How to Convert iTunes to MP3 by Open Source

Converting your music to MP3 makes it a lot more portable.

The native format for audio files in iTunes is the AAC-formatted M4A file. This standard of compression gives a small file size and good resolution -- but it's far from universal. Many players and programs don't recognize M4A files, preferring to use the far more popular MP3 format. If you have iTunes-formatted music files that you want to convert to MP3, it's possible to do so on your computer, free, using open-source software.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

1. Download VLC Media Player, the open-source audio and video converter. Install by double-clicking the downloaded file.

2. Navigate to the iTunes file you wish to convert to MP3 and right-click. Select "Open with..." and then "VLC."

3. Open VLC Media Player's "File" menu and select "Streaming/Exporting Wizard."

4. Choose "Transcode/Save to File" and click "Next."

5. Choose "Existing Playlist Item." Click the name of the audio file to be converted and select "Next."

6. Place a tick in the box marked "Transcode Audio." From the pull-down menu, select "MP3." Click "Next." Click the box marked "RAW" and select "Next."

7. Click "Choose" and navigate to the directory where you want to save the MP3. Type a name for your MP3 file, remembering to add ".mp3" at the end: VLC doesn't do this for you. Click "OK."

8. Click "Next" and "Finish" to create the MP3 file.

References

• "Help File: VLC"; VideoLAN; Not dated

Resources

• VideoLAN: Download VLC