Using iTunes

Please note that it is illegal to store any dowloaded copyrighted files on CWRL servers that are not used solely for educational purposes. If you chose to download copyrighted material from the Internet you are placing yourself, the CWRL, and the university at risk of lawsuit. For more information on university policies, see What You Need to Know about Peer-to-Peer File-Sharing Applications.

iTunes is Apple's contribution to CD-burning software; because this is an Apple application, the program is available only on the Macs. Unlike other burning applications, iTunes is strictly for burning audio files. With iTunes, you can also listen to Net-based radio stations. If your interest is in burning, the default computer to use is the Multimedia Station in Parlin 6; alternatively, you may check out a CD-burner to use on a computer in the FAC basement. To listen to CDs or Net Radio, however, you may use any Mac.

Burning A CD From Another Audio CD:

Upon opening iTunes, you will see the above screen. To copy an audio CD with tracks on it to a blank CD, insert the CD into the CD drive. You will see a CD icon and "audio CD" listed in the "Source" window.

To speed the process of identifying track and album names, go under "Advanced" and select "Get CD names" to automatically (using the Internet) access this information. In rare instances, selecting this option will leave you with choices, but most times the computer will automatically download the track and album information.

To keep your tracks for the computer to access after you place in your blank CD, you will need to create a new playlist file. Under "File" in iTunes, choose "New Playlist." (Alternatively, you can click on the "new playlist icon in the bottom left of the iTunes browser window.)

An icon with a musical note will appear under the "Top 25 Most Played." Click on this icon to open the file.

There are two ways to proceed from here:

1. Go to your desktop and double click on the "Audio CD" icon. A window will appear with all your tracks listed (probably as numbers) next to an iTunes icon:
   
   You can change the tracks to titles if you wish.

   Select All (apple + A) the tracks and then drag them into the "untitled playlist" file. The tracks may not appear in the order they appear on the CD from which you're taking tracks -- one track always seems to get out of order -- but you can arrange the tracks any way you wish in iTunes. Simply click, hold, and move the track where you want it to be. If you want to change the order entirely, it may be in your best interest to drag and drop tracks separately. You can also complete this process by using the "Import" function from the iTunes "File" menu.

2. Alternatively, you can begin this process by Importing the Audio CD into your iTunes Library, by clicking on the "Import" icon:
   

   If you have already accessed the album and track titles, after iTunes imports the music, you can go to your Library and organize the files by "Album" by clicking on that heading. Use the "shift" key to allow you to click on multiple files, and select as many of the songs as you want to burn onto your blank CD:

   

Once you've highlighted all the songs you'd like to burn onto a CD, drag the highlighted bunch of them to your new playlist (you may rename this list to reflect an album or a mix CD title of your choice). Use the mouse to highlight your playlist, and check the order of the songs. Rearranging them is as simple as clicking and dragging songs into place.

If you want to get all fancy, you can also decide how the burned CD will go from song to song: simply choose "Preferences" from the "iTunes" menu at the top of your screen. From there, choose "Effects":

In this menu, you can select "Sound Check" to assure even volume on all chosen tracks as well as play with the crossfade and enhancement of general sound, as you can see.

For both 1) and 2): Once your tracks are on the new playlist, eject your CD and replace it with your blank CD-R in the CD-ROM drive.

Burning A CD From MP3s or Other Files On The Computer

After you have downloaded the files (for your convenience, make sure you save all your files to the same folder), you will need to Import and possibly Convert your files to AIFF files. If you purchased a CD player or car in the past 2-3 years, your files will play without problem as mp3 files. Older CD players, however, cannot read mp3 files and so you must burn AIFF files.

As above, you will want to create a new playlist before dropping your tracks into iTunes and put your blank CD into the drive.

Before importing, go to iTunes' Preferences (located under the "iTunes" menu). Click on the "Importing" button. Change the preference from "Import Using MP3 Encoder" to "AIFF Encoder:"

Obviously, if you don't want to the songs to play while importing, simply uncheck the box. Now you're ready to import as directed above.

Now you have your playlist all set up and ready for burning. Go the the "File" menu and choose "Burn Playlist to CD." The "Burn CD" window will open.

From:

To:

Click on the yellow and black button. If you don't press the button within 15 seconds, the window will close and you will have to go through the Burn Playlist to CD command again.

The CD will now burn. It takes about 6-7 minutes to burn 70-80 minutes of music. Eject the CD when finished and enjoy!