iLoungeiLounge
  • News
    • Apple
      • AirPods Pro
      • AirPlay
      • Apps
        • Apple Music
      • iCloud
      • iTunes
      • HealthKit
      • HomeKit
      • HomePod
      • iOS 13
      • Apple Pay
      • Apple TV
      • Siri
    • Rumors
    • Humor
    • Technology
      • CES
    • Daily Deals
    • Articles
    • Web Stories
  • iPhone
    • iPhone Accessories
  • iPad
  • iPod
    • iPod Accessories
  • Apple Watch
    • Apple Watch Accessories
  • Mac
    • MacBook Air
    • MacBook Pro
  • Reviews
    • App Reviews
  • How-to
    • Ask iLounge
Font ResizerAa
iLoungeiLounge
Font ResizerAa
Search
  • News
    • Apple
    • Rumors
    • Humor
    • Technology
    • Daily Deals
    • Articles
    • Web Stories
  • iPhone
    • iPhone Accessories
  • iPad
  • iPod
    • iPod Accessories
  • Apple Watch
    • Apple Watch Accessories
  • Mac
    • MacBook Air
    • MacBook Pro
  • Reviews
    • App Reviews
  • How-to
    • Ask iLounge
Follow US

How-to › Ask iLounge

ArticlesAsk iLoungeiTunes

Burning an MP3 CD from WAV files

Last updated: May 12, 2021 7:19 pm UTC
By Jerrod H.

Q: I’ve been asked by a friend to put together 200 songs onto one MP3 disc for office background music, but all of the tracks in my iTunes Library are in WAV format. Regardless of the Burning settings in iTunes’ Preferences window, when I start burning such a disc, a message pops up complaining that none of the tracks on the disc are in MP3 format. Can you tell me what I have to do to get a CD full of MP3s?

Advertisements

– Dan

A: iTunes’ “MP3 CD” option is indeed a bit ambiguous. Contrary to what many would expect, it doesn’t convert your existing selection to MP3 before burning, but instead simply burns only the MP3-formatted tracks which happen to be in the current playlist; files of any other format are left behind.

There are two options:

The first won’t help your specific situation at all, but is useful to readers trying to make backups of a mixed MP3/AAC library: simply switch iTunes’ burning preferences to “Data CD/DVD.” This will burn all files in their existing native format to a disc.

Advertisements

What you’ll have to do is actually convert all 200 songs to MP3. Luckily, iTunes makes it fairly easy to do. First, open iTunes’ Preferences, and select the “Advanced” tab, and the “Importing” panel.

Here, change the “Import Using” preference from “WAV Encoder” to “MP3 Encoder”, and set any additional quality parameters as you’d like them.

Then, return to the playlist you’d like to burn, choose “Select All” from iTunes’ “Edit” menu, and then choose “Convert Selection to MP3” from the “Advanced” menu. This will create a copy of each of your selected WAV tracks, in MP3 format.

If you’d like, you can delete the WAV files from the playlist, but it’d be unnecessary: simply burn an MP3 CD as you’d tried to before, and iTunes will automatically weed out the WAV files itself.

Advertisements

Latest News
The AirPods 4 with ANC is $30 Off
The AirPods 4 with ANC is $30 Off
1 Min Read
Google Adds Major Features to Google Maps EU
Google Adds Major Features to Google Maps EU
1 Min Read
New OLED Component May Debut on 2027 iPhone
New OLED Component May Debut on 2027 iPhone
1 Min Read
Trump Gives TikTok Another 90-Day Extension
Trump Gives TikTok Another 90-Day Extension
1 Min Read
The AirPods 4 is $30 Off
The AirPods 4 is $30 Off
1 Min Read
iPhone 17 Might Come In Two New Color Options
iPhone 17 Might Come In Two New Color Options
1 Min Read
New Foxconn Facility in India to Make iPhone Casing
New Foxconn Facility in India to Make iPhone Casing
1 Min Read
New Apple Accessories Launch on Apple Store and Apple Online
New Apple Accessories Launch on Apple Store and Apple Online
1 Min Read
The M4 Mac Mini is $130 Off
The M4 Mac Mini is $130 Off
1 Min Read
Bluey Theme Arrives on Apple Arcade Game Fruit Ninja Classic+
Bluey Theme Arrives on Apple Arcade Game Fruit Ninja Classic+
1 Min Read
Lossless Audio Tier Will Soon Debut on Spotify
Lossless Audio Tier Will Soon Debut on Spotify
1 Min Read
macOS Tahoe Cuts Off Support for FireWire
macOS Tahoe Cuts Off Support for FireWire
1 Min Read

iLounge logo

iLounge is an independent resource for all things iPod, iPhone, iPad, and beyond. iPod, iPhone, iPad, iTunes, Apple TV, and the Apple logo are trademarks of Apple Inc.

This website is not affiliated with Apple Inc.
iLounge © 2001 - 2025. All Rights Reserved.
  • Contact Us
  • Submit News
  • About Us
  • Forums
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?