Playing MP3's in Escape Questions

[PurpleDog 1]

Hello folks !

I own a 2014 Escape with {I believe] Sync 3. I have an iTunes account with a lot of songs on it.

I have been selecting songs in iTunes and then I use the iTunes convert tool to convert each song I have to the MP3 format. 

I then simply copy those converted songs to a USB stick and plug in inside the console.

My problem is that only about 60% of the songs will play in my Escape.

 

Am I doing this wrong ? Does anyone have any tips or tricks that would make the process easier ?

 

TIA ...

[bbf2530 9]

12 hours ago, PurpleDog said:

Hello folks !

I own a 2014 Escape with {I believe] Sync 3. I have an iTunes account with a lot of songs on it.

I have been selecting songs in iTunes and then I use the iTunes convert tool to convert each song I have to the MP3 format. 

I then simply copy those converted songs to a USB stick and plug in inside the console.

My problem is that only about 60% of the songs will play in my Escape.

 

Am I doing this wrong ? Does anyone have any tips or tricks that would make the process easier ?

 

TIA ...

 

Hi PurpleDog. Not sure what the issue is with the USB/song issue.  They all should play if they were properly converted and transferred as MP3's.

 

However, just as an FYI: Your 2014 Escape would not have SYNC 3, unless you physically replaced the factory SYNC hardware to upgrade to SYNC 3. The introduction of SYNC 3 was a few years down the road from your 2014.

 

Your 2014 Escape would have had either SYNC or SYNC w/MyFordTouch (if available) from the factory .

 

Good luck.

Edited January 14 by bbf2530

[PurpleDog 1]

bbf2530 ...

Thanks for the info. I think I have the Sync with Touch.

As I mentioned I use the iTunes "convert" tool to convert AAC's to MP3's.

The songs that will not play make a sound like a record scratching and display the name of the artist and song for less then a second, and then go on to play the next tune.

Is there a better way to go from iTunes to MP3's ?

 

Incidentally, I discovered that any songs that I purchased from Apple Tunes from 2005 to about the middle of 2012 are no longer downloadable.

That equals 229 songs for me.

Apples response is: gee, we are sorry, but tough luck !

 

Edited January 15 by PurpleDog

[Muzicman61 4]

Well, if you are following the same exact process and 60% of the songs work, then I'd say you are doing it right.  Do they play fine on the computer?  Mac or Windows?  Do you know much about this converter program like what bit rate does it encode to or what codec it is using?  

 

Might first suggestion would be to try a different converter program.  Maybe take one of the failed songs and use the original AAC file and use the website CloudConvert.com and try converting it with their online program and see if the mp3 still fails.  It could be this iTunes converter program has some bugs.

[PurpleDog 1]

Thanks Muzicman61. I downloaded CloudConvert and could not find a setting to convert AAC to MP3.

[Multitask 31]

Just a thought... but anything downloaded from Apple will only play in the computer it was downloaded to... and an iPod... not a USB stick...  the songs are looking for a 'key' that is in the computer , or the iPOd

[Muzicman61 4]

16 hours ago, Multitask said:

Just a thought... but anything downloaded from Apple will only play in the computer it was downloaded to... and an iPod... not a USB stick...  the songs are looking for a 'key' that is in the computer , or the iPOd

 

If that is true, then how do 60% of his songs play just fine?  I'm just asking because I know very little about iTunes and Apple.

 

Another question for PurpleDog... if you take the USB stick to another computer, say a Windows platform, do they all play?

 

And if you browse the media on Sync do they show up?

Edited January 25 by Muzicman61

[bbf2530 9]

Hi Muzicman. Just to add my own experiences: I have at least several songs I purchased and downloaded from iTunes. And they all successfully play through SYNC 3, via the USB I have plugged into my car. In my case, I did not need to transfer or convert them from one file type to another. I simply copied/dragged and dropped them from iTunes to my USB.

 

EDIT - Again for reference, I'm using a PC, not a Mac.

 

So it would generally seem to not be an iTunes/SYNC compatibility issue. Or at least not entirely an iTunes/SYNC compatibility issue.

 

Good luck.

