iTunes is the program (software) which you will use to connect your iPod to your computer so that you can transfer your backing tracks back and forth.

But if you think that's all the iTunes program can do...then think again! You're about to find out the true power of this amazing program. Even better still, it can be downloaded for free from Apples website!.

Before we jump in to advanced functions and settings, file formats, software add- ons, accessories etc, let's take a quick look at iTunes and get it up and running.

Even if you've been using an iPod for years, it's worth browsing through this page, as even some of the basic iTune functions are easy enough to miss (and I'm going to show you a few tips and tricks).

If you are using a Mac running OS X, iTunes will already be on your computer and will by default, appear on the Dock. If it's not on the Dock, look in your Applications folder. lf it's not there either, or you're using a PC, you'll need to install it from the CD that came with your iPod. Just slot it into the computer and, if-nothing happens automatically, look for the iTunes folder.

Installation
The installation process itself is pretty self-expalnatory on the Mac, but on a PC the Wizard is a little more awkward and can take some time (for one thing, you'll be asked to enter your iPod's serial number which can be found in small print on the gadgets mirrored backside). The lnstallshield Wizard not only installs iTunes but also the necessary drivers to run your iPod through Windows.

Once it's installed, you'll find the iTunes icon, a CD, and a couple of musical notes on your Dock (Mac) or the Start Menu and Quick Launch area (PC). Double-click to launch the program. Since this is the first time you are using it, the Setup Assistant Wizard will appear on-screen, prompting you to make a few decisions, probably including the following (you can also change these settings later in the iTunes Preferences panel):

- Use iTunes for Internet audio content or N0, do not alter my Internet settings
This is asking whether you'd like your computer to use iTunes (as opposed to whatever plug-ins you are currently using) as the program to handle sound such as MP3s etc when surfing the Web. iTunes can do a pretty goodjob of dealing with online audio, but if you'd rather stick with your existing Internet audio setup, click No'.

- Automatically connect to the Internet or ask me before connecting
iTunes will sometimes want to access the Internet (for example, to find track names for you or access the iTunes Music Store). If you use a standard dial-up Internet connection you probably should select No. This way you won't accidentally block your shoreline or spend extra money (if you pay per minute for access). lf you have broadband, click Yes.

- Do you want to search for music files on your computer and copy them to the iTunes library?
Unless you have music files scattered around your computer, and you'd like them automatically put in one place, select No, otherwise you might end up with non-music sound files in your music library. You can always add music automatically or manually later.

- Do you want to gn straight to the iTunes Music Store?
Decline the invitation for now. You can do all that later.

The iTunes application doubles as both a media player for your computer and an interface for your ipod, and some of the controls and buttons will differ depending on whether your iPod is connected. But, in its virgin state, the iTunes environment consists of the following:

Below the application's main menus are, starting from the left, the primary play controls and volume slider, which works independent of your computer's master volume control.

Then, in the middle, there's the status area, which displays info about the track currently playing or importing and, when you click the small triangular icon on its left, becomes an attractive but fairly worthless EQ display.

Next up is the Search field. Type into it to find tracks in your iTunes music library. The dropdown menu next to the magnifying glass icon allows you to choose exactly how you want to search...by artist, album, song, etc. Finally there's the circular button on the right, which, again, alters its function depending on what you are doing. When viewing your music library it toggles the browse function on and off - when a CD is present it prompts you to lmport the tracks - when a playlist is selected, it gives you the option to burn a CD from that playlist.

Situated on the left, the Source list is the doorway to your music files (via the Library icon and playlists, Internet radio stations, other people's shared music, and the iTunes Music Store. When connected, this list also features an icon for your ipod as well as any music CDs that are currently in your machine.

The big striped panel that accounts for the majority of the iTunes window lists the songs within whichever source is selected in the source list. The tracks displayed can be sorted alphabetically or numerically according to any of the various columns of information. Click on the top of a column to sort by it. Though the song list seems at first to be an element of iTunes that needs a little elaboration because there are various ways to customise it.

A good tip is to click and drag the thin silver-grey strip between the source list and song list to adjust the relative size of the two panels.

To the left there are four buttons. The first adds a new untitled playlist to the source list. The second activates the shuttle playback mode. When the third button with the looping arrows is clicked it illuminates whichever source is currently in use (be it a CD, a playlist or your whole library).

The final button opens a frame at the bottom of the source list where an image can be placed for that track (the album cover for example.

On the right there are three more buttons. The first unleashes the iTunes Equalizer window, the second turns on the iTunesvisualizer, and the third ejects CDs. Once you start stocking your iTunes Library the lower strip will also start to display useful data in its centre, telling you whichever source or playlist is currently selected, the number of songs present, the total playing time and, most usefully, the total file size the songs collectively take up. This is handy when building playlists to burn to CD, and also is a means of checking exactly how much of your computer's hard drive is being taken up by your collection.

