This article will get you started making MP3s,  Although many rippers and encoders will do the job of making MP3s, we are using MusicMatch for Windows as an example because it offers professional quality MP3 recordings, as well as ease of use for beginners.

Step 1: Download MusicMatch.

The first step is to download a copy of MusicMatch, and install it in the Program Files directory on your computer. This is the only software you will need to encode .mp3s from your Audio CD.

Step 2: Making an MP3 file..

Put the CD you want to encode into your computer's CD drive. Open the MusicMatch Jukebox. Click on the red REC button in the Player to open the Recorder. A window will appear listing the tracks on the CD with track numbers. If you're connected to the Internet, the names of the songs, the artist, and album name will be filled in. If you do not have an Internet connection or the CD information is not returned, you may type titles in the available fields.

Click the box next to each track you want to make into an MP3 file. When you have finished choosing the tracks click the "start" button found in the upper left side of the window. Sit back and wait for a few minutes while the track is encoded into the .mp3 format.

Step 3: Playing your file.

Now that you have made an MP3 of your track, you can listen to it. Click the musical note icon at the bottom left of the Player window to open the Music Library. The track you've recorded will now be listed in the Music Library database, with some fields left blank to enter in custom information (for instance Genre, Tempo or Mood. Simply double-click the tracks to add to the player, or drag them into the Playlist window. Click the Play button when you are done and your track(s) will start playing.