iPod and iTunes: The Missing Manual, Third 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.

GEM IN THE ROUGH Arbitrary Groupings

The Grouping column heading (in iTunes 4.2 and later) lets you override the usual sorting criteria and keep together a bunch of songs of your own choosing. (If you don’t see the Grouping column, right-click or Control-click any column heading and choose Grouping, so that a checkmark appears next to its name.)

Many classical albums, for example, contain different symphonies, concertos, and other musical forms, all on one disc. How can you make sure that all of Mozart’s Concerto for Piano No. 5 in D Major (K 175) stays together, and doesn’t get mixed in with concertos 6 and 8 from the same CD?

Easy. Select all the “songs” that belong together (by clicking on the Mac, or Ctrl+clicking on the PC). Then choose File → Get Info. iTunes asks if you’re sure you want to edit the file information for all of the selected pieces at once; yes, you do.

In the Grouping field of the Get Info box, type Piano Concerto 5 (or whatever group name you want). ...