iPod & iTunes: The Missing Manual, Second Edition

Ripping CDs into iTunes

Ripping a CD means “converting its recordings into digital files on the computer.” (Too bad recording-industry executives didn’t know that when they accused Apple’s “Rip, Mix, Burn” ad campaign of promoting piracy, evidently equating “Rip” with “rip off.”)

With the proper iTunes settings, ripping a CD track and preparing it for use with the iPod is fantastically easy. Here’s how to go about it.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTION Transferring Your MusicMatch Library to iTunes

Okay, okay! This chapter has already convinced me to switch to iTunes, but I have thousands of songs in MusicMatch Jukebox already. How do I get them moved over to iTunes without missing a beat?

Fear not, gentle Windows friend. Moving your vast audio collection from one program to another can be painless, and you’ll definitely have fewer backaches than if you were hefting around boxes of CDs or LPs.

If you haven’t downloaded iTunes yet, do so. During the installation process the program asks whether you’d like to search for any music files to add to the iTunes music library. If you agree, iTunes automatically gathers up copies of all MP3 files on your PC.

If you’ve already downloaded iTunes but skipped the music roundup option, don’t worry. Just launch iTunes and follow these steps.

First, open your My Music folder (or whatever folder you’ve set MusicMatch Jukebox to use for song storage). In its window, you see all of the subfolders that contain your music.

Position the My Music window so that you ...