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I want to make an MP3 disc with multiple directories. How??

Mikebike125

Mikebike125

macrumors 6502
Original poster
iTunes can make me an MP3 disc but with no directories. I want to make an MP3 disc with different directories for different songs. Beach Boys in one directory, Rock music in another directory, kids music in another...

How can I do this and what program should I use? This is from what I see beyond the capabilities of iTunes so what do you suggest???

Thanks for the help. I was able to do this on my Windows machine so I am SURE my new Mac can do it.
 
You can use the Finder to do this. Just drag the associated files around in the directories you want in a burn folder.

Finder>File>New Burn Folder. Setup the directories as you see fit. Burn disk, bad-bing!
 
GimmeSlack12 said:
You can use the Finder to do this. Just drag the associated files around in the directories you want in a burn folder.

Finder>File>New Burn Folder. Setup the directories as you see fit. Burn disk, bad-bing!
Click to expand...
Will that mess with iTunes at all?
 
Mikebike125 said:
Will that mess with iTunes at all?
Click to expand...

Not at all.
You'll notice when you drag a file/folder into a Burn Folder that whatever it is that you dragged becomes an Alias (a shortcut in the Windows world). Therefore not physically moving anything anywhere.

I just made an MP3 CD like this yesterday after I read your thread (cause I had never actually done it!). Works like a charm. Though I will say that my car MP3/CD player reads the files by name. So the order of the songs was a bit messed.
 
OK, if it just makes an alias then that is what I want. I was afraid that I would end up making duplicate copies of the files and fill up my hard drive.
 
GimmeSlack12 said:
Not at all.
You'll notice when you drag a file/folder into a Burn Folder that whatever it is that you dragged becomes an Alias (a shortcut in the Windows world). Therefore not physically moving anything anywhere.
Click to expand...
I opened iTunes and then I clicked on the files and dragged them into the new folder I made in Finder. It seems to be the new location for the actual file. It is not an alias but the actual MP3 file. I don't think this is a bad thing because if this is where the file solely resides that is OK. It seems that the alias is in iTunes. I am just not sure if the file rnow resides in TWO places or not.

Am I doing something wrong? This doesn't seem to be working as expected.....
 
Mikebike125 said:
I opened iTunes and then I clicked on the files and dragged them into the new folder I made in Finder. It seems to be the new location for the actual file. It is not an alias but the actual MP3 file. I don't think this is a bad thing because if this is where the file solely resides that is OK. It seems that the alias is in iTunes. I am just not sure if the file rnow resides in TWO places or not.

Am I doing something wrong? This doesn't seem to be working as expected.....
Click to expand...

Ohhh boy....

Yeah that isn't right. You are making copies of files when you drag them out of iTunes. What I had meant to explain was you need to drag the files in the Finder to the Burn Folder. So go to your Music Folder, find the album/songs you want and then drag to the burn folder. Naturally this can be a pain if you are trying to make a mix-CD.
 
GimmeSlack12 said:
Ohhh boy....

Yeah that isn't right. You are making copies of files when you drag them out of iTunes. What I had meant to explain was you need to drag the files in the Finder to the Burn Folder. So go to your Music Folder, find the album/songs you want and then drag to the burn folder. Naturally this can be a pain if you are trying to make a mix-CD.
Click to expand...
I have the finder open on one side of the screen and the MacintoshHD open on the other side. I am dragging the files from the HD to the Finder and it just seems to be making copies of the files not alias files. What am I doing wrong?

Also, if all the files in the burn folder are alias files will it just put the alias files on the disc or the actual MP3 songs??

Thanks
 
People who aren't familiar with how OS X's built-in burning works should not be posting to this thread.

When you put in a Blank CD and choose to open it in the Finder, you'll get a "burn folder." This is a temporary space used to store the files you want to put on the CD.

You copy the files to this burn folder. This does not make aliases, it COPIES them. (When you used to drag things, it would show them as aliases, but people found this confusing, and for good reason). Nowadays if you're making aliases in the burn folder, it will burn a bunch of aliases to a disc. Not what you want.

COPY the folders and files you want on the CD to the burn folder. Then, click burn. Finder will burn those files to the CD, and once it's done, will delete the "extra copies" of the files that are living in the burn folder.

Copy, burn, there is no step 3.
 
Mikebike125 said:
I have the finder open on one side of the screen and the MacintoshHD open on the other side. I am dragging the files from the HD to the Finder and it just seems to be making copies of the files not alias files. What am I doing wrong?

Also, if all the files in the burn folder are alias files will it just put the alias files on the disc or the actual MP3 songs??

Thanks
Click to expand...

Seriously, this should have only taken 2 seconds to do. I still have plenty of patience but just needed to say that this really isn't that hard to do.

You have the "Finder" open on one side of the screen... you mean the Burn Folder is open? Or just the desktop is visible?
You should have your Music folder open, and your Burn Folder open. You drag from the music folder to the Burn folder. Aliases appear as icons with little arrows on the bottom left of them.

Burn Folders are special folders, any aliases in them will burn the actual file/folder, not aliases.
 
