Creative NOMAD IIc User Manual

User’s Guide

NOMAD IIc family of Digital Audio Player/Voice Recorder

Information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of Creative Technology Ltd. No part of this
manual may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, for any purpose
without the written permission of Creative Technology Ltd. The software described in this document is furnished under a license agreement and may be used
or copied only in accordance with the terms of the license agreement. It is against the law to copy the software on any other medium except as specifically
allowed in the license agreement. The licensee may make one copy of the software for backup purposes only.

The Software License Agreement is found in a separate folder on the installation CD.

Copyright © 1998-2001 by Creative Technology Ltd. All rights reserved.

Version 2.0
September 2001

Sound Blaster, the Sound Blaster logo, and the Creative logo are registered trademarks, and Sound Blaster Live! and EAX are trademarks of Creative
Technology Ltd. in the United States and/or other countries.
NOMAD is a registered trademark of Aonix and is used by Creative Technology Ltd. and/or its affiliates under license.
Microsoft and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.
Macintosh, Mac, Apple and FireWire are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.
Intel and Pentium are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and other countries.
CDDB is a trademark of CDDB, Inc.
SmartMedia is a trademark of Toshiba Corp.
EMusic, Emusic.com, and the EMusic.com logo are trademarks of EMusic.com Inc.
MP3.com and the MP3.com logo are trademarks of MP3.com, Inc.
Audible and the Audible logo are trademarks of Audible, Inc.
audiohighway.com and the audiohighway.com logo are trademarks of audiohighway.com.
All other brand and product names listed are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.
All specifications subject to change without prior notice. Use of this product is subject to the limited warranty. Actual contents may differ slightly from those
pictured.

Contents

Introduction

Your NOMAD IIc Player......................................................i

System Requirements ...........................................................ii

Document Conventions ........................................................ii

1 Your NOMAD IIc Package

In the Package .................................................................. 1-1

Optional Accessories ....................................................... 1-2

Location of Controls ........................................................ 1-3

2 Setting Up Your NOMAD IIc Player

Step 1: Insert Battery ........................................................ 2-1

Step 2: Connect Earphones to Player .............................. 2-1

Step 3: Put on Your Earphones ........................................ 2-1

Step 4: Install Software .................................................... 2-2

For Windows users ............................................... 2-2

For Macintosh OS 9 users .................................... 2-2

For Macintosh OS X users .................................. 2-2

Step 5: Connect NOMAD IIc Player to PC .................... 2-4

Step 6: Install NOMAD II Driver ................................... 2-5

For Windows users only....................................... 2-5

Step 7: Verify Correct Installation of NOMAD II Driver ....

2-5

For Windows users ............................................... 2-5

For Macintosh OS 9 users and Macintosh users that

installed OS X over OS 9 (Dual-Boot) ..............2-6

For Macintosh users that installed OS X only......2-6

Step 8: Download MP3/WMA Files to Your Player ......2-6

For Windows users ................................................2-6

For Macintosh users ..............................................2-7

Step 9: Listen to MP3/WMA songs .................................2-7

Step 10: Make a Voice Recording ....................................2-7

NOMAD Detector ............................................................2-7

3 Using Your NOMAD IIc Player

Power ON/OFF .................................................................3-1

Lock ...................................................................................3-1

Navigating & Accessing Menus ......................................3-2

In MUSIC Submenu .........................................................3-3

To play an MP3 File ..............................................3-3

To repeat MP3 playback........................................3-3

To repeat a section of a track continuously ..........3-4

To use the DSP Equalizer......................................3-4

To erase an MP3 File.............................................3-5

In VOICE Submenu .........................................................3-5

To change microphone input.................................3-5

To make a voice recording ....................................3-6

To play a voice recording ......................................3-6

To erase a voice recording.....................................3-6

In INFORMATION Submenu .........................................3-7

To change the owner’s name ................................ 3-7

Navigating & Accessing SETTINGS Submenu ............ 3-8

To set Backlight on interval.................................. 3-9

To turn on/off Backlight........................................ 3-9

To set Contrast....................................................... 3-9

To set Power off when idle................................. 3-10

To set Audio output............................................. 3-10

In TIME Submenu ......................................................... 3-11

To set the date, time and day ..............................3-11

4 Using Creative PlayCenter 2 in Windows

Introducing PlayCenter 2 ................................................. 4-1

To open PlayCenter 2............................................ 4-1

Using PlayCenter 2 .......................................................... 4-2

To download MP3/WMA files to your player..... 4-2

To rip an audio CD into MP3/WMA files........... 4-2

To transfer voice files from your player to your

computer ............................................................. 4-2

To delete files from your player ........................... 4-2

To change PlayCenter 2’s settings........................ 4-2

To format your Flash Memory Card (Creative

SmartMedia) ....................................................... 4-3

To connect to the NOMAD website .................... 4-3

5 Using iTunes in Macintosh OS

Transferring music files from iTunes to your NOMAD IIc

player .............................................................................. 5-2

Transferring music files from your NOMAD IIc player to

iTunes ............................................................................. 5-3

A An MP3 Primer

What is MP3? .................................................................. A-1

MP3 Conversion Process ................................................ A-1

Extracting from Audio CD.................................. A-1

Encoding to MP3................................................. A-1

Memory and Audio Quality ................................ A-2

MP3 Web sites ................................................................. A-2

B Technical Specifications & Troubleshooting

NOMAD IIc Player DAP-3205/DAP-6406* .................B-1

Troubleshooting ...............................................................B-2

C Handling Instructions

Handling Instructions .......................................................C-1

i

Introduction

Your NOMAD IIc Player

Any reference to "NOMAD II" in your
package’s software, or elsewhere, also
refers to the NOMAD IIc player.

Your NOMAD IIc player is a digital audio
player for the new Internet generation. You do
not need to carry a cassette tape or CD.

