Ripping music files to Flash Drive

So I have a bunch of music on an iPod (and in iTunes on my computer)

Found out that the Kenwood HU I just installed has apparently decided that iPods are a dying technology and won't recognize it through USB or BT.

It will FLAC or FAT files on a flash drive but I've never used this tech.

Is one file type better than another?

How do I convert my iTunes MP3 (I think?) files to one of the acceptable formats to put on the flash drive?

Explain it to me like I'm a 10 year old. Actually no, if I were 10 I'd understand it.

Explain it to me like I'm 61. TIA

 

I haven’t heard that term “ripping files” in a long ass time.

 

FLAC is lossless audio format. MP3s are not. Your HU can probably play either but FLAC will be higher quality. Is MP3 good enough for old ears in a truck…probably.

 

From the Kenwood manual:

Usable USB device
You can use a mass-storage-class USB device
with this unit.
The word “USB device” appearing in this manual
indicates a flash memory device.
● About the file system
The file system should be the one of the
following.
• FAT16 • FAT32 • exFAT • NTFS

 

See, that's where my old ass brain starts to go





So if I just transfer my iTunes library from my PC onto a USB memory stick as is (Presumably MP3?) would it play?

Something like this for example?

$12 SanDisk 128GB Ultra Flair USB 3.0 Flash Drive - SDCZ73-128G-G46, black

https://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Ultr...ass+storage+device&qid=1716477078&sr=8-6&th=1

 

No, I ripped 'em all from my CD's.

HUNDREDS of CD's.

It's so weird that I used to carry around like 3 big binders of CD's that weighed 5 or 6 lbs each for this music, it's about 27 Gigs on the computer, and if it were all on this $12 memory stick that fits in the little coin pocket on your jeans there would be 100 Gb left over.

And yes, I used to have 8-Tracks when I was a kid.

 

Are you positive that all of the songs on your iPod are MP3?

If so, then yes - you could just move them to a flash drive and it should play. Apple has a proprietary format (AAC) and also a lossless format. You would likely need to convert those files to MP3. You cannot convert from MP3 to FLAC or similar lossless.

I have over 27k digital song files, primarily in FLAC, most ripped from a CD collection like you. I prefer Winamp for conversions (I am old-school), but unsure if it plays well with Apple file types as I am not an Apple person.

 

I would add that at home I listen to CDs.. My near-1000 CD collection was stolen but over the past year I've been rebuilding it. In the car I just rely on streaming services.. Very few artists out there that aren't available on Amazon Music (my preferred provider).

 

I would export your iTunes library to MP3 and copy/paste onto the thumb drive. Google should be able to tell you how to do that.

FLAC is a better quality but I could never tell a difference from MP3 in a car system.

 

I am not positive of that, just an assumption. I'll have to look when I get home.

I'm not an Apple person either, I had to rip 'em to iTunes so I could export them to the iPod.

(Which at the time I thought was pretty cool tech... apparently it's so antiquated now that my new HU goes "Pffft... I'm not playing THAT!")