Converting iTunes M4A to MP3or AAC

HELP Why can't iTunes m4a be converted to mp3???
I have download many, many songs from iTunes. However, my cell phone will not accept m4a.
It's weird that some of the songs I was able to transfer, but others I cannot. What the **** is M4A??
Please Advise!!
Thanks!

.m4a is the file extension for AAC files.
Go to iTunes prefs General and click the *Import settings* button.
Set it it to MP3.
Select a file (or multiple) then right click > *Create MP3 version*.
This will create a new MP3 file with same info as the original. The original AAC/M4A will still be in iTunes.

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Converting iTunes (m4a) to mp3 or wav

I have a fairly extensive iTunes library which I sync with my iPod Nano 2. My daughter has just been given an mp3 player for her birthday and I'm trying to find a simple way of exporting & converting tracks for her to either mp3 or WAV format without losing my m4a. Any ideas short of burning original to CD then re-importing under her account (where import of CD's is set to mp3)?
I have managed to open an iTunes track as m4a within Quicktime and save as a wav file, but the file size went from 2.6 MB to 11.7 MB - not very practical.
Cheers, Andy
Message was edited by: Andy Faizey

If the file is an .m4p then it is DRM protected and you can only burn is as an audio CD - you can figure out the rest.
If the file is a .m4a - no DRM - then you should be able to convert it to an mp3 within iTunes. Change your iTunes import options prefs.
MJ

Should I convert all my iTunes MP3 files to AAC?

Somehow, I only learned about the advantages of the AAC format a few days ago--despite getting my first Apple computer way back in 1984.
Would it make sense to convert all 80 GB of my iTunes MP3 files to AAC in order so save disk space in my backup before migrating to Yosemite?
Thanks again everybody for all your great help and suggestions.

No. If you originally got them from CDs, you can reimport them as AAC if desired.
(117182)

New iTunes 4.9 doesn't convert .mpg into .mp3 or aac ?

hello support!
I'm a producer in a german radiostation. we're working with soundfiles saved in .mpg files (mpeg1 audio). In past (with version 4.8) it was possible to import that files into itunes and convert it into mp3 or aac. Now, with that new podcast version, it doesn't work. If I try, I get an unknown error "(-50)". does anyone know about this problem?
and another question: why does itunes play that .mpg files without any problems and ipod doesn't ???
greetz
dennis

Dennis,
What I did:
1) I bought apple quicktime pro do not follow me in this it won't help you.. I got angry and at the apple store they said I would get my money back because I asked them BEFORE I bought and they said it would work. It doesn't
2) I downloaded MPEG streamclip (free) at http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/video/mpegstreamclip.html
AND....
It works! You do not need to buy the Apple quicktime MPEG 2 component rubbish, you do not need it if you convert just audio!
I have MP2 files with 384 kbbs and I was looking a bit odd when they showed up as 192 kbbs but that is per stereo channel so the total comes to 384 again.
I transferred the files into AIFF and it works I do see a conversion into AC3 is that AAC? well if you can convert to AIFF you can use iTunes again to convert to AAC or MP3!
so now you can do the job! I am now, after a few hours, again back to start to work..... thanks iTunes boys!
there is another app at http://www.dekorte.com/projects/shareware/SoundConverter/ is seems to do the job as well but it'll cost you 10 dollar. And I do not know if it is as good as the free app...

HT204406 new mix-song added (120 mb, mp3, different tracks, some in aac converted) - itunes match waiting - error, close

new mix-song added to itunes (120 mb, mp3, i tried different tracks, some in aac converted) - itunes match waiting - error, close
after a few minutes it gives an error and closes the window.
small tracks are no problem. and the max limit is not reached
some ideas?
greetings from germany

I wanted to first thank you for this, as this is the only workaround literature that seems to be floating around out there. With that said, I know it is a big ask, but is there any way that you could create a video showing step by step how to do what you do? I have several tracks that are stuck in waiting mode, and if left in itunes, will never upload or match...they only cause the upload process to hang up and restart. I've tried leaving it for days...I've tried converting the files, signing in and out of itunes (and itunes match), updating itunes match, and I tried your technique...unfortunately to no avail. Perhaps I didn't do your technique correctly. I used audacity to reverse the audio.
ANY help would be GREATLY APPRECIATED!!!
Thanks

HT201301 I'm trying to convert an m4a voice note to either mp3 or wav and can't seem to get a straight answer on how to do it without a lot of jargon. Would appreciate the help.

I'm trying to convert an m4a voice note to either mp3 or wav and can't seem to get a straight answer on how to do it without a lot of jargon. Would appreciate the help.

