MPEG to AAC coversion in iTunes

iTunes is simply a database, the music is not "in iTunes". Instead, it is listed in iTunes and stored "on your computer". So you should use Windows Explorer to look for the files for those songs. But be extremely careful about changing anything in Windows Explorer (more later).

The usual storage location for music ripped from CD into your Library is your Windows default Music folder, as follows (note that the iTunes Music may be iTunes Media, or you may even have both folders):

• • single artist albums - C:\Music\iTunes\iTunes Music\<artist name>\<album title>\<song title>
  • compilation (various artist albums): C:\Music\iTunes\iTunes Music\Compilations\<album name>\<song title>

Note the difference between a single artist album and a compilation and that the <...> is is to be replaced by the name/title itself.

My Library is stored as follows (notice that I use my D drive, rather than C):

• • single artist albums - D:\My Music\iTunes\iTunes Music\Bessie Smith\Great Original Performances 1926-1934\05 Trombone Cholly.m4a
  • compilation: D:\My Music\iTunes\iTunes Music\Compilations\Summer Sounds Express #2\2-02 Summertime.m4a

In the examples above:

• • Trombone Cholly; the 05 is the track number. It may, or may not, be included in the song title part of the filename
  • Summertime; notice that the artist is not included in entries for compilation albums

(Summertime is performed by Billie Holiday, in case it's your sort of Blues and you were curious.)

You should also check for a Previous iTunes Libraries folder. I have one. Look at the screenshots below, I have music scattered in both an iTunes Music folder, and a Previous iTunes Libraries folder.

In the Previous iTunes Libraries folder you see above, there is:

• • an empty Previous iTunes Libraries folder, well, empty of music. It does contain old iTunes .itl files.
  • another iTunes Media folder. In there is a further sub-folder, named Music, which has more music listed in my Library.

I know this may look a mess, but it's simply a reflection of iTunes evolving and having a large library. It's just one of those things. (I also have another folder, containing Amazon purchases (don't tell Apple that I buy elsewhere).

You can use Windows Explorer to search for tracks. Since CD rips should be named with the song title, use Explorer to search for that title:

Right-clicking on either area of text will open a context menu, on which you will find:

• • Open file location - which will do just that, open the folder containing the file
  • Properties - useful to check which search result is the one you're after (e.g. the m4a copy or the MP3 version)

One last thing: remember that I said be extremely careful about changing anything in Windows Explorer? If you change the filename for a file in Windows Explorer, iTunes will then not be able to find the file (under it's original name) since you have effectively removed it. Don't forget, iTunes simply lists the songs. Every time you want to play a song or copy it to a device, it looks for the file under the name it knew about when it was added to the Library.

My immediate reaction is that if the songs have been converted once, don't try converting them again. Every conversion may introduce errors (usually not discernible to the human ear), so converting an already compromised file may simply add to the problems (which may then be discernible) and that's more likely than the iTunes convertor being defective.

On reflection though, I cannot think how the songs would have been converted by themselves (i.e. not by iTunes acting on its own). Have these songs ever played in your iTunes Library? Where did they come from originally, are they iTunes Store purchases or from your CDs, or somewhere else?

Furthermore, an iPod Classic can play MPEG files, or at least, it can play MP3 files, so that then begs the question "why can't your Classic play the files as they are?" Can you be more specific about the file type because MPEG can mean more than one file type, does it state MP3 or something else?

Here's another thig; if the original songs had been converted within iTunes, then you would have two copies, because what iTunes actually does is create a new copy in the new format, leaving the original where it was. So can you find two copies of these songs in your Library, the original and the converted file?

I have never read, heard of, or experienced iTunes converting by itself. Even if it had, the original would still be there (as you have noticed form your recent conversion). So you would have the original AAC, the conversion to MP3 and then your subsequent conversion of the MP to AAC. If you cannot find the original AAC version, the only thing I can think of is that the file was converted by a programme outside of iTunes.

As you suggest, the simplest option is probably to rip the again from the CD.

Indeed. And it is used in a playful way and definitely not intended to offend anyone.

I'm glad you were amused, that is it's purpose.

And I'm pleased that you're making progress with your music, albeit slow.