A key feature at the core of the NOMAD IIc is
its programmability, designed to be virtually
future-proof. By incorporating this upgradable
feature, the NOMAD IIc can be programmed
to support multiple digital audio formats, such
as MP3 and Microsoft® Windows Media
Audio (WMA) or software extensions that will
be made available on www.nomadworld.com.

The NOMAD IIc is designed for the active
consumer, with features that emphasize quick
setup and mobility. The new NOMAD IIc
comes equipped with a Universal Serial Bus
(USB) connection for faster transfer rates and
hot-plugging connectivity, a high-quality
backlit LCD, and SSFDC (Solid State Floppy
Disk Card) compliant Flash Memory Card
(Creative SmartMedia™), supported in all

configurations. And like the first NOMAD,
the NOMAD IIc features MP3 playback and
voice recording capability.

The sound in this light shock-resistant player
will not skip or stretch at all, even during
vigorous exercise or after repeated playbacks.
The ID3 Tag information such as song title and
artist name is also conveniently displayed on
the LCD for easy reference.

NOMAD IIc also comes bundled with the
following software and songs:

❑ Creative PlayCenter 2, which manages

your favorite digital audio files on your
computer and NOMAD IIc. It is also an
integrated encoder for ripping audio CD
tracks into compressed digital audio files.

❑ Macintosh® iTunes, which features a

powerful interface for importing music
CDs to MP3 files, creating playlists,
burning music CDs, moving music to your
NOMAD IIc player as well as for listening
to hundreds of radio stations on the
Internet.

You can download more MP3 files through
worldwide web sites or online services to play
them back on your NOMAD IIc.

For more details on MP3, please refer to
Appendix A, “An MP3 Primer”.

Information is correct at time of
printing. For the latest information,
visit www.nomadworld.com.
For the latest information about
Apple® products, including iTunes,
visit www.apple.com.

ii

System Requirements

For PC:

❑ Microsoft Windows® 98, Windows 98SE,

Windows 2000 or Windows Me

❑ 200MHz processor or higher (Intel®

Pentium® II and above recommended for
MP3 encoding)

❑ SVGA graphics adapter 256 colors,

640x480 (High color 16-bit 600 x 800
recommended)

❑ Internet connection for Internet content

downloading or CDDB™ support
(any charges incurred are the
responsibility of the end user)

❑ 32MB RAM (64MB recommended)

❑ USB port

❑ 30MB free hard disk space (more for

audio content storage)

❑ Installed mouse

❑ CD-ROM drive with digital audio

extraction support

For Mac®

❑ Mac OS version 9.0 or higher

❑ iMac™, G3 or higher

❑ Internet connection for Internet content

downloading or CDDB support
(any charges incurred are the
responsibility of the end user)

❑ 64MB RAM (128MB recommended)

❑ USB port

❑ USB Manager version 1.2 or higher

❑ 6MB free hard disk space (more for audio

content storage)

❑ Installed mouse

❑ CD-ROM drive with digital audio

extraction support

Document Conventions

The following typographical conventions are
used throughout this document.

Table i: Text conventions.

Text Elements Use

bold

Text that must be entered
exactly as it appears.

italic

Title of a book or a
placeholder. A
placeholder represents
information that you
must provide.

UPPERCASE

Directory name, file
name, or acronym.

< >

Symbols, letters, and key
names on the keyboard.

Table ii: Icons.

This symbol Indicates

A note.

A warning.

A tip.

1

Your NOMAD IIc Package

In the Package

Your NOMAD IIc player package contains the following items:

USB cable

1 Installation CD

Figure 1-1: NOMAD IIc player package.

NOMAD IIc player

1 AA size battery

Belt clip & Belt clip screw

Quick Start guide

1-2 Your NOMAD IIc Package

Optional Accessories

For the latest list of accessories, please visit
www.nomadworld.com.

Please purchase original Creative
Flash Memory Cards (Creative
SmartMedia) to ensure 100 percent
compatibility with your NOMAD IIc
player.
Availability of Flash Memory Cards
(Creative SmartMedia) varies
according to region.

Figure 1-2: Optional accessories.

Docking station

USB cable

AC Adapter

1

1 rechargeable NiMH battery

Docking Station Kit

2

3

Additional Flash Memory Card

(Creative SmartMedia)

Car Cassette Adapter Kit

Your NOMAD IIc Package 1-3

Location of Controls

Figure 1-3: Front view of the player.

High resolution
bitmapped backlit LCD

Marks segment of track for repeating

Skip track forward
/

Navigate right/down

Repeat 1/All/Random/None

Microphone

Power On

/Play
/Pause
/

Toggle MUSIC/VOICE

/

Select

Menu

Skip track reverse
/

Navigate left/up

Power Off

/Stop
/

Cancel

Docking station connector

PLAYER - Front View

LEGEND

Bold - Press and hold the button

Italics - For menu navigation

Your NOMAD IIc Package 1-4

Battery case
/Flash Memory Card
(Creative SmartMedia)
cover

Flash memory card
Eject button

Belt clip

Note

: Belt clip may not be
screwed on when you first
open the box.

Figure 1-4: Rear view of the player.

PLAYER - Rear View

Your NOMAD IIc Package 1-5

Figure 1-5: Left, right, top and bottom views of the player.

LOCK switch

Note

: This
switch only
locks the
buttons on
the player.

USB connector
cover

Vol ume +

Vol ume -

Record

Erase

DSP

Headphone jack

Docking station connector rubber cover

Note

: The docking station connector is used only
together with the optional docking station that also
acts as a battery recharging station.

Left View

Right View Top View

Bottom View

Setting Up Your NOMAD IIc Player 2-1

2

Setting Up Your NOMAD IIc Player

MP3/WMA files can be stored in your player’s internal memory or in a supported Flash Memory
Card (Creative SmartMedia). Depending on the model of the player that you have purchased,
either the player or the Flash Memory Card (Creative SmartMedia) is preloaded with a “Welcome
to NOMAD” MP3 song. So, you can start enjoying MP3 songs without connecting your
NOMAD IIc player to a PC. Just follow these steps and you can get up and running straightaway:

Step 1: Insert Battery

Remove the
battery
case/Flash
Memory Card
(Creative
SmartMedia)
cover.

