If you want to make your own thread debating yourself on streaming vs. downloading, please feel free to do so. Just don't cause more confusion for others as this is supposed to create an understanding, not confuse others. Stay on topic.
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Understanding iTunes Match
- Thread starter Dwalls90
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If you want to make your own thread debating yourself on streaming vs. downloading, please feel free to do so. Just don't cause more confusion for others as this is supposed to create an understanding, not confuse others. Stay on topic.
Thank you.
Does any other song located on the old location still work? Right now, about 90% of my song files are located on the External Disk, some 5% are on a local folder and some 5% are located on iTunes folder due to AAC conversion...
I'm not sure what you are doing. If I were you, I would take ALL of the music files you want, JUST the audio files themselves, and put them all into a folder on your desktop.
Then, delete all and any instances of iTunes files and iTunes library folders across your computer and your external to start fresh. Make sure iTunes is closed.
Next, while opening iTunes hold (shift key, if in Windows - option key, if in OSX), and create a new library on the external.
This way, iTunes will only store, modify, add, delete, ect. all of your library and songs only on the external. Note you will need the external to be plugged in while you use iTunes.
Certainly nothing to "debate." This thread is about iTunes Match. iTunes Match streams and downloads. I don't find it hard to comprehend and I doubt I am alone.
Michael
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I'm playing around with iTunes match now and I feel stupid, but I have to ask this question...
I have match turned on, iTunes scanned my library and uploaded everything with no problems. I have many songs that I ripped myself. If I were to hypothetically delete my entire iTunes library, where would I go to download one of my self-ripped songs back to my computer? I see where all of my iTunes purchased content is and how I can easily re-download that- but I don't see where my matched/non-iTunes purchased stuff is being "stored" for me to retrieve.
I have match turned on, iTunes scanned my library and uploaded everything with no problems. I have many songs that I ripped myself. If I were to hypothetically delete my entire iTunes library, where would I go to download one of my self-ripped songs back to my computer? I see where all of my iTunes purchased content is and how I can easily re-download that- but I don't see where my matched/non-iTunes purchased stuff is being "stored" for me to retrieve.
If you delete a song from your library, you will be asked if you want to delete it from the cloud. If you choose not to remove it from the cloud, you will still see that song in your library, but with a little cloud with an arrow symbol next to it. Clicking on that symbol will download the song back to your local drive from the cloud.
If you don't see a cloud download symbol, make sure "iCloud Download" is selected as one of your columns in iTunes...
I can't seem to get it to happen on my macbook. I can see my entire library (including self-ripped) from my iPhone with no problem. But I can only see purchased content from my computer.
My plan was to purge my library and just add songs back in to it as I desire them. I've collected a lot of stuff over the years that are cluttering my collection. Stuff I don't like anymore or stuff I plain old never liked but an ex or a friend put it in my library. I love to listen in the car with random on but lately the experience is not as nice. I know I can do this without iTunes match, and I do have everything backed up already (always). But I was trying to play around with it and I ran in to this issue.
No big deal for now.
My plan was to purge my library and just add songs back in to it as I desire them. I've collected a lot of stuff over the years that are cluttering my collection. Stuff I don't like anymore or stuff I plain old never liked but an ex or a friend put it in my library. I love to listen in the car with random on but lately the experience is not as nice. I know I can do this without iTunes match, and I do have everything backed up already (always). But I was trying to play around with it and I ran in to this issue.
No big deal for now.
Sorry if I was not clear. English is not my native language ;-)
I understood your suggestion. Unfortunately it would lead me to some issues:
- I'd lose all my ratings
- I'd lose all my playcounts
- I'd not be able to even use iTunes without my external HD attached (right now, I can use it for everything except listen to the songs that are offline (when HD is not plugged in).
- I'd also have iTunes managing my folders (right now I do all the folders/files administration. I'm a little control freak ;-) )
I've got 17k files matched, from a reduced library of 23k songs. I guess I'll wait till I've got all my files available in the cloud and then be able to download all of them to a single location. (or maybe I'll wait till I get a Macbook with a larger hard disk ;-) )
Thanks for your help
In your situation I'd move the 5% to the external drive. Then after you switch the library location in the prefs iTunes will put any new rips and conversions in that new location as well.
There's also a pref "keep itunes folder organized" which should help get the moved files into the right locations (or move those folders manually based on artist/album).
