Transfer iTunes songs to non-Apple music player or mobile phone

I have a little Sansa mp3 player, but my mom has an iPod. I have been downloading music from the iTunes store, but I can't put them on my player. I realize that the songs from iTunes are .mpeg files (or something like that) and that my music player plays .mp3 files, but is there any way that I could work around this, or possibly convert my .mpeg files?

My iPod broke, so I want to buy a new mp3 player, but I was thinking that this time I might try a different brand because iPods are usually a little more on the expensive side. But I still have all my iTunes songs i already bought and was wondering if it was a huge hassle to transfer them to something else and if it might be worth it to spend the extra money on the apple brand..

The songs you purchased from iTunes store are DRM protected. In order to transfer iTunes songs to a non-Apple music player or mobile phone, you will need to get the iTunes music converted first.

If you have a blank CD disc at hand and there are not many songs that need to be converted, you can try this way:

1. Insert the blank CD into your computer disc drive.
2. Create a new playlist in iTunes and add songs to the playlist.
3. Burn the playlist to the CD (choose Audio CD in the Burn Settings window).
4. Rip the burned CD back as MP3 files in iTunes or Windows Media Player.

Then you can transfer the MP3 files to your non-Apple music player or mobile phone.

What if you have lots of songs (say 1000+) that need to be converted? You still use the above burn-and-rip method? You know, a real CD disc can only hold about 79-min music. If the average length of each song is 4 minutes, then the total length would be 4000+ minutes. And you will need more than 50 discs for burning. What a waste of money! What's more, it is a waste of efforts to insert and eject CD discs again and again. So it is inadvisable to convert a large library of iTunes music using this method.

The software TuneClone also adopts the burn-and-rip method. However, TuneClone cleverly avoids the problem by applying the virtual CD burning technology. The conversion theory of TuneClone is very simple. It installs a virtual CD drive to users' computers. Then while burning iTunes playlists to an audio CD, you just choose the TuneClone virtual CD drive instead of a real CD disc. So you have saved the cost of real CD discs.

Besides, TuneClone automatically detects whether the length of the playlist exceeds 79 min. If so, it will ask you whether or not to burn multiple audio CDs. After you choose Audio CDs, the burning and encoding process will get started and TuneClone will automatically divide the playlist into several folders. You can actually switch to other jobs before the conversion is completed. So you have saved time as well.

TuneClone Audio Converter for Mac 1.4.0 Released to Unlock iTunes Music

TuneClone Inc. released the newest version of TuneClone Audio Converter for Mac. This Mac M4P to MP3 Converter has been upgraded to version 1.4.0. The latest version of TuneClone Audio Converter for Mac has added German and Japanese interface.

TuneClone Audio Converter for Mac is the best iTunes music DRM removal software. It is used to convert iTunes music m4a to mp3, aac to mp3 and m4p to mp3 and convert iTunes audiobook m4b to mp3 on Mac OS X. This iTunes music converter enables you to unlock iTunes music with ease and speed.

TuneClone Audio Converter for Mac simulates the process of burning a CD disc in iTunes and ripping it back. It applies the virtual CD burning technology to remove DRM protection from iTunes music. All you need to do is burn the playlist in your iTunes library to TuneClone's Virtual CD Drive. TuneClone will automatically convert the music songs in the playlist to plain MP3 files.

Key Features of TuneClone Audio Converter for Mac V1.4.0

1. Remove DRM protection from iTunes music .m4p and iTunes audiobook .m4b;

2. Convert iTunes music m4a, aac, m4p to mp3, wma or wav for playback on all sorts of media players like PSP, BlackBerry, Creative Zen, iriver, Walkman, Mobile Phone, etc.;

3. Convert music files using the virtual CD burning technology, which adopts the maximum writing speed so that your music files can be converted at a very high speed;

4. Fully preserve ID3 tags such as artist, album, title names and artworks;

5. Work great for batch converting a large collection of music files;

6. Easy to install and use with a very handy and clear user interface;

7. Fully support iTunes 10.

What's New in TuneClone Audio Converter for Mac V1.4.0

1. Added German and Japanese interface;
2. Fixed several bugs about ID3 tags;
3. Fixed several other bugs.

Availablility, Upgrade and Price

TuneClone Audio Converter for Mac V1.4.0 is available at http://mac.tuneclone.com . It works with Intel based Mac OS X 10.5 or above, including Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard and Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard. To upgrade the program, you just go to our official website and then download and install the latest version. The upgrade is totally free, while the full version of TuneClone Audio Converter for Mac V1.4.0 costs USD34.95.

TuneClone Audio Converter - Convert Any iTunes Music to MP3 on Windows and Mac

TuneClone today announced that TuneClone Audio Converter ( http://www.tuneclone.com ) is now available for both Windows and Mac users who need to remove DRM copy protection from purchased music files in iTunes store in a legal way. The basic principle of this piece of music DRM removal software is that it simulates the process of burning an "Audio CD" and ripping it back. TuneClone Audio Converter makes a virtual CD-ROM drive, tricking your PC into believing that you are burning a CD. Therefore, the DRM is removed without wasting a CD.

