Dan writes, “I have been intrigued by the number of podcasts that are out there I subscribe to a few of them and listen on my computer and then delete them. I really don’t have any desire to sink a small fortune in one of those IPOD things or clones thereof. Is there a way to put the music podcasts that I really love onto a CD?”
The short answer is yes you can burn CDs of your favorite podcasts. How you get there depends a little on which software you currently have available and what type of CD player you have. If iTunes is your primary solution for downloading podcasts, the built-in CD burning feature will work to create a CD from your podcasts. Windows Media Player also includes built in CD burning. Or you could opt to burn a CD using an app like Easy Media Creator or Nero. In each case there are a few basic things to keep in mind.
If what you want is a standard audio CD, formatted just like the millions of popular music CDs around the world, keep in mind you are limited to 72 minutes of audio on a single disk. If your car stereo or portable CD player includes support for either WMA or MP3 file playback, the limitation simply becomes the available space on the CD.
Burning Podcasts to CD with Windows Media Player
Skip to the iTunes section
If you use Windows Media Player, the process is straightforward. Open Windows Media Player, Click the Burn tab and either drag and drop files into your Burn List or select them using the dropdown menu. Make sure Audio CD is selected a click the Start Burn button to make the disk.
To create a disk full of MP3 or WMA podcast files using Windows Media Player, simply change the setting from Audio CD to Data Disk before clicking Start Burn in Windows Media Player.
Burning a Podcast to CD with iTunes
iTunes requires a couple of extra steps in order to get from audio files to audio CD. First you need to create a new playlist by choosing either File > New playlist or using the Ctrl+N keyboard shortcut. Name your playlist and add files.
Fill the playlist with your 72 minutes (or less) of podcasts.
Double check the iTunes burn preferences to make sure you are creating an Audio CD by visiting Edit > Preferences > Advanced and clicking on the Burning tab.
With your Podcast CD playlist selected, click Burn Disk in the upper right corner of the iTunes interface. When burning is complete, you’re ready to listen.
To create a disk full of MP3s using iTunes, simply click the radio button next to MP3 CD in the iTunes Preferences prior to burning, which creates a disk compatible with an CD player with MP3 support.
Standalone CD Burning Software
For standalone CD burning apps like Nero or Easy Media Creator, simply use the CD burning wizard to step through making either an Audio CD or Data CD containing the podcasts you want to burn.
Get More Great Podcasting Tips
Download the Podcasting Starter Kit for over 100 pages of podcasting tutorials, tips and how to information perfecting your podcast. Podcasting Starter Kit helps you:
- Find the right recording gear
- Learn audio editing technique
- Publish Your Podcast
- List Your Podcast in iTunes
- Distribute Podcasts with BitTorrent
- Get Thousands of Subscribers
- Make money podcasting