Help...need to shrink iTunes as running out of HDD space

[aswitcher]

OK, so I have dumped all my music into iTunes over a month and its over 30gig because i recorded at 320...now I wonder if that was a big mistake.

I wanted to put all my music at the highest quality because I NEVER wanted to put 200 odd discs through this process again...but now my 80gig is running low and I need to free up space for DV work...

So does anyone have any advice?

Can I do some tricky stuff to shrink my library to a lower bitrate? (I have it all backed up now and in a safe at work so that my music collection is always safe, and I am happy to shrink it down and restore it in 5+ years when I replace my PB with one with a TeraByte of storgae ;)

[Horrortaxi]

Bigger and more hard drives is the best solution. If you're going to make big files you're going to run out of disk space sooner. Simple.

In iTunes you can change formats and change bitrate as a result. I would imagine there are 3rd party apps that do it too. Have you searched on versiontracker.com?

[JFreak]

install another hard drive to your system and move your /Users folder to the new hard drive. there should be plenty of space to spare :) you might also be able to leave your itunes library to your existing drive if you move all other user files elsewhere.

i will help you through this /Users folder location change if you like... it's a simple thing, really. requires root-level editing of one text file.

[aswitcher]

install another hard drive to your system and move your /Users folder to the new hard drive. there should be plenty of space to spare :) you might also be able to leave your itunes library to your existing drive if you move all other user files elsewhere.

i will help you through this /Users folder location change if you like... it's a simple thing, really. requires root-level editing of one text file.

Mmmm. Another HDD will be exy. If I can find a way just to rerecord my current library, I think thats my best option...

[Diatribe]

Mmmm. Another HDD will be exy. If I can find a way just to rerecord my current library, I think thats my best option...

I wouldn't go through that hassle. First of all, reripping or reencoding from already encoded material will leave you with a huge quality loss aand since you ripped everything at 320 in the first place this is not quite the thing to do. If you reencode your entire library from scratch it is going to cost you a lot of time.
So I think an ext. FW HD would be the best solution. I have a 250GB LaCie which I love to death since it solved all my memory problems.
If you have a desktop it'd be even cheaper to add a HD.
I wouldn't go any other route especially if you only have a notebook, because then a faster ext. HD is going to make a HUGE difference in speed when doing editing.

[aswitcher]

I wouldn't go through that hassle. First of all, reripping or reencoding from already encoded material will leave you with a huge quality loss aand since you ripped everything at 320 in the first place this is not quite the thing to do. If you reencode your entire library from scratch it is going to cost you a lot of time.
So I think an ext. FW HD would be the best solution. I have a 250GB LaCie which I love to death since it solved all my memory problems.
If you have a desktop it'd be even cheaper to add a HD.
I wouldn't go any other route especially if you only have a notebook, because then a faster ext. HD is going to make a HUGE difference in speed when doing editing.

So you have your iTune library on your external HDD and it synchs fine with your ipod via your Mac?

Can you have 2 itunes libraries this way, some songs on the Mac and the rest on the external HDD...shuffling them back and forward on occasion?

Is this hard to do?

[Diatribe]

So you have your iTune library on your external HDD and it synchs fine with your ipod via your Mac?

Can you have 2 itunes libraries this way, some songs on the Mac and the rest on the external HDD...shuffling them back and forward on occasion?

Is this hard to do?

Actually I have all of my songs on my pb(about 20GB) and have all of my photo editing stuff on the external. I rarely edit stuff on the go. And if I do it's only going to be a couple of GB which I can always fit on my pb's HD.

I don't know if you can have 2 libraries, but I read some time ago that someone had done this. I'm not sure how acurate this comment is.
I would love to test this out for you, but as of right now I am in Spain for at least another 15 weeks and I left my ext. HD at home. So if anyone else could give some insight here it would be greatly appreciated.

I just think you should be happy to have everything at a higher quality, because you never know when you might need it. That being said, when I bought my Sennheiser 595s some of the songs in 128kbit SUCKED badly.
But I hadn't really ripped a lot before so when I ripped everything I ripped it at 192kbit LAME which is my minimum. Sometimes I wished I had ripped it at a higher rate but LAME does an awesome job and it easily sounds like 320kbit regular MP3. So be happy :D
Most of us(that do video or photo editing) will need more disk space at some point anyway :D

[Horrortaxi]

I'm not sure if you can have 2 libraries or not. But you can have songs within a single library scattered all over your hard drive. They don't all have to be in the same folder. Look around in your iTunes preferences and you'll see something about copying songs to the iTunes folder--uncheck that.