Yes it does.
Audio formats supported: AAC (8 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Store), HE-AAC, MP3 (8 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3, 4, Audible Enhanced Audio, AAX, and AAX+), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV
http://www.apple.com/ipad/specs/

How can I convert an M4A file to an MP3 version?

How can I convert an M4A file to an MP3 version?

Thanks for your reply but that's not my problem.
I know that I can burn an M4A file to a CD and then import it back as an MP3, but that's an annoying process and wastes blank CDs. I thought iTunes had a menu choice to convert a selected file to MP3 format. I guess that's not true with M4A versions.
I will simply buy my music from Amazon from now on and I won't have to deal with this file format and protection nonsense. I can download music from Amazon in MP3 format as the rest of my music is in.

Files converted from m4a to mp3 are not displaying correctly in feed

hi; i recently produced my first show in garageband (after using a bunch of other audio apps in the past), exported to an m4a file, and converted to mp3 in itunes, but it is not showing up as an audio file in my feed.
the feed is http://feeds.feedburner.com/wellroundedradio and my blog posting on it is http://wellroundedmedia.blogspot.com
is there something you need to do when converting from m4a to mp3 in itunes to make sure the settings are all correct so it will be enclosed as an audio file? i have tested other mp3 files in the feed and they are working fine.
thx, charlie
==
charles mcenerney
host + producer
well-rounded radio
http://www.wellroundedradio.net
iBook G4 Mac OS X (10.4.8)

greg-
thanks. yes, i think that's what has been so tricky about this. i add a link to an mp3 in blogger, but feedburner doesn't add this particular show as an enclosure, so it's not updating in the feed. can't seem to find where the origin of the problem, though...is it blogger, feedburner, or the mp3 file or...?
charlie

DRM Converter for Mac, Convert DRM M4P to MP3, AAC on Mac OS.

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AppleMacSoft DRM Converter can convert iTunes DRM protected M4P files to MP3, AAC, such unprotected music files. It is a DRM copy-protected audio and music converter designed for burning DRM protected music to a special virtual CD-RW drive where you can easily get unprotected MP3, AAC, Apple Lossless, AIFF, WAV files ready for use on any player.
AppleMacSoft DRM Converter uses a CD-RW and iTunes itself to convert all of your DRM music files to standard format files (MP3, AAC, Apple Lossless, AIFF, WAV) that you can use with iPod player.
With AppleMacSoft DRM Converter you can create MP3, AAC, Apple Lossles, AIFF, or WAV files from your DRM files.
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Amazon songs have never had DRM. The iTunes Store sold DRM-encumbered tracks until mid-2009. The iTunes Store now only sells songs in non-DRM "iTunes Plus" format, although new DRM tracks still show up occasionally in free playlists and in podcasts.
The old DRM-encumbered tracks cannot be converted to MP3. You can upgrade them to iTunes Plus for 30 cents apiece (USA prices) or you can use iTunes to burn them to an audio CD, which can be used like any other audio CD.

Converting to m4a from mp3 song length error

Converting to m4a from mp3 song length error. Smaller & cuts off end of song

"If it's not too late delete itunes off your c
drive and reinstallit on d"
No need to uninstall iTunes from the
main C: drive and install it to another drive. In
fact, it is a bit safer to keep the iTunes
Program installed on the same drive with the
other programs.
iTunes operates as a database of information for your
music files. The actual music files are stored on
your PC, not within iTunes. iTunes keeps absolute
references of the music file location and other
information in its database file. This allows iTunes
to use music files from any location on the PC:
different directories/folders on the main HD, another
internal drive, and external drive or a network drive
(or any combination of the above). Each song
reference has a specific and hardcoded path so iTunes
can find and play (or sync) it.
Make sure you only change the location of the iTunes
Music Folder, rather than the iTunes
program. Move all the music files to the D: drive.
I respectfully disagree with your claim. I've been running itunes on a dedicated music drive for over a year and had not one issue. iTunes can still allocate a file from any one of my computer's 5 hard drives. Keeping it where other programs or OS are installed makes no difference at all. By installing iTunes on the music drive, the iTunes music folder is automatically where she would want it.
Self Built Windows XP Pro 1.7TB, 2GB, RAM, 939 AMD 4000+

Converting Low MP3 to High AAC

Does anyone know if there would be sound quality loss if I took a 128kbps MP3 Sound File and used iTunes "Convert Selection to..." to convert it to a 320kbps AAC.
I get a bit confused becuase I am recompressing an already compressed file but it is suppose to be a better method of compression. Does it uncompress first like a JPG? CAN it be uncompressed first and then recompressed?
Any enlightenment would be appreciated.
Thanks!
-ROD