Insert the
battery.

Figure 2-1: Insert battery.

Step 2: Connect
Earphones to Player

Earphones may not be included in
your package.

Step 3: Put on Your
Earphones

You may want to skip to “Step 9: Listen to
MP3/WMA songs” on page 2-7 to start
playing with your NOMAD IIc player.

Setting Up Your NOMAD IIc Player 2-2

Step 4: Install Software

Any reference to "NOMAD II" in your
package’s software, also refers to the
NOMAD IIc player.

For Windows users

Install all the programs in the software
CD before accessing its contents or the
MP3 content CD.

1. Insert the Creative NOMAD IIc
installation CD into the CD-ROM drive. If
the Setup program does not run
automatically, do steps 2 through 3.
Otherwise, skip to step 4.

2. Click Start -> Run.

3. In the Run dialog, type
D:\CTRUN\CTRUN.EXE (where D:\ is
your CD-ROM drive) and click OK.
The Creative NOMAD II setup screen
appears, listing the languages supported
by the software.

4. Click the language you want. The second
Creative NOMAD II setup screen
appears, selecting by default all
applications to be installed.

5. Select the applications you want to install
and click the Right Arrow button to start
the installation.
The Creative Product Registration
dialog box appears.

6. Follow the instructions on the screen.

7. When prompted to restart your system,
leave the CD in the CD-ROM drive, select
the Yes, I want to restart my computer
now option and then click the Finish
button.

For Macintosh OS 9 users

Macintosh OS 9 users who want to
install iTunes must install Version 1.1
of the application.

1. Insert the Creative Installation CD into
your CD-ROM drive. The NOMAD icon
appears on your desktop.

2. Double-click the NOMAD icon. The
NOMAD window appears.

3. Double-click the iTunes folder. The
iTunes window appears.

4. Double-click the iTunes v1.1 for Mac OS
9 folder. The iTunes v1.1 for Mac OS 9
window appears.

5. Double-click the language folder you
want. For example, if you want to install
the English version of iTunes,
double-click the English folder.
The respective language window appears.
For example, if you double-click the
English folder, the English window
appears.

6. Double-click the Install iTunes icon. The
License window appears.

7. Read the Software License Agreement,
then click Accept if you accept the terms.
The Read Me window appears.

8. Read the information provided, then click

Continue. The Install iTunes window
appears.

9. The Easy Install option is selected by

default. This installs the iTunes
application with audio CD authoring
support. The other option, Custom
Install, installs the iTunes application
with CD authoring support and audio CD
authoring support for USB/FireWire®
CD-RW drives.

10. Click the installation option you want,

then click Install. A dialog box appears,
prompting you to confirm installation of
audio CD authoring support.

11. Click Proceed. A message box appears

informing you that the installation has
been launched.

12. After installation, a dialog box appears,
prompting you to restart your system.
Click Restart to restart your system.

13. After restarting, the iTunes window
appears. Double-click the iTunes icon to
launch the application.

For Macintosh OS X users

Macintosh OS X users who want to
install iTunes must install Version

1.1.1 of the application.

1. Insert the Creative Installation CD into
your CD-ROM drive. The NOMAD icon
appears on your desktop.

2. Double-click the NOMAD icon. The
NOMAD window appears.

Setting Up Your NOMAD IIc Player 2-3

3. Double-click the iTunes folder. The
iTunes window appears.

4. Double-click the iTunes v1.1.1 for OS X
folder. The iTunes v1.1.1 for OS X
window appears.

5. Double-click the iTunes for Mac OS

X.smi icon. The Software License
Agreement window appears.

6. Read the agreement, then click Agree if
you agree to the terms. The iTunes for
Mac OS X window appears.

7. Double-click the iTunes for Mac OS X
folder. The iTunes for Mac OS X window
appears.

8. Double-click the iTunes.pkg icon. The
Install iTunes for Mac OS X window
appears, prompting you to type in the
administrator password.

9. Type in the password, then click OK. An
introduction to iTunes appears in the
Install iTunes for Mac OS X window.

10. Read the introduction, then click
Continue. The iTunes readme text
appears in the Install iTunes for Mac OS
X window.

11. Read the readme text, then click

Continue. The Software License
Agreement appears in the Install iTunes
for Mac OS X window.

12. Read the Software License Agreement,
then click Continue. A dialog box
appears, asking you if you agree to the
terms.

13. Click Agree if you agree to the terms.

Icons representing possible installation
locations in your system appear in the
Install iTunes for Mac OS X window.

14. Click the appropriate icon, then click

Continue.

15. Click Install to start installation. After
installation, click Close to close the
window.

16. Click the iTunes icon on the Dock, then
click Open iTunes to launch the
application.

Setting Up Your NOMAD IIc Player 2-4

Step 5: Connect NOMAD IIc Player to PC

You need not switch off your computer when you connect your NOMAD IIc player to the PC since USB is Plug-and-Play.

Figure 2-2: Connecting the NOMAD IIc player to a PC.

The battery must be in the
player and the player turned
on. NOMAD IIc is not a USB
powered-device.

Position the PC so that
its USB ports can be
easily accessed.

Note: The
USB
port(s) on
your PC
may be
found on
the front
panel
instead of
the back
panel.

Plug the flat USB connector
of the bundled (standard)
USB cable to the PC.

Plug the square connector of the USB
cable to the NOMAD IIc player.
A diagram appears on the LCD,
indicating that the player is connected
to your PC.

Setting Up Your NOMAD IIc Player 2-5

Step 6: Install NOMAD II
Driver

NOMAD IIc uses the "NOMAD II"
driver.