[crenz]

I usually rip my CDs losslessly now, then convert them into 128 KBit AAC. The losslessly encoded files go to my firewire HDD, the AACs stay on the PowerBook.

[jKmxxx]

well I use 192kbps LAME Mp3. On my PB, I don't let iTunes to copy and organized song files. The reason is that I backup songs in folders until its about 650MB, eg. Music 1, Music 2 folders 650MB each. Then I burn it on to CDs and play it back from there. Thats how I am doing now, hope it helps. :)

[jeremy.king]

So you have your iTune library on your external HDD and it synchs fine with your ipod via your Mac?

This is quite easy to do and works just fine for me (syncs just fine). Of course, all of my music is located in my iTunes Library folder. If yours isn't you can choose consolidate library in iTunes.

then in Terminal

mv ~/Music/iTunes </path/to/your/ext/drive/>
ln -s </path/to/your/ext/drive>/iTunes ~/Music/iTunes

You substitute in the path for your external volume (or second hard drive/partition) in for </path/to/your/drive> (e.g /Volumes/Maxtor)

This doesn't work in finder by drag/drop/alias, you need to use terminal.

NOTE: if you aren't comfortable with terminal, don't bother trying this.

[JFreak]

no reason to make the symbolic link - you can set the library location in itunes preferences and it can be anything i think... but as a long-term solution i would still suggest the 2nd hard drive. it's not so expensive.

[jeremy.king]

no reason to make the symbolic link - you can set the library location in itunes preferences and it can be anything i think... but as a long-term solution i would still suggest the 2nd hard drive. it's not so expensive.

Actually you do, because it always looks for the XML library file in ~/Music/iTunes. Well that is if you share your library with another user account on the computer.

[JFreak]

you can leave the library files where they are, just move the "iTunes Music" folder.

[iMook]

Currently, I have all my media (music, movies ahem, videos) on an external USB 2.0 (my laptop has only the miniFW port, and an adapter seemed too flimsy) LaCie Porsche 250GB HDD. It's practical, sexy, and convenient.

The iTunes syncing works perfectly, but you need to be a bit careful. If you have more than one external device that your computer reads as a mass storage device (i.e. memcard reader, USB keydrive, LaCie HDD) you have to make sure that you plug your external in first, else the computer may change the drive letter assigned to the HDD. If that happens, you need to research your computer for the iTunes library links.

I recommend an external, since it's so convenient to swap files with others, bring your music over to a party (the iPod's batt life isn't adequate, esp. if you skip around), etc.

In any case, I most definitely suggest a storage boost of some sort, be it internal or external.



P.S. - Any concrete news on multi-library capability? My music collection is currently around 23.5 GB, I'm donwloading constantly, and in the fall, I'm pulling my friend's entire 16+ GB library, so I want some way to make a truncated library that my 3G 30GB iPod syncs with (No, I'm not buying a 4G iPod, the feature/form-factor upgrades aren't impressive enough, waiting for that elusive 5G).

[jeremy.king]

If you have more than one external device that your computer reads as a mass storage device (i.e. memcard reader, USB keydrive, LaCie HDD) you have to make sure that you plug your external in first, else the computer may change the drive letter assigned to the HDD.

Yet another reason I am glad I own a mac :D

[g30ffr3y]

get a bigger hard drive
copy the itunes music folder to the new hard drive
under itunes advanced prefs set the library location to the new drive
erase the old hard drive...

this is very easy guys... you are making a mountain out
of a mole hill...

[aswitcher]

Thanks for the advice. The 350gig porsche is on my list for best price.


Ok, but then I need a working solution for new music and iPod synching.

If I get a ext HDD it sounds like this will work fine and be relatively transparent with a few preference tweaks. Yes?

[aswitcher]

I usually rip my CDs losslessly now, then convert them into 128 KBit AAC. The losslessly encoded files go to my firewire HDD, the AACs stay on the PowerBook.

