On Nov 30, 2008, at 12:44 PM, Dan wrote: > The iTunes library AND the folders in which my "master" copy be are > on the same volume. In fact, they're both in ~/Music.
The "iTunes library" is just a small cataloging file and has no music or music copies in it. It only keeps formatting information, and how to related lyrics and cover art to the actual tracks. > iTunes is NOT moving the file. It is making a COPY then disposing of > the original. IF that import included a format change, then your > original is then GONE. > > That's why the default is to copy and leave the original - so as to > avoid that destruction. You're confusing two different functions of iTunes. Both may be construed as "Importing", but they're independent and different, one is "importing" music, the other is "adding" music. "Importing" is the function of placing a CD into a CD unit and having it converted into an iTunes compatible format. This is controlled under the iTunes Preferences>General tab with the selection "When you insert a CD:" field and also the "Import Setting..." button and subsequent window. In iTunes, "Importing" means "ripping" a CD to your selected format. The default is AAC. The ONLY other use of the term "Importing" by iTunes is in the "Create <file format import preference version> Version" from the iTune s>Advanced menu or from a Control-click (right click) of a highlighted track or selection of tracks. For example, if your import preference is 128kbps AAC the iTunes will say "Create AAC Version" but if you change the preference to 192kbps MP3 iTunes will now say "Create MP3 Version". The name changes with your preference. In older versions of iTunes, previous to iTunes 8, this was called "Convert to <file preference> ..." rather than "Create <file preference> Version". These are the ONLY two instances where the file format is changed. --------------------------------------------------------------- "Adding" is the function of adding music files that are already in an iTunes compatible format into iTunes. Adding NEVER converts your format. It is controlled by the iTunes Preferences>Advanced tab using the check boxes "Keep iTunes Music folder organized" and "Copy files into iTunes Music folder when adding to library". If you don't check these boxes, your music stays where you place it, and doesn't copy anything. Normally, the boxes are checked by default. IF iTunes is selected as your default music application for the file format selected, if you double-click a file to play it, it WILL copy the file into the iTunes music folders and use that copy to play from, the original file is never touched. If you had a full CD of files, and double-clicked only one track, only that one track would copy into iTunes. Now, if you moved the full CD of files to the trash, the copy of the single track would still be in iTunes. In the converse, if you did nothing to the full CD of files, but deleted the track from within iTunes, only the copy of the track would be deleted, and your originals are where you left them, BUT, they're NOT listed within iTunes until you play them. The normal method of "adding" music files is to drag & drop them as a group into iTunes. This is NOT importing. The files are COPIED exactly as they are, they are NOT changed in format as with "importing". IF you drag & drop a full CD of files into iTunes they are all copied EXACTLY as they are, they are not changed in any way at all, they are COPIES, which means EXACT copies. If you now delete the original files, all the copies are still within iTunes, and they are organized, and perfect. In my mind there would be no reason to keep the originals once they were "added" (meaning copied) into iTunes. Here is a common problem related to bloating and duplicates in an iTunes library. Say you have a CD that has previously been ripped to some iTunes compatible format, say .mp3, but it was a "rare" CD, perhaps a local band demo where no track information was available during the rip process. These tracks will have generic names, i.e. "track 1", "track 2" etc. If you double-click such a track, or add them to iTunes by drag & drop, they will COPY into iTunes as Unknown Artist, Unknown Album, track 1. If you then correct these within iTunes to say the real name of the artist and album, the COPIES within iTunes will now change names to have the names you've corrected. However, the original files outside iTunes remain as track 1, 2, etc. Now, your COPIES within iTunes are more correct than the originals, which still have the wrong names, artists, albums associated with the files. Worse, these files now differ, and if you inadvertently double- click an original "track 1" file it will be re-copied to iTunes because you've corrected the other copy, and iTunes won't recognize that it already has this track, so you'll get a 3rd copy. This becomes a mess quickly if you keep the originals, so the BEST idea is to ONLY keep ONE copy of each track, and the best place to keep that copy in my opinion is "organized COPIES" within the iTunes music folder with the originals being TRASHED ASAP. Again, just to reiterate, the COPIES in iTunes are EXACT COPIES, like clones, they're NOT IMPORTED, they are ADDED (meaning cloned) and their format isn't changed. As long as you have a normal "backup" of your HD, there is no reason to keep extra duplicate copies outside your iTunes music folder. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed Low End Mac's G3-5 List, a group for those using G3, G4, and G5 desktop Macs - with a particular focus on Power Macs. The list FAQ is at http://lowendmac.com/lists/g-list.shtml and our netiquette guide is at http://www.lowendmac.com/lists/netiquette.shtml To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/g3-5-list?hl=en Low End Mac RSS feed at feed://lowendmac.com/feed.xml -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
