Ext hdd for iTunes + iTunes match

[bp1000]

If I store my library on an ext hdd in lossless and I don't plug it in / have it with me would iTunes match let me listen to those songs it's expecting to see on the external hdd?

If so will it overwrite/choose to play the 256kb icloud song instead of my local lossless file when i plug my hdd back in again?

Thanks

 

[PNutts]

If I store my library on an ext hdd in lossless and I don't plug it in / have it with me would iTunes match let me listen to those songs it's expecting to see on the external hdd?

In my experience, no. When I have songs that aren't available but still in iTunes, I am not able to play it even though it is also in the cloud.

If so will it overwrite/choose to play the 256kb icloud song instead of my local lossless file when i plug my hdd back in again?

No. The only way to replace a local file is to first delete it and then download it from the cloud.

 

[zhenya]

Many posts about this lately. The answer is no, when your storage drive is offline it will work the same as it always has - that music will not be accessible.

The work around is to create a second, empty iTunes profile that you open and connect to your Match account so you can stream your library when you are not connected to the storage drive.