I use iTunes to help me keep my music organised, and have a system that works really well for me. However, since I bought my MBP last year, I have been using an external HDD to store the library on (Its backed up etc etc, this isn’t the issue).
The issue is that I want to use the same HDD for BOTH my MBP and my iMac, but for example, when I have downloaded new music using my MBP, and then move the disc to the iMac, none of the new stuff shows up.
iTunes is pointed at the right folder, and its finds everything else no problem. Its not so much of an issue for the iTunes purchases as I can re-download these pretty easily, but I buy a lot of from places like Beatport, Juno and TiD, and this poses me more of an issue. The tracks are on the disc but iTunes just isn’t finding them.
I have tried to “add tracks to library”, but because its all in one folder, iTunes wants to re-import the whole library when I click this folder and at almost 40,000 tracks I haven’t got the time to do this every time I want to move the disc between machines…
Anyone already resolved this issue or know how to help with this?
Cheers guys…
(For info, I am using the latest iTunes of each machine.)
iTunes doesn’t have active folder monitoring, or the options to scan your media folder at start up like Traktor does.
Without those things, iTunes isn’t going to find those tracks unless you add them manually or scan the entire drive like you mentioned.
iTunes Match is a subscription service for $24.99 a year. Apple will “match” your music with 256 kbps AAC from the iTunes Store. It will upload what it can’t match. It has a 25,000 song limit on songs not purchased from iTunes.
Thanks Glitchwerks, you have probably just saved me an entire afternoon of trying to solve a problem that doesn’t sound like it can be solved, I had come up with a “back-up” plan in this case, and I will crack on with that. Cheers dude
And i’m not giving Apple £24.99/year for their glorified cloud! They’ve had enough from me in the last twelve months!
Here’s the trick that I used for years (before switching to Swinsian).
1 - start with the iMac and the external disk connected
Set the media folder to a folder on the external harddisk, e.g. “/Volumes/MHDD/music”
2 - copy your complete iTunes folder ~/Music/iTunes to your external harddisk - but not into the music directory!
3 - quit iTunes and eject your external disk on the iMac
4 - connect the external disk to your MBP
5 - copy the iTunes directory, e.g. “/Volumes/MHDD/iTunes” over to your Music folder ~/Music
If Finder asks you if you want to copy or merge, select merge.
6 - start iTunes on your MBP
This works well, but you have to be cautious: any changes to iTunes on your MBP (playlists, purchases, IOS apps, etc) will be overwritten in step 5!
Going “back” to the iMac would be the same: copy iTunes dir to MHDD, disconnect, connect to iMac, copy iTunes dir to Music folder.
In general, there are two workflows for this kind of poor mans sync.
(1) One-Way
On computer is the master, the other computer - or even more than one - always receive the updates from the master.
Changes on the slave computer to playlists will be lost each time the master gets copied over to the slave.
(2) Two-Way (a.k.a. The Loop)
1 - Copy from iMac to MBP, now the MBP is the master.
2 - change playlists, meta data, etc on the MBP
3 - copy from MBP to iMac, now the iMac is the master.
4 - rinse and repeat
Most of the times, I used the first approach for myself, as I managed the playlists on the iMac and was only reading them in Traktor on the MBP. When I had longer trips, or when I was editing iTunes playlists on my MBP, I copied it back when returing home.
ITunes Match is well worth the $24.99 I strongly recommend if you use iTunes to purchase it… With iTunes Match if and when Apple/iTunes switch over to offering their purchases as lossless which will eventually happen you will be provided the lossless files free as iTunes Match states you will always be upgraded to the highest quality available on the iTunes Store. Plus it’s extremely nice having it in the cloud and easily accessible across devices… Create playlist on one computer goto other tell to download my time is worth more then the $24.99 it cost
your music folders are on the external HDD.
where are your iTunes library folders and files? One on MB and one on iMac?
when both computers use the same library, you wouldn´t have to bother around with inconsistent libraries.
create a new UNIVERSAL library on your external HDD.
-hold “alt” when opening iTunes
-create new library on external HDD
-move your music folders into the new path on your external HDD (iTunes > iTunes Media > Music)
import the music folder in your new iTunes library. (takes a while for processing, but now it should not be necessary to copy all the tracks, because you organized it with iTunes)
-close iTunes
-Now only use this universal library on your external HDD
When you switch the computers and hooked up the HDD, open iTunes with “alt” key pressed and select the universal library on your external HDD. (make sure this paths is set on your DJ software as well.)
When this works for you, you can delete the old iTunes libraries on MB and iMac.
About iTunesMatch: It always f***s my tags and playlists. It´s ok, but is not as reliable as promised.
On a related point, I use dropbox to sync my Traktor library on my iMac and Macbook - so I can beat grid / comment, sort etc on any device and it’s all synced up - sweet!
