Top Software for Getting MP3 Files and Converting MP3 to iTunes

When it comes to digital media, iTunes is one of the greatest tools that you will find today. It not only works as a media player, but also works as a media converter, media library and device manager, online media store... So yes, it is one of the biggest engines we have these days when it comes not only to music but also video such as movies, TV shows, apps, and many other types of contents. If you are a Mac user chances you may already use iTunes as your media manager, especially if you own an iPod, iPhone or iPad. Basically, if you want to use an iDevice, you better use iTunes.

Yet, many people who just got into iTunes may be interested in finding out how to add the media they already have into their iTunes Library. When it comes to music, iTunes can handle several formats such as MP3, AAC, WAV etc. Of all the iTunes-compatible formats, MP3 is widely used and undoubtedly the most popular audio format. But how to get songs in MP3 format and how to convert MP3 to iTunes? Here are several effective solutions helpful to you.

Top Tools for MP3 Files – How to Download or Convert to MP3 Format

It is true that you cannot only manage all your music but also get (buy) new music through iTunes. However, most of the media available to purchase on iTunes comes with DRM protection, that will keep you from freely sharing your files or just playing them whenever you want to. Do not worry, remember it does not matter how or which tools you use to get your music, you can always convert and import them into your iTunes library. In case you are looking for an alternative way to get MP3 from sources different than iTunes, these next names will come in handy:

1. iTube HD Video Downloader

Internet is home for some of the most amazing sources of entertainment, and one of its greatest examples is YouTube. You can go into YouTube and look for almost any song you can imagine, and you will find it. In fact, many people still prefer creating a YouTube video playlist and enjoy at a party, or let it play as they work. So it would be great if you had a tool that allowed you to download the audio of any of the videos available there, right?

This is iTube HD Video Downloader, a simple tool that will allow you to have any YouTube media on your desktop or media device in almost any format. All you need to do with this tool is to click on the Download button appearing on the video of the song that you want. You can either download the video in its original format, or just extract the audio as an MP3 file! With most YouTube videos being available in high quality, you can be sure you will get a MP3 copy perfect for you to enjoy on your computer, cellphone, iPod or any other media player.

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2. Aimersoft Music Recorder

Another tool is Aimersoft Music Recorder, although this one works differently. Once you have downloaded it from the link, you will find a very simple and easy to use interface. You can record media from any source as long as it is playing on your computer; it can be a YouTube video from a song, tracks playing over Grooveshark, SoundCloud... Just about anything you want.

All you have to do is hitting the Record button as your song starts playing in the background on your computer. Stop the recording as the song finishes, and Aimersoft Music Recorder will automatically recognize it and customize it with the correct tags as artist it belongs to, name of the song or the album art. Additionally, you can select the audio quality for the MP3 file to be saved. Unlike other recording options available, with this tool you do not have to set up anything else on your computer, just install, record, save and enjoy.

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3. Audacity

Audacity is another audio recorder available for Mac, Windows and Linux. With this, you can also perform audio edition. So once again, you will be able to record any song playing in the background on your computer, from any source and then export it as an MP3 file among others. On the downside, unlike Aimersoft Music Recorder you will have to either download or select the location of the MP3 Encoder to be used and also setup the audio mixer configuration so you can record exactly what you listen.

4. BeeMP3

Although this is not necessarily a software, is one of the easiest tools to get that song you are looking for in MP3 format. Just like other search engines allow you to browse between web pages, images, or other types of content, BeeMP3 is actually a search engine for MP3 files. So it does not store any songs on its site, but rather allows you to find songs for free that are available for download from any site on the internet. Simply enter the song or artist that you are looking for, choose from the results and download as any regular file. The main downside for this service is the fact that you depend on actual sites that have exactly the one song you are looking for available for download for free, and sometimes their service or links might be down, or simply each site handles different audio qualities.

5. SnipMP3

This is another online service, only this time it works as a mix of two of the others we have reviewed. By accessing SnipMP3 you will be able to paste a YouTube video address and it will extract the audio from it into an MP3 file that you will be able to download into your computer. As many online services, once again it can be a very useful option on the run, but you lose control on the conversion process, since you are not able to select the quality of the final MP3; you will receive it exactly in the same audio quality the video has, which sometimes can lead to a heavy MP3 file.

6. Aimersoft DRM Media Converter

If you still want to share the protected music purchased from iTunes rather than downloading all of your music in a new format. Thankfully you can switch between music formats using Aimersoft DRM Media Converter. This all-in-one remover and converter can not only help you strip DRM protection from your music files, but also can allow you to convert the files to MP3 format for transferring to iTunes. The whole process only takes three simple steps: firstly, import file to the program by clicking the Add button; next, click Audio Files to and select MP3 as the output format; lastly, activate the conversion process by clicking Start. Then you can freely share your iTunes music on non-Apple devices and easily add them to iTunes library in MP3 format.

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How to Put MP3 on iTunes for Organizing and Playing on Apple Products

So basically, you have many tools to still get your favorite songs in MP3 format. All you need to do now is to import them into your iTunes library and maybe make a copy of them into your music device. If this is the first time you use iTunes, this will not be a problem, since the first time you open the application you get prompted into Scan for Media to access your Library. iTunes will automatically add all music files in compatible formats that are stored in your music folder. From this point on, whenever you want to add any new MP3 files into your iTunes library, all you need to do is to move it into your music folder which will be auto scanned regularly if you want to, or you can simply drag the MP3 file into iTunes, the MP3 file will be added into your library and optionally, you can also automatically have a copy of it in your My Music\iTunes\iTunes Media folder.

What is MP3

The MP3 audio format started taking over and leading since the early 1990s. MP3 are so common these days that they even became a standard on many media players for most computers and mobile devices. This audio format was especially designed to reduce the size of the file, and provide the best quality so that it can be a faithful copy of the original file. However, MP3 files can be edited so that you can change their bitrate, higher bitrates will end in better quality and therefore larger sizes. Its neat quality makes it perfect and very easy to use making it a great option for you whenever you want to save it on any device, upload it to the internet or create a CD.

List of iTunes Supported Audio Formats

Being such a large engine for music and entertainment, iTunes is required to handle many kinds of media files and even allows the conversion between some of them. Some of the audio formats iTunes currently supports are: AIFF, AIFC, MP3, System 7 Sound (SND), uLaw (AU), WAV, QDesign, QuickTime audio, some Audible audiobook formats, AAC (Advanced Audio Coding) and MP4 (M4A), although these last two are the most commonly used and recommended to work with iTunes and Apple devices. iTunes is also capable of handling DRM-protected files thanks to FairPlay encoding through the AAC on MP4 files.