RobMustard
Level 1 (4 points)
iTunes

Q: Converting/Adding Podcasts to Music Library

I subscribe to several Podcasts published by public radio stations (e.g., KCRW, KUTX, KEXP) that send out a "Song of the Day".  For the tunes I like, I used to be able to do a "Convert to AAC" with a nice, easy right-mouse click, add that new track to my Music library, and then go in and alter the metadata about the song file, as well as add the album artwork.  Well, gosh, those two options (converting to AAC, and adding the album artwork) are gone now, under iTunes 12.4!

 

How the heck do I add these Podcasts now, and have those new tracks show up under the standard Recently Added smartlist?

 

Thanks in advance, folks.

iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, Late 2015), OS X El Capitan (10.11.5)

Posted on Jun 8, 2016 8:43 AM

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RobMustard

Q: Converting/Adding Podcasts to Music Library

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  • by erin_b1,

    erin_b1 erin_b1 Jun 9, 2016 8:57 AM in response to RobMustard
    Community Specialists
    Jun 9, 2016 8:57 AM in response to RobMustard

    Hey RobMustard!

     

    I love having my music available to me at all times in iTunes! Check out this article here: Convert a song to a different file format with iTunes. Specifically,

     

    Convert songs from files in a folder or on a disk

    If you want to import songs into iTunes, you can import and convert them at the same time. This creates a converted copy of the file in your iTunes Library, based on your iTunes preferences.

    To convert all of the songs in a folder or on a disk:

    1. Open iTunes Preferences.
      Windows: Choose Edit > Preferences.
      Mac: Choose iTunes > Preferences.
    2. Click the General button, then click the Import Settings button in the lower section of the window.
    3. From the Import Using pop-up menu, choose the encoding format that you want to convert the songs to. To save the settings, click OK.
    4. Hold down the Option key (Mac) or Shift key (Windows) and choose File > Create New Version > Convert to [import preference]. For example, if you chose Apple Lossless Encoder, select Convert to Apple Lossless.
    5. Select the folder or disk that contains songs that you want to import and convert. iTunes converts all of the songs in the folder or on the disk. 
      Older purchased songs are encoded in a Protected AAC format that prevents them from being converted. Learn how to upgrade these and then convert to another format.

     

    Now for the issue with the artwork, try this: iTunes 12 for Mac: Add artwork to songs and other items

     

    Add artwork to music and video

    Add artwork to one item: Select an item in your iTunes library, choose File > Get Info, click Artwork, and do one of the following: 

    • Click Add Artwork, select an image file, and click Open.

    • Drag the image file to the artwork area.

    Add the same artwork to multiple items: Select the items, choose File > Get Info, click Info, and drag an image file to the artwork area. 

    Retrieve album artwork from the iTunes Store for a song in your library: Control-click the song and choose Get Album Artwork. Command-click to select multiple songs. 

     

    Hope these steps help! Have a great day!

  • by RobMustard,

    RobMustard RobMustard Jun 9, 2016 1:34 PM in response to erin_b1
    Level 1 (4 points)
    iTunes
    Jun 9, 2016 1:34 PM in response to erin_b1

    Hello, erin_b1!  Thank you for the response(s), but they really weren't the solutions to my problems.  For the first bit, I wasn't importing from a CD-ROM; t'm simply trying to convert a file that I received via Podcast subscription to a music file (which I'd then like to use and have treated by iTunes as any other "regular" music file).  I can take one of the podcast files and use Get Info to change the "media kind" from Podcast to Music, but the file still doesn't seem to show up under the "Recently Added" smart playlist.

     

    As for the Album Artwork, that, too used to be a simple option on the right-click/context-sensitive menu -- but it's gone now!  The last thing I have time for is to go out and search for cover art JPGs to past into that silly Add Artwork image window...

     

    Still stuck here with my Podcast tunes.  Any additional help would sure be appreciated...