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arlinek

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 18, 2011
4
0
San Diego
I am trying for 10 days to find this out. Just got this Touch from my sons (8g) and am new to mp3's. I want to be able to buy an FM receiver to attach to the Touch (there are many to choose from) and then be able to record songs I hear on the radio to listen to later, or to record talk shows, whatever. Is this possible? I know there are many mp3 players that have a blt-in fm radio and they usually CAN record. Is there some combination of hardware/software that would allow me to do this with mine? Would "jailbreaking" allow this if I can't - lol, just learned this word. Is there a consensus of the "better/best" receiver to buy? Thank you so much.
 
Gigaware does

There is a dongle called the Gigaware™ HD Radio Dongle for iPod, which is available at Radioshack for about $35. It connects via the usb connector port. It gets HD radio and analog radio. It works on several models of ipods and there is one for the iphone. It uses itunes tagging to tag songs that stations that support it broadcast with the song. It then allows you to buy the songs from the itunes store. It doesn't allow recording. The only way you could do that is with another machine to record the analog out port. Mostly portable players with recording options have reception problems. Yes they do, or did, make them, but the quality of the recording is not so high unless you have good reception. Regarding the unit. It is a rickety but workable device. You need to watch which case you have the device in. The first time I tried it I thought the gadget was busted, then realized the case made it impossible for the connector to fully connect. It must be seated to work.

If you want to just record from a standard radio, with a cord to dump the signal in to the ipod, that might be possible using some of the add on recorders, but it would be a bit clunky. I know at least one low end one with a mike in port. You might have problems with impedence, where the line out/headphones jack, overwhelms the input jack and you get a supper crappy recording. An easier solution is to have the radio hooked to an old mac and run audiocorder and capture the sound that way. Overall, it is a lot of work to get usable recordings unless you just want to record the whole show. I think audiocorder allows for new tracks to be made when there are is silence, but since dead air is a no-no on broadcast radio, I think you might have problems.

I am trying for 10 days to find this out. Just got this Touch from my sons (8g) and am new to mp3's. I want to be able to buy an FM receiver to attach to the Touch (there are many to choose from) and then be able to record songs I hear on the radio to listen to later, or to record talk shows, whatever. Is this possible? I know there are many mp3 players that have a blt-in fm radio and they usually CAN record. Is there some combination of hardware/software that would allow me to do this with mine? Would "jailbreaking" allow this if I can't - lol, just learned this word. Is there a consensus of the "better/best" receiver to buy? Thank you so much.
 
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try TuneIn App

loads of radio stations streamed over the net, supports recording.

i love it. not affiliated in any way.
 
Thank you both for your reply. What I really want to be able to do is to record a song that is either "coming up" or is just starting to play and then "press record" and record just that one song. I then want it to be on my playlist so I can play it back as I wish. Or maybe if I'm listening to a talk show, I may want to "tape" and play back later as I wish. Basically, I want to have the capability of "taping" just like I would if I used a tape recorder (know what those were??? lol) and press record and stop at will, as I so choose. Just doesn't seem like this should be so difficult. The two very popular radio apps I've come across don't let me do this - you have to record a long sequence, not just single songs, and you can't delete the unwanted stuff from the recording.

Anyone else have an idea?
 
Man, I haven't heard about this in almost a year. It's unlikely you'll find anything exactly like what you want, because that has the potential (not accusing you) to violate copyright, especially in the age of sharing of digital media. For info on the last app to be put through to kinda do what you want (the only ones left use internet radio, not real stations), read below.

http://www.macnn.com/articles/10/03/25/three.similar.titles.still.available.on.app.store/
 
Recording isn't what it used to be

Edit the unwanted parts with Audacity later?

The public is losing their rights more and more every day. We used to be able to freely record what we wanted with a VCR or tape recorder, now increasingly copyright holders are trying to stop it. They use the airwaves for free (no charge for broadcast licenses) and restrictions get heavier and heavier. All for the benefit of big corps. Only the big "hit makers" among musicians make money, lesser knowns get screwed. Little or no airtime and little or no money for contracts if they do sign with a major label.

If you want to record radio songs you like, it aint going to be easy. You'll need to set up a recorder and radio and do timed recordings and edit. Radio shark, a fm radio that connects to your computer via USB allows time shifted recordings and is something you might consider. It also has the capability to set up a 30 minute buffer, which you may be able to save for later editing.

Otherwise, a piece of paper and a pencil and one of the applications that allow you to have a tivo like 15 or 30 minute buffer may be the way to go like Tune in radio on the iphone may be the way to go. I think that allows you to record and save a buffer. You will however need a stable internet or 3G connection. The pen and paper is necessary so you can write down the times of the song on the file for quick editing. These methods require work, otherwise if you just want to get the song and are willing to play the Gigaware dongle which has a itunes tag button is the way to go.
 
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