Basically, when you purchase music from iTunes store, they are actually DRM protected content (in protected .aac or .m4p format) and you will not be able to play the .m4p files on MP3 players which do not support their formats. In other words, you are not allowed to play them beyond Apple environment, such as iTunes library, iPod, iPhone, iPad, etc. In such case, the option is to burn those tracks to a CD and then rip them once again to the computer HD wherein the DRM will be removed and you will get the tracks in (DRM free) .mp3 format. After this you will be able to transfer them to a memory card or to most MP3 players or mobile phones.

In case you have purchased a great amount of music from iTunes store, you can go ahead and use TuneClone which acts as a Virtual CD-ROM drive on your PC, and lets you remove the DRM element without having to waste actual CD's.

TuneClone is basically a program that acts as a virtual CD drive that allows you "burn" MP3 from iTunes and "rip" it. TuneClone "lies" to your computer saying that you have a CD-RW drive that it will burn to (like Alchohol 120%). You can use this to move your library of DRM protected music to the MP3 format that you can use on any player out there worth its salt. This is a useful tool for anyone looking to break their relationship with the iPod. The best part is that it maintains all of the music file's metadata.

Apart from removing DRM from iTunes .m4p music files, TuneClone (Windows & Mac) can also be used to convert iTunes aac to mp3, m4a to mp3, m4b to mp3, etc. It is dedicated to helping you convert any iTunes music to mp3 file so that you can play them on MP3/MP4 players or other mobile players such as Microsoft Zune, Sony PSP, RIM BlackBerry, Creative Zune, iriver, SanDisk Sansa, Sony Walkman, Cell Phone, Pocket PC, etc.

How to Convert iTunes 9 Music to MP3

Are you annoyed by iTunes DRM? Do you want to remove it because you want to play the iTunes music on non-Apple MP3 players like PSP, Zune, Creative Zen, BlackBerry, PS3, iriver, Walkman, mobile phone MP3 player, etc, use it as background music in a home video, or anything else that DRM limits it to do? You got the right place!

The following article is going to show you how to convert DRM protected iTunes M4P to MP3, AAC to MP3, M4A to MP3 with TuneClone Audio Converter and iTunes 9.0.2 so that you can play iTunes music on any MP3/MP4 player or mobile phone music player.

Step 1. Download TuneClone Audio Converter and install it

TuneClone Audio Converter is compatible with Windows XP, Windows Vista (except Vista 64 bit) and Intel based Mac OS X 10.5 -10.6.

Step 2. Make settings in TuneClone Audio Converter

Click the "Settings" button in TuneClone. In the pop-up dialog, you can specify the "output folder", "output filenames", "output format", etc for the output files.

Note: A Virtual CD Drive will be installed to convert iTunes music files. You must make sure this CD burner is successfully installed. you can check whether it is successfully installed and where it is installed at the bottom left corner of TuneClone interface.

Step 3. Create a playlist in iTunes 9

Create a new playlist, and add the iTunes songs you want to convert to the playlist.

Step 4. Make burning settings in iTunes 9

Right click the playlist you just created and choose "Burn Playlist to Disc".

Or you can select part of songs from the playlist and click the "Burn Disc" at the bottom right corner of iTunes interface.

In the pop-up dialog of "Burn Settings", make the settings as highlighted below:

Note: You need to tick the "Include CD Text" option to perserve the music metadata such as name, artist, album names.

Step 5. Start to burn

Click the "Burn" button to start burning.

After the burning gets started, TuneClone Audio Converter will automatically convert the iTunes music to MP3 files.

You can open the manager screen to show all the converted music files.

Tip: The most important step is to choose the CD burner. Then TuneClone Audio Converter will convert the music files automatically. It is exceedingly easy when you want to batch convert lots of files.

M4A to MP3 Converter - convert iTunes M4A AAC M4P M4B AA to MP3

TuneClone M4A to MP3 Converter is a DRM remover for converting M4A to MP3 for playback on non-Apple MP3/MP4 players and mobile phone players including Zune, PSP, PS3, BlackBerry, Creative Zen, iriver, Walkman, Pocket PC, Xbox, Nokia, LG, Motorola, Sony Ericsson, Google Phone, etc.

Q: Why Use M4A to MP3 converter?

A: When you purchase music from iTunes Store, they are actually DRM protected content (protected AAC or say M4P) and you will not be able to play the protected AAC (M4P) files on MP3 players which do not support their formats. In such case, the option is to Burn those tracks to a CD and then Rip them once again to the computer hard drive wherein the DRM will be removed and you will get the tracks in (DRM free) MP3 format. After this you will be able to transfer them to a memory card or to most MP3 players.

In case you have purchased a great amount of music from iTunes Store, you can go ahead and use M4A to MP3 Converter which acts as a Virtual CD-ROM drive on your PC, and lets you remove the DRM element without having to waste actual CD's.

