How to Set Burning Preferences for CDs in iTunes

Burning a CD is a simple process in iTunes, but you'll want to set the burning preferences for CDs in iTunes, just to make sure that you get the burn right on your first try. This is critical if you are burning a CD-R, since you only get one chance.

Set the following options to ensure that you burn your CDs correctly. You can access these options by choosing iTunes→Preferences (Mac) or Edit→Preferences (Windows), clicking the Advanced tab, and then clicking the Burning tab:

• Preferred Speed: iTunes typically detects the rating of a blank CD-R and adjusts the recording speed to fit. However, if your blank CD-Rs are rated for a slower speed than your burner or if you have problems creating CD-Rs, you can change the recording speed setting to match the CD’s rating.

• Disc Format: Selecting the appropriate disc format is perhaps the most important choice you need to make. Decide whether you're burning an audio CD (CD-R), an MP3 CD (CD-R), or a Data CD (CD-R) or DVD (DVD-R or DVD-RW).

• Gap between Songs: Another professional touch is to add an appropriate gap between songs, just like commercial CDs. With this option enabled, you can set the gap time as well.

• Use Sound Check: Musicians do a sound check before every performance to check the volume of microphones and instruments and their effect on the listening environment. The aptly named Use Sound Check option in the Burning preferences dialog turns on the Sound Check feature to balance your tunes from a volume standpoint.

  

  Set burning preferences in this dialog.

• Include CD Text: Selecting this option adds the artist and track name text to the CD for certain CD players (often, in car players) that can display the artist and track name while playing a CD.