Copying Sounds From The DVD

Problem: Is it OK if I copy sounds from the DVD I own and put them on my iPod?
Can I copy these sounds and play them in the field?
Can I copy the sounds and place them on my web site?

Solution: The sounds on the DVD are all owned by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. You may not use these for any reason, other than your own personal use. So you can never put them on your web site. You may not give them to a friend.

But you can use the sounds for your own use. You can move them to your iPod or record them on tape or a disk and play them in the field. [Please be aware of the Birder's Code of Ethics when playing songs in the field].

To copy songs to an iPod or other MP3 player, go to Custom Lists and click the "Prepare for iPod" button or click "File | Prepare for iPod". There are detailed instructions in the Help file. Click Help and then click Custom Lists and then select iPod instructions. Of the 957 species on the DVD in version 5.0, 708 have sound files. These sounds will be able to be transfered to your MP3 player or iPod.

Sounds are in a media folder on the DVD in a folder called sounds. In version 3.9, 4 and 5 the files are named using common names of each species. In earlier version the names are more obscure. Click on the sounds folder and you will see the first sound recording is called: bna000077so01.wav. You can see that this is a recording of the Red-Throated Loon by looking at the list of 708 sound files on our web site.

You could copy these .wav files by playing them on your computer and recording them on another device. Or you could copy them directly from the DVD into an MP3 player, if you have the proper software and hardware.

In version 3.9, 4.0 and 5.0 an image is imbedded in the sound file and will appear as "cover art" in your iPod.

To ask about using the songs in a commercial product or for use at your Nature Center or on your web site, please contact the legal owner of these recordings: Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

You may also want to look at over 50 audio CDs and cassettes available from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. The recordings on these other Cornell products are much longer cuts than those used in the Thayer DVDs. Click here to see Bird Song CDs and cassettes