Step by Step: Convert M4A to MP3, AAC to MP3, M4B to MP3, M4P to MP3, iTunes to MP3, AA to MP3

Step 1. Download and install M4A to MP3 Converter. Run it. In the main interface, click the "Settings" button. In the pop up window, you can choose the output folder, output file name format, output format (actually you can choose MP3, WMA or WAV), etc for the output files.



Step 2. Create a new playlist in iTunes and add the M4A/AAC/M4B/M4P/iTunes/AA files to the playlist.

Step 3. In iTunes, select the playlist and click the "Burn Disc" button. In the pop-up window of "Burn Settings", select "TuneClon Virtual_CD-RW" from the "CD Burner" drop-down list, click the radio button next to "Audio CD" and tick "Include CD Text" option. Click "Burn" to start burning. Note: You can check whether TuneClone virtual CD drive is successfully installed and where it is installed in the bottom left corner of the TuneClone interface.



Step 4. Upon the completion of burning the disc and encoding the music, you can open the TuneClone manager screen to show all the converted music files. To locate the output folder, simply click the "Folder" tab on the interface.

How to convert iTunes M4P to MP3 for Zune PSP BlackBerry

When you purchase music from iTunes Store, you actually get DRM protected content (in protected AAC or M4P format), which you will not be able to play on MP3/MP4 players and other non-Apple mobile players. You cannot directly transfer the M4P files to Zune, PSP, BlackBerry, either. In such case, the option is to burn those tracks to an audio CD and then rip them once again to your computer hard drive wherein the DRM will be removed and you will get the tracks in (DRM free) MP3 format. After this you will be able to transfer them to Zune, PSP, BlackBerry.

In case you have purchased a great amount of music from iTunes Store, you can go ahead and use TuneClone M4P to MP3 Converter which acts as a Virtual CD-ROM drive on your PC and lets you remove the DRM element without having to waste actual CD's, with the music ID3 tags info well preserved. Below is the detailed steps:

Step 1. Create a new playlist in iTunes and add the M4P songs to the playlist.

Step 2. Download and install TuneClone M4P to MP3 Converter. Run it. In the main interface, click the "Settings" button. In the pop up window, you can choose the output folder, output file name format, output format (choose MP3 here), etc for the output files.



Step 3. Back to iTunes. Click the "Burn Disc" button. In the pop-up window of "Burn Settings", select "TuneClon Virtual_CD-RW" from the "CD Burner" drop-down list, click the radio button next to "Audio CD" and tick "Include CD Text" option. Click "Burn" to start burning. Note: You can check whether TuneClone virtual CD drive is successfully installed and where it is installed in the bottom left corner of the TuneClone interface.



Step 4. Upon the completion of burning the disc and encoding the music, you can open the TuneClone manager screen to show all the converted music files. To locate the output folder, simply click the "Folder" tab on the interface.

P.S. Burn and Rip iTunes M4P to MP3 for Zune PSP BlackBerry

1. Insert a CD-R or CD-RW disc into your CD-ROM drive.

2. Burn the iTunes M4P playlist to make an audio CD. You cannot select the "MP3 CD" option since it requires the DRM protected iTunes M4P files be converted to MP3 or WMA files for Zune, PSP, BlackBerry.

3. After the audio CD is successfully burned, insert the disc into your CD-ROM drive again. Then you can use iTunes or Windows Media Player to import the music tracks on the burned disc as MP3 or WMA files.

AAC to MP3 Converter - Convert iTunes AAC M4A M4P to MP3

AAC to MP3 Converter is a DRM removal for converting iTunes to MP3, AAC to MP3, M4A to MP3, M4P to MP3 for playback on non-Apple MP3/MP4 players and mobile phone players including Zune, PSP, PS3, BlackBerry, Creative Zen, iriver, Walkman, Pocket PC, Xbox, Nokia, LG, Motorola, Sony Ericsson, Google Phone, etc.

Q: Why Use AAC to MP3 converter?

A: When you purchase music from iTunes Store, they are actually DRM protected content and you will not be able to play the protected AAC (M4P) files on MP3 players which do not support their formats. In such case, the option is to Burn those tracks to a CD and then Rip them once again to the computer hard drive wherein the DRM will be removed and you will get the tracks in (DRM free) MP3 format. After this you will be able to transfer them to a memory card or to MP3/MP4 players.

In case you have purchased a great amount of music from iTunes Store, you can go ahead and use AAC to MP3 Converter which acts as a Virtual CD-ROM drive on your PC, and lets you remove the DRM element without having to waste actual CD's.

How to: Convert iTunes AAC M4A M4P to MP3 Using AAC to MP3 Converter?

Step 1. Create a new playlist in iTunes and add the iTunes/AAC/M4A/M4P songs to the playlist.

Step 2. Download and install AAC to MP3 Converter. Run it. In the main interface, click the "Settings" button. In the pop up window, you can choose the output folder, output file name format, output format (actually you can choose MP3, WMA or WAV), etc for the output files.



