# Making an .mp3 CD with iTunes songs for my car...



## mac_geek (May 14, 2005)

Hi all..

I just bought a new car that has an .mp3 CD player.

Rather than spending the $$$ to install an iPod integration kit, I was wondering what the easiest way to make an .mp3 CD was.

Can Roxio Toast do this? Or are there issues with protected AAC files?

A significant portion of my library are files downloaded from iTunes.

I know a workaround would be to re-rip audio CDs I've made as .mp3 files, but I'd rather not go through this hassle.

Your advice is appreciated in advance..


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## depmode101 (Sep 4, 2002)

you can burn an mp3 disk of songs from iTunes.
just go into your preferences and change the setting to burn an MP3 disk and away you go.


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## iMatt (Dec 3, 2004)

The easiest way to avoid the burn-and-rerip hassle is to spend $50 on an FM transmitter for your iPod.

Second-easiest is to use jHymn to strip the DRM so you can convert directly to MP3. Violates iTunes terms of service and presents its own hassles.

Otherwise, the only option is to burn-and-rerip. Use a CD-RW and you won't be stuck with piles of CDs you don't really want.


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## Moscool (Jun 8, 2003)

Or even less on a connector cassette


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## iMatt (Dec 3, 2004)

Moscool said:


> Or even less on a connector cassette


Chances are the new car w/ MP3 CD doesn't have a cassette player...


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## district (Sep 14, 2003)

It depends on how you want to navigate through your MP3s on your MP3 deck.

iTunes burns the songs into one huge playlist, sort of like the Shuffle. This is good if you want don't want to navigate through your songs, and instead want to play them in random. But if you're like me, you'll want to be able to flip through folders with individual albums in them. In that case, you'll need to burn your MP3s as a data disc.

I'm not sure how Toast handles MP3 CDs, because the bulk of my MP3s are on a PC, so I just burn from there.


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## quikkid (Oct 31, 2005)

Toast 7 works perfect for burning mp3 cds, you can add your own folders for navigation, or simply drag and drop them. Not sure about previous versions though.


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## iMatt (Dec 3, 2004)

quikkid said:


> Toast 7 works perfect for burning mp3 cds, you can add your own folders for navigation, or simply drag and drop them. Not sure about previous versions though.


The OP says he wants to make MP3 CDs out of iTunes purchases. This can't be done with Toast without first converting the tracks to MP3 somehow.


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## mac_geek (May 14, 2005)

depmode101 said:


> you can burn an mp3 disk of songs from iTunes.
> just go into your preferences and change the setting to burn an MP3 disk and away you go.


This is awesome.. thank you - I didn't realize iTunes had this functionality.

Has anyone done this with protected .mp4 files that have been downloaded from the iTunes Music Store? This seems too good to be true!


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## iMatt (Dec 3, 2004)

mac_geek said:


> This is awesome.. thank you - I didn't realize iTunes had this functionality.
> 
> Has anyone done this with protected .mp4 files that have been downloaded from the iTunes Music Store? This seems too good to be true!


No, you still need to burn and re-rip (or use jHymn) first.  As I said before, though, using a CD-RW for that phase will cut way down on the number of discs used.


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## mac_geek (May 14, 2005)

iMatt said:


> No, you still need to burn and re-rip (or use jHymn) first.  As I said before, though, using a CD-RW for that phase will cut way down on the number of discs used.


Thanks, iMatt.. while I understand why Apple is making it hard to distribute unprotected .mp3s, this lack of easy functionality sucks for the guy who's trying to do something legit.


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