Edited January 25 by bbf2530

[Multitask 31]

11 hours ago, Muzicman61 said:

 

If that is true, then how do 60% of his songs play just fine?  I'm just asking because I know very little about iTunes and Apple.

 

Another question for PurpleDog... if you take the USB stick to another computer, say a Windows platform, do they all play?

 

And if you browse the media on Sync do they show up?

 

Chances they are not from Apple...??

[PurpleDog 1]

Thanks for the replies !

 

* My iTunes music library consists of songs imported into iTunes from physical CD's, and songs purchased from iTunes.  I'd guess that 60-70% of my music library is from from CD's I own.

* My 2014 Escape only seems to be able to play songs converted into MP3's.

* However ....  I am going tomorrow to put a deposit on a 2020 Escape SE [with about 4000 miles on it] that has the 8" screen and Sync 3, so I am going to wait until I have the 2020 in my driveway and see if there are any differences between Sync 3 and and my Sync Touch.

 

[Muzicman61 4]

Good luck.  Keep us posted.

[PurpleDog 1]

I will, and thank you

Has it been 100% established that only MP3's will work in the Escapes ?

 

[Muzicman61 4]

20 hours ago, PurpleDog said:

I will, and thank you

Has it been 100% established that only MP3's will work in the Escapes ?

 

 

Actually Ford Sync supports:

• MP3.
• Non DRM protected WMA.
• WAV.
• AAC.

Although I have never tested anything other than MP3 and WAV.

[PurpleDog 1]

My new 2020 (with 4210 miles) that I bought yesterday is on the left.

My wife's 2019 is on the right.

 

Thanks again Muzicman61; I appreciate it.

I did not know that Sync 3 would accept AAC; I was taking those and converting them to MP3's to use in my traded in 2014.

I made a USB stick this afternoon containing about 100 MP3 songs, and roughly 1/2 play perfectly; the other half have such a low volume that to even hear them I have to go up to 20 on my volume.

I will replace albums of MP3 songs with AAC's and see what happens =) 

 

 

[Muzicman61 4]

Nice set of vehicles.  Let us know if AAC actually works.  I've never tried it but just read that in my owner's manual.

[PurpleDog 1]

Thanks again Muzicman61  😃

I am pleased to report that AAC files do in fact work.  Yay !

I'm in the process of converting all of my iTunes music library to AAC files.

If I have the physical CD for albums, then I am simply deleting the version of the album I have in iTunes and adding the album back (aka importing it) to my iTunes library with the CD.

By doing so, I am able to import the album at a higher bit rate of 320 than what was on iTunes - usually 192.

 

This whole process of moving my library to an external drive and then being able to export songs to a USB for use in a 14 - now 20 - Escape started back in May of 2020.

I have some iTunes / Apple observations:

* If I could get rid of iTunes - and still have the ability to move songs on and off my iPhones and iPads, - I would do so immediately.  

* The quality of support from Apple has gone WAY downhill. I very often realized that I knew more than they do regarding iTunes.

* If presented with a problem that they cant solve they will say that the case is closed and that no more help will be forthcoming.

I have 229 (all classic rock) songs I purchased from 2005 to about the middle of 2011 that I can not play or re-download.

That's 229 songs X $0.99 each = $226.71 that they know I spent on the songs that I can no longer listen to.

Their final answer was "no we can't give you a credit or allow you to re-download the current version of the song from iTunes; sorry, and good luck."   

* I no longer trust Apple whatsoever.

 

 

 

Edited February 12 by PurpleDog
typos

[Muzicman61 4]

Glad to hear that AAC is going to work for you.

 

I gave up on Apple when they gave Wozniak the boot.

[PurpleDog 1]

Re: AAC .... It's the way to go :)

I still am trying to find a program that will equalize all my existing AAC files to one consistent audio volume level.

And yes, after my ordeal with switching iTunes to an external hard drive, Ive become MUCH less of an Apple fan.

 

[Muzicman61 4]

The problem is, many of the application which can do auto volume leveling, Sync does not recognize that info.  Most the programs I found for volume leveling don't actually alter the audio.  They simply add header information about the volume.  It's up to the client player to read and adjust the volume based on that header information.  Ford Sync does not to my knowledge acknowledge that info in a MP3 or ACC file.