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For 1990-2009 cars only
Makes 🢒 Buick 🢒 2009 🢒 Lucerne 🢒 Driving Your Vehicle 🢒 Your Driving, the Road, and the Vehicle 🢒 Using an MP3

MP3 CD-R or CD-RW Disc

The radio may have MP3 capability. With this feature, the radio plays MP3 files that were recorded on a CD-R or CD-RW disc. Song title, artist name, and album can display when files are recorded using ID3 tags version 1 and 2.

Compressed Audio

The radio also plays discs that contain both uncompressed CD audio (.CDA files) and MP3 files. By default the radio reads only the uncompressed audio and ignore the MP3 files. Pressing the CAT button toggles between compressed and uncompressed audio format.

MP3 Format

If you burn your own MP3 disc on a personal computer:

    • Make sure the MP3 files are recorded on a CD-R or CD-RW disc.
    • Do not mix standard audio and MP3 files on one disc.
    • The CD player is able to read and play a maximum of 50 folders, 50 playlists, and 255 files.
    • Create a folder structure that makes it easy to find songs while driving. Organize songs by albums using one folder for each album. Each folder or album should contain 18 songs or less.
    • Avoid subfolders. The system can support up to 8 subfolders deep, however, keep the total number of folders to a minimum in order to reduce the complexity and confusion in trying to locate a particular folder during playback.
    • Make sure playlists have a .m3u or .wpl extension (other file extensions might not work).
    • Minimize the length of the file, folder or playlist names. Long file, folder, or playlist names, or a combination of a large number of files and folders, or playlists can cause the player to be unable to play up to the maximum number of files, folders, playlists, or sessions. If you wish to play a large number of files, folders, playlists, or sessions, minimize the length of the file, folder, or playlist name. Long names also take up more space on the display, potentially getting cut off.
    • Finalize the audio disc before burning it. Trying to add music to an existing disc can cause the disc not to function in the player.

Playlists can be changed by using the previous and next folder buttons, the knob, or the seek buttons. An MP3 CD-R or CD-RW that was recorded using no file folders can also be played. If a CD contains more than the maximum of 50 folders, 50 playlists, and 255 files, the player lets you access and navigate up to the maximum, but all items over the maximum cannot be accessed.

Root Directory

The root directory of the CD is treated as a folder. If the root directory has compressed audio files, the directory displays as F1 ROOT. All files contained directly under the root directory are accessed prior to any root directory folders. However, playlists (Px) are always accessed before root folders or files.

Empty Directory or Folder

If a root directory or a folder exists somewhere in the file structure that contains only folders/subfolders and no compressed files directly beneath them, the player advances to the next folder in the file structure that contains compressed audio files. The empty folder does not display.

No Folder

When the CD contains only compressed files, the files are located under the root folder. The next and previous folder functions do not function on a CD that was recorded without folders or playlists. When displaying the name of the folder the radio displays ROOT.

When the CD contains only playlists and compressed audio files, but no folders, all files are located under the root folder. The folder down and the folder up buttons searches playlists (Px) first and then goes to the root folder. When the radio displays the name of the folder the radio displays ROOT.

Order of Play

Tracks recorded to the CD-R or CD-RW are played in the following order:

    • Play begins from the first track in the first playlist and continues sequentially through all tracks in each playlist. When the last track of the last playlist has played, play continues from the first track of the first playlist.
    • Play begins from the first track in the first folder and continues sequentially through all tracks in each folder. When the last track of the last folder has played, play continues from the first track of the first folder.

When play enters a new folder, the display does not automatically show the new folder name unless the folder mode has been chosen as the default display. The new track name displays.

File System and Naming

The song name that displays is the song name that is contained in the ID3 tag. If the song name is not present in the ID3 tag, then the radio displays the file name without the extension (such as .mp3) as the track name.

Track names longer than 32 characters or four pages are shortened. The display does not show parts of words on the last page of text and the extension of the filename is not displayed.

Preprogrammed Playlists

Preprogrammed playlists that were created using WinAmp™, MusicMatch™, or Real Jukebox™ software can be accessed, however, you do not have playlist editing capability using the radio. These playlists are treated as special folders containing compressed audio song files.

Playing an MP3

Insert a CD partway into the slot (Single CD Player), or press the load button and wait for the message to insert disc (Six-Disc CD Player), label side up. The player pulls it in, and the CD should begin playing.

(Tune): Turn this knob to select MP3 files on the CD currently playing.

SEEK : Press the left SEEK arrow to go to the start of the current MP3 file, if more than ten seconds have played. Press the right SEEK arrow to go to the next MP3 file. If either SEEK arrow is held or pressed multiple times, the player continues moving backward or forward through MP3 files on the CD.

(Previous Folder): Press the pushbutton positioned under the Folder tab to go to the first track in the previous folder.

(Next Folder): Press the pushbutton positioned under the Folder tab to go to the first track in the next folder.

REV (Reverse): Press and hold to reverse playback quickly within an MP3 file. Sound is heard at a reduced volume. Release this button to resume playing the file. The elapsed time of the file displays.

FWD (Fast Forward): Press and hold to advance playback quickly within an MP3 file. Sound is heard at a reduced volume. Release this button to resume playing the file. The elapsed time of the file displays.

RDM (Random): MP3 files can be listened to on a CD in random, rather than sequential order, on one CD or all discs in a Six-Disc CD player. To use random, do one of the following:

  1. To play MP3 files in random order from the CD that is currently playing, press the pushbutton positioned under the RDM tab until Random Current Disc displays. Press the same pushbutton again to turn off random play. Press the same pushbutton again to turn off random play.
  2. To play songs from all CDs loaded in a Six-Disc CD player in random order, press the pushbutton positioned under the RDM tab until Randomize All Discs displays. Press the same pushbutton again to turn off random play.
(Music Navigator): If the radio has the MP3 feature, it has the music navigator feature to play MP3 files on the CD-R or CD-RW in order by artist or album. Press the pushbutton located below the music navigator tab. The player scans the disc to sort the files by artist and album ID3 tag information. It can take several minutes to scan the disc depending on the number of MP3 files recorded to the CD-R or CD-RW. The radio might begin playing while it is scanning the disc in the background. When the scan is finished, the CD begins playing again. Once the disc has scanned, the player defaults to playing MP3 files in order by artist. The current artist playing is shown on the second line of the display between the arrows. Once all songs by that artist are played, the player moves to the next artist in alphabetical order on the CD and begins playing MP3 files by that artist. If you want to listen to MP3 files by another artist, press the pushbutton located below either arrow button. The CD goes to the next or previous artist in alphabetical order. Continue pressing either button until the desired artist displays. To change from playback by artist to playback by album, press the pushbutton located below the Sort By tab. From the sort screen, push one of the buttons below the album button. Press the pushbutton below the back tab to return to the main music navigator screen. Now the album name displays on the second line between the arrows and songs from the current album begins to play. Once all songs from that album have played, the player moves to the next album in alphabetical order on the CD and begins playing MP3 files from that album. To exit music navigator mode, press the pushbutton below the Back tab to return to normal MP3 playback.