The MP3 capable Music Maker supports phonemic awareness, phonics, comprehension, vocabulary, ELL, ELD and other language learning programs. Built for reliability in schools, it delivers classroom flexibility with a cassette recorder / player, 20 track programmable CD player and AM-FM stereo.
Store bought CDs are formatted CD containing CDA files (which prevent the copying of copyright material), which the majority of CD players can read and play. CDs burned by consumers duplicate an exact copy of the original (including the CDA files). Most CD players will play copied CDs unless they have a mechanism that will not allow copied copyright material to be read by the CD drivers. MP3 audio files use a unique format (with a greatly reduced file size) which allows someone to put more content onto a single CD. Only certain CD players can read this unique disk. You cannot create an MP3 CD and use it with any CD player even though the CDs may appear identical. However the files inserted onto the disk are indeed different. The MP3 capable Music Maker can read this unique CD.
Califone recommends that customers use a program that automatically converts wma, wav and other associated files into MP3 formats. The reason for this is that such programs automatically convert the files so you don't have to manually convert them. If you do not have software such as this, than make sure that you convert the files to MP3 files via generic burning software. The Califone boom box can only read MP3s and Cdda files. Cdda's are the standard file format for store bought CDs; and Mp3's are the standard compressed files used for music or general audio files.
Since the rate of play on CD's is slower than the larger memory cache stores information, the Music Maker™ will occasionally stop spinning the CD (even though music will continue to be heard). This is to be expected until the memory is depleted and more information can be re-uploaded into the buffer.