I am by no means an expert on audio conversion, but as I understand it the sound quality of an audio file will be reduced when converting it from one lossy format to another, especially when trying to go from a smaller size/ lower bitrate to a larger size/ higher bitrate.
(paraphrased from Andrew Davidson's Transcoding MP3 Files - Notes & Hints)
When transcoding, the MP3 must be decompressed (if only temporarily) to a decoded format (e.g. raw PCM) before re-encoding. Because of quality concerns, transcoding is not recommended…Transcoding upwards offers no quality benefit whatsoever, and results in a bigger file, so most of the time it is completely pointless. There is no point to transcoding upward (e.g. from 128Kbps to 256Kbps) except in the extremely unusual situation of a hardware player not supporting certain bitrates.
For much more info about your question, google "convert MP3 to AAC quality loss -download" and "convert audio file smaller to larger quality loss -download" (the -download filters out most of the "download our great conversion software" hits).
G4 iMac Mac OS X (10.3.9)

How do I convert imported M4A's into MP3's?

I am trying to move tracks from CD's onto my imac, to in turn throw them into an MP3 player for a friend. The tracks show up as M4A's.How do I go about converting them? I used to be able to convert the M4A's that were standard on itunes into MP3's, when that was the original setting for a mac, but can't seem to find the same option now!!

Which version of iTunes and which operating system on the computer? Your profile says you are running OSX 10.4 which is 10 years old and Apple had moved things around in iTunes with the various versions.
iTunes: How to convert a song to a different file format - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1550 - including information about different formats and discussion about compression. Instructions are for iTunes11.
In iTunes11: File > Create New Version
In iTunes11 "Create..." is in the File menu, not the Advanced menu. Prior to iTunes11 use iTunes menu > Advanced
Quality-wise you're better off re-ripping the CDs directly to mp3 rather than converting .m4a Each format is less quality than the original and by converting you'll be losing quality in each of the two steps.

I ripped all my CD's to a NAS (.wav). How to import those to iTunes while changing to AAC without loosing references (CD-Title)

I ripped all my CD's to a NAS (.wav). How to import those to iTunes while changing to AAC without loosing references (CD-Title)

You could try my script ConvertFormat and see if you like the results. Would be easier than inserting the CDs and correcting the tag info again. Just be aware this is a one-way trip. Once you've thrown away some quality to shrink the files you can't get it back without going back to the source. You may better off investing in a bigger drive.
If you just want to squeeze more on the iPod you can use the built-in iTunes option to convert files to a lower bitrate as they are added to the device.
tt2

How do I convert Itunes purchases to my ZEN MicroPhoto??

Okay, I had an Ipod mini and I went through three of them in the warranty time. I was sorely dissappointed with it, but I got a Creative Labs ZEN microphoto for Christmas and I love it. The only problem is that I have all this music that I downloaded from Itunes and I would love to be able to listen to it on my ZEN. I would still like to keep downloading from Itunes because it's the easiest and most legal downloading site that I have found. I know there are converters online, but I can't ever tell if it's legal or it will work. Does Apple have anything (hopefully free) that converts Itunes for my new ZEN???

Are you saying that iTunes downloads are only compatible with iPod's? That in order to play an iTunes download on anything but an iPod involves either illegal conversion or first burning it to a CD? I, too, just received a Zen Vision M and nowhere in the download, signup or anything else process did I see any mention of the fact that iTunes is not compatible with other software/hardward. Yes, the CD conversion trick works but for the aggrevation and lost time it's cheaper to drive to the store and buy the real thing.

How do I convert an m4a video file to anything else?

I need to edit out some video from an iPod converted video file. How do I do this?

I use a program called iSquint to convert files to iPod or H.264 format. This program can optimize the conversion for iPod or for TV and I think it should be able to convert your m4a files to H.264 for editing. It's free, so even if it doesn't help this particular problem, you can use it for converting other videos to your iPod. Get it at http://www.iSquint.com
If iSquint turns out to be useless for your purposes, there is also a program called VisualHub which does tons more than iSquint (including conversions for DVD, PSP, AVI, QT, TiVO, Flash, etc) but unfortunately it costs USD $23.32--which still isn't too bad considering what some companies would have you pay for similar functionality. It is linked to from www.iSquint.com or you can go directly to it here: http://www.techspansion.com/visualhub/
Good luck and hope this helps.

Converting iTunes M4A to MP3or AAC

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