Splasm Software Discussions

Please bare with me here as I have four different questions.
(1) I start by clicking the Create a New Project button. I give it a name, and select a location for it, and select the audio and format options as needed. (AAC verses AAC bookmarkable?) I have no “cover” so I click Chapters. I navigate to a folder with individual mp3 or mp4 files that, together, make up one book. I select them all and click “ok or choose.” It does its thing. Then I click Finish. Then I guess I have to click Build Audiobook.
After a while I get the message “Build Complete,” with two buttons: “go to iTunes” or “OK.” I click OK.
Now abbuilder has highlighted “Finish” in it’s main window. So I guess I should click that? I do...and nothing happens. Is it done?

(2) It looks like my new audio book is in the User>Music>Audiobook Builder folder, so I guess it’s done. But....when I try to quit (or start a new project) it asks me “Do you want to save the changes you made in the document 'my new project.abbuilder'? Your changes will be lost if you don’t save them."
[u]HUH? what changes? I don’t know what to do here.
I clicked Save only because it sounded threatening. But what if I didn’t?[/u]

(3) I now seem to have many of the same and I'm not sure what can be trashed. For example: a finished m4b file is in my user>music>audiobook builder folder. But there is also a .abbuilder file (the project file, I guess) on the hard drive I designated when I started a new project. AND, there is the original folder full of mp3 files that I used to bring into abbuilder. Is it safe to assume that I can trash all except the finished m4b file?

(4) Lastly, since it put the finished m4b into iTunes Audiobooks, and I want it on my iPod, which one do I drag into the iPod, and how come I can't drag the one from iTunes straight into the iPod Audiobook?

Whew.
Any help will be greatly appreciated.
Noodlehead

Hey Noodlehead,

I'm also new here, and am quickly finding out that unlike Apple forums there aren't a ton of experienced busy bodies sitting around, waiting to supply sometimes helpful answers. So you get me instead. My credentials: school of trial and error. In my short time using ABB I've found that ABB makes 2-3 copies of your book (this is my answer to 2, 3, and 4 -by the way).

Scenario: You have a book of 100 tracks of 3 min each (300 min or 5 hours long), and 300MB in total size. Your fire up ABB and build a single m4b track 300 min long and just over 300MB in size. If you hit "Save," an Audiobook Builder Project file of 300MB will also be created and saved wherever you told it to save said file. If you don't save, then the Audiobook Builder Project file will only be 4KB in size. Why is this? Because if you save, ABB allows you the freedom of undoing your ABB tracks and redoing them differently (chapter sizes and what-not). Adding it up, you now have the original tracks (still in iTunes until you delete them), the new ABB joined m4b file, and the saved Audiobook Builder Project file, totaling a little over 900MB. If you're happy with the new file and don't foresee the need to dink around with it, then I suggest going ahead and deleting the other stuff. OR, not "Saving" the Audiobook Builder Project, and deleting the original tracks in iTunes. I delete everything else. After all, this program was not created to double the space our media takes.

Lastly, when the m4b file is created it is automatically added to your iTunes library under Audiobooks. If you don't see an Audiobook icon listen under "Library" in your iTunes margin on the left, then you need to check the box in iTunes prefs to see it. Then when syncing your iPod you need to set the iPod's prefs to sync Audiobooks which will come up as a separate playlist. Depending on your iPod prefs you can check or uncheck Audiobook tracks to determine which will get synced and which won't.

That about sums up all I know about ABB. Someone else will have to answer #1.

Thank you for replying and giving me good info. Some of it solved some problems, or "confusion," some does not; and there remains more that confounds me.

I wanted to just get a reply to you now, to let you know I appreciate the help. Though I am still trying to make clear what the problems are for me and how to ask for further assistance. I have been in contact with the company. They gave me some answers, even the answer to number one. But this remains oddly vague and non intuitive to me.

I just went through the entire process beginning from step one, along the way, taking screen shots and annotating them. I did this in the hopes of making clear what I think are vague and uncertain stages of the process. (Go ahead, you can call me anal). But seriously, this is a great application, yet the programmers did not do a good job of making it clear to users just exactly what is going on and what the user needs to do each step of the way. For example, I am, again, stumped by the Finish button that won't go away; the Build Audiobook option that offers no instructions as to when and why to click it, and most of all...when do I quit the program since it remains in a holding pattern with the Finish button highlighted.

I will write more as I dig further into this and hope for clarity from (Splasm?).

Nah, you're not anal, just a Noodlehead. But hey, it was only $10, and it is pretty intuitive. Way better than some of the free Applescripts out there

I found one additional copy of the file that is made. If in iTunes Prefs>Advanced>General you have "Copy Files to iTunes Music Folder when adding to library" checked, then you'll get a copy in the usual place: iTunes Music>Artist>Album. Surprising that it will make up to 4 copies. Hope you're not tight on HD space.

