Downloading mp3s from an Online Course

2024-12-10 Daniel and Calisca Improving your Creativity, Learning, Learning to do Science, Science 0

I am always ready to learn although I do not always like being taught.
Winston Churchill

Learning offline has undeniable perks—fewer distractions, greater focus, and no reliance on an internet connection. But some courses tether their audio files to the web, leaving learners without a way to access the content conveniently.

In one online course I took, the developers claimed they couldn’t make the MP3s available for download. A curious claim, given they’d merely embedded the files into the site. If you encounter a similar situation, here’s a straightforward method to make those audio files accessible for your personal use.

Step 1: Access the Page Source

  1. Open the page with the embedded audio in a browser like Chrome or Firefox (easier to work with than Safari).
  2. Right-click anywhere on the page background (not on links or images).
  3. Select “View Page Source” (or a similar option).
Click on image to enlarge.

Step 2: Locate the MP3 Files

  1. The HTML code for the page will appear. Press Ctrl+F (or Cmd+F on a Mac) to open the search bar.
  2. Search for .mp3. You should find links starting with http:// or https:// and ending in .mp3. These are the direct file locations.

Step 3: Download the Audio

  1. Copy the full link for each MP3 file.
  2. Paste it into your browser’s address bar and press Enter. The audio will load.
  3. Use your browser’s File > Save Page As feature to download the MP3 to your device.

Step 4: Streamline for Multiple Files

For pages with numerous audio files, speed things up with this method:

  1. Copy the HTML source into a text editor (BBEdit, Notepad++, etc.).
  2. Use search-and-replace to add line breaks before http and after .mp3. This organizes links into separate lines.
  3. Filter the relevant lines (those containing .mp3) into a new document using your editor’s “Process Lines Containing” tool.
  4. Save this list of links (e.g., replace line breaks, e.g., \n, with “>link</a>\n<a href=”), save as links.html, open in browser and batch-download the files.

The Bigger Picture

Sometimes, limitations like this are deliberate and good reasons are provided. Whether these reasons resonate or not is for you to decide. In the end, it’s about maximizing your learning experience—and taking full ownership of your education.

Just remember, downloading does not mean learning. Having the files available is only the first step, the rest is up to you.

Happy Learning.

 

Note: Written together with a dedicated ChatGPT 4o persona.