Uploading music from CD to Music Forte
Uploading your album at Music Forte is easy. If you already have your mp3 files, then you likely are not in need of this tutorial. However, if you have a CD, and you are ready to begin distributing and promoting your music digitally, we've provided this guide to help you out.
To begin, you will need software that will "rip" the music from your CD and convert it into mp3 files. For general purposes, we're going to explain how to do this with iTunes and Windows Media Player, as they are the most common media applications that are installed on home computers. If you do not have either, you can download the applications from the following links:
Once you have either of these applications installed on your computer, you can begin. We've organized this tutorial into three easy sections:
iTunes
Step 1: Launch iTunes
Once you have started the application, make sure you have the latest version. Mac users, select Software Update under the Apple menu; PC users can click Help, then select "Check for iTunes updates."
Step 2: Configure your settings
Mac users can go to the menu bar and click iTunes, then Preferences; for PC users, click Edit, then Preferences.
File location
This allows you to choose where your mp3 files will be ripped to. You can choose your desktop for easy access, or any folder that you prefer to store your music. Just remember where it is, so that you can access it once you are finished.File format
This will allow you to choose the format in which your songs are ripped. Most digital distribution and online media is in mp3 format, as it compresses well and gives high quality playback. Be sure that you have chosen the mp3 format, as Music Forte will not accept other file formats.Bit-rate setting
This allows you to control the quality. In general, you'll be quite pleased with 128kbs. This offers very good sound quality and does a good job of keeping the file size low. Ripping to anything lower, will likely have a noticeable impact on the sound quality. Music Forte resamples all music. It is sold at 192kbs. We use lower bit-rates for online streaming. It is highly recommended that you choose a bit-rate between 128kbs and 192kbs. The max file size allowed is 20MB, and you should have no problem outputting a song under 20MB using the recommended bit-rates.
Once you are finished, click the OK button at the bottom of the Preferences menu to return to the iTunes main menu.
Step 3: Insert the CD into your computers disc tray
iTunes will automatically display the contents of that disc. If you need to make edits to the song titles, author, etc., Select the field you want to edit and star typing.
Step 4: Select the songs you want to rip
We highly recommend you select all the songs to create a full album, but you are also welcome to create album singles at Music Forte. Regardless, even if you rip the entire CD, you can choose which songs to include when you upload the album to Music Forte.
Step 5: Start ripping
You're ready to rip! Just click the Import button in the upper-right corner of the iTunes interface. If you made an error, you can cancel the process by clicking "Import" again.
Windows Media Player
Step 1: Launch Windows Media Player
Launch Windows Media Player by clicking Start > All Programs > Windows Media Player. Make sure the player window is maximized (click the blue box just to the left of the red X in the upper-right corner of the screen) so that you can access the main menu options.
Next, check to see if you have the latest version of WMP: click Help, then select "Check for player updates." If an update is available, a window will appear with downloading instructions.
Step 2: Configure your settings
Next, configure the settings by clicking on Tools > Options from the main menu, then select the Rip Music tab.
File location
This allows you to choose where your mp3 files will be ripped to. You can choose your desktop for easy access, or any folder that you prefer to store your music. Just remember where it is, so that you can access it once you are finished.File format
This will allow you to choose the format in which your songs are ripped. By default, WMP rips to a Windows Media format. You will need to change that. Most digital distribution and online media is in mp3 format, as it compresses well and gives high quality playback. Be sure that you have chosen the mp3 format, as Music Forte will not accept other file formats.Bit-rate setting
This allows you to control the quality. In general, you'll be quite pleased with 128kbs. This offers very good sound quality and does a good job of keeping the file size low. Ripping to anything lower, will likely have a noticeable impact on the sound quality. Music Forte resamples all music. It is sold at 192kbs. We use lower bit-rates for online streaming. It is highly recommended that you choose a bit-rate between 128kbs and 192kbs. The max file size allowed is 20MB, and you should have no problem outputting a song under 20MB using the recommended bit-rates.Once you are finished, click the OK button at the bottom of the Options window to return to the main WMP interface.
Step 3: Insert the CD into your computers disc tray
Click the Rip tab at the top of the WMP interface after you have inserted the CD into the disc tray. WMP will automatically try and find the titles of your songs. If it is not able to find the track names on it's own, you can click Edit to name them correctly. Doing so is important so that you remember which tracks you are uploading at Music Forte.
Step 4: Select the songs you want to rip
We highly recommend you select all the songs to create a full album, but you are also welcome to create album singles at Music Forte. Regardless, even if you rip the entire CD, you can choose which songs to include when you upload the album to Music Forte. You can select or deselect tracks with the checkmark box to the left of each title.
Step 5: Start ripping
You're ready to rip! Just click the Rip button in the upper-right corner of the WMP interface. If a pop-up window appears asking if you want your music ripped into WMA files, select the "Keep my current format settings" radio button to keep your MP3 settings intact.
Uploading to Music Forte
Step 1: Navigate to your music section
You have now prepared all of your files, and are ready to upload to Music Forte. Login to your account and click on "My Music". Next click the "Add an Album" icon on the left.
Step 2: Enter the details of your album
Remember that this area is for the details of the album and not the individual tracks that will be presented on your album.
Step 3: Add the songs
Now that your album is ready, you can add as many songs to it as you like or you can create an album single. Simply enter the song title at the bottom of the screen. Then click on "Browse". Navigate to the mp3 file that you have ripped, and select it. Click on "Upload" and wait as the song is transmitted from your computer to the Music Forte website. You can upload your songs in any order. After they are uploaded you can easily configure the order of your tracks.
Step 4: Organize your album tracks
Once your songs have been uploaded and approved, you can organize and edit them at any time. If you want to change the order in which your tracks are displayed and played, simply click on the title and drag it to the position in the album and it is updated.
You're done! Your songs are now available for sale at Music Forte! You may also elect to distribute through eMusic, the world's largest retailer in Independent music, and 2nd largest in mp3 distribution.
Note: Music Forte uses a secure streaming server utilizing the latest technologies, and is protected by Cisco Systems technology to ensure your music is safe from piracy. You can rely on this high standard of security even when you use our offsite media player widget to promote your music.
Full-length samples are streamed for registered Music Forte members who are logged in to their account. Otherwise, all samples are limited to 60-second previews.