How can I create an audio CD from MP3s?

Q I have downloaded some music mixes in MP3 format, and I’d like to save them to CD-R so I can play them in the living room on a CD player. What’s the easiest way to do this? I have some 80-minute blank CD-Rs, but a few of the MP3s are longer than that. Is there a way I copy these to CD?

Kevin (via forum)

A An audio format called Red Book was invented to ensure audio CDs would play in any CD drive or stereo. MP3s have to be converted to this format to play in a regular CD player, and many disc creation programs such as Nero will do this.

An alternative and free program called CD Burner XP does the job just as well. Put a blank CD-R in your drive, then download and install the program.

From the main menu click Audio disc and click OK. Use the file browser to choose a selection of music tracks to add to the disc, by clicking on the file and dragging it over the tracklist in the lower area.

Double-click a track to listen to it using the built-in player. As you add tracks, keep an eye on the total audio length, displayed with a green bar at the bottom, making sure it does not exceed 80 minutes. When you have decided on the tracks and the order they will come in, click Burn.

A window will appear allowing you to adjust a few final settings. You can set how long the pauses are between tracks and the speed at which the tracks will be copied. Make sure the box next to Finalize Disc is ticked.

When you are ready click Burn. Music that is longer than 80 minutes will not fit on your CD-Rs, but if a track is only slightly over, you can use recordable CDs that are 90 minutes long. They are less common than 74 or 80-minute CD-Rs but are available to buy online.

Alternatively many modern CD players and stereos can play MP3 files that have been copied straight to the disc, without first converting them to Red Book audio. This means that around 10 times the amount of music will fit on a disc, but they will only play in CD players with this ability or on your PC.

An example of this sort of stereo system can be found at on Amazon UK.

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