Tips on Using iTunes

By learning how to use iTunes to play audio CDs and Internet radio, you’ve picked up a lot more knowledge than you might realize. That’s because you use the same steps and controls to listen to other music sources, such as your Library, playlists, and so on.

• Many of the controls in the iTunes window work just like similar controls on a CD player.
• The iTunes Information window doesn’t look like a lot, but you’ll learn to really love it when you are building your Library.
• If a song’s Selected check box is checked, it will play. If it’s not checked, the song won’t play.
• You determine the songs you want to hear and the order in which you want to hear them for all your sources by the order in which they appear in the Content pane (except for the Radio source, which you have to take as it comes). Each time you insert a CD, iTunes remembers the settings you used last time and uses those settings again. Just wait until you get to playlists—you can take this concept to the extreme!
• You can repeat or randomize the music in any source, such as a CD or playlist.
• Don’t forget about the iTunes System Tray (Windows) or Dock (Mac) menu. This is a great way to keep iTunes music going while not consuming any of your valuable desktop real estate.
• You can change the width of columns within the iTunes window, and you can also resize the iTunes window to make it the size you want. As you work through later, you’ll also learn how to customize the information you see inside the window as well.
• Listening to the Radio source provides access to lots of music available on the Internet.
• You can use iTunes Effects to control the gap between songs, to equalize the relative volume of songs, and to enhance the sound you hear.