Rip All Your CDs into iTunes (Almost) Automatically

Have you been meaning to get that dusty CD collection of yours onto your computer, but just can't seem make it happen? What if I told you there is a secret to make it almost automagic?

It seems intimidating at first glance. You've got your life's history in CDs, but you know it's a new era now with digital music, and iTunes is it's king. Fortunately, there is a setting in iTunes that makes the whole process easy. It's just not obvious. If you already have your CDs ripped on your PC, click on over to our How Do I Transfer Music from My PC to My Mac? article.

Let's start with getting the right settings in iTunes. The secret is to have iTunes import (rip) your CDs when you insert them in your computer and then spit them right back out so you can slide the next one in right after. You don't even have to click a thing once you have it all set up. Let's begin.

Open iTunes and go to the iTunes menu and select Preferences. The part that makes it happen is to go to the Advanced tab and then select Importing.  You should see the screen below. Here you want to configure On CD Insert: Import CD and Eject, Import Using: MP3 Encoder, Setting: Higher Quality (192 kbps). I suggest MP3 because it's a more universal format. Also, check Automatically retrieve CD track names from Internet. You'll need to make sure you are connected to the internet, but it's what makes the whole process painless.

Before you hit OK, click over to the General button next to Importing. Make sure "Keep iTunes Music folder organized" is checked. This lets iTunes know you want the program to be in charge of sticking the MP3 files in the right place. Now click the OK button.

Next, get all you CDs out of their cases and gently stack them up in one big stack right next to your Mac. This is important. They need to be within easy reach. If you have hundreds of CDs, you might need several stacks.

Start by inserting the top CD and watch what happens. After a minute, iTunes should pop up a small screen saying "Accessing CDDB, Getting Track names" for a few seconds, then all the track names should be listed in the main section. A little Orange dot icon with a squiggly line appears next to the first track which means it is importing that one into the iTunes Library. It then moves on to all the tracks with their boxes checked. If you don't want a track imported, un-check the box next to it. When it finishes all the tracks, the CD will be ejected from your Mac.

This process should take 3-10 minutes depending on how fast your Mac is. Take your CD out and start a new stack of CDs on the other side of your computer to put back in their cases later. Don't interrupt the flow now. Put the next CD in. So now all you need to do is keep working on what ever you are doing on your Mac and remove and insert a new CD every five minutes or so. The CD ripping can go on in the background and you can just go on as you were.

After some hours or days of this, your iTunes Library will be full of all your music that you had on CDs. If you are like me, you will keep them for a while thinking you might use them again and then decided to get rid of them when you realized you haven't listened to your CDs in months. Then they go out to the garage sale, school or library. Don't fool yourself that the used CD place around the corner will buy them. They only want perfect CDs these days since everyone else is doing this too.

What's next? You'll want to make some playlists that group songs together in themes that you like (See Dig Deeper). Make sure the Shuffle button in the lower left corner of iTunes is selected when you play something. That's where the magic of having all your music together comes into play.

You'll also probably never buy a CD again and start using the iTunes store for new music. There are some free songs available, but most cost $.99. To find the free stuff, click on iTunes Store in left column, then look in the lower center section of the store's home page for the FREE ON iTunes section. If you want to throw My First Mac a bone, click on the iTunes logo below or the one on our Support page before you actually purchase music there. We'll get a small percentage of what you spend for promoting iTunes.

DIG DEEPER

Newbies Guide to iTunes
iTunes Tutorial (Apple)
How to create playlists in iTunes from iLounge
Creating and Using Playlists from About.com

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Your Comments:

I am a switcher from the darkside and I have my first shinny white macbook about 3 weeks.

I want to say that this is a very interesting site that helps many switchers. And this article explains well some cool things. I learn this by experience but If this site existed at 3 weeks, I probably had some shortcuts in my road to mac os x genius lolol

 João Pedro
 07/13/2007  at  10:28 AM

Is there a way to do this with DVDs?

 Jerry
 07/14/2007  at  07:57 AM

I keep my CDs around in order to play them in the car. Sometimes it's a hassle to plug in my iPod and I just want to listen; perhaps I also don't want to fumble for a fast-forward button that day.

In addition, I have never needed to buy music from the iTunes store. I find that having the CD is a good thing, and useful should my only mp3 copy of my music disappear.

 Dai
 07/14/2007  at  08:23 AM

Jerry, check out Handbrake for ripping of DVDs. Not nearly as streamlined as iTunes (then again, what is?) but an excellent program for importing.

http://handbrake.m0k.org/

 Ogre
 07/14/2007  at  10:53 AM

Dai, having your CDs in the car is a great reason to rip them. Once you have the songs on the computer, you can just leave the CDs in the car and never have to shuttle them back and forth.

 Chris K
 07/14/2007  at  02:01 PM

Another alternative is to use ripshark.com

 Casey
 07/14/2007  at  11:37 PM

You can use 2 drives. However, iTunes will only rip one at a time. But you can queue one up while the other is ripping.

 WillGonz
 07/16/2007  at  05:46 PM

Note that if you do give away your CDs, legally you should not retain any MP3 copies in iTunes since you are transferring the rights to that music to the new owner.

 Steve
 07/18/2007  at  06:20 AM

Steve is correct.

If you sell, give away or otherwise transfer ownership of your CDs to a third party, you are obliged to delete any copy, digital or otherwise, of the CD's contents.

 Groucho
 10/30/2007  at  10:57 AM

I put in the CD and the setting is checked to automatically retrieve the name but they do not come in. I end up having to select each track and retrieve track name from the internet via the advanced menu. Any ideas?

 Phill
 01/12/2008  at  10:07 AM

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