Step 3. Back to iTunes. Click the "Burn Disc" button. In the pop-up window of "Burn Settings", select "TuneClon Virtual_CD-RW" from the "CD Burner" drop-down list, click the radio button next to "Audio CD" and tick "Include CD Text" option. Click "Burn" to start burning. Note: You can check whether TuneClone virtual CD drive is successfully installed and where it is installed in the bottom left corner of the TuneClone interface.



Step 4. Upon the completion of burning the disc and encoding the music, you can open the TuneClone manager screen to show all the converted music files. To locate the output folder, simply click the "Folder" tab on the interface.

Put iTunes M4P onto Windows Media Player

The following tutorial will show you how to remove DRM from iTunes protected AAC (M4P) music and convert M4P to (DRM free) WMA/MP3 so as to put iTunes M4P music onto Windows Media Player for syncing to a lot more mobile players.

Why Put iTunes M4P music onto Windows Media Player?

When you purchase music from iTunes Store, you actually get DRM protected content (in protected AAC or M4P format), which you will not be able to play on MP3/MP4 players and other non-Apple mobile players. You cannot directly transfer the M4P files to Windows Media Player, either. In such case, the option is to burn those tracks to an audio CD and then rip them (with iTunes or Windows Media Player) once again to your computer hard drive wherein the DRM will be removed and you will get the tracks in (DRM free) MP3 or WMA format. After this you will be able to transfer them to Windows Media Player.

In case you have purchased a great amount of music from iTunes Store, you can go ahead and use TuneClone M4P to MP3 Converter which acts as a Virtual CD-ROM drive on your PC and lets you remove the DRM element without having to waste actual CD's, with the music ID3 tags info well preserved.

Step by Step: Burn and Rip iTunes M4P Music for Windows Media Player?

1. Insert a CD-R or CD-RW disc into your CD-ROM drive.
2. Burn the iTunes M4P playlist to make an audio CD. You cannot select the "MP3 CD" option since it requires the DRM protected iTunes M4P files be converted to MP3 or WMA files for Windows Media Player.
3. After the audio CD is successfully burned, insert the disc into your CD-ROM drive again. Then you can use iTunes or Windows Media Player to import the music tracks on the burned disc as MP3 or WMA files.

Step by Step: Convert iTunes M4P Music for Windows Media Player with TuneClone

1. Create a new playlist in iTunes.

2. Add the M4P songs to the playlist.

3. Launch TuneClone M4P to MP3 Converter. Click the "Settings" tab. In the pop-up window, you can specify output folder, output file name format, output format (choose MP3 or WMA), etc for the output files. Note: You can check whether TuneClone virtual CD drive is successfully installed and where it is installed in the bottom left corner of the interface.



4. Switch to iTunes. In iTunes, click the "Burn Disc" button.

5. In the pop-up window of "Burn Settings", select "TuneClon Virtual_CD-RW" from the "CD Burner" drop-down list, click the radio button next to "Audio CD" and tick "Include CD Text" option. Click "Burn" to start burning.



6. Upon the completion of burning the disc and encoding the music, you can open the TuneClone manager screen to show all the converted music files. To locate the output folder, simply click the "Folder" tab on the interface.

How to convert iTunes to MP3

By Will Spencer via http://www.articlesnatch.com

You might have experienced being unable to play songs you bought from the iTunes Store without using your iPods. At times that can be really frustrating seeing that you bought the music and you feel like you have the right to listen to it using other players. The solution is to convert iTunes to MP3 format, which may not be as easy at it looks.

The trouble with the steps to convert iTunes to MP3 is due to the fact that the music you downloaded from the iTunes Store will be encrypted. This simply means that the music is protected from song duplication and piracy. These songs are classified as DRM protected, which simply means they could only be played a specific computer or type of media player.

It is also interesting to note that Apple continues to have a tight control over the encryption used in iTunes. It is safeguarded to the point that no other online music store can sell music with the same encryption. To the consumer, this simply means you can only get their music from them and play it on their player or software. However, if you are able to convert iTunes to MP3, which is a format that is open to all, then you can listen to the music you bought from them on a player of your own choosing.

The first method to convert iTunes to MP3 is safe and risk free, which is burning your music to a disk, while the second one, which entails using a music file conversion program, might become a bit messy.

If you opt to use a file converting program, you run the risk of corrupting your files. This may be the fastest and the easiest way to convert iTunes to MP3 but you run the risk of corrupting files. Your other option is to burn your songs to a disk then rip the songs from the disk to into MP3. You may use a burning software if that you like or that you're familiar with.

Popular CD burning software like Roxio or Nero can help you to convert iTunes to MP3. Grab a blank CD and put it in then burn the songs from iTunes into a regular CD format. Once all the songs have been burned into a CD, you now have your songs in open format. The next step to convert iTunes to MP3 using this method is to rip the music from off the CD into MP3.

You might think that this procedure is either laborious or time consuming since it will take some time to burn your songs into a CD. Another thing you should think about is the fact that you can fit 18 songs at the most to one CD. This will mean that if you want to convert more songs, you will have to do the same steps over and over.

