Burn m4a files on a CD -r

I burned some m4a files on a CD using itunes. The cd plays ok on a computer but not on a cd player. Anybody know why?
thanks
vats3

vats3 said:

I burned some m4a files on a CD using itunes. The cd plays ok on a computer but not on a cd player. Anybody know why?

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Hello - a file with the M4A file extension is a MPEG-4 audio file which is a more recent audio codex that is unlikely compatible w/ your CD player; without going into a LOT of details, burning to MP3 is a better option if your CD machine can play those files? Please let us know which brand/mode CD player you own (and check the specs) - Dave

You need a program that can convert the .m4a files and burn the disc as a "orange book" Audio CD. By far the simplest method is to just use iTunes, but you can also use programs like Burn and Toast.

I've tried Music Converter and TuneClone in the past, but as Chas said, the best way is to just use iTunes - compile your files into a playlist and burn it to CD ...

I use this approach to put my favourite [iTunes purchased] music on an SD card to play in my car. You can also just convert your m4a files into mp3 ones from within the iTunes, and then put them on an alternative media, particularly a large SD card, so you don't have to go through 50 virtual CDs, but you'd need to remove the duplicates once you're done, so not much of an advantage logistically - just in case you're thinking of something other than a simple CD to play your music from ;D

Thanks to all of you for your answers. I ended up using Switch by NCH software. It was free for non commercial use and was easy to use. The mp3 files played fine from the cd after that.

One thing though. How do you use itunes to go from m4a to mp3. I couldn't figure it out.

thanks
vats3

vats3 said:

Thanks to all of you for your answers. I ended up using Switch by NCH software. It was free for non commercial use and was easy to use. The mp3 files played fine from the cd after that.

One thing though. How do you use itunes to go from m4a to mp3. I couldn't figure it out.

Click to expand...

Hi Vats3 - you can also just go into 'Preferences' of iTunes - in the General Tab > Import Settings (blue arrow on pic below); then select 'MP3 Encoder' (red arrow) - your setting is likely AAC (Advanced Audio Codec) which is Apples default lossy audio codec (there are about a half dozen options, including lossless codecs). Good luck - Dave

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