# How many songs will an iPod hold, using Apple Lossless Encoding? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 4, 2005, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-songs-will-an-ipod-hold-using-apple-lossless-encoding/306841 "2005-06-04T04:41:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2005, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-songs-will-an-ipod-hold-using-apple-lossless-encoding/306841/21 "2005-06-05T15:00:04Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > Weird, you have to type in the titles? Doesn’t iTunes support CDDB? It seems to me that personal computing really took off around 1990/1991, when people started getting the Internet. Many of my CDs are before that time. I expected the soundtracks for _Trainspotting_ or _Run Lola Run_, or a couple of the newer CDs, to have been encoded so that their information could be read; but they all come up with ‘Track 01’, ‘Track 02’, etc. and when I click ‘Get Info’ I still have to enter everything manually. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2005, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-songs-will-an-ipod-hold-using-apple-lossless-encoding/306841/22 "2005-06-05T15:10:49Z")
I haven’t ripped any older CD’s in about two years or so but I seem to recall that if you filled in the title of the CD or group that there was a search function that would look for the track names in the iTunes database and fill them in for you. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2005, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-songs-will-an-ipod-hold-using-apple-lossless-encoding/306841/23 "2005-06-05T15:22:04Z")
> [@Si Amigo](#): > > I haven’t ripped any older CD’s in about two years or so but I seem to recall that if you filled in the title of the CD or group that there was a search function that would look for the track names in the iTunes database and fill them in for you. Aha! Maybe I should connect to the Internet next session. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2005, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-songs-will-an-ipod-hold-using-apple-lossless-encoding/306841/24 "2005-06-05T15:28:18Z")
> [@Johnny L.A.](#): > > It seems to me that personal computing really took off around 1990/1991, when people started getting the Internet. Many of my CDs are before that time. I expected the soundtracks for _Trainspotting_ or _Run Lola Run_, or a couple of the newer CDs, to have been encoded so that their information could be read; but they all come up with ‘Track 01’, ‘Track 02’, etc. and when I click ‘Get Info’ I still have to enter everything manually. You must be doing something wrong or listening to REALLY obscure music. I have yet to find a CD that was not on one of the internet CD data bases. Most of my music was recorded before 1990. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2005, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-songs-will-an-ipod-hold-using-apple-lossless-encoding/306841/25 "2005-06-05T15:34:23Z")
> [@gazpacho](#): > > You must be doing something wrong or listening to REALLY obscure music. I have yet to find a CD that was not on one of the internet CD data bases. Most of my music was recorded before 1990. Bad Religion, Suicidal Tendencies, Social Distortion, Frank Sinatra, soundracks for _Tank Girl_, _Trainspotting_ and _Run Lola Run_, Wall Of Voodoo, Kate Bush, Karl Zero, Specials, The Stranglers, and The Kinks so far. I’ll try connecting to the Intenet when I start again. Next up: Throbbing Gristle. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2005, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-songs-will-an-ipod-hold-using-apple-lossless-encoding/306841/26 "2005-06-05T16:13:38Z")
Okay, I found Get CD Track Names under the Advanced tab. Too late for Throbbing Gristle, but it worked for Oingo Boingo. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2005, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-songs-will-an-ipod-hold-using-apple-lossless-encoding/306841/27 "2005-06-07T19:02:43Z")
The data bases are on the internet. I have Social Distortion’s first couple of discs and they are on the data bases I use. I don’t use Itunes but it definitely has this feature or I am sure I would have heard about it in one of the apple suxxors vs window$ suxxors debates. ---
**Author:** ![Demo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/demo/32/8472_2.png) [@Demo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Demo)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2005, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-songs-will-an-ipod-hold-using-apple-lossless-encoding/306841/28 "2005-06-07T22:40:05Z")
Both iTunes and WMP song/album lookup sucks and don’t find all of my CDs. Their settings are also cryptic and non-intuitive. I ended up buying the retail version of WinAmp and have had a MUCH more pleasant experience ripping since then. ---
**Author:** ![Stan\_Doubt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@Stan\_Doubt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stan_Doubt)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2005, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-songs-will-an-ipod-hold-using-apple-lossless-encoding/306841/29 "2005-06-07T22:51:55Z")
I listen to some goddawful music, and It’s never ceased to amaze me that let alone some other soul out there actually likes the same crap I do, but they took the time to meticulously type all the song info into CDDB. **Johnny LA** , give the iTunes “Get CD Track Names” another chance. Oh yeah, congrats on your new Powerbook. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2005, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-songs-will-an-ipod-hold-using-apple-lossless-encoding/306841/30 "2005-06-08T00:35:11Z")
> [@Stan Doubt](#): > > **Johnny LA** , give the iTunes “Get CD Track Names” another chance. > [@Johnny L.A.](#): > > Okay, I found Get CD Track Names under the Advanced tab. Too late for Throbbing Gristle, but it worked for Oingo Boingo. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Stan\_Doubt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@Stan\_Doubt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stan_Doubt)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2005, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-songs-will-an-ipod-hold-using-apple-lossless-encoding/306841/31 "2005-06-08T03:24:54Z")
No, seriously, give it another chance. Highlight all the tracks labeled “track 01…etc.” and try again. Even if the CD is no longer in the CD drive, it’ll find the CD info (_i.e._, Throbbing Gristle should come up after the fact, as well as all your tracks, none of that stuff is so obscure as to not be in CDDB). ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2005, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-songs-will-an-ipod-hold-using-apple-lossless-encoding/306841/32 "2005-06-08T04:05:58Z")
> [@Stan Doubt](#): > > No, seriously, give it another chance. No, seriously. That’s what I did from Oingo Boingo onward, to good results. It even had Mermaid Lounge. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2005, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-songs-will-an-ipod-hold-using-apple-lossless-encoding/306841/33 "2005-06-08T04:10:17Z")
Yet another, satisfied iTunes customer. I filed my rebate card today, count me among the satisfied. 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-songs-will-an-ipod-hold-using-apple-lossless-encoding/306841.md?page=1)