Need help tricking iTunes

[atgcpaul]

I'm one of the handful of MP3 owners that doesn't own an iPod. However, I
don't mind paying for music and I like buying from iTunes. Unfortunately, with
my version of iTunes I can't convert the iTune files to MP3 to transfer to my
MP3 player. Anyway, I want to avoid having to burn a CD in iTunes and then
ripping it back to MP3. Is there a way to "burn" to the hard drive instead of
to disc?

Thanks, Paul

[bfrikken]

Good question. I was in same situation a while ago before Christmas. I ended up after hours of searching just burning some cd's because I didn't have all that many songs. I'm interested in reading others posts on this.

[Rob R]

unless i'm wrong, you will need to burn it to cd. that is the rub with itunes. there are other sources for legal purchased music you can purchase with windows media player and should work with your mp3 player.

if your music library consists of cds you ripped into itunes, it may be quicker to just re-rip them as mp3 instead of AA3---this will auto fil the song/artist/album...if they are ripped in as mp3, and windows media won't recognize them, check out a program called MUSIC BRIDGE. this will allow you to share tracks between the two, but it won't transfer the files from aa3 to mp3

the purchased songs will need to be copied to cd and ripped to mp3

If you have thousands of songs and this sounds like a pain in the neck, then buy an ipod. they aren't that bad

good luck
rob

[bfrikken]

unless i'm wrong, you will need to burn it to cd. that is the rub with itunes. there are other sources for legal purchased music you can purchase with windows media player and should work with your mp3 player.

if your music library consists of cds you ripped into itunes, it may be quicker to just re-rip them as mp3 instead of AA3---this will auto fil the song/artist/album...if they are ripped in as mp3, and windows media won't recognize them, check out a program called MUSIC BRIDGE. this will allow you to share tracks between the two, but it won't transfer the files from aa3 to mp3

the purchased songs will need to be copied to cd and ripped to mp3

If you have thousands of songs and this sounds like a pain in the neck, then buy an ipod. they aren't that bad

good luck
rob

I think you are right Rob, but adding to Paul's question, I myself was wondering if you could actually "burn" the cd to a directory on your hard drive. Like an ISO image. But when I did it, I had to burn the cd through ITunes.

[sacherjj]

There is a piece of software call Freeplay. This interacts with the iTunes store and allows you to save the music as m4a rather than m4p. (MPEG-4 audio, rather than MPEG-4 Protected) These are then possible to convert to MP3, but can usually be played as is by hardware that understands MP4. Apple is currently in lawsuits in various foreign countries, because of their DRM anti-competition tactics. I've just stopped buying from them. No sense spending money on songs that I can't use with my Treo. I use that far more than my iPod now.

Oh, I don't know if it is still the case, but Freeplay would only unDRM songs that were purchased through it (to the Apple store.)

[LinuxRandal]

Don't have an Ipod or mess with Itunes, but don't most burners, allow you to make an image for burning later?

If so you can find software to mount that image, and then rip directly from it, but going from one compressed format, to another does result in a loss of quality.

[Jeffrey Schronce]

That is a lot of steps to get music on to MP3 player. If you have a ton of music to convert via this method I would write it to DVD R/W which would avoid switching CDR's out all day.

[sacherjj]

Don't have an Ipod or mess with Itunes, but don't most burners, allow you to make an image for burning later?

If so you can find software to mount that image, and then rip directly from it, but going from one compressed format, to another does result in a loss of quality.

iTunes doesn't give you the option of writing to an image, it has the CD burning software built into it. It also limits the number of times you can burn ad playlist or a song. It all goes with the new model of renting us things instead of letting us buy them.

[gsmittle]

iTunes doesn't give you the option of writing to an image, it has the CD burning software built into it. It also limits the number of times you can burn ad playlist or a song. It all goes with the new model of renting us things instead of letting us buy them.

Assuming you are using Tiger, you can create a Burn folder, then Option-Copy the songs you want from the iTunes Music folder. Then you can creat a CD image on your hard drive.

Or, you can check Apple for a new version of iTunes. For Winderz, couldn't you just copy your songs into another folder, then re-import them as MP3s? I'm a Mac specialist here, so I'm shootin' in the dark....

g.

[Wood_workur]

can't you burn it to a virtual drive? here is how one works: http://computerforums.org/showthread.php?t=35179

[KenBurris]

use a flash drive

1 - select the song and right-click
2 - left click "show song file"
3 - the Itunes folder will appear with an icon for that song -
4 - right-click the icon, select "send to" removable disk
I can play from the flash with Real Player,checking how to store it

[LCHIEN]

burning it to other drives than CD make it more convenient but miss the point: Converting it and then ripping it back passes thru two more "lossy" decompress/ compress steps degrading the file.

The problem is a deliberately created one by iTunes but others will have the same... the songs you buy are restricted by the DRM so that you can't play the original digital version on anything but your iPod - loosing the iPod or changing to another brand player is going to lose that original copy.

iTunes doesn't give you the option of writing to an image, it has the CD burning software built into it. It also limits the number of times you can burn ad playlist or a song. It all goes with the new model of renting us things instead of letting us buy them.

I really don't like the DRM schemes as they all make it difficult to do things that digital makes easy and desirable for the end user (longevity, perfect reproducability, transportablility, interchangeability, etc.)

Not sure how to reconcile ownership rights (both the original copyright owner and the purchasing owner), it's going to be a long hard road. I feel like its going to be the record companies trying to screw the consumer as they have in the past. I only hope Congress rememebers the voters and not the Hollywood types who line their pockets. (Whoops, I think I'm treading the political line here - better stop now).

[bigstick509]

My two cents

For just pennies you can
download mp3 without DRM from this site,
http://www.allofmp3.com/
maybe not what the record industry would like but I'm sick of DRM and all its restricted access rules.

[mdutch]

Not used these, but [u=http://www.topvideopro.com/mp4-m4a-converter/convert-m4p-mp3-converter.htm]here's a site[/u] with one of several mp4 to mp3 converters. (in my understanding, iTunes uses .mp4 encoding).