If ever you don't want to use a third-party burning software then you can just use the CD burning feature in iTunes. This is an alternative method to convert iTunes to MP3 without using another software. Before you start burning your music, you should set iTunes to burn using your CD burner. Select your CD burner on the preferences menu.

Those who don't have a CD burner on their computer will have to use a virtual burner software like TuneClone or NoteBurner. All you have to do to convert iTunes to MP3 is to create a new playlist in iTunes, which includes all the songs you want to convert. After making your playlist then burn your music to a disk in iTunes. If you used a virtual burner, obviously you don't have to rip the music since it's already on your hard drive.

These are your options if you want to convert your iTunes music into open music formats like MP3. Some of your options are a bit risky while other options are safe but sometimes are time consuming.

How to convert iTunes Plus to MP3?

The other day Apple announced that it was making about 80% of the iTunes store DRM free, with the remaining 20% to follow shortly. DRM-free iTunes means that in theory you should be able move your music to other computers and devices easily...

But... iTunes Plus DRM-free music comes in .m4a format which is based on the MPEG-4 part 14 standard. Problem is, far more devices don't recognize what to do with .m4a than do (and its video sibling, .m4v). MP3 is a far more popular format.

So, can you convert .m4a files into.mp3 files? Yes you can, and you can do it all from within iTunes (iTunes 8)! Here's how:

1. Click on Edit -> Preferences.... From the General tab click on Import Settings... button.



2. Change the Import Using drop down box to MP3 Encoder.

3. From the Settings drop down box select Custom... and choose a Stereo Bit Rate of 256Kbps.



4. Click OK, OK and OK.

5. Now find a file that you want to convert, right-click on it and select Create MP3 Version and an MP3 copy will be created.

Note that you'll have now both versions of the song in your library, so you’ll have to do a little housekeeping.

Note that if you want to upgrade your previously purchased iTunes tracks to DRM free, you need to pay 30 cents per song. You can't pick and choose which tracks to upgrade. Start by going to the iTunes Store home page, and clicking on "Upgrade My Library" under the "Quick Links" heading. Once there, you'll see a list of all the songs and albums that are available for upgrading, with a price next to each. But the important number to look at is the price next to the buy button, since that's how much it'll cost to upgrade your library.

So if have an extensive music collection with many songs (i.e. 500 songs) purchased from iTunes and wanted to get them freed from DRM protection, you will have to pay USD150 for the upgrade. And in order to listen to them with your MP3 player or mobile phone music player, you still need a further step - convert the AAC music to MP3 one by one (as the steps show above). It not only messes your iTunes library up but also costs you a great deal of time and money. Therefore, if you really want to play the previously purchased music tracks from iTunes Store with MP3 players or mobile phone music players, you just need to get TuneClone Audio Converter to help to remove the iTunes DRM protection and convert the iTunes music to the popular MP3 format. Also, if you get iTunes Plus DRM-free music files and want to play them with the MP3 players or mobile phone music players incompatible with Apple AAC format, you can still use TuneClone to turn them into MP3 format, saving the time to create MP3 version for the songs one by one.

Transfer iTunes to BlackBerry Storm

"With a unique touch screen and cutting-edge multimedia capabilities, the BlackBerry Storm smartphone makes a great impression as you travel across town or to almost any corner of the world."

One of the great new features I am starting to enjoy on my BlackBerry Storm is the ability for it to play multimedia files and specifically audio (music).

First let's take a look at the video and audio formats supported by BlackBerry Storm:

Video format support: MPEG4 H.263, MPEG4 Part 2 Simple Profile, H.264, WMV
Audio format support: MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, WMA, WMA ProPlus

Basically, when you buy music from iTunes, it comes with a copyright protection called DRM. These DRM-protected songs are locked so that they only work with Apple MP3 players. That means that if you have a BlackBerry Storm, you cannot use iTunes music.

So, what is the solution? You have to burn a CD. When you do this, the DRM is removed (because the music is converted to a non-DRM-compatible media). After you burn the CD, you can rip it to your PC as an MP3 file which no longer has DRM.

Alternatively, you can use TuneClone. TuneClone makes a virtual CD-ROM drive, tricking your PC into believing that you are burning a CD. Therefore, the DRM is removed without wasting a CD.

Here is a link to a tutorial using TuneClone and iTunes 8:
http://www.tuneclone.com/itunes8-m4p-to-mp3.php



After you get the output MP3 files, you can now begin to transfer them to your BlackBerry Storm:

1. Connect your BlackBerry to you computer via the USB cable.
2. If you have properly enabled your Blackberry as a Mass Storage Device, your Blackberry's microSD card will show as a removable drive on your computer.
3. Double click on the Blackberry folder.
4. Double click on the music folder.
5. Copy your music files to your BlackBerry.
6. Disconnect your Blackberry from the USB cable and go to the "Multimedia" icon on you Blackberry. You need to disconnect when you use the Mass Storage device method as it disables direct access from the BlackBerry when connected to the PC via the USB cable.
7. Click on the Music icon.
8. Click on the Media Card folder.
9. Select your Music folder.
10. Select your Song.
11. Play and enjoy.

