software/BPM/

This is doubly amusing to me, because when I first saw media images for the launch of BPM at 2009’s NAMM, I though MOTU – like Native Instruments with Maschine at the same show – was adding a drum pad controller to go with their drum sampler/machine. (It turned out just to be a creative use of a screen image.)

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