how to copy a CD to your computer via iTunes
So you want to copy a CD to your computer, but you don't know how to do this! Never fear, it is very easy to do. This will be very detailed because I am assuming that some of you youngsters have never done this. I have been doing this since, like, 2003 when I first got an iPod. This method allows you to have the files on your computer, to add them to an iPod or to add them to your iPhone. You can also copy the files out of the iTunes media library and add them to anything else you'd like manually. For this post, I will be doing this in iTunes for mac, but you can also do this in iTunes for windows. It will just look slightly different. So here it goes:
Step 1: install iTunes on your computer. If you have a mac, you already have it, as it is a default system program. it will be called "music" if you have a newer mac. I have an old mac so it's called iTunes on mine. If you are on windows you can get iTunes for free here on the apple website.
Step 2: Have a CD drive in your computer or externally attached. If you have a modern computer that does not have a CD drive, you can purchase an external one that you can attach via usb. There are many examples that you can purchase via Newegg for as low as $20 USD. You can also buy an old computer (typically one ca. 2013 or earlier) and it will likely still have one onboard. Ebay is an excellent place for that. I use my 2012 macbook pro for this.
Step 3: Obtain a CD. You can do this for free by going to your local public library and checking some CDs out. Otherwise, you can buy them used inexpensively at local record stores, estate sales or thrift shops. You may also buy them new via an artist's show, their bandcamp page, their website or a local record store. Do what works for you. Personally I copy lots of library CDs.
Step 4: Put the CD into your CD drive.
Step 5: Open iTunes. Sometimes depending on how your iTunes is set up, your computer may actually pop up with a dialog box asking you if you want to import the CD via iTunes. If this happens, click "Yes". iTunes may also prompt you with the CD when you open it. Otherwise, when you open iTunes you can click on the little CD icon in the top ribbon, which takes you to a page that looks like this:
click "Yes" iTunes will then import the CD to your library. The CD, depending on age may not pop up with the correct (or any) metadata. That is, it may not have song titles, album art, artist names etc etc. That's OK, because you can fix that yourself. iTunes will make a little noise when it is finished importing and will pop you back to your library with the new album imported.
Step 7: Fix any metadata. You can do this by right clicking on the album which gives you this context menu:
Step 8: This gives you a dialog box that looks like this:
in this box, you can manually type whatever you want into all of the fields. This will edit the information for ALL songs in the album. If you want to edit a single song, open the album and right click on the song, and select "song info" in the context menu. The dialog looks just like this:
In these boxes you can also add album artwork uploaded from any jpg or png on your computer, you can add lyrics, whatever notes you want etc. It saves this information with the file.
Congrats! You've copied a CD to your computer. If you want to locate the actual MP3 files, they can be found in Music < iTunes media < Music < "Artist Name" on mac. In Windows, you'll find them in Music <iTunes < iTunes media < Music < "Artist Name" Since you copied them from a CD, they are not DRM protected files and you can do whatever you want with them afterwards.
Another fun fact: you can also do this with audio books on CD. Your local public library almost certainly has a lot of these, and if you are going on a trip where you internet connection might not be good, having them as offline files on your phone might be a good solution for you!
Stay tuned (haha) for my next post on iTunes, which will be about burning a CD from iTunes.
janainaart
prguitarman
theartofmadeline
titsay
discoholicmusic