GimmeSlack12 said:
You drag from the music folder to the Burn folder. Aliases appear as icons with little arrows on the bottom left of them.

Burn Folders are special folders, any aliases in them will burn the actual file/folder, not aliases.
Click to expand...

No, this is not true anymore. This hasn't been true since Jaguar at LEAST. Maybe Panther. Definitely not in Tiger or Leopard. Please try not to spread outdated information.
 
killmoms said:
People who aren't familiar with how OS X's built-in burning works should not be posting to this thread.
Click to expand...

You mean like you?

You are so wrong on this killmoms. Create a burn folder, put a file in there. It places an alias of the file in the burn folder. NOT a copy.
1) The icon has the arrow on it. This means Alias.
2) Get info on the file in the burn folder. File type is Alias.

Guess I'll just go to PM's to help this guy.

killmoms said:
Please try not to spread outdated information.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the tip kid.
 

Attachments

  • BurnFolderAlias.jpg
    BurnFolderAlias.jpg
    72.3 KB · Views: 239
It seems the only way for the file to show that it is an alias is to right click and make it an alias. Then I do think that maybe the Burn CD will be just full of alias files and not music.... I have tried this several different ways and the only way I see to make the folders with the files in there is to just drag them in and Finder makes a copy of them...
 
GimmeSlack12 said:
Ohhh boy....

Yeah that isn't right. You are making copies of files when you drag them out of iTunes. What I had meant to explain was you need to drag the files in the Finder to the Burn Folder. So go to your Music Folder, find the album/songs you want and then drag to the burn folder. Naturally this can be a pain if you are trying to make a mix-CD.
Click to expand...
I see your attachment above. One more time. Are you just dragging them or are you holding any keys down while you are dragging?

Please keep in mind this is my first Mac EVER and I am completely new to anything Apple
 
GimmeSlack12 said:
You mean like you?

You are so wrong on this killmoms. Create a burn folder, put a file in there. It places an alias of the file in the burn folder. NOT a copy.
1) The icon has the arrow on it. This means Alias.
2) Get info on the file in the burn folder. File type is Alias.

Guess I'll just go to PM's to help this guy.


Thanks for the tip kid.
Click to expand...
I see something about your attachment that I don't see in my folder. Yours says BURN in the top right hand corner and mine doesn't. I simply went into Finder and created a new directory that I have been referring to as my burn folder, but it doesn't say BURN on the top like yours does.

Did I make the folder incorrectly?? I think I did.
 
Mikebike125 said:
I see something about your attachment that I don't see in my folder. Yours says BURN in the top right hand corner and mine doesn't. I simply went into Finder and created a new directory that I have been referring to as my burn folder, but it doesn't say BURN on the top like yours does.

Did I make the folder incorrectly?? I think I did.
Click to expand...

OOOOHHHHHHH!
File Menu>Burn Folder.
It's an actual type of folder, as opposed to just a reference name.

Sorry bout the early reference at how 'easy' this should be. I get lost in my own world of 'why can't you do this?' sometimes.
 
I am 90% there!

I have used the Finder option "New Burn Folder" to make up several Burn folders with the MP3 files in them. I would like to burn them all on one disc. Is there an option to burn them all on one disc? If I copy the burn folders into one new Burn folder, it just puts the alias' on the disc and not the mp3 files.

I am so close.
 
Mikebike125 said:
I have used the Finder option "New Burn Folder" to make up several Burn folders with the MP3 files in them. I would like to burn them all on one disc. Is there an option to burn them all on one disc? If I copy the burn folders into one new Burn folder, it just puts the alias' on the disc and not the mp3 files.

I am so close.
Click to expand...

???

You just put the songs into different folders in the Burn folder, you don't need to have multiple burn folders. The way I do it is grab an album folder and drag it into the burn folder. It will turn into an Alias and once you have about 700 megs of files in the burn folder you are ready to burn.

IM me if you have more problems.
 

Attachments

  • BurnFolder2.jpg
    BurnFolder2.jpg
    134.3 KB · Views: 213
killmoms said:
People who aren't familiar with how OS X's built-in burning works should not be posting to this thread.
Click to expand...

Stay out of it then, no idea why you are posting since you couldn't be more wrong.

killmoms said:
Please try not to spread outdated information.
Click to expand...

How about you stop polluting the thread that has actually given the OP the correct information with your factually incorrect and condescending posts?
 
GimmeSlack12 said:
???

You just put the songs into different folders in the Burn folder, you don't need to have multiple burn folders
Click to expand...
Duh! Whay didn't I think of that??? I didn't know i could make different folders in the burn directory. 😱
I will work more on that. Thanks!!

Hey Gimmie, you have been MUCHO help, Thank YOU!! 😀
 
It seems to be working. I have made one directory with about 25 songs in it and have made the rest of the empty directories. All I need to do now is take the time to fill them up. It will take a while but I plan on doing one directory a day. A little tedious but well worth it. All my music is all over the place in many different directories so that is why it is taking me so long.
 
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