Remember that the total playing time displayed at the bottom of the iTunes window is approximate - click the displayed time and it will change to an exact reading.

iTunes in use
The best way to get your head around iTunes is to plant some music in it and start playing. Start by copying some tracks from a CD to your computers hard drive. This process is usually known as ripping (iTunes calls it importing). Load a CD into your computer and it will appear in iTunes as an icon in the source list. Click the icon and the CD's contents are displayed in the song list.

when you originally installed iTunes, if you agreed to let it connect to the Internet whenever it feels it needs to, then within a few seconds of loading the CD you'll probably find that the artist, track and album names (and maybe more info besides) automatically appear in the song list. This information is not pulled from the CD. Rather, it's downloaded via the Internet from CDDB, a giant CD information database hosted by a company called Gracenote.

If iTunes isn't set to connect to the Net automatically you'll need to tell the program to try and download the track info from CDDB. Connect to the Internet and then select "Get CD Track Names'' from the Advanced menu.

If you get no joy from CDDB resource, the songs will be left with the titles Track1, Track2, and so on, and you'll have to put the track info in manually. This happens remarkably infrequently but it's highly likely that the info downloaded may either be inaccurate or won't tally with your own ideas of music categorisation. One persons hip-hop is anothers R.&B! In either case, you'll need to edit the information manually.

Here's a tip - if you rip a few CDs to a laptop when you're out and about and can't get online, you can always access the CDBB database later. Simply select the track or tracks in question and click ''Get CB Track Names'' from the Advanced menu. If iTunes downloads Incorrect non-existent song info and you have to do some manual entering or editing, select ''Submit CB Track Names" from the iTunes Advanced menu once you're done. Then other people accessing the CBDB service will be able to benefit from your handiwork.

Hit the large, round import button ln the upper hand corner of the iTunes window and watch as each selections is copied to your hard drive.

Many new iTunes users assume that playlists are the primary tools for arranging songs into albums, and create a new one for every CB they import - thls a waste of time and source-list space. To view all your albums, simply use the Browse function.

Before importing the tracks from a CD, lt's possible to join some of them together. Then, when they're played back on your computer or your iPod, they'll always stay together as one unit, and iTunes won't insert a gap between the tracks. This ls useful if you have an album in which two or more tracks have the end of one song merging into the beginning of the next or if you just think certain tracks should always be heard together. To do this, simply select the tracks you want to join and then click Join CD Tracks from the Advanced menu.

Though some people manage to use iTunes for months without ever noticing it, the Browse option is a very important iTunes feature, allowing you to browse quickly and easily by genre, artist and album. To open Browse mode, click the eye icon on the toolbox (it may be missing in some circumstances) or select Show Browser from the Edit menu. Before closing the Preferences panel, click the General tab. Here you can choose how iTunes deals with CDs when they are inserted into your computer. One thing to think about very early on is what file format and sound quality you want to import your music at. You don't want to have to re-rip all your CD's a few months down the line if you decide that you're not happy with the sound! Also, it makes sense to keep a copy of the music on your computer as mp3 files - this way, not only do you have a backup, but if you want to use an MP3 player that doesn't support Apple's default AAC format, you can load it up with the mp3s.

Here's a tip - to select multiple tracks in the song list, hold down the Apple key (Mac) or Ctrl key (PC) as you click. To select a range, click the first and last track while holding the Shift key.

The Importing Preferences pane, which provides various options relating to the way in which the import process works, can be found within the iTunes Preferences window, opened via the iTunes menu (Mac) or the Edit menu (PC). The first two dropdown menus relate to the file format that iTunes uses when it copies songs into the Llbrary, these settings are important so take care!

When ''play songs while importing'' is selected, iTunes will start to play the new album once the first song has been imported. This feature can cause the import process to be considerably slower, and if the first track of your CD is very short iTunes can get ahead of itself and try to play something that hasn't yet finished importing, which might cause the application to crash.

The Search box, on the right-hand side at the top of the iTunes environment, lets you find a track by typing all or part of the name of the artist, album or song title (if you only want to search one of these fields, use the dropdown menu that appears when you hit the magnifying glass icon). Although, iTunes will only search those tracks currently in the song list, if you want to search your whole collection, make sure that the Library icon is selected in the source list and "All" is selected in the Genre column before you start to type.

Deleting Songs
There are several ways to delete music from the iTunes Library. However, first make sure that Library is selected in the source list and then select the songs you want to ditch in the song list. Deleting files from a playlist does not delete the actual file from the iTunes Library - only the playlist's reference to the file.

If you want to select and delete multiple tracks, hold down the Apple or Ctrl key while clicking in the songlist. Alternatively, click on the first and then Shift-click the last - individual songs can then be removed from this selected group by clicking them while holding down the Apple key (Mac) or the Ctrl key (PC). Or, if you want to remove an artist or whole album from your collection, open the Browse mode and select the relevant entry in the list. Then, either hit Backspace on your keyboard, select Clear from the iTunes Edit menu, Ctrl-Click (Mac) or right-click (PC) the items and select Clear from the mouse menu. On a Mac you can also drag the selections straight to the Trash.

Here's a tip - deleting music as described above will send the files to your Recycle Bin or Trash, ready to be permanently deleted. lf you want to remove something from iTunes but not actually delete it from your computer, right-click on the song and select ''Show Song File'' to view the file in Finder or Windows Explorer. Copy this file somewhere else, and then return to iTunes and remove the file.