How to Convert to MP3 on a Mac

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By Tony Smith
eHow Contributing Writer

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Apple's iTunes program is much more than just a great organizer for your song library. You can also use iTunes to convert your entire CD library to MP3 format to enjoy on your iPod, or other portable MP3 player. iTunes converts sound files in other formats, such as .wav or .aiff, to MP3 format, as well.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Converting Audio CDs to MP3

Step 1

Download and open iTunes.
Step 2

Go to the "iTunes" menu and select "Preferences." Under the "General," tab select "Import Settings." Change the "Import Using" drop down menu to "MP3 Encoder." Click "OK" to save the settings, and then click "OK" again to close the preferences window.
Step 3

Insert an audio CD into your Macintosh's CD drive.
Step 4

Wait for iTunes to access the "Gracenote CDDB®," and bring up the CD's song titles. Then iTunes asks if you'd like to import the CD into your iTunes library.
Step 5

Click "Yes" if you want to import the entire CD, and convert all the songs to MP3 format. If you just want certain songs from the CD click "No," then hold down the "Control" key, and click on the song you want to import. Select "Create MP3 Version" from the pop-up menu.

Tips & Warnings

To locate the actual MP3 file for a song (or sound file) in your iTunes library, click on the track's title and hold down the "Command" key as you press the "R" key. A new finder window will pop up with the MP3 file highlighted.
You must change your iTunes preferences as specified in Step 1, or your CD tracks and other audio files will be encoded in a different format.

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