Once you have installed the software, connect the MP3 player to the computer. Open the music software and make sure it recognizes your device. You may need to select synchronization options, for example, to determine if the MP3 player should automatically download all the music from your computer or wait for you to select the files you want to add to the device. If you find that CDs are a hassle, you can convert the stored music to an MP3 file.
All you need to convert a music CD into an MP3 file is Windows Media Player. You can always copy music from old CDs to your computer and save it as an MP3, but many people prefer to download music online. Of course, most basic MP3 players don't offer streaming apps, so you'll have to put music on the device itself to rock while you work or work out. With this software, you can have an offline backup of all your favorite music and videos online, and even convert them to MP3 for uploading directly to your device.
If you're just used to streaming services, you'll need to get music files for the songs you want on your MP3 player. Always consult the MP3 player's user guide before downloading music to ensure that the music is in the right file format for your device (almost all music players are compatible with basic MP3 files). While people know iTunes for MP3 files, it doesn't actually handle MP3 files; iTunes uses the AAC file format. You'll need to convert an AAC file to an MP3 file in order to play iTunes songs on your MP3 players.
It's convenient if you have the ability to download online music catalogs in MP3 audio format to be able to transfer them to your MP3 player device. AAC can encode to provide better sound quality and, at the same time, have a file size similar to that of an MP3 file. Some MP3 players allow you to connect your device to your computer and then add music by dragging and dropping files onto the computer drive like any other external drive. To do this, start by opening the Windows Media Player and adding the songs you want to download to your MP3 player to the WMP library.
Otherwise, you might want to buy songs or albums from an online music store such as iTunes, Zune Marketplace, or Amazon MP3. Nowadays, MP3 players have largely been left out for mobile phones, which can not only play music but also search the web, make phone calls, and more. If the files you want to add to your device are not in the proper format, you can download a free online program to convert the files to MP3 format. To add music using the software, be sure to read the instructions for the device and the software program to ensure that it has been successfully downloaded to the MP3 player.