Editing iTunes files
If you want to use Audacity to edit your iPod recording you'll need to convert a copy of a file into MP3 or WAV using iTunes. You won’t lose your original because a copy is made in the conversion process.
To convert a file to MP3 or WAV
- Open up iTunes.
- Select Edit > Preferences from the menu toolbar. You don’t need to have identified any particular track at this stage.
- Click on the Advanced tab.
- Click on the Importing tab.
- Click the drop down arrow of the Import Using field. You can select either MP3 Encoder or WAV Encoder as Audacity will edit both. The MP3 files will be smaller than the WAV files.
- Click OK.
- Highlight the file you plan to edit.
- Right click on the file in iTunes and select Convert selection to WAV or select Convert selection to MP3.
- iTunes will convert your highlighted track.
The track will start to play, press stop if you don't want to listen to it.
You will now have two files in iTunes with the same name. The newly created file will probably be listed beneath the original version.
Next you’ll need to change the filename of the new file to distinguish it.
To check you have selected the new file
- Highlight the file and right click.
- Select the Get Info option.
- The Kind field in the left hand column tells you the file format.
- If you have converted to MP3, this will read MPEG audio file.
- If you have converted to WAV, this will read WAV audio file.
Establish which of the two files is the converted file and rename it.
You should now be able to open this file in Audacity, in order to edit it.
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