Skip this step if you are a Macintosh
user; installing the software as
instructed in “Step 4: Install Software”
on page 2-2, would have already
installed the drivers necessary for your
NOMAD IIc to work with your
Macintosh.

For Windows users only

Once you have connected your NOMAD IIc
player to your PC,

the dialog box similar to

Figure 2-3 appears.

1. Click the Next button.

2. Select the Search for the best driver for

your device. (Recommended) option and
click the Next button.

3. Clear the Floppy disk drives check box

and select the CD-ROM drive option.

4. Click the Next button twice in succession.

The dialog box similar to Figure 2-4
appears.

5. Click the Finish button.

Step 7: Verify Correct
Installation of NOMAD II
Driver

For Windows users

1. Click Start -> Settings -> Control Panel.

2. In the Control Panel window,
double-click the System icon.

3. In the System Properties dialog box,
click the Device Manager tab.

4. In the Device Manager tabbed page,
double-click Universal Serial Bus

controllers, and then check that Creative
NOMAD II is present as shown in Figure

2-5 below.

Figure 2-3:

Add New Hardware Wizard

dialog

box.

Figure 2-4: Installation of Creative NOMAD II

driver is completed.

Figure 2-5: Verify that Creative NOMAD II

driver is installed correctly.

Setting Up Your NOMAD IIc Player 2-6

For Macintosh OS 9 users and
Macintosh users that installed OS
X over OS 9 (Dual-Boot)

1. On the desktop, double-click the hard disk
icon where iTunes has been installed. The
hard disk window appears.

2. Double-click the System Folder icon.
The System Folder window appears.

3. Double-click the Extensions icon.
The Extensions window appears.

4. Be sure that the NOMAD II USB Driver
icon is listed.
Note: Icons for other NOMAD players are
also listed, representing the additional
drivers installed during the setup.

For Macintosh users that
installed OS X only

1. On the desktop, double-click the hard disk
icon where OS X has been installed. The
hard disk window appears.

2. Double-click the Applications folder. The
Applications window appears.

3. While pressing <Control>, click the
iTunes icon. A menu appears.

4. Click Show Package Contents. The
iTunes window appears.

5. Double-click the Contents folder. The
Contents window appears.

6. Double-click the Plug-ins folder. The
Plug-ins window appears.

7. Be sure that the NOMAD II Plugin.bundle icon is listed.
Note: The NOMAD Jukebox icon is also listed, representing the additional driver installed
during the setup.

Step 8: Download MP3/WMA Files to Your Player

For Windows users

1. To start PlayCenter 2, double-click the Creative PlayCenter 2 icon or connect the USB cable
from your PC to your NOMAD IIc player.
By default, the PC Music Library appears in PlayCenter 2’s Main Window and the
Transfer Window. Ensure that you have MP3/WMA files in your computer.

2. Click the NOMAD II button on the Transfer Window (see Figure 2-6).

3. Select the songs you want to download to NOMAD IIc in the Main Window.

4. Click the lower Tra ns fer button.

After downloading the songs, just disconnect your NOMAD IIc player from your computer and
you can start enjoying the downloaded songs in the player.
For details on how to use Creative PlayCenter 2, refer to Chapter 4 and its online Help file.

Figure 2-6: The PlayCenter 2 user interface.

Transfer Window

Transfer button

Main Window

Note:

The song titles will only be displayed if the PC
is connected to the Internet and you are registered
with the CDDB website.

Setting Up Your NOMAD IIc Player 2-7

For Macintosh users

Refer to “Transferring music files from iTunes
to your NOMAD IIc player” on page 5-2.

Step 9: Listen to
MP3/WMA songs

Press the MENU button on the player and you
will see the NOMAD II main menu. The
MUSIC icon is blinking, which means that it is
selected by default. Press the PLAY button to
go to the MUSIC submenu and then press the
PLAY button again to enjoy clear digital
music.

Step 10: Make a Voice
Recording

Thinking of finding out how your voice
sounds on NOMAD IIc? Wait no more!

Press the MENU button to go to the NOMAD
II main menu and then press the FORWARD
button once to navigate to the VOICE icon.
Press the PLAY button to go to the VOICE
submenu. Press and hold the REC button to
start the recording. To stop the recording, press
the STOP button.

For more details on how to use your
player more effectively, please refer to
Chapter 3, “Using Your NOMAD IIc
Player”.

NOMAD Detector

For Windows users only

NOMAD Detector is a small utility in the
Taskbar (see Figure 2-7 below) that can detect
a connection between the NOMAD IIc player
and the PC via a USB cable. It is installed by
default as part of Creative PlayCenter 2.

To disable NOMAD Detector

1. Right-click the NOMAD Detector icon to

show the shortcut menu. Enable
NOMAD Detector is selected by default.

2. Click the Enable NOMAD Detector to

disable it.
If you want to enable it again, click Start

-> Programs -> Creative -> Creative
PlayCenter 2 -> Creative PDE Detector.

You can also click Exit to quit
NOMAD Detector if you do not need
to use the utility. The utility will
appear the next time you restart your
PC.

Ensure that the utility is enabled or
launched, otherwise the PlayCenter 2
application will not launch
automatically when the NOMAD IIc
is connected to your computer.

Figure 2-7: NOMAD Detector.

Using Your NOMAD IIc Player 3-1

3

Using Your NOMAD IIc Player

Power ON/OFF

1. Press and hold the PLAY button to turn on the power.
The NOMAD IIc main menu appears as shown above.

2. To turn off the power, press and hold the STOP button for more than
1 second.

If the player is idle in 3 minutes, it will turn off automatically.
You can change the Power Off time in the SETTINGS submenu.

Lock

Ensure that the LOCK switch is not on before you continue.

Battery indicator

Flash Memory Card (Smart Media) indicator

Lock indicator

Vol ume indi ca to r

Repeat Segment
/MIC Input
indicator

Note

: MIC HI/LO
only appears
while recording

Repeat Track
indicator

PLAY

STOP

VIEW OF ALL ICONS

Lock icon appears

To lock the
player’s buttons:

Slide the LOCK
switch downwards.

