Loop audio file snippets in iTunes

Sep 13, '04 10:47:00AM

Contributed by: risc

While listening to an MP3 of a live performance by one of my favorite artists, DJ Shadow, I really enjoyed a particular segement of the performance. I thought: I'd like to hear that that segement over and over again.

So here's a basic hint that explains how you do it in iTunes (submitted with iTunes 4.6, but I believe all versions support this feature):

  1. Play the file in iTunes and note the start time and end time of the segment you want to loop by observing the elapsed time for the file (for example: 1:14:05 is the "start of the loop" and 1:18:30 is the "end of the loop" time in my case, with the notation in hour:minute:second format)
  2. Highlight the file in iTunes (command+L to show the file currently playing)
  3. Choose File -> Get info (command+I)
  4. Select the Options tab
  5. Enable the checkbox for "Start Time" by entering the time value for the start of the loop 1:14:05
  6. Enable the checkbox for "Stop Time" by entering the end of the value for the end of the loop 1:18:30
  7. Press OK to save changes.
  8. From the Controls menu select "Repeat One"
  9. Double click the file to begin the loop process
  10. Enjoy the loop.
Note: To "undo" this hint, simply uncheck the checkboxes for the Start Time and/or Stop Time (or you could manually re-enter the values for each field). Select "Repeat Off" from the Controls menu to stop the looping.

Comments (12)


Mac OS X Hints
http://hints.macworld.com/article.php?story=20040903144706293