how to join tracks in itunes 11? No more Advanced Menu!

Thanks for the info. Works great now

I couldn't agree more with Randysrodeo. Apple screws up stuff frequently with their modifications and "improvements", and that is the main reason why I hang on as long as I can with a software version I know and can use efficiently, until they force me to "upgrade" by making my previous version obsolete. Then one has to relearn keystrokes, figure out ridiculous work-arounds for things that were easily done before, etc. It's a **** waste of time, and that's my biggest gripe.

But Apple isn't alomne in this...as any user of Photoshop or other popular programs will be aware.

Many of the newer CD players do play CDs with MP3. If your newer car has a CD player, you might see an MP3 emblem on it. It doesn't have to be a brand new car or a fancy CD player. I think most of the CD players that have come out in the past few years--in and out of cars--can play MP3 CDs. You can create MP3 CDs with iTunes. Create a playlist of MP3s with about 700mB or less. Then from the File Menu, select Burn Playlist to Disc. You will get an option to burn an MP3 CD. I have had the most luck using this method to create CDs that will play in my car. Some audiobooks need multiple CDs because the CD capacity is limited. On the other hand if you ripped the audiobook CDs into multiple files (one file per CD) you should still be able to fit several of those files onto one MP3 CD. I can often fit two averageish books into one CD. Longer books may still require more than one CD. And of course, you can adjust the quality of the rip. Spoken word doesn't require the quality that Beethoven might.

But, yeah. Joining tracks was a pain for me. Clicking on the left-most column heading to sort was not enough. I had to do it several times. That's a bug, not a feature. It is just bad programming.

So here's my solution to joining mp3 files which are not from a CD:

(1) Open iMovie, Create a 'New Event' and import your mp3 files into this Event. You can line the mp3 files in any sequence you like by simply dragging and dropping them. You can also edit the files by cropping them.

(2) Click on 'CREATE' on iMovie, create a movie (my iMovie creates .mp4 file).

(3) Once the movie is created, drag into your iTunes. It will play as an mp4 file but if you want to create mp3 version, just select the file, go to FILE on the top menu, scroll down to 'CREATE NEW VERSION' and select 'Create MP3 Version'.

You are very welcome!

rorschachmask wrote:

So here's my solution to joining mp3 files which are not from a CD:

...

Reenciode them 5 times?

No thanks. Just use the Join Together script listed above.

Shame on you for making me look up 'reenciode' when you probably meant re-encode..but thanks for making me look. I learnt something new. The point is: I am an amateur..and I like to go for the simplest possible solution. I prefer not to download something (even if it is Doug's applescript!), especially when I can do it with iMovie.

Could you elaborate on the 're-encode 5 times' bit?? When I am pulling all my mp3 files in iMovie just once, how am I re-encoding them 5 times? Thanks for your help.

Re-encode, yes sorry.

Not 5 times (in your example) but re-encoding as few times as possible is the best way to do it.

First you imported to iMovie and save the movie. 1st re-encode.

Send to iTunes then re-encode to MP3. 2nd re-encode.

They were re-encoded to MP3 the first time when they were converted to MP3 (either you purchased an MP3 or you RIP'd from the CD).

That would be 3 times re-encoding and every time you re-encoding to a lossy format (MP3, AAC) it takes a lot out of the file each time.

Maybe this link in You Tube will help to clear things up. 🙂

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Q6nEolOqdU

Donald J. Weis wrote:

Maybe this link in You Tube will help to clear things up.

Clear what up?

Thanks but I know how to join CD tracks and I know how to re-encode tracks.

Thanks for the response, Chris CA.

This is the best option in the new iTunes:

Select songs you wish to play together -> get info -> add unique label in "Grouping" text box.

Then enable the play-by-grouping feature. Go to Controls menu -> choose Shuffle, By Groupings.

Dire Entity wrote:

This is the best option in the new iTunes:

No it's not.

Join tracks is the best option in the new (and old) iTunes.

Select songs you wish to play together -> get info -> add unique label in "Grouping" text box.

Then enable the play-by-grouping feature. Go to Controls menu -> choose Shuffle, By Groupings.

I don't want to shuffle anything.

What if I want to play multiple groupings in order?

What if I want the tracks actually joined as a single track, such as an audiobook?

Oh, yes you can join tracks...

Insert CD

choose device: CD to see the CD tracks

click twice on the track column sorter to make tracks appear in order from lowest at the top to highest at the bottom.

Select all tracks with Apple+A or select top and then shift select bottom

go to top right to options and click to select join CD tracks.

You should see a new vertical line joining all of the tracks

Import CD

Not very intuitive but maybe they want it that way.

Here are the quick steps as of today (May 17, 2014)

1. Burn tracks to a blank CD, or just insert the music CD if it is ready to go.

2. Choose the CD from left sidebar.

3. Highlight all tracks on the CD that you want to merge (TIP: "Control A" shortcut if you want to merge them all)

4. IMPORTANT: Now look above the first track at the top right area of the iTunes window, click OPTIONS > Join CD Tracks

5. Import CD and it will import everything as one long track.

NOTE: If iTunes asks you to REPLACE, or DO NOT REPLACE already existing tracks, choose DO NOT REPLACE.

Good luck,
:boon

clboon wrote:

Here are the quick steps as of today (May 17, 2014)

Same as they were in December 2012 in this same thread.

NOTE: If iTunes asks you to REPLACE, or DO NOT REPLACE already existing tracks, choose DO NOT REPLACE.

What if I want the new merged tracks to replace the currently existing unmerged tracks?