How To Make A Compilation CD In ITunes

Step 1: Make a new playlist.

First, make a new playlist. The process is the same for both the Mac and PC version of iTunes, although there are subtle differences in the menus of each - I'll point them out when they crop up. This video uses iTunes 7.1.1, but this particular process is unlikely to change in later versions. On either a Mac or PC, open iTunes and go to "File" and click "New Playlist". It will appear on the left hand side of the screen, named "Untitled playlist". I'm going to rename it "Compy CD".

Now click on "Music" to bring up your tunes and simply drag the songs you want on your CD onto the "Compy CD" playlist. If at any time you want to check what's in there, just click on it to see the list before clicking on "Music" again to keep choosing songs. Now, once you're happy with your choices, click on the Compy CD playlist and you can put them in order of song name, artist or if you've got the track number column selected, you can re-arrange the tracks into any order you see fit.

Step 2: CD settings and types

Bear in mind that a CD that will play in any CD player will only hold about 79 minutes of music and about 650 megabytes of data, so keep an eye on the information at the bottom of the iTunes window to make sure you don't go over either. It's a good idea to keep to less than 75 minutes if possible to give yourself a margin for error. If you go over the limit, iTunes will burn whatever will fit on the CD and then ask you to insert another disc for the rest, which is a bit of a waste, so do yourself a favor and make sure you stick to the limits in the first place.

Step 3: Preferences

Now go to the preferences. You'll find them under "iTunes" on the Mac and under "Edit" on the PC. Click the "Advanced" tag or icon and then click on "Burning". Now here you've got a choice between burning a standard audio CD or an MP3 CD. An MP3 CD will only play on a player that supports MP3 CD (so that's a computer or a special HIFI) but you can fit many more songs into the disc. You're not lumbered with the 79 minute limit with an MP3 CD, but you are still limited by the size of the files, so make sure you stick to less than 650 megabytes. The other options apply only to audio CD's. The gap between songs will put - yes, a gap between the songs, but personally I'd set it to "none" as you're limited for space on a CD as it is. "Sound Check" is iTunes' built in volume equalizer. In theory it makes every song the same volume but in practice it doesn't work that well, so I'll leave it up to you if you want to use it. You don't need to worry about the "Include CD Text" option. Once you're happy with you're options you're ready to burn so grab your CD-R. You'll need to use a CD-R, not a CD-RW or rewritable CD, as rewritable's won't play in many CD players.

Step 4: Burning the CD.

Click on your "Compy CD" playlist and then click on this "Burn Disc" button at the bottom of the window. When you do this iTunes will do two things, first, it will grey out any tracks that won't fit on the CD so use it to double check you'll get everything you want. If all the track names are dark, you're OK. iTunes also will ask you to insert a blank disc, so put your CD in the drive… and away you go! Done.