Using Your NOMAD IIc Player 3-2

Navigating & Accessing Menus

There are two levels of menus which control the operations of the player: the MAIN menu and six submenus.

MUSIC submenu INFO submenu

VOICE submenu

MAIN menu

Press the PLAY button to access a
submenu (represented by an icon) or a
playlist item on the LCD.

Press the FORWARD button to navigate
to the next item on the right or below.

Press the REVERSE button to navigate to
the previous item on the left or above.

Press the MENU button to
go to the MAIN menu or to
return to the submenus after
operating the functions.

SETTINGS submenu

TIME submenu

Using Your NOMAD IIc Player 3-3

In MUSIC Submenu

To access MUSIC submenu, press the PLAY button when the
MUSIC icon is blinking.
The MUSIC submenu appears, with the first file selected.

NOMAD IIc is designed to be future-proof as it is
programmable. New audio formats can be downloaded into the
player when they are available. Visit www.nomadworld.com for
any new releases.

To play an MP3 File

To play back MP3 files, they must first be downloaded in the
NOMAD IIc player.

1. Press the PLAY button to play back the current track or press it
again to pause.
During Pause, the Pause icon appears.
During the playback, the Play icon, time elapsed, song order, the
song title, artist, bitrate, sampling rate, and DSP mode are displayed
on the LCD.

2. Press the STOP button to stop the playback. If held down for longer
than 1 second, the power will be turned off.

You can press and hold the PLAY button to toggle to the VOICE
submenu and back to the MUSIC submenu.

To repeat MP3 playback

Press the REPEAT button and then select either Repeat Current
Track, Repeat All, or Repeat Random which appears in order.

To cancel the operation, press the REPEAT button until the
Repeat indicator disappears from the LCD.

Repeat Current Track Repeat All Repeat Random

Using Your NOMAD IIc Player 3-4

To repeat a section of a track continuously

Press the A-B button when a track is playing to mark the point where
you want the section to start and press the button again where you
want the section to end.

To cancel the operation, press the A-B button again.
The A-B indicator disappears from the LCD and the track
continues playing from the point where the section ends.

To use the DSP Equalizer

Press the DSP button to select the Equalizer mode. Then press
repeatedly to select NORMAL, USER, POP, ROCK, CLASSIC, and
JAZZ, that appear in turn.

Only the USER option allows you to customize the Bass and
Treble level.
To set either level, press the FORWARD or REVERSE button
to select the desired level and then press the VOL + or VOL - to
increase or decrease the level.

DSP

FORWARDREVERSE

VOL + /-

Using Your NOMAD IIc Player 3-5

To erase an MP3 File

1. Press the MENU button to go to the MUSIC submenu.

2. Select the desired track using the FORWARD or REVERSE button.

3. Press the ERASE button.
A confirmation message appears on the LCD.
Press the PLAY (Select) button to erase.

4. To cancel, press any button other than the PLAY button. Or,
do not press any button for 3 seconds.

5. When the action is cancelled, it returns to the MUSIC submenu.

In VOICE Submenu

To go to VOICE submenu, press the PLAY button when the VOICE
icon is blinking.
The VOICE submenu appears, with the first recording selected.

To change microphone input

Microphone input affects the quality of a voice recording by adjusting
the loudness of environment noise. Choose HI if you are recording in a
quiet environment, and LO, in a noisy environment. The default input is
LO.

Press the DSP button.
The microphone input switches to HI. Press again to switch it back
to LO.

ERASE

MIC HI/LO
indicator

Using Your NOMAD IIc Player 3-6

To make a voice recording

1. Press and hold the REC button to start the recording.
The recording icon, time elapsed, the word “Recording”, and the
file name appear on the LCD.

2. Press the STOP button to stop recording.

When the memory is full, a message appears and recording stops
automatically.

To play a voice recording

Press the PLAY button to play back the current track. Press it again
to pause. To resume playback of the current track, press the PLAY
button.

To erase a voice recording

1. Select the desired track using the FORWARD or REVERSE button.

2. After selecting a track, press the ERASE button.
A confirmation message appears on the LCD.

3. Press the PLAY button to erase.

4. To cancel the operation, press any button other than the PLAY
button or do not press any button for 3 seconds.

5. When the action is cancelled, it returns to the previous state.

Each of the track numbers following the erased one decreases
by one.

This is the filename
assigned by the player

REC

STOP

ERASE

Using Your NOMAD IIc Player 3-7

In INFORMATION Submenu

To go to INFORMATION submenu, press the PLAY button when
the INFO icon is blinking.
The INFO submenu appears with the date, the owner's name, the
total memory and free memory of the Flash Memory Card (Creative
SmartMedia), the firmware version and the remaining power of the
battery displayed on the LCD.

You can change the owner’s name using PlayCenter 2’s Settings
option.

To change the owner’s name

1. In PlayCenter 2’s NOMAD II window, click the right arrow to scroll

right until the Settings icon appears.

2. Click the Settings icon.
The Settings dialog box appears.

3. Type in your name.

Go to INFORMATION submenu in your player to verify that
the name you typed is changed in the LCD.

Using Your NOMAD IIc Player 3-8

Navigating & Accessing SETTINGS Submenu

Press the PLAY button to access an icon.
Note: To cancel the operation, press the
MENU button to return to the
SETTINGS Submenu.

Press the FORWARD button to navigate
to the next icon on the right or below.

Press the REVERSE button to navigate to
the previous icon on the left or above.

Backlight Contrast

Power off if idle

SETTINGS submenu

Audio output

Using Your NOMAD IIc Player 3-9

To set Backlight on interval

1. Navigate to the BACKLIGHT icon and then press the PLAY button.

2. Press the VOL + or VOL - buttons on the player to increase or
decrease the duration the backlight is activated on the LCD.