Done.

Review on TuneClone Audio Converter

There is an in-depth review of TuneClone Audio Converter software. The author gives an average score of 4.5 out of 5.



So what do you think of this review? Is it fair and honest? Now let's take a look at the highlights of this review:

iTunes has invaded pretty much all musical use on the computer anymore, people who don't really know much about computers hear about iTunes and assume that's what they're supposed to use for their music on their computers. Case in point, a friend of mine does not own an iPod, but yet he and his girlfriend used iTunes to transfer all of his music over to his computer and it's kinda stuck there now. Well he'll be the first to admit that he really doesn't know much about computers at all, so seeing as iTunes was so popular that's what they decided to use for his music, of course they didn't ask me anything at all. They transferred over many, many songs, and of course his mp3 player, a Sandisk, can't play them so he was stuck with what to do next. So he called me for help, mind you though, most of his music isn't copy protected/copy righted etc, he's actually a world renowned Waltz or Ballroom Dance instructor, so he's got tons of music he uses for that kind of stuff, and once they spent the hours to put it in his computer via iTunes he was basically stuck, it was either re-do it all through another program, buy an iPod or figure out another way to get his music to his Sandisk player converted to Mp3 format.

So there are a few free versions out there that will help my friend out, but I needed something that was easy to use, very easy to use and I found TuneClone, which is very easy to use so that's what I've got for review today. TuneClone is a program to convert you iTunes or other music services music over to mp3 format, quickly and easily. It essentially creates a virtual CDRW drive on your computer and virtually burns the CD from the main program, iTunes of other and then TuneClone automatically rips it to mp3 format for you, so in a few easy steps you've got music that is easily transferred and played on any device.

Tech Specs, Features or the Basic Info:

Note: The information in this part is from TuneClone homepage, so please go to http://www.tuneclone.com/index.php to get to know about tech specs, features and basic info of TuneClone Audio Converter.

Installation, Testing and Comparison:

TuneClone is a download, so there are no box shots etc, just download and install, very easy to do.



There's really not much to do on the end user part of this program, most is done automatically. Load up TuneClone and hit the 'Open Media Player' button and your iTunes or whatever will open for you. If you wish you can change the output directory, and other settings like bitrates etc, but for most the default settings are fine.

To use TuneClone you just burn a CD with your program, I'm using iTunes of course, you just have to make sure the destination drive is the TuneClone virtual CD, other than that there's nothing else to change really.

As soon as you hit burn, your CD will start to burn virtually and then TuneClone goes to work converting the files to MP3 format for you automatically.

That's it, there's really nothing much more to it, very easy to use for even someone who doesn't know much about computers.

Summary and Comments:

TuneClone is a great way to free your music from one of the music services out there, it works well, it works fast and it's very easy to use.

DragonSteelMods gives TuneClone Audio Converter Software a 4.5 out of 5 score.

Pros:

-Easy use
-Fast
-Works well

Cons:

-Expensive

The full review is available at http://www.dragonsteelmods.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=10186&Itemid=38

How to Convert iTunes 8 M4P to MP3

More than two months ago, I wrote a tutorial entitled How to Convert iTunes M4P to MP3. In that post, I introduced the way to convert iTunes M4P (protected AAC) music to MP3: using TuneClone. With the release of Apple genius iTunes 8, this way of converting iTunes M4P (protected AAC) music to MP3 with TuneClone isn't applicable, as there's some difference between iTunes 8 and its previous version. So, I'd like to post the step by step tutorial about how to convert iTunes 8 protected AAC or say M4P music to MP3 with TuneClone below:

1. Download TuneClone from http://www.tuneclone.com/tuneclone_setup.exe and install it.

TuneClone is fully compatible with Windows XP and Windows Vista. A virtual CD burner will be installed. This virtual CD-RW will be used to convert music files.

2. Make settings in TuneClone



Click the "Settings" button at TuneClone. In the pop-up window, you can specify the "output folder", "output filenames", "output format", etc. for the output files.

Note: Apart from MP3, TuneClone also allows you to convert iTunes M4P to WAV and unprotected WMA.
Tip: You can get the output protection removed music folder by clicking the "Folder" button after the whole process.

3. Make settings at iTunes

Create a playlist, and then add the files you want to convert into the playlist.



After you have created the playlist ready to be burnt, click the "Burn Disc" in the bottom right of iTunes.

In the pop up window of "Burn Settings", make the settings as highlighted below:



4. Start to burn

Click the "Burn" button to start burning.

After the burning gets started, TuneClone will automatically convert the music file to MP3, WMA or WAV. You can open the manager screen to show all the converted music files.



The most important step is to choose the CD burner. Then the software can convert the music files automatically. It is exceedingly easy when you want to batch convert lots of files.

