All my CDs have been ripped into iTunes as lossless, and now that I've got an iPod I'd like to make AAC versions as well. ITunes puts the AAC files in the existing folders with the lossless files. It seems to me that it would be a good idea to keep the two versions separate. Can anyone suggest the best way to manage this?
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iPod Managing AAC and lossless files
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Use playlists in iTunes. You can sort by bitrate or file type in iTunes by right clicking on the top of the library window (where it says name, time, etc) and selecting "bitrate" or "kind" from the menu that pops up. Pick kind and then click it when it shows up in that bar. It will separate all of the different kinds of files. Then you can make a playlist or however many you want and drag and drop the AAC files into those playlists. Then sync the iPod with just those playlists.
Edit: wanted to add that you can basically make two playlists of each that way. One playlist for the AAC files to sync with your iPod and then one playlist for the lossless files you can have access to on iTunes. That way you can manage two libraries without really having to manage two libraries at all.
If I understood right, the OP wants to physically separate the lossless from the lossy songs/albums. The only viable way would be to make use of ID3-tags, eg. "Album XY (lossless)" and "Album XY" as the lossy variant. This way iTunes would put them into separate folders.
Create a separate library for each.
iTunes needs a better way to do help people who choose to utilize different formats. Using two libraries works, but it can be a pain when you add new music because you need to add it to both without screwing the other one up (by accidentaly leaving a box checked instead of unchecked or having the iTunes update the library with the wrong info).
iTunes needs a better way to do help people who choose to utilize different formats. Using two libraries works, but it can be a pain when you add new music because you need to add it to both without screwing the other one up (by accidentaly leaving a box checked instead of unchecked or having the iTunes update the library with the wrong info).
Thanks for the replies. I already know that I can use playlists to keep things apart in iTunes, but it seems to me that it would be a good idea to keep the files apart for backup purposes. It seems that the only solutions to this are tedious. It's a bit of a shame, I would have expected that my situation is a common scenario, and that Apple would have thought of a sensible solution.