Q: Is there a way to specify which MP3 codec iTunes uses for converting audio to MP3 format? I’d love to use the LAME codec, but iTunes seems to use the “XING” codec.
– Michael
A: Generally speaking, no, one can’t do that.
To use LAME on a PC, we’d recommend you encode with a separate third-party application, and then import the resulting tracks into iTunes.
However, if you’re using a Mac, shareware developer Blacktree, Inc.
has developed a clever and very useful solution called “iTunes-LAME.”
This AppleScript application, which is available free of charge, places direct access to a customizable LAME encoder into the “Script Menu��? on a Mac. iTunes-LAME will import audio tracks using the popular “—alt-preset standard,��? “—alt-preset extreme,��? or “—alt-preset insane��? configuration options, as well as any of an enormous number of custom combinations of bitrate, verbosity, and other power-user options.