Yeah, that makes sense, it'd probably be less work, if I have iTunes managing the files. But still, if I change the location in prefs, It would move the Media files AND Library files. So, if External disk is not connected, iTunes would not even open, right?
As far as your media is concerned, it can live in ANY location or ANY combination of locations. It doesn't care if half your music is on your local drive, half on an external drive, or even on a network drive or stored in the trash. There is no requirement that your media files be stored in any specific single location.
I would recommend you keep your library files on the main hard drive of the computer though - and guard those if you care about your playcounts, ratings, etc. As long as those are safe, you can move the audio files in the background all you like and that metadata will stay safe.
I'm not exactly clear what your other question is - when you Match your music, there is no requirement to re-download it all (unless you are trying to bulk upgrade your music to 256k - and I'd do that very cautiously!!) In fact, with Match, there is a way that you can stream your entire library once the Match process has completed - even if your external drive is not connected. You can do this by creating a separate iTunes profile, and then adding no media to that new profile, but connecting it to your iTunes Match account. It will populate the profile with all of your media and metadata - but it will all be streaming from Apple's servers. If you need to manage the actual content of the library, switch back to your main profile and make sure all drives are connected.
If your stuff is tagged properly, iTunes does a great job of folder organization by artist and album.
It doesn't move the library files, only the media. You can move the library files yourself, but unless you do that they should stay in the same spot. I think it is a good idea to have the library files on the boot drive and the media on another drive.
Shame iTunes doesn't have the ability to set multiple library locations for libraries that get too big for the drive. Even splitting audio files and video files over different drives would be nice.
Sure it does. As I mentioned, iTunes doesn't care where you store the actual media files. They can be on any number and any combination of drives or folders. For example, I keep my music on the internal drive of my iMac, but all video files are kept on a network drive.
I assume he meant under the umbrella of the iTunes folder. But, yes, I do the same thing with Video and keep that on an external drive. My music collection is dwarfed by even a couple of large videos so no issue keeping it on one drive.
Michael
Sure it does what? You can put files in multiple locations, but anything outside the iTunes folder in the prefs isn't supported by features like "keep itunes folder organized". I'd like to see the ability to set multiple iTunes folders in the prefs and keep them all organized.
Ok. It just strikes me as odd that you want to both have iTunes manage your files and folders, yet dictate how it does it. The option you want exists - it just means you have to manage your own files.
I don't see anything odd at all. Here's an example. I put music on one drive and video on another. If my video isn't in the folder set in the prefs, when I go into itunes and input show/season/episode, it doesn't move those files into folders organized that way and has to be done manually. I'm really not that interested in manually managing files, I want iTunes to do that work even if a library doesn't fit on a single drive.
So, If a change the location on prefs, it will only move media files to new location and keep the Library on my User/Music Folder?
Can you do random shuffle of your Match library and stream that to your devices? I have about 20,000 songs and I use that feature a lot. I don't want to create playlists, I just want shuffle and then have it streamed.
I may not understand this correctly, but my reading seems to indicate that you can stream to computers (no downloading required) but you have to download to iOS devices until they fill up, then you can stream to them. Is that right?
I may not understand this correctly, but my reading seems to indicate that you can stream to computers (no downloading required) but you have to download to iOS devices until they fill up, then you can stream to them. Is that right?
Changing the location in prefs will not automatically move your media. You'll have to do that yourself.
Yes, shuffle will work. You are correct that the files will download to iOS devices. I'm not sure it will download until the device is full, or will use some kind of intelligent purge as the device fills up. I'd suspect the latter.
i have many albums that friends pass me alogn trough usb pendrives etc. if i select the album and click secondary and go to get info i can se that the album or song of that album are asociated to his apple id. purchased by: etc etc. that means since i dont have his authorizarion,it wont be matched? because if that the case im screw, a lot of my music wont be matched...
I am doing this to upgrade my cd rips from years ago - two questions
1. (updating deleted from my local drive but still in the cloud) is there a way to down load a list of tunes from the cloud or do i have to click on that cloud icon for EVERY single tune in my list to pull down a 256k version
2 search on the bit rate field? (I'm looking to work with a 128kbs matched files)
Create a smart playlist with the criteria being 'bit rate is 128k' and iCloud status is 'matched'. Then delete the content of that playlist locally, and then select all the files again, and right-click any song and Download.