I think they could enhance the preferences and the help menus but its not bad so far.

When you talk about the finish button are you talking about the three tabs at the bottom? Cover, Chapters, Finish. Maybe if you think of it more as a tab or final step then it won't seem so much like something that needs to go away. Personally I think the Build Audiobook button should somehow change once you've built the book. Then again, it does have drop down that says your book is complete. Sometimes I click ok, then get distracted by something else and when I come back I can't recall if I built it yet or not. The only down side to that is that if it changed or became unavailable (after building a book) that might complicated things if you want to edit the chapters and rebuild the book and it said you already had and couldn't. Whatever. I still think its pretty cool for $10. I really dig the sound effects when its done something

Thanks again for the help. I think I am ready to give up trying to make sense out of this. I highly recommend the program, because of what it does produce - but I remain confused, because I like to keep my hard drives organized and to eliminate unnecessary file build-up and because in this program, highlighted buttons do not mean what logic usually dictates. Evidenced by the "Finish" button. The developer has been extraordinarily patient with me and willing to field my questions but in their most recent reply to me they write, " the Finish section of Audiobook Builder does not actually finish anything." Now, for some this is no big deal; for me, it makes my head spin.
But, like I said, it's a great program in that it produces accurately joined and bookmarked audiobook files. I just have to do manual clean up behind it, and accept the fact that each time I use it, I have to keep my clicker hand away from the highlighted buttons.

I guess the thing to keep in mind is when you make an audiobook, you are creating two things.

The first is your audiobook builder project file. The reason we chose to do a file based project setup, is that the process can become quite time consuming if you want everything just right. You may want to move the project to another computer or start it and finish it some other time. Another reason is after you finish and build your audiobook, you may want to go back and make changes on how it turned out. The project file stores all the audio you've imported, your chapter settings, and any artwork. Whenever you are prompted to save anything, or use the save command manually, you are saving changes to your project file.

The second thing you are creating is your finished audiobook. Think of it as the polished result of your project file. This is the file you listen to and place on your iPod and or in iTunes. This is the file you keep, as it is the fruit of the process. It is also something not designed to be easily edited or manipulated. If there is something of issue within the finished audiobook you would have to go back to your project file of that book, make your changes and build the audiobook again. Once you are sure you've made the perfect audiobook, you can throw away your audiobook builder project file.

The reasoning behind the Covers/Chapters/Finish sections was a sense of progression of the project. We intended it to lead you through the creation process. First naming and putting a face to your book, adding the chapters, and finally verifying your settings before you commit to the build. The 'Finish' Section is the final step in the process. It gives you a summary of what is included in the book, how long it is, how many parts there are, and where its going to end up. You can always go back and make adjustments from here (one common adjustment is part length), come back to the finish section and hit the 'Build Audiobook' button. This starts the intensive process of producing the fruit of your labor and sending the result to your specified location.

When the build is finished, a dialog sheet will tell you that its done and where the file ended up. There is also a button on that sheet to take you to the file, whether it be iTunes or just a folder you chose. You can choose to visit the finished file, or hit ok to dismiss the sheet and get back to Audiobook Builder.

At this point, your finished file has been created and you can close your project file. If you had made changes or haven't saved your project file since you began, it will ask you if you want to save your changes. You can choose whether or not you want to save what you've done to your project file, and close the project. If you are satisfied with your audiobook, you can now throw away your project file. Remember, If there is an error like a chapter out of order, you'll have to rebuild the book from scratch if you threw away the project file.

I know this was a bit long winded, but I hope some of this helps you further. Thanks again for all of the questions and feedback!

_________________
Randy Knoble
Splasm Software
www.Splasm.com

I understand that after finishing a project I can, if I so choose, delete the ABB project file. This leaves me with TWO entries in iTunes: 1) The actual audiobook under the "Audiobook" section of iTunes; and 2) what appears to be the same tracks/book under an "Audiobook Builder" playlist under the playlist section. Can I delete this playlist entry and still retain the actual audiobook in the Audiobook section of iTunes? If not, then why the double entries? Thanks!

The Audiobook Builder playlist is just like any other playlist. it is just a link to the file, not actually a double copy of the file. The playlist is there to show all the books that have been built with Audiobook Builder, and gives you quick access to any recently built books.

You can safely remove the books in the Audiobook Builder playlist, as the actual audiobook files will be unaffected.

_________________
Randy Knoble
Splasm Software
www.Splasm.com

Thanks! I love your program, and your support .