This tutorial will guide you in installing, setting up and using Banshee to manage your iPod in Ubuntu. Though the steps to install Banshee are specific to Ubuntu (or any Linux distribution that uses the Synaptic Package Manager), the steps to actually use Banshee can be applied to any Linux distribution.
Please note: This guide was authored back in 2007 and obviously, quite a bit has changed since then. Banshee still exists, but it doesn’t seem to have been updated since 2014. The following steps and screenshots have probably changed quite significantly.
Note: if you aren’t using Ubuntu, visit the Banshee downloads page to obtain Banshee for your version of Linux.
- Open the Synaptic Package Manager by selecting System -> Administration -> Synaptic Package Manager. You’ll need to enter your password for Synaptic to launch.
- Click the Search button from the top of Synaptic, enter banshee and click Search.
- Click the box next to the banshee entry and select Mark for installation.
- A window will appear asking you to confirm that you wish to install Banshee and the required packages associated with it. Click Mark to continue
- Click the Apply button.
- A Summary window will appear asking you to confirm yet again that you wish to download and install Banshee. Click Apply.
- The download and installation will being.
- When it’s done, click Close.
- Launch Banshee by selecting Applications -> Music & Video and then Banshee Music Player.
- The first time you run Banshee it will ask you to import you music library. Select Local Folder from the drop-down list and then click the Import Music Source button.
- Navigate to the folder you store your music in, select it and click Open.
- Banshee will launch and display your music library. Double-click a file to start playing it. One of the features of Banshee is that related info can be displayed (if you’re online) while a song is playing. Notice the lower panel in Banshee.
- Plug in your iPod if it isn’t already, and it should appear in the left column. High-light files you want to copy to your iPod, and drag them to the iPod entry.
- Select your iPod from the left column and confirm that the tracks you added are listed. Click the Synchronize iPod button.
- Review the info in the Synchronize iPod window and then click Save Manual Changes (unless you actually want to copy your entire music library to your iPod, in which case click Synchronize Library).
- The files will copy over.
- To eject your iPod, close down Banshee and right-click on the iPod icon on your desktop. Select Eject. You can now safely disconnect your iPod from your computer.
