How to Make CD Mixes Using MP3s

The process of making MP3 files readable by CD players is just a matter of saving them in a different format and writing the converted files to a CD. Just as ".mp3" is a format that MP3 players read, the ".aif" file format is what CD players understand.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• MP3 Players
• Portable MP3 Players

1. Choose which MP3s you want to put on an audio CD and collect these into a folder.

2. Assume that each minute of MP3 music will occupy about 10MB in AIF format, and make sure you have enough space on your hard drive.

3. Open your CD writer software (examples include Toast, EZ CD Creator, and CD Copier Deluxe).

4. Choose Audio CD from the menu that asks which format you wish to make.

5. Open the folder containing the MP3s you want to put on a CD.

6. Drag said MP3s into the main window of your CD writer's software and drop them there.

7. Double-check the order of songs in your play list, and make sure they're all there.

8. Weigh the memory size of what you're about to burn, remembering that CDs hold a bit more than 600MB each (roughly 70 minutes of AIF format music).

9. Select "Extract To" to choose the destination for the files (the blank CD) and click Save.

10. Go get some coffee. Your CD burner software will work for some time, first converting the files from MP3 to AIF (this is why you need all that hard drive space), then doing the actual writing to CD. There may be a dialog box between these two steps where you'll have to click OK to start the writing process.

Tips & Warnings

• Writing music CDs from MP3s on your hard drive is often faster than burning from disc to disc because hard drives' write speeds are typically greater than the 2x, 4x, or even 8x that CD writers can do.