How to Convert iTunes M4P to MP3 WMA WAV for Windows Movie Maker

Many people are fond of making slideshows on their Windows Movie Maker, however, it won't let them import any purchased music as it is DRM protected. Since iTunes store tops the music retailer in the world, the following tutorial focuses on how to convert purchased iTunes M4P music to MP3, WAV or unprotected WMA so as to import it to Windows Movie Maker project as background music. The tutorial is composed of the following three parts:

Part 1. Something about Windows Movie Maker

Windows Movie Maker is a totally free program that comes with Windows XP Home Edition, Windows XP Media Center Edition, Windows XP Professional, and Windows Vista. Below are the audio/video formats accepted by Windows Movie Maker:

Video files: .asf, .avi, .wmv
Movie files: MPEG1, .mpeg, .mpg, .mlv, .mp2
Audio files: .wav, .snd, .au, .aif, .aifc, .aiff
Windows media files: .asf, .wm, .wma, .wmv
MP3 format audio: .mp3



Part 2. Remove DRM from M4P music

The songs you purchased from iTunes store are under DRM protection. You cannot directly import them to your Windows Movie Maker project. However you can burn the protected music files to CD-R or CD-RW disc to make an audio CD and then use some CD ripper software to convert the audio CD track back to MP3, WAV, WMA, etc. And iTunes allows you to burn the protected music files to CD-R or CD-RW disc to make a standard audio CD:

1. Insert a CD-R or CD-RW disc into your CD-ROM drive. You'd better use CD-RW disc as it can be used for more than once.
2. Burn your playlist to make an audio CD. You cannot select the MP3 CD option since it requires the protected music files be converted to unprotected MP3 files.
3. After the audio CD is successfully burned, insert the disc into your CD-ROM drive again. Then you can use iTunes to import the music tracks on the burned disc to MP3 files.

The steps are very simple indeed. Yet, I'd like to introduce a practical application called TuneClone M4P to MP3 Converter. It applies the virtual CD burning technology so that there is no need to use real disc. You can use it to move your library of M4P DRM protected music to the MP3 format that you can use on any player out there worth its salt. This is a useful tool for anyone looking to break their relationship with the iPod. The best part is that it maintains all of the music file's metadata. Wordpress has a little tutorial showing how to remove DRM from iTunes M4P music with TuneClone M4P to MP3 Converter.



Part 3. Add the output DRM-free music to Windows Movie Maker

After you get the output DRM-free music by adopting either the disc burning/ripping method or virtual CD burning method discussed in Part 2, now you can begin to import it into your Windows Movie Maker project.

Click on "File". Then click on "Import". A window will appear. In the window, navigate to the sound or music file you want to add to your movie. Then double click on the file. You'll see the icon for the file in your Windows Movie Maker "Collections". Click on the icon and drag it on to the timeline to the part of the video you want the sound or music to play.

How to Convert iTunes M4P Music to Zune WMA MP3

You are considering buying a Zune as you broke your iPod or had your iPod stolen. And you bought a lot of songs from iTunes store because you had money left on your iTunes gift card. You still want to enjoy those purchased songs on your Zune music player. Or you own an iPod while your boyfriend/girlfriend has a Zune. You hope to share the M4P music purchased from iTunes store under your account with your boyfriend/girlfriend. Here comes the headache! The M4P music you bought from iTunes is DRM-laden! You cannot transfer the M4P music to the Zune software, not to mention play the M4P music on your Zune music player.

Yet, there seems to be a solution. You can burn the protected M4P music to CD-R or CD-RW disc to make an audio CD and then use some CD ripper software to rip the audio CD track back to Zune accepted MP3 or WMA format. iTunes allows you to burn protected AAC (M4P) music to CD-R or CD-RW disc to make a standard audio CD. Sounds a good idea! But it would be a time consuming process if you have a library of iTunes M4P files ready to be converted to Zune MP3 or WMA. Moreover, the ID3 tags about the M4P music like title, artist and album will be missing after burning and ripping back to MP3 or WMA files. So this method is not recommended if you have a big collection of iTunes M4P files ready to be transferred to your Zune.

I've made a Google search for programs that can convert iTunes M4P to Zune WMA or MP3, and TuneClone Audio Converter attracted my attention. The edge of TuneClone over other similar programs is that it applys the virtual CD burning tech to simulates the burning and ripping process. You just need to burn the iTunes M4P playlist to TuneClone virtual CD drive. TuneClone will directly convert the iTunes M4P music list to Zune WMA or MP3. It is very fast and the music metadata will be well preserved. Below are several key steps to convert iTunes M4P music to Zune MP3 or WMA using TuneClone Audio Converter.

1. Make settings at TuneClone



Click the "Settings" button at TuneClone. In the pop-up window, you can specify the output folder, output filenames, output format, etc. for the converted MP3 or WMA files.

Tip: You can get the converted music folder by clicking the "Folder" button after the whole process.

2. Make settings at iTunes



Click "Edit -> Preferences... -> Advanced -> Burning". Select TuneClone's virtual CD-RW drive as CD burner. In the "Disc Format" option, tick "Audio CD".

Tip 1: In order to keep the ID3 tags about the music, the "Include CD Text" option should be checked.
Tip 2: The most important step is to choose the CD burner. Then the software can convert the music files automatically.

