Splasm Software Discussions

I keep getting Parts created that contain no chapter divisions.

Scenario:
I purchased a lecture from The Teaching Company and downloaded it as m4b files. The lecture came in three parts, each part containing 8 "chapters" or files. I imported the three parts into Audiobook builder, then joined the chapters in each part so that there were three parts, each containing 8 chapters. I finished the project and built the audiobook. But iTunes only shoes three parts, but no chapters are indicated. I've done this three times, thinking I must have done something wrong. Can you help sort this out? Without chapters, the program is not going to work for me.

cnymike emailed us this question earlier in the week - it looks like our reply didn't make it to him. Here's our response:

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I'm guessing here but it sounds like your Project looked something like this after you imported the original files:




And like this just before you built:




If that's right then the issue is in understanding how Audiobook Builder's Chapters work.

Audiobook Builder's most basic unit of data is the File, corresponding to each audio file or CD track you add or import into your Project. Files are always contained within a Chapter. Chapters can contain one or many Files and they are the basis for the chapter stops that show up in iTunes and on the iPod. Every Chapter in your Project will be visible while listening to your Audiobooks in iTunes, in the Chapters menu, and on the iPod, as artwork that appears when each chapter stop is reached. Chapters will contain only the audio from the original Files placed into them while organizing your Project, along with any accompanying artwork.

Audiobook Builder does have the concept of "Parts", but I think they're different than what you're expecting. In Audiobook Builder's way of looking at things each of the "Parts" in the last picture are really Chapters, which will be visible as chapter stops in iTunes and on the iPod, but the Files within are just audio data and cannot be individually accessed in the final output. Audiobook Builder thinks of Parts as segments of larger Projects placed into separate physical Audiobook files containing related metadata so that they appear close together in iTunes and on the iPod. These Parts are not directly managed or arranged in each Project - there's no fine control over which of the original Files is placed in each Part. Instead, when Audiobook Builder detects that a Project's output will be too long for the iPod to handle it automatically splits the output, between Files, into the maximum Part length. That maximum is 12 hours by default, adjustable down to just 1 hour in Audiobook Builder's Preferences.

The important concept here is that joining Chapters, or joining Files within Chapters, results in a single Chapter that contains all of the Files within the selection. To preserve each of the original 24 chapters as downloaded from The Teaching Company you would need to avoid joining the Chapters/Files so that the Chapters look like the first picture above. That way each of the original chapter files will show up as individual chapter stops when you listen to the Audiobook in iTunes or on the iPod.

Does that help? If not, please consider giving us a call so we can discuss the issue in detail until we understand how things aren't working properly. You're welcome to call us toll-free at 800-721-5492 between 9am and 6pm CST.

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Keith Gugliotto
Primordial Sea Captain
Splasm Software
https://www.splasm.com