Neuros: General Functions FAQ

Neuros is planning to introduce an optional USB2.0 backpack for its HD 20GB model during summer, 2003. This will allow both Neuros 128MB and Neuros HD 20GB users who require faster transfer speeds to upgrade to USB2.0 at that time. More details will be posted on our website shortly.

How do I get started?

1. Charge the battery. Connect the wall power adapter to the charger port on the bottom of your Neuros, and begin charging battery. For best performance, charge battery for 8 hours at first use to give it a full charge. You can use the Neuros while it is charging.

2. Install Neuros Synchronization Manager software. Use the included CD to install the Neuros Synchronization Manager Software on your PC and set up user preferences.

3. Connect your Neuros. Your Neuros must be connected to your PC to begin transferring music. Connect the supplied USB cable to your Neuros and to the USB port on your computer to begin synchronization. Drag and drop MP3 audio tracks into the software and click the synchronization button for automatic transfer to your Neuros. While synchronization is in process your Neuros is not operational.

4. Once synchronization is complete, disconnect from USB.

5. Power On. Press-and-hold the play button to power up Neuros.

6. Enjoy your music anywhere! Plug in headphones to listen to your Neuros privately or broadcast your music through any FM radio.

7. Explore and enhance the functionality of your Neuros by adding customized Xi menus, synchronization with next generation services and other enhancements.

How do I turn my unit on and off?

Press and hold the Play button down until you see the orange flash when the unit turns on and the Neuros logo when the unit shuts down.

How do I transfer files from my computer to my Neuros?

Your Neuros must be connected to your PC to begin transferring music. Connect the supplied USB cable to your Neuros and to the USB port on your computer to begin synchronization. Drag and drop MP3 audio tracks into the software and click the synchronization button for automatic transfer to your Neuros. While synchronization is in process your Neuros is not operational.

What music formats work with Neuros?

Neuros supports the MP3 format for music, and M3U format for playlist, which is used in MusicMatch jukebox and other players.

Will the Neuros support Ogg Vorbis?

We've entered into a formal agreement with Xiph.org, the gatekeeper of Ogg Vorbis, to develop Vorbis support on the Neuros. We plan to release in spring, 2003. This will only require a simple firmware upgrade.

When will Neuros support playback of WMA files?

WMA playback support is currently scheduled for a spring, 2003 release. This will only require a simple firmware upgrade. We're also looking at options to include WMA encoding on the device, but would like to hear your feedback on the matter.

Will Neuros support any lossless formats like Shorten or FLAC?

FLAC, an open-source lossless compression codec, was officially adopted in February, 2003, by Xiph.org (see Ogg entry above). As part of our relationship with Xiph, we will be exploring the possibilities of supporting FLAC playback and encoding on the Neuros.

How much music does a Neuros hold?

The Neuros 128MB holds about 2 hours of music (encoded at 128kbps). The Neuros HD 20GB holds about 5000 songs (encoded at 128kbps).

What is the quality of the music on my Neuros?

Hi Fidelity sound.

How do I use the joystick?

The oval button in the center of Neuros is operated with a single finger (most people use their thumb), and can be pressed in four directions: up, down, left (for back) and right (to select). It can not be pressed straight in.

How do I program the preset buttons?

Songs, playlists, recordings, HiSi samples and radio stations can all be set as a preset and activated when one of the five preset buttons is pressed. To program a preset, hold down the Preset button during playback. It will turn any selected item into the preset for the button that is pressed down. It will override any previously set presets for that button.

To assign a playlist to a preset button, display the named playlist through Neuros Audio and press the Select button to list the titles. Highlight the first track and hold down the preset button. The entire playlist will be added to the preset button. View presets through the settings menu. The preset menu lists the item associated with each of the five preset buttons. A preset can be played from this menu by selecting the preset item and clicking PLAY.

What does the orange button do?

That is the HiSi button. Use this feature when you are listening the radio and you hear a song for which the artist and title are unknown to you. One click of the orange button will start a 30 second recording. This recording will be stored on your Neuros and upon your next synchronization with the PC will be transformed into a digital fingerprint and matched against a proprietary database for identification. The song title and artist information will be automatically returned to your Neuros.

Does the orange button turn my unit on?