3. Create a playlist

Create a playlist, and then add the iTunes M4P music files you want to convert to Zune WMA or MP3 into the playlist. After the conversion, the WMA or MP3 music folder should be located under the folder you specified at first. The name of the music folder should be the same as that of the iTunes playlist you created.

Tip: It is exceedingly easy and fast when you want to batch convert lots of files.

After you get the output folder, now you can transfer it to your Zune software so as to enjoy the iTunes music on your Zune music player.

How to share iTunes DRM music with your Facebook friends

Facebook is a social utility that connects people with friends and others who work, study and live around them. People use Facebook to keep up with friends, upload an unlimited number of photos, share links and videos, and learn more about the people they meet.

Facebook offers an application called "Twist me!" to help Facebook fans share music with their friends. Below is the brief steps:

First, visit Facebook website and add the "Twist me!" Application to your profile.

Second, click "Twist me!" from the "Applications" list and click "Next" to import the music files from your local PC. Of course, you can also import videos and images. The supporting formats are various. Here I focus on music. You can add a maximum of 8 audio files here. What's more, you can leave a message to your friends accompanying the music files.

Third, choose your friends to send the music files to.

It is very easy to share music files with your Facebook friends. However, we always have very classic music on our iTunes accounts and are willing to share them with our Facebook friends. Here comes the headache! The music files under the iTune account are DRM protected. So how to remove the DRM from the protected iTunes music files and output them as Facebook supported unprotected music files?

The program called TuneClone I talked about in my previous post How to convert iTunes M4P to MP3 with TuneClone comes to the rescue. It can be used to batch convert DRM protected iTunes M4P music to MP3. This program automatically generates a virtual CD burner for converting the music files. Compared with using real disc, it is much faster. Moreover, this cute program can keep the information about artist, title and album intact. It is a very good application for iTunes users who have hundreds of M4P files ready to be converted and DRM removed.

How to convert iTunes M4P to MP3 with TuneClone

TuneClone Audio Converter is the software you are looking for if you have a big collection of iTunes M4P music files to be converted to MP3. It automatically generates a virtual CD drive and simulates the burning and ripping process. All you need to do is install TuneClone and then burn your playlist to TuneClone virtual CD burner. And TuneClone will directly convert the iTunes M4P music to MP3. It is very fast and all the music information about artist, album and title will be preserved perfectly.

Note: If you are using iTunes 8.0 or above, please skip to http://itunestomp3.blogspot.com/2008/09/updated-how-to-convert-itunes-protected.html

1. Download TuneClone from http://www.tuneclone.com and install it.

TuneClone Audio Converter is fully compatible with Windows XP and Vista. A virtual CD Burner will be installed. This virtual CD-RW will be used to convert music files.

2. Set the default CD Burner to TuneClon CD-RW at iTunes.

Click menu "Edit", select menu item "Preferences...", and then select "Advanced" tab. In order to keep the music metadata, the "Include CD Text" option should be checked.



3. Create a playlist, and then add the files you want to convert into the playlist.

4. Click Burn Disc button at the bottom right of the main screen of iTunes.



While the burning gets started, TuneClone will automatically convert the music file to MP3. You can open the manager screen to show all the converted music files.



The most important step is to choose the cd burner. Then TuneClone will convert the music files automatically. It is exceedingly easy when you want to batch convert lots of M4P files.

How to convert iTunes protected AAC M4P to MP3

The music files you purchased from iTunes store areunder DRM protection. You cannot play them on your own mobile devices other than iPod and iPhone. You cannot directly convert the DRM protected AAC (M4P) to MP3 with iTunes media player, either. However you can burn the M4P music files to CD-R or CD-RW disc to make an audio CD and then use some CD ripper software to convert the audio CD track back to MP3. iTunes allows you to burn the protected AAC music files to CD-R or CD-RW disc to make a standard audio CD. If you have only a few music files, you can use the method below:

1. Insert a CD-R or CD-RW disc into your CD-ROM drive. You'd better use CD-RW disc as it can be used for more than once.
2. Burn your playlist to make an audio CD. You cannot select the "MP3 CD" option since it requires the protected music files be converted to unprotected MP3 files.
3. After the audio CD is successfully burned, insert the disc into your CD-ROM drive again. Then you can use iTunes to import the music tracks on the burned disc to MP3 files.
4. Copy the MP3 files to media players such as cell phone, Zune, BlackBerry, PSP, Creative Zen, etc.

These four steps seem very simple, however, it is a time consuming process if you have a library of M4P music files ready to be converted. Moreover, the information about the music files like title, artist and album will be lost after burning and ripping back to MP3 files.

TuneClone is the software you are looking for if you have a big collection of iTunes M4P music to be converted to MP3. It automatically generates a virtual CD drive and simulates the burning and ripping process. All you need to do is install TuneClone and then burn your playlist to TuneClone virtual CD burner. And TuneClone will directly convert the M4P files to MP3. It is very fast and the music metadata information about artist, album and title will be well preserved.