How to convert .wav file into MP3 file with iTunes

Thank you for the article! I used to use MediaConverter123 for audio and video conversion, it worked well.

It was EZ and worked perfectly! Thanks for making it quick and painless.

The settings seem to be configured differently than this in iTunes 9.2. Do you know what the updated instructions would be?

I just checked with iTunes 9.2.1 and what is described in the tutorial still holds. I re-positioned some of the text and hopefully it has made it clearer.

Ah… I’m on a Mac, and I have no idea what you’re talking about when you say “under GENERAL”. I got “ITUNES”, “FILE”, “EDIT”,”VIEW”,”CONTROLS”, “STORE,”ADVANCED”, “WINDOW,” and “HELP.” :c I dunno which to find anything under. I tried advanced, but it doesn’t have the options described.

Help? Please and thank you.

Yes I am on a MAC too! As it is mentioned you need to go under the iTunes menu and open “preferences” – that is where all these tabs are available.

I also have the same problem on MAC. No “General – Importing – Burning” tabs under Advanced preferences. Does anyone know the solution?

Hi Jerry – I re-worded the text and hopefully it is clearer now. As soon as you open the Preferences panel you have the Importing option on your lower right side. From there you just follow instructions.

Couldn’t get it to work. Is seemed to only convert some of the files selected. Is there some other conversion program that I can download.

Hmmm.. I don’t know why it would do that. Maybe these files are protected somehow. A good program if you work on a Mac is Sound Studio at http://www.felttip.com/ss/ I believe you can get a free trial.

I just downloaded itunes 10.0 and copied a cd in the wave format. I would like to also save same cd without resaving it in a mp3 format as I have a android phone and generation 1 ipod.

Thanks so much, this is the first online tutorial that has showed me exactly what to do step by step and it worked like a charm.

Does anyone know whether or not you can use iTunes to merge two mp3 files into one? If so, can you post how it is done? Thank-you.

Great! Thanks for this article it worked for me as well, with ease!

This seems to only work if you are importing wav files from a disc. Then you can import in different formats.
I can’t seem to find a way to transform a wav file in Itunes to a MP3 file which is what I thought you were teaching us. On most current itunes there doesn’t seem to be a way to simply select a wav file and transform it. Do I have to reload the original disc and do it from there? That doesn’t seem to be ideal.

No no it is not only when you import from a CD. Although it can do that too.
Once you have set up your importing settings in the iTunes preference panel, you close everything and go to your music library – you then select any .wav file and go to the top menu –> Advanced —> Create MP3 version. The new file in MP3 format will be right below the original one in your library.

I just checked with the latest version and it works fine.

Gilles, that is the problem. Its not obvious. If you want to transform a file from wave to MP3, you have to pretend that you are changing how a file is imported from a cd. (even though you aren’t). Tell it you want to import the file in MP3. Then go to advanced (not under preferences, but just up on top of iTunes) and amazingly, you will now see an option that wasn’t there before. It will simply say wav to mp3. Select the track you want to transform. It doesn’t do it within your playlist but does put it right under the wav file in your general library. You can then move it to a playlist that is mp3.
It is only obvious after you do it. Because you have to start doing something you don’t want to do to do it. That is hardly obvious. d

Thank you thank you thank you!!!! I have been having mysterious issues burning cds lately, and this advice has preserved my sanity! For some reason my itunes has decided it only likes burning cds in mp3 format. (get all kinds of errors like “device failed to respond”, or media errors if I try anything else) This is a great way for me to continue to enjoy music that was not originally imported in mp3 format. Thank you!

Can anyone explain converting from AAC (as purchased at iTunes Store) to MP3. The conversion process causes the “chime” but a second version of an audio track fails to appear below the original.

thanks for the help- worked perfectly!

Thanks this was exactly what I needed and worked like a charm =)

thanks a lot!! it was a big help!

Thank you so much for the help! very helpful for those of us who are tech challenged. Thanks again.

It worked for me just as described on a PC using the latest update of iTunes. I see the wave file and the mp3 file in my iTunes library. BUT NOW WHAT? I want to email the mp3 file to some one. Where did iTunes store the mp3 file? Thanks in advance.

Found it:
C:\Users\\Music\iTunes\iTunes Media\Music\Unknown Artist\Unknown Album>

I followed the steps to convert a .wav file into an mp3 file but when I went to burn that playlist, it still rejected it saying that it is not in MP3 format? Not sure why but if anyone has any suggestion that’d be great because the converting process was made easy by this site, thanks.

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YAY thank you so much for this information!!

I don’t understand how any of you are converting these WAV files to MP3 when iTunes doesn’t even recognise WAV. I can’t even get it to view the files to convert them to MP3 in the first instance. Gilles your instructions only work for converting from a CD not a data file. Unless there’s an update in iTunes thats stopped this conversion. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

good

Thank you, Gilles. I thought your directions were brilliant. I use an iPod gadget to record all my lectures (when I remember) but the WAV files are huge; now I can back them up much more easily.

This makes listening to your music tracks convenient. I’ve also learned another way of converting music files to MP3, try this http://converttomp3online.com

Thanks for the help. There are numerous sites that offer this. I’ve found another way of converting mp3 files. Try this http://mp3filesconvert.com

Thanks – Very simple and easy instructions.

Hey! this is brilliant! a very useful discovery!

thanks for sharing. if there’s a video tutorial, then would be much better. i currently use Video Sharer.
but seems itunes is also good.

Sweet…thanks…that helped.

A massive thank you I have been pulling my hair out but now I can save my music from live lite 7 software as wave and change it into mp3 and at last listen to it on the hi fi I could kiss you !!!!!!!!!!!

Excellent tip, thank you.

Very Nice Tips! Thank you!!

thx this was great i really needed to know!

Brillo advice, worked a treat first time and I imported on a memstick from one computer to another.
Thanks very much

this is cool stuff to convert wav to mp3 for free, however, if you have protected wma files, you can check this guide to convert drm wma to mp3

This doesn’t work for me. I’m sure the convert to MP3 probably works but I can’t get the WAV files into itunes, they just refuse to go in there!

I too am having an issue with getting the wav files into itunes in the first place in order to convert them. Any ideas as to why this is the case and how to overcome it would be much appriciated!

Hey, thanks so much for the info on how to convert. You don’t have any idea how happy I am. This is my final step Peace

I love you, this blog info saved my life today for a memorial video I am creating using Animoto, which only uses mp3 files

I am very much impressive .Accept my hearty congratulations. No one is capable to understand the hidden mechanism with out this post. Thank you.

Thanks for the clear and concise instructions. So much clearer than using the “help” menu on iTunes (no surprise there!)