Yes it does, but it will bring you automatically to the FM radio menu. Click the back button to go to the main Neuros menu. The reason a click of the orange button will take you to the FM radio is because the orange button or HiSi button is used to identify new music you hear on the radio. One click of the orange button, once you are in FM mode will start a 30 second recording. This recording will be stored on your Neuros and upon your next synchronization with the PC will be transformed into a digital fingerprint and matched against a proprietary database for identification. The song title and artist information will be automatically returned to your Neuros.

Can I view and adjust recording levels while making a recording through the FM radio, internal microphone or line in connector?

Yes. With Neuros firmware 1.34 and higher, you can now view recording levels in real time, as well as change gain settings to adjust for a wide variety of signal levels.

To view recording levels
Once in record mode (activated by double-clicking the orange HiSi button on the Neuros), you will see a horizontal bar across the bottom of the screen. This bar indicates the level of the recorded signal. As the recorded sound level volume changes, the horizontal bar will move accordingly. As the sound level increases, the shaded portion of the horizontal bar will move toward the center of the screen; as the sound level decreases, it will move to the edges of the screen. In addition, on either end of the horizontal bar, numbers that represent the exact sound pressure dB level will also increase and decrease appropriately.

To change recording levels
When using the Neuros microphone, there are 2 user-adjustable gain settings “O db” (to record loud signals) and “+20 dB” (to record soft signals). Once in recording mode, simply press UP or DOWN on the Neuros navigation button to change recording level. The current gain setting is displayed on the bottom, center portion of the Neuros screen.

For line input recordings, the gain level can be changed from -12 dB (for very loud signals) all the way to +12 dB (for soft sounds) in 1 dB increments to accommodate a wide variety of input sources. For example, you might use the -12 dB setting for recording line level signals such as a stereo or mixer, while the +12 dB setting might be used for lower output level devices such as microphones. To adjust recording levels, see above.

How do I release the backpack portion of my Neuros?

To release the main unit (silver) from the backpack (black), press and hold the backpack release lever (to the left of the power connector) with a finger from one hand. With the other hand, press down from the top of the main unit to remove the main unit. To re-insert the main unit, press it into the backpack leaving about 1/4'' of space from the top of the backpack. Once the main unit is level with the sides of the backpack (and the bottom of the device is also pressed against the backpack), slide it upwards until it clicks into place. Check your Neuros from the bottom to make sure that there is no space between the Neuros main unit and the backpack.

I recently bought the “Neuros 128MB/20GB HD Bundle”. How do I transfer tracks between the two units using the NSM software?

1. Load up your hard drive (HD) backpack (or you can start with your flash player; HD is used for this example).

2. Backup your database. Do this by going to the File menu in your Neuros Synch Manager (NSM) and selecting "Backup Database…".

You will be asked to choose or create a location for the backup. I suggest creating a "HD backup" directory in your NSM directory.
Click "OK," and you've backed up your database. The database file is given a name by NSM; it's a date/time string. Don't worry about what it's called.

3. Now connect your other backpack, in this example's case the flash, and plug into your PC.

In the Tools menu of NSM, choose "Clear Neuros." Since there's nothing, or presumably little, on your flash player, this won't take very long. It will also wipe away all the synch information from NSM, but it won't wipe the track info from NSM (remember, "Clear Neuros" is only clearing the device, or thinks it is, not your NSM).

4. Load up your flash unit with up to 2 hrs of music, playlists, etc.

Now you can play with it, make changes, add and delete music, synch like crazy, but if you want to go back and make changes to your HD, make sure you first.

5. Backup your DB using the steps above, but this time create a "flash backup" directory and put the file there.

6. Restore the HD database by going to the File menu in your NSM and choosing the "Restore Database…" option. You'll get a choice of paths, and be sure to choose the one coming from the "HD backpack" (or wherever you put it) directory. Now your NSM will have all the data from your HD unit displayed, as if the flash unit never existed!

7. Attach your HD backpack and connect to the PC.

8. Make changes, synch, add/delete music, etc.

9. Backup your database to the "HD backup" directory. (You'll be warned that there is already a file in this directory and that some data may be overwritten. That's OK.)

And so on, back and forth between the two backpacks and two database backup directories.

A couple points worth mentioning:

1. Don't try to go into your backup directories and change the file names of your databases. NSM won't recognize them.
2. If you import tracks on your HD database, for example, then you'll have to back it up, restore your flash database and re-import those tracks for them to show up on your flash database.
3. You don't necessarily need to do a backup after each synch; just make sure you backup before swapping backpacks.