iPod Apple Lossless library on Mac, but I want Mp3 in my iPod

[theBB]

Why the hell would they offer it for the Shuffle and not the rest of the iPods? The functionality is there, it would probably require them to change 5 lines of code to enable it for all iPods.

Shuffle can hold at most 2GB of music, so conversion may not take forever, reducing the chance that users would call and complain that it is taking two whole days for their computer to transfer songs to their iPods.

STill, a well hidden check button should cut down on complaints while giving the users who know what they are doing the chance to do this. I for one would appreciate it a lot. Maybe I should look into Doubletwist.

 

[rhett7660]

Connect external HDD to MBP
Open iTunes and select lossless library
Change Import settings to Apple lossless
Change iTunes Music folder location to external's location
Insert and Rip CD in Apple lossless to external HDD

Close iTunes
Re-open iTunes and select lossy library
Change Import settings to AAC
Uncheck copy files to iTunes Music folder when adding to library
Add Apple lossless files to iTunes
Convert to AAC
Select Apple lossless files and delete links, not files

It's a PITA and iTunes and Apple can do better.

If other programs did it better, I'd use it in an instance. Apple's not perfect. There is room to improve...

Hmmm...

My flow goes something like this:

Rip cd to lossless via XLD into a folder structure:

Lossless>>Artist>>Album

I do this for the new cd's that I just picked up etc.

Using XLD again once I have ripped the music into lossless

I then switch two setting from Lossless to mp3 and directory to rip in.

Mp3>>Artist>>Album

I have a server setup, then I just copy the files into the appropriate director:

Lossless>>Artist etc...
Mp3>>Artist etc...

Then open up itunes and import the new mp3's or open up the other director and import lossless.

My appletv uses my lossless and my computer uses the mp3 folder.

I am not saying that apple can't improve what they have done. But to me, it isn't that hard to manage two library's.

I also have a backup that kicks off ever other day for backing up my library's.

 

[esaleris]

What posters are forgetting is that the original poster (or one of the earliest posts) talked about retaining metadata.

So let's say you're on your iPod, you give a song 4 stars and you've listened to it 2 times. That data will never feed back into the lossless version of the library you have on file, if you have a lossless library and a mp3/aac version on your iPod.

Likewise, if you keep two libraries, if you, say, change the genre of an artist on one library, the other one will have to be tracked manually. It's not to say it can't be done, but if you're having lots of changes, it's a pain in the rear. I use a genre system that looks like "Rock | Indie Rock" and have changes pretty often to make sure that my genres reflect music that really sound similar, or that I associate well in my head (I could use playlists, but go with me here).

So yes, it's easy to have two libraries that function. It's not easy to manage those libraries manually.

 

[ADS]

Hmmm...

My flow goes something like this:

Rip cd to lossless via XLD into a folder structure:

Lossless>>Artist>>Album

I do this for the new cd's that I just picked up etc.

Using XLD again once I have ripped the music into lossless

I then switch two setting from Lossless to mp3 and directory to rip in.

Mp3>>Artist>>Album

I have a server setup, then I just copy the files into the appropriate director:

Lossless>>Artist etc...
Mp3>>Artist etc...

Then open up itunes and import the new mp3's or open up the other director and import lossless.

My appletv uses my lossless and my computer uses the mp3 folder.

I am not saying that apple can't improve what they have done. But to me, it isn't that hard to manage two library's.

I also have a backup that kicks off ever other day for backing up my library's.

simple...

 

[rhett7660]

Actually it is......

And if I ever want to re-rip a cd, I no longer have to go to my cd, I just rip it from my lossless file.

I actually got this idea from another poster on this board.....

But hey,,, if you have another way, by all means go for it. I have a work flow down and it works for me....

 

[rhett7660]

What posters are forgetting is that the original poster (or one of the earliest posts) talked about retaining metadata.

So let's say you're on your iPod, you give a song 4 stars and you've listened to it 2 times. That data will never feed back into the lossless version of the library you have on file, if you have a lossless library and a mp3/aac version on your iPod.

Likewise, if you keep two libraries, if you, say, change the genre of an artist on one library, the other one will have to be tracked manually. It's not to say it can't be done, but if you're having lots of changes, it's a pain in the rear. I use a genre system that looks like "Rock | Indie Rock" and have changes pretty often to make sure that my genres reflect music that really sound similar, or that I associate well in my head (I could use playlists, but go with me here).

So yes, it's easy to have two libraries that function. It's not easy to manage those libraries manually.

Well that is true.. but don't you think you should have this done in the beginning so you don't have to go back and do things over??

If you have a better solution by all means post it??????

 

[Tilpots]

Hmmm...

My flow goes something like this:

Rip cd to lossless via XLD into a folder structure:

Lossless>>Artist>>Album

I do this for the new cd's that I just picked up etc.

Using XLD again once I have ripped the music into lossless

I then switch two setting from Lossless to mp3 and directory to rip in.

Mp3>>Artist>>Album

I have a server setup, then I just copy the files into the appropriate director:

Lossless>>Artist etc...
Mp3>>Artist etc...

Then open up itunes and import the new mp3's or open up the other director and import lossless.

My appletv uses my lossless and my computer uses the mp3 folder.

I am not saying that apple can't improve what they have done. But to me, it isn't that hard to manage two library's.

I also have a backup that kicks off ever other day for backing up my library's.

Keeping a library on a server is a whole heck of a lot different than on a laptop and an ipod! Sheesh, no wonder you think it's easy. Let me just run out and by a dedicated home media server real quick...

simple...

Nice.

 

[rhett7660]

Because there is soooo much difference between an external hard drive setup and a server.......

You know... one external drive for lossless and one external drive for mp3's....... yeah huge difference.... Because you would never plug in two external drives at the same time.....or god forbid you have an external and an iPod plugged in.... I don't think that has ever been done before, Never, unheard of such thing... Please......

Keeping a library on a server is a whole heck of a lot different than on a laptop and an ipod! Sheesh, no wonder you think it's easy. Let me just run out and by a dedicated home media server real quick...

They are pretty darn cheap right now,, let me know if you need any help!

Yeah... good luck, with what ever you two do!

 

[Tilpots]

Because there is soooo much difference between an external hard drive setup and a server.......

You know... one external drive for lossless and one external drive for mp3's....... yeah huge difference.... Because you would never plug in two external drives at the same time.....or god forbid you have an external and an iPod plugged in.... I don't think that has ever been done before, Never, unheard of such thing... Please......



They are pretty darn cheap right now,, let me know if you need any help!

Yeah... good luck, with what ever you two do!

Lose the server than talk to me.

It's a totally different situation. Thanks for the advice about a set up you don't understand.

 

[rhett7660]

Ummm... I started out with two hard drives before I made my server. So I think I have a little experience. But hey, take it for what it is worth.

Two external hard drives.
Two hard drives on another machine.

Yup I see a huge difference.

Best of luck to yeah!

 

[steve-p]

So yes, it's easy to have two libraries that function. It's not easy to manage those libraries manually.

I agree entirely - it's a pain, frankly. There are a lot of things I like about iTunes but this is one thing I really don't like. It really shouldn't be necessary to have two separate libraries with the same content just to use lossless for direct playback and syncing with Apple TV, and a lossy format for iPhone/iPod. Or duplicates of every song in the same library, in different formats. Apple should have considered that the "one size fits all" approach does not work in the era of syncing multiple devices with vastly differing capacities from the same library. In the (very) long term when the iPhone is up to 256GB or more then the problem will go away for me, as I can use lossless only. In the meantime I have two iPods, Apple TV and an iPhone to service from the same 10,000 song library, and it's not working very well for me.