Also, do any listees know how to transfer mp3's to CD or tape??? I'm preparing myself for the Y2K hit (am i silly?) and want to save all my precious mp3's!!! Please help:)

Here's what you need. 1. A computer with a sound card. Preferably a nice one, as it will make a difference if you use digital out, if you have it. 2. A CD recorder and some mastering software. Barring that, you can utilize the Cohen Method for recording mp3s to tape. Keep in mind that when saved to tape, they will not be accessible as mp3s, but rather as regular old audio files. The CD-R method: Get a CD recorder, or start the (Adaptec/NTI/CeQuadrat/Nero/et cetera) software that came with the CD recorder you already own. You will need to have some CD-R (not CD-RW) discs as well. Then, create an image file of up to 650 MB of the data you wish to burn to a CD. Check your mastering software documentation on how to properly do this. You can copy the files directly as mp3s, which will take up much less space but not allow you to play the CDs on regular stereos. Or you can decode them to WAV files, and then copy them over to .CDA format (Winamp, I know, contains a helpful plugin to do just this, and you may be able to do it with the CD mastering software itself), which will allow you to store up to 74 minutes of audio on one CD and play it on just about any CD player, as long as you use CD-R media. CD-RW discs are unable to be read by anything but Multiread-compatible CD drives. Very few CD players, stereos, etc. are Multiread; newer CD-ROM drives and all CD-RWs are Multiread compliant. The low-budget Cohen Method (cassette): This is the one that takes a bit more time to set up, but is nice if you like analog tapes (especially if you have a car stereo that only plays them). You will need to have a stereo with an RCA line-in jack in the back. On my Aiwa system, there are RCA inputs for an external Minidisc and television, and those work just fine with my computer's sound card. Get a one-eighth inch MiniDIN-to-RCA adapter. Plug the red and white RCA jacks into the two stereo RCA jacks on the back of the stereo. If your stereo is too far away from the computer for this to reach (I know the adapter I bought was only three feet long), buy a suitable length of one-eighth inch stereo patch cable and extend the length of the adapter, which you will then plug into the line-out port of your sound card. Then merely tune your stereo to the proper input device and press record on the tape deck as you play mp3s to your heart's content. Easy and fun, as all the cool kids say. If that made no sense, merely smack me and walk coolly off. -Dan +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ Brought to you by the reborn Sinister mailing list +---+ To send to the list mail "sinister@majordomo.net". To unsubscribe send "unsubscribe sinister" or "unsubscribe sinister-digest" to "majordomo@majordomo.net". WWW: http://www.majordomo.net/sinister +-+ "legion of bedroom saddo devotees" "tech-heads and students" +-+ +-+ "the cardie wearing biscuit nibbling belle & sebastian list" +-+ +-+ "jelly-filled danishes" +-+ +----------------------------------------------------------------------+