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How to convert your iTunes purchases into MP3s

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1) Fire up iTunes

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Believe it or not, the cure for converting your purchased AAC files into MP3 files lies right inside iTunes, on either Windows or Mac OS X. There’s no need to download special software. There’s also a 100% chance that you already have the iTunes software if you’ve been purchasing songs on the iTunes Music Store.

2) Find those hidden preferences

iTunes supports CD importing – you know, for when you still buy those silver discs and need to digitize the music stored on them. That option isn’t hidden at all – it’s right there in the preferences screen for iTunes. (CMD + , on Mac OS X; Ctrl + , on Windows).

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defaultprefsClick on the “Import Settings…” button. This is where the magic happens.

This is the dialogue you’ll get, and by default it’s set to import any CDs using the AAC format. Handy, for when you want to make sure all your music is in the same format. But useless if you want to play those files elsewhere. Now, even though this is next to the section for importing CDs, these are actually the global import settings. Any time you ask iTunes to convert a file it’ll use the settings defined here.

 

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iTunes doesn’t just dominate digital music sales – it dominates all music sales, being the biggest music vendor in the world since 2010. It also ties in perfectly with the iTunes ecosystem Apple has created. You download music from the iTunes Store, and it syncs with your iPod, iPhone, or iPad. You can also access it wirelessly using an Apple TV, or stream music to speakers using Apple’s own network equipment.

But even though songs purchased from iTunes are no longer protected by DRM, and you can easily (and illegally) share purchases with your friends, it’s still a pain in the MP3 player to play your music the way you want.

The reason for this is that iTunes purchases are in the AAC (advanced audio coding) file format. Now, this isn’t some Apple creation that uses lots of proprietary technology. In fact, the AAC format is a standard that was developed by AT&T, Fraunhofer (the inventor of MP3), Dolby, Sony, and Nokia. It’s used in YouTube videos and games.

Yet, through no fault of Apple or the inventors of AAC, you can’t copy an AAC file to a USB memory stick and listen to it in your car. This just comes down to the fact that MP3 is the most popular audio file format, and most car manufacturers (or car radio manufacturers) just bake in support for the world’s most pirated famous audio format.

Where does that leave you? Well, surprisingly, you’re not left stranded in a certain smelly creek without a rowing implement. There is hope – and it’s built right into iTunes.

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3) Convert to MP3

newprefsOnce you’ve found the setting dialogue, just select MP3 from the down-down box for file formats. You can also choose a quality setting for MP3 imports. Songs you purchase on iTunes are very high quality, and extremely close to original CD quality, but they also take up a lot of space. A safe bet for MP3 would be 192Kbps, which gives smaller files while still retaining sound quality.

Once you’ve selected MP3 as the format, and chosen your preferred audio quality, click on “OK”, and close the preferences window.

convertedNow it’s time to choose the files you want to convert to MP3. This can be as simple as selecting an album, or creating a playlist of your favourite songs. Simply right-click on the item you want to convert, and in the context menu there’s an option to Convert to MP3.

Click on this, and iTunes will take a few seconds to convert an MP3 version of the selected song(s).

When the conversion is completed you’ll have an MP3 file that’s in the same location as the purchased album – usually in the folder where iTunes downloaded it to. Thankfully, there’s an easy option for finding those files, rather than drilling down your a file explorer.

Right click on any song you’ve converted and click on Show in Finder (Mac OS X) or Show in Explorer (Windows). This opens up a window right at the location the MP3 files are, and from there you’re free to copy them to your external disc or CD.

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