IPods

iPod "Classic" / iPod Mini / iPod Nano / iPod Shuffle

Manufacturer	Apple Inc.
Type (depends on device)	Digital audio player; Portable Media Player
Storage Capacity (depends on device)	512MB - 160GB

MediaMonkey compatibility

• Compatible via the d_iPod.dll plugin, as of MediaMonkey version 2.4.1.851.

• iPod Classic 6th Gen and iPod Nano 4th gen support was added in version 3.0.0.1081.
• iPod nano 5th Gen support added in version 3.1.2.1275.

• Also compatible with the d_USBMass1.dll and d_WMDM.dll plugins (not recommended, unless you're using a custom firmware such as Rockbox or iPod linux. USBMass and WMDM are not compatible with the Classic 6th Gen or the Nano 4th/5th Gen.)

There's some discussion in the forum about the iPod class 7th G not being supported (see, e.g., [1]). MM 4 seems to be compatible, using the proper Codec pack.

Firmware supported

All firmware versions.

Specific Device Settings

1. Follow the generic iTunes compatibility settings described here, if iTunes is installed. It is not necessary to have iTunes installed to sync to iPods, however (With the exception of the Classic 6th Gen and Nano 4th Gen, see below).
2. The iPod Classic 6th gen and iPod Nano 4th Gen do require iTunes to be installed. See here for how to set up iTunes.
3. Set up a device profile for the easiest/best experience with the iPod. This will allow back-synchronization of ratings and playcounts.
4. Under the "Auto-Conversion" tab, don't check "Level volume when synchronizing". iPods can utilize analyzed volume levels with their built in "Soundcheck" function. Just be sure to analyze your library's track volume (Tools | Analyze Volume).
5. In the "Device configuration" tab, check "Use only the first Genre when multiple Genres exist" and "Use only the first value when multiple Artists / Composers exist" for maximum iPod compatibility.
6. In the "Device configuration" tab, check "Force iTunes style folders". This is required for playback of tracks from iPods with the standard firmware.

Additional information

MediaMonkey can sync to an iPod using Rockbox firmware (only for those devices that Rockbox officially supports). By default, though, MediaMonkey's iPod Plug-in does not allow .m3u files to be exported to the iPod (relying instead on the iPod's database for playlist synchronization). From here, there are two options that you can take in order to get playlists on your iPod to be recognized by Rockbox.

1. If you plan on using Rockbox only (and not loading the Apple firmware) you can have the iPod recognized by the USBmass plugin. Go to Tools | Options | Portable/Audio Devices, click the USBmass plugin and then 'Configure', and on the Device Configuration Tab, click 'Find Device'. In the future, the device will be recognized by this plug-in.You'll now be able to sync your playlists to the iPod in the .m3u format, and you can sync your files into directories and filenames of your choice. If you use the iPod plugin, filenames will be limited to 4 characters.
2. If you plan on using both Rockbox and the Apple firmware, you'll need to sync your iPod with the iPod plugin. By default, syncing .m3u playlists with the iPod plugin is disabled.

MediaMonkey 2.5.5 and higher can get around this limitation through a small change to the registry:

For MediaMonkey 2.5.5:

1. Create a DWORD value: HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Songs-DB/Device/iPod/{Serial number here}/EnableM3UConfiguration
2. Set the value to '1'

For MediaMonkey 3.x.x:

1. Create a DWORD value: HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/MediaMonkey/Device/iPod/{Serial number here}/EnableM3UConfiguration
2. Set the value to '1'

After making this change, the plug-in will allow you to enable the 'Copy Playlists' option which will cause .m3u playlists to sync to the iPod.