3. Press the PLAY button to save the new settings.
The word “Saved” appears on the LCD and the SETTINGS
submenu appears.

The maximum duration is 12 seconds.

To turn on/off Backlight

Press and hold the MENU button to turn on/off the backlight.

To set Contrast

1. Navigate to the CONTRAST icon and then press the PLAY button.

2. Press the VOL + or VOL - buttons on the player to increase or
decrease the contrast level.

3. Press the PLAY button to save the selected setting.
The word “Saved” appears on the LCD and the SETTINGS
submenu appears.

VOL + /-

PLAY (Select)

VOL + /-

PLAY (Select)

Using Your NOMAD IIc Player 3-10

To set Power off when idle

1. Navigate to the POWER OFF icon and then press the PLAY button.

2. Press the VOL + or VOL - buttons on the player to increase or
decrease the time after which the player will switch off if there are
no operations.

3. Press the PLAY button to save the selected setting.
The word “Saved” appears on the LCD and the SETTINGS
submenu appears.

To set Audio output

1. Navigate to the OUTPUT icon and then press the PLAY button.

2. Press the VOL + or VOL - buttons on the player to select headphone
output or line output for audio.

3. Press the PLAY button to save the selected output.
The word “Saved” appears on the LCD and the SETTINGS
submenu appears.

VOL + /-

PLAY (Select)

VOL + /-

PLAY (Select)

Using Your NOMAD IIc Player 3-11

In TIME Submenu

To go to TIME submenu, press the PLAY button when the TIME
icon is blinking.
The submenu similar to the above diagram appears with the current
date, time and day.

To set the date, time and day

1. Press and hold the REC button to select setting mode.
The Hour value blinks, ready to be set.

2. Press the VOL + or VOL - buttons on the player to increase or
decrease the Hour value.

3. Press the FORWARD or REVERSE button to shift to the Minute,
AM/PM, Day, and Date in order and repeat step 2 to adjust the
values.

4. Press the PLAY button when the setting is completed.

VOL + /-

REC

That’s all. We hope that you will enjoy using your NOMAD IIc player. Do remember to visit
www.nomadworld.com for the latest update and enhancements for your player.

Using Creative PlayCenter 2 in Windows 4-1

4

Using Creative PlayCenter 2 in Windows

This chapter describes only selected tasks
available with PlayCenter 2. For complete
information, see the PlayCenter 2 Help file by
clicking the question mark icon (?) on
PlayCenter 2.

Details of the PlayCenter 2’s interface are
found in the About PlayCenter 2 topic in the
Help file.

Any reference to "NOMAD II" in
PlayCenter 2 also refers to the
NOMAD IIc player.

Introducing PlayCenter 2

Creative PlayCenter 2 allows you to manage
the contents on your NOMAD IIc:

❑ Transfer MP3 and other files to your

NOMAD IIc

❑ Transfer the files (except protected MP3

or WMA files) on your NOMAD to your
computer

To open PlayCenter 2

1. Connect NOMAD IIc to your computer.

2. Start PlayCenter 2 by either of the following methods:

❑ Double-click the PlayCenter 2 icon on the Windows desktop.
❑ Click Start -> Programs -> Creative -> Creative PlayCenter 2.0 -> Creative

PlayCenter 2.0.

Figure 4-1: PlayCenter 2 user interface.

Help icon

Using Creative PlayCenter 2 in Windows 4-2

Using PlayCenter 2

To download MP3/WMA files to
your player

Refer to “Step 8: Download MP3/WMA Files
to Your Player” on page 2-5.

To rip an audio CD into
MP3/WMA files

1. Insert an audio CD into the CD-ROM
drive.

2. Click the Aud io CD button.
The CD Drive Window appears.

3. In the Main window, click the boxes next
to the tracks you want to rip.

4. To rip tracks to your hard disk, click either
My Computer or PC Music Library in
the Tran sfer window.

5. To rip tracks to your player, click the
NOMAD II button in the Tra nsfe r
window.

6. Locate your preferred folder and then
click the Rip To button.
The Transfer Status bar shows the
progress of the ripping. The ripped MP3
song’s information is stored under

Albums, All Tracks and Artists in PC
Music Library.

7. To preview the song that you have just
ripped, click the song title and then click
the Preview icon.

To transfer voice files from your
player to your computer

1. In the Main Window, click the My
Computer button and locate the folder or

album where you store the voice files.

2. Click the NOMAD II button in the
Tran sfer window.

3. Click the Media bar in the Tran sf er
window and select the voice files you want
to transfer from your player.

4. Click the upper Tran sf er button.

To delete files from your player

1. In the NOMAD II view, select the file to
be deleted.

2. Click the Delete icon in the Toolbar.

To change PlayCenter 2’s settings

1. Click the Settings button to display the
Setting dialog box.

2. Click any tab to display the settings on the
tab:

❑ PlayCenter 2: Select modules to be

displayed in either window.

❑ PC Music Library: Assign a folder

for storing files on your computer’s
hard disk.

❑ My Computer: Select the types of

media files that you want PlayCenter 2
to display.

❑ CD Ripping: Configure a CD-ROM

drive for digital audio extraction.

❑ Encoder: Select MP3, WMA or

WAV compression methods.

Figure 4-2: PlayCenter 2’s

Settings

dialog box.

Using Creative PlayCenter 2 in Windows 4-3

❑ CDDB: Select whether or not to

automatically retrieve CDDB
information for an audio CD.

❑ Tran sfer : Select options for file

transfer.

❑ Change Skin: Select different skins

for the PlayCenter 2 user interface.

To format your Flash Memory
Card (Creative SmartMedia)

Formatting a Flash Memory Card
(Creative SmartMedia) deletes any
existing files.

1. Click the NOMAD II button in the
Tran sfer window.

2. Click the Media bar and select Flash
Memory Card.

3. With the Flash Memory Card (Creative
SmartMedia) contents displayed, click the
Format icon in the Toolbar.

If the Flash Memory Card (Creative
SmartMedia) is already formatted, you can
add or delete files to and from the card.

