Can't Burn CDs w/ iTunes

[Mandos]

OS X Yosemite 10.10.5
MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2014)
2.5 GHz Intel Core i7 16 GB RAM

iTunes 12.5.3.17

Samsung SE-208GB external optical drive

For some reason now I can't burn CD's with playlists--everytime I get an error message saying the burn could not be completed because the disc is unavailable and may have been disconnected.

 

[chscag]

Welcome to our forums.

Part of the problem is that your MacBook Pro does not have an internal optical drive and the burning process must be directed to the external Samsung. What we suggest is to not use iTunes to burn your playlists. Instead download the free "Burn" from SourceForge and use that instead.

 

[Mandos]

Instead download the free "Burn" from SourceForge and use that instead.

Thanks so much for your response--I'll try that!

 

[Mandos]

Unfortunately, it appears as if Burn will only let me use MP3 songs--I can't make an audio CD with MP4 songs. Any other suggestions? Thanks

 

[MightyGem]

For some reason now

That suggests that you've been able to do it before? If so, I would suggest a problem with the drive.

 

[Rod]

Since MP4 is really MPEG-4 video there is no way I know of to directly burn a Audio CD containing all of this data. You would need to convert it to aiff (MP3)
This article contains the process in steps (just in case you missed something) but if you want to preserve the MP4 format you may need to use a third party application.
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/631398?start=0&tstart=0
Alternatively you could use iMovie to burn to DVD using the second method described in this article https://www.cisdem.com/resource/two-ways-to-burn-mp4-video-to-dvd-mac.html

 

[ferrarr]

Did you see this Apple Support Article, https://support.apple.com/kb/PH19494?locale=en_US&viewlocale=en_US?

 

[Slydude]

Since MP4 is really MPEG-4 video there is no way I know of to directly burn a Audio CD containing all of this data. You would need to convert it to aiff (MP3)

Just to clarify this point a bit. Aiff and .mp3 are two very different format. Aiff files are uncompressed and you will get fewer files on the disc. This is the format that all CD players should handle with no issues if burned properly. mp3 files are compressed allowing for more files on the disc but not all CD players can handle this type of file. Check to see if your target player will first.

 

[Rod]

Sorry that should have read aiff or MP3.

 

[Slydude]

No problem. I've made more than my share of similar mistakes.

 

[jimshaw]

I no longer can burn music from my iTunes library to a disc that can be played in an ordinary stereo-system CD player. What happens is, from my iTunes library I select files that are shown to be AIFF format, but when the disc is burned the files wind up as AIFF-C files, which can be played on my Mac, but not in a “regular” CD player. I have spoiled a dozen CDs this way.

Prior to this I made many playable CDs, but something seems to have gone wrong, perhaps during one of the upgrades to OSX or ITunes, or perhaps in the settings I’ve selected. I’ve tried recording with the Finder’s burn function, Toast Titanium 8 (a really crappy program) and Audacity (an excellent free program), and results are always the same: AIFF-C files.

One of the problems is that iTunes doesn’t differentiate between AIFF and AIFF-C in labeling files in my Songs list; all are shown just as AIFF. But when they’re burned to a disc they come out as AIFF-C. If fixing this problem would mean reverting to an earlier version of iTunes I wouldn’t mind doing that, but is it even possible? How could I get an earlier version?

The Burn settings options in iTunes are: Audio CD, mp3 and Data CD/DVD. I select Audio CD.

The Import encoder settings are: AAC, AIFF, Apple Lossless, MP3 and WAV. I select

Early 2009 Mac Mini with SuperDrive / OSX El Capitan / iTunes

Can anyone tell me how to fix this? I would appreciate some help.