Burning MP3 CDs from AAC files

Question

Cemoi Author

Level 1

2 points

Burning MP3 CDs from AAC files

Hi all,

To burn a playlist whose songs are in AAC format to a series of MP3 CDs I go through the following steps:

Select all files in the playlist
Convert them to MP3 using "create a MP3 version"
In my library, create a new playlist containing all the recently added files (i.e. the new .mp3 files just created)
Burn this playlist to MP3 CDs
Delete all the - yet useless - MP3 files.

Do you know a more automated way to do this?

Is there any iTunes plug-in, or other software that would do this?

"Burn" on Mac does the job, how about a Windows software?

Thanks in advance

Posted on Jul 1, 2015 1:30 AM

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Answer 1

ed2345

Level 9

62,510 points

Jul 1, 2015 4:09 AM in response to Cemoi

Cemoi wrote:

Hi all,

To burn a playlist whose songs are in AAC format to a series of MP3 CDs I go through the following steps:

Select all files in the playlist

Convert them to MP3 using "create a MP3 version"

In my library, create a new playlist containing all the recently added files (i.e. the new .mp3 files just created)

Burn this playlist to MP3 CDs

Delete all the - yet useless - MP3 files.

Do you know a more automated way to do this?

Is there any iTunes plug-in, or other software that would do this?

"Burn" on Mac does the job, how about a Windows software?

Thanks in advance

As you know, iTunes is unable to burn an MP3 CD from files that are not already in MP3 format.

If you are starting with files in some other format, your steps 1 to 4 are correct. However, by step 5, you will have realized that it is the MP3 files that are useful, and the AAC files that are the problem.

To avoid the problem going forward, make sure all music that you rip, purchase, or otherwise acquire is in MP3 format.

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Answer 2

Cemoi Author

Level 1

2 points

Jul 1, 2015 7:20 AM in response to ed2345

Thanks ed2345 for replying, but my current situation is: I have hundreds of songs in AAC format, and want to create MP3 CDs for my stupid car stereo which doesn't read AAC (and hence is the problem for me, not the AAC files). I know there is a software able to do this automatically on MacOS, and would like to find a similar software for Windows.

My music library is almost all AAC because:

- part of the songs were purchased on the iTunes music store

- and the remaining ones (the majority) were ripped to AAC because this format is known to keep significantly better sound quality for a given bitrate (and therefore file size), which is equivalent to smaller files for a similar sound quality.

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Answer 3

ed2345

Level 9

62,510 points

Jul 1, 2015 5:44 PM in response to Cemoi

Hi Cemoi,

The burning program that I normally use on Windows, namely Roxio, also does not have the ability to convert AAC to MP3 on the fly.

For burning MP3 CDs, iTunes is actually the best choice. It automatically prepends the serial number, and also, depending how you sort your playlist, can create a folder structure on the MP3 CD:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2455

Since you are already stuck with the AAC files, the procedure you are using is the best one. You can accelerate step 3 by letting the conversions complete, and then sort your Music library by Date Added; your new MP3s will be all in a row. Click the first and Shift-click the last, and drag them all at once into the new playlist. Then burn.

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Answer 4

Cemoi Author

Level 1

2 points

Jul 8, 2015 9:50 AM in response to ed2345

ed2345 wrote:

You can accelerate step 3 by letting the conversions complete, and then sort your Music library by Date Added; your new MP3s will be all in a row. Click the first and Shift-click the last, and drag them all at once into the new playlist.

This is already the way I do it.

I might automate it a bit more by creating a smart playlist, with the following criteria: "file type = MP3" AND "date added = today", then burn this smart playlist.

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