If you change the Flash Memory Card
(Creative SmartMedia), click the Refresh
button to display the file information for the
new card.

To check the status of the Flash Memory Card
(Creative SmartMedia), click the Media bar
and then click Information.

To connect to the NOMAD
website

Click the Internet button on PlayCenter 2.

You must be connected to the Internet
for your default Web browser to
connect to www.nomadworld.com.

Format

icon

Figure 4-3:

Format

icon.

Using iTunes in Macintosh OS 5-1

5

Using iTunes in Macintosh OS

Any reference to "NOMAD II" in
iTunes also refers to the NOMAD IIc
player.

The Macintosh iTunes application, included in
your NOMAD IIc package, features a
powerful interface for importing music CDs to
MP3 files, creating playlists, creating music
CDs, moving music to your NOMAD IIc
player as well as for listening to hundreds of
radio stations on the Internet.

Voice files recorded with your NOMAD IIc
(denoted by the file name extension .NVF) can
also be manipulated and played back with
iTunes in the same way as any other supported
music file.

You can launch the iTunes application after
installing the software and setting up your
player as described in “Setting Up Your
NOMAD IIc Player” on page 2-1.

Extensive instructions on how to use iTunes
can be found after launching the application,
by clicking the Help menu, then iTunes Help.

When iTunes is launched, you will see the main interface as shown below:

Playlist Information

:
Displays songs
available in the
currently selected
source. Song
information, such as
artist and song length,
is also provided when
available.

Random Button

:
Click once to play
songs in the
playlist at random

Repeat Button

: Click once
to repeat all songs in the
playlist. Click again to repeat
the currently selected song.
Click a third time to resume
normal playback.

Figure 5-1: The iTunes interface.

Music Visualizer Button

:
Click once to launch the
Music Visualizer, which
generates screen
graphics in unison with
music being played

Eject Button

: Click
once to eject any CD
currently in your CD
drive

Source

:
Displays currently
available music
sources, including the
NOMAD IIc player if it
has been connected
to your Macintosh.

Create New Playlist
button

: Click once to
create a new playlist
in your source

Display Bar

: Provides
information such as
elapsed or remaining time
when a song is played
back, and copying progress
when a song is transferred
from one source to another.

Search Box

: Key in
the name of songs
you want to find.

Browse/Burn CD
Button

: Click the

Browse

button to
search for songs
when

Library

is
selected as a source.
Click the

Burn CD

button to burn a
currently selected
playlist to CD

Reverse Button

Play
Button

Forward
Button

Volume Slider

Using iTunes in Macintosh OS 5-2

Transferring music files
from iTunes to your
NOMAD IIc player

1. Launch the iTunes application if it has not
already been launched. The iTunes
interface appears, with Library selected
as your source.

2. Connect your NOMAD IIc player to your
Macintosh. A NOMAD II icon appears in
the Source box.

3. With the Library icon selected, click and

drag the songs you want to transfer from
the playlist to the NOMAD II icon in the
Source box.

4. The selected songs are transferred to your
NOMAD IIc player.

5. After the songs have been copied to your
player, click the NOMAD II icon in the
Source box. Be sure that the songs
transferred to your player are listed.

Using iTunes in Macintosh OS 5-3

Transferring music files
from your NOMAD IIc
player to iTunes

1. Launch the iTunes application if it has not
already been launched. The iTunes
interface appears, with Library selected
as your source.

2. Connect your NOMAD IIc player to your
Macintosh. A NOMAD II icon appears in
the Source box.

3. Click the NOMAD II icon in the Source
box.

4. With the NOMAD II icon selected, click

and drag the songs you want to transfer
from the playlist to the Library icon in the
Source box.

5. The selected songs are transferred to
iTunes.

6. After the songs have been copied to
iTunes, click the Library icon in the
Source box. Be sure that the songs
transferred to iTunes are listed.

An MP3 Primer A-1

A

An MP3 Primer

What is MP3?

MP3 is an acronym for Moving Picture
Experts Group (MPEG) Layer 3, a type of
audio data compression that can reduce digital
sound files by a 12:1 ratio with virtually no
loss in quality. It is an efficient way to store
high-quality music or other audio content on
your computer.

MP3 files can be very small and yet retain a
high sound quality. MP3 files usually have the
extension .mp3, and can be downloaded from
the Internet, or can be legally made for
personal use from the audio CDs that you
purchased.

It is illegal to encode MP3 files for
trade or sale unless you have the
expressed and explicit permission of
the copyright holder(s).

MP3 Conversion Process

Extracting from Audio CD

You must have a CD-ROM drive that
can extract the audio data from an
audio CD.

Audio CD extraction is the first phase in the
MP3 conversion process. It is the reading of
data off an audio CD and storing it temporarily
on your hard drive.

You need an application that can direct the
CD-ROM drive to extract this audio data. This
program is known as a “ripper”. It reads the
data off the audio CD and in some cases stores
it in a file.

The duration of the audio CD extraction phase
depends on many factors. The speed of a
CD-ROM drive is one of the most important
elements in overall extraction speed. The
speed ratings commonly seen on CD-ROM
drives—like 8X, 24X, and so on—refers to the
speed in reading data CDs or CD-ROMs. Your
particular drive may be fast for non-audio data,
but slow at reading audio CD data.

Other factors are defects or scratches on an
audio CD. When playing the audio CD in a
CD-ROM drive, the data lost due to error is
negligible. But when data is read incorrectly
and put through the MP3 encoding phase, the
distortion is highly noticeable. To avoid this
distortion, the audio CD extraction software
may read the data two or three times to make
sure it was read correctly. This error-checking
feature is an option in most audio CD data
extraction software. Be sure error-checking is
enabled in your audio CD extraction software.

