IPod Mini skips while running

Question

I understand the problem: the hard drive can get jostled while I'm running, and the cache can only hold a certain number of songs. How do I convert songs that are currently at 128 bit rate to a smaller bit rate, like 56? This would allow the Mini to hold more songs in cache and lead to less skipping.

Answer 1

Chris...
About MP3 custom import options
The import options in the Importing pane of iTunes preferences give you increased control over the quality of your imported audio files and the amount of disk space the songs use. If you choose MP3 encoding, you can also set the following custom import options by choosing Custom from the Setting pop-up menu:
Stereo Bit Rate: The higher the Mono or Stereo kilobits per second (kbps), the higher the audio quality and the larger the file size. The most common bit rate for stereo MP3 files is 128 kbps. Lower bit rates are more appropriate for sound files containing voice recordings (as opposed to music).
Variable Bit Rate Encoding (VBR): This setting varies the number of bits used to store the music depending on the complexity of the music. This can help keep file size to a minimum.
Sample Rate: Sample rate is the number of times per second that the music waveforms are captured digitally. The higher the sample rate, the higher the quality and the larger the file size. Be sure to choose a sample rate that is no higher than the rate used to originally store the music, or you'll waste space. CD quality, for example, is 44.100 kHz, so choosing a higher rate when you're encoding from a CD is unnecessary. In general, the best choice is Auto, which uses the same rate as the original music.
Channels: Mono files are about half the size of stereo files. Mono is appropriate if you don't have stereo speakers or if your audio files are monaural. If you'll be listening to your MP3 files using your stereo system, choose Stereo or Auto. Auto converts tracks that are already monaural into mono MP3 files, and stereo files into stereo MP3 files.
Stereo Mode: In Normal mode, your MP3 files contain one track for the right stereo channel and one track for the left. In many cases, the two channels contain related information. In Joint Stereo mode, one channel carries the information that's identical on both channels, and the other channel carries the unique information. At bit rates of 128 kbps and below, this can improve the sound quality of your converted audio.
Smart Encoding Adjustments: If you choose this option, iTunes analyzes your encoding settings and music source and changes your settings as needed to maximize the quality of your encoded files.
Filter Frequencies Below 10 Hz: Filtering inaudible frequencies results in smaller, more efficient files without any perceived loss in audio quality.