iPod and iTunes: The Missing Manual, Third Edition

Advanced

The Advanced menu deals with several tasks that might appeal to power users, including adjusting ID3 tag formats (page 121) and downloading track information from the Internet.

Switch to Mini Player (Windows Only)

Instead of minimizing the iTunes program window completely into the taskbar, you may sometimes prefer to shrink its window down to convenient minibar size. That way, the essential controls are still visible. Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl+M.

Open Stream

The Open Stream command opens a dialog box where you can type or paste in a URL to go directly to a streaming audio site. If you’ve never listened to radio streams over the Internet, iTunes has plenty of preprogrammed links for you to check out (page 125). Just click Radio in the Source list and click the kind of music or radio programming you wish to listen to. Keyboard shortcut: -U (Mac), Ctrl+U (Windows).

Convert Selection to AAC (or MP3 or AIFF or WAV)

Depending on the file type (AAC, MP3, AIFF, Apple Lossless, WAV) you’ve designated in Preferences for importing songs into iTunes (page 102), you can use the Convert Selection command to convert a selected item into your preferred format. For example, if you have some WAV clips on your computer but have chosen MP3 as your preferred import setting, use the Convert Selection to MP3 command to select and convert the files to MP3 and import them into iTunes all in one shot. ...