Encoding to MP3

The data extracted from an audio CD is one of
the many types of data an MP3 encoder may
process. Encoders typically expect data to be
in .wav format. They read .wav data and output
MP3 data. These data are put into an MP3 file.

MP3 encoding is the compressing of data by
transforming it into the frequency domain.
MP3 encoding/compression is quality lossy
compression and the amount of loss (of
quality) is dependent upon the sampling rate
of the output and the bitrate of the output. The

A-2 An MP3 Primer

higher the sampling and bitrates of each of these parameters, the better the quality of the sound.

Memory and Audio Quality

The amount of memory and MP3 quality are related. The higher the quality required, the higher
the bitrate needed. This leads to more data storage and memory requirements. The amount of
memory required for the NOMAD IIc player is proportional to audio playback time.

We recommend that you set your encoding bitrate at 128 kbps (see Figure A-1) for
optimal quality when you create MP3 files from audio CDs.

Figure A-1: Playing time versus encoding rate for different memory capacities.

MP3 Web sites

Through web sites, you can download MP3
files either with or without charge and get
information about the latest techniques and
software related with MP3.

Examples of web sites with MP3 content are:

❑ NOMAD World

(http://www.nomadworld.com)

❑ EMusic

(http://emusic.com)

❑ Audible Inc.

(http://www.audible.com)

❑ Audio Explosion, Inc.

(http://www.audioexplosion.com)

❑ AudioHighway.com

(http://www.audiohighway.com)

❑ Big Heavy World

(http://www.bigheavyworld.com)

❑ MP3.com

(http://www.mp3.com)

❑ SINC Recordings

(http://www.sincrecordings.com)

❑ Songs.com

(http://www.songs.com)

Technical Specifications & Troubleshooting B-1

B

Technical Specifications & Troubleshooting

NOMAD IIc Player
DAP-3205/DAP-6406*

Size (W x H x D)/ Weight

❑ 65 x 93 x 21 mm / 86.4g (without

battery)

Memory

Internal Memory

❑ DAP-3205: 32MB
❑ DAP-6406: 64MB

Type of removable memory
❑ 1 x Flash Memory Card (Creative

SmartMedia) slot

Maximum memory**
❑ DAP-3205: 96MB [32MB Internal

Memory and 64MB Flash Memory
Card (Creative SmartMedia)]

❑ DAP-6406: 128MB [64MB Internal

Memory and 64MB Flash Memory
Card (Creative SmartMedia)]

Interface

❑ USB (using standard USB cable or via

optional docking station)

LCD Display

❑ 132 x 64 bitmapped backlit

Standard Playback Usage

❑ 1 x AA battery
❑ 8-10 hours for MP3/voice playback

(with alkaline battery)

Signal to Noise Ratio

❑ 95 dB

Frequency Response

❑ 20 Hz - 20 KHz

Maximum Output

❑ 5-7 mW

Harmonic Distortion Output

❑ 0.05% at 1 khz with 32 ohm load

DSP

❑ 5 presets and 1 user setting: bass and

treble control

Audio Codec support

❑ MPEG Audio Layer 3 (MP3), Windows

Media Audio (WMA) and future
formats***

Firmware

❑ Flash based. User upgradable**

Voice Recording

❑ G721 ADPCM encoding at 32kbps. Up

to 2 hours recording on 32MB internal
memory

* - Model number varies, depending on model
purchased. Technical specifications for both models
are identical except where specified.

** - The maximum memory will vary depending on
the Flash Memory Card (Creative SmartMedia)
capacity

*** - Future audio codec support and firmware
upgrades will be available via
www.nomadworld.com

Technical Specifications & Troubleshooting B-2

Troubleshooting

If you have a Media Card
reader/writer, you may have
problems reading the Flash Memory
Card (Creative SmartMedia)

Cause

❑ NOMAD IIc only supports SSFDC (Solid

State Floppy Disc Card) format (FAT12).

❑ Windows 98 detects the Media Card

reader/writer as an external removable
drive in Windows Explorer. Thus, you can
only format the Flash Memory Card
(Creative SmartMedia) into FAT16 format
and NOMAD IIc is unable to recognize
the FAT16 format.

Solution

❑ To format the Flash Memory Card

(Creative SmartMedia), you need to obtain
a software utility from the Media Card
reader/writer vendor that supports SSFDC
format (FAT12).

The NOMAD II button is not on the
Transfer window of PlayCenter 2

Cause

❑ It is disabled.

Solution

❑ To enable the NOMAD II button:

1. Click the Settings button.

2. Click the PlayCenter 2 tab.

3. Select the NOMAD II check box
under Right Panel.

4. Click the OK button.

5. Exit PlayCenter 2.

6. Restart PlayCenter2.
The NOMAD II button appears.

Upgrading your player’s firmware
sometimes causes the player to stop
responding

Solution

❑ To reset the player and upgrade the

firmware again:

1. Turn off the power.

2. Activate the LOCK switch.

3. Press and hold the STOP button and
do not release it.

4. Remove the battery from the player.

5. Insert the battery and wait for 10
seconds.
The words “Backup Mode" appears on
the LCD.

6. Release the STOP button.

7. Connect your player to the PC.

❑ Double-click the firmware file.

The firmware upgrade is successful if the
MAIN menu appears.

Handling Instructions C-1

C

Handling Instructions

Handling Instructions

For your NOMAD IIc player to last longer,

Do not subject the player to extreme force

❑ Vibration during walking or exercising

will not affect the NOMAD IIc player.
However, dropping the player or dropping
a heavy object on the player may result in
distorted sound.

Keep the player away from water at all times

❑ The player may be damaged if water

enters it.

❑ If the player comes in contact with water,

wipe it immediately with a dry cloth. If the
player set is not functioning, call
Technical Support.

Storing the player set

❑ Avoid keeping the NOMAD IIc player,

docking station, and the flash memory
card in places with high humidity, strong
magnetic field, or near high heat source(s).