How do you convert them to 128? The normal recording way off a CD or do you have something else that shrinks music?

[aswitcher]

Currently, I have all my media (music, movies ahem, videos) on an external USB 2.0 (my laptop has only the miniFW port, and an adapter seemed too flimsy) LaCie Porsche 250GB HDD. It's practical, sexy, and convenient.




Thats definetly my cheapest option for a 250gig that I can find.

OK, question for anyone. Should I go USB2.0 or FW?

Can I download from a DV Camera with FW straight to an external HDD?

IS it worht the extra $50 AUD for FW 800?

[rdowns]

OK, so I have dumped all my music into iTunes over a month and its over 30gig because i recorded at 320...now I wonder if that was a big mistake.

I wanted to put all my music at the highest quality because I NEVER wanted to put 200 odd discs through this process again...but now my 80gig is running low and I need to free up space for DV work...

So does anyone have any advice?

Can I do some tricky stuff to shrink my library to a lower bitrate? (I have it all backed up now and in a safe at work so that my music collection is always safe, and I am happy to shrink it down and restore it in 5+ years when I replace my PB with one with a TeraByte of storgae ;)

So let me get this straight, you waited 17 weeks for this PB and filled the HD in 17 days? Ain't technology grand? :D

[aswitcher]

So let me get this straight, you waited 17 weeks for this PB and filled the HD in 17 days? Ain't technology grand? :D

You know if the eMac had an option for a 250gig or better HDD I would seriously think about getting one cheaply to address this problem :p

[Diatribe]

Thats definetly my cheapest option for a 250gig that I can find.

OK, question for anyone. Should I go USB2.0 or FW?

Can I download from a DV Camera with FW straight to an external HDD?

IS it worht the extra $50 AUD for FW 800?

It all depends on preference and whether you want to take it someplace, but I wouldn't go with the Porsche. I have the d2 from LaCie and is a lot sturdier, although heavier too, than the Porsche which is made out of plastic. Just thought I'd tell you that in case you didn't know.
If you connect the drive to you computer and then the DV Cam to your Computer you can.
And if it is worth the extra 50 for FW800? I have a 12" pb and I sure wish I had the FW800. FW400 is slow, but don't expect twice the speed it isn't. More like 1.6. With the transfer option above your bottleneck will definitely be the slowest connection(if you know what I mean) but for the rest, especially when handling big files, I'd recommend the FW800.
Hope this helped.

[aswitcher]

It all depends on preference and whether you want to take it someplace, but I wouldn't go with the Porsche. I have the d2 from LaCie and is a lot sturdier, although heavier too, than the Porsche which is made out of plastic. Just thought I'd tell you that in case you didn't know.
If you connect the drive to you computer and then the DV Cam to your Computer you can.
And if it is worth the extra 50 for FW800? I have a 12" pb and I sure wish I had the FW800. FW400 is slow, but don't expect twice the speed it isn't. More like 1.6. With the transfer option above your bottleneck will definitely be the slowest connection(if you know what I mean) but for the rest, especially when handling big files, I'd recommend the FW800.
Hope this helped.

Thanks.

I am looking at the tripple port Lacie d2, rather than the extreme because I would like the option of the USB2 over a slight increase in speed. Thoughts?

[Diatribe]

Thanks.

I am looking at the tripple port Lacie d2, rather than the extreme because I would like the option of the USB2 over a slight increase in speed. Thoughts?

Wow that looks like a monster. I hadn't seen this one before. I don't know how fast USB 2.0 is over FW 400 but if it is a lot faster you should go with with the triple interface one. This seems to be a tough call. Although I just find it to be a tad big. If you don't carry it around, ok, but still this thing seems huge. I'd say if you need the size(500GB) which I wouldn't and if you need the extra speed go for it. But if you do a lot of transfering between the DV Cam and your drive AND if USB 2.0 is a lot faster than FW400 go with the other one(or if you just don't like the size, like I :D )
Glad I already made the decision. Choice is tough sometimes.
If you need any more input or thoughts on that I will put more into it. :D

[aswitcher]

Wow that looks like a monster. I hadn't seen this one before. I don't know how fast USB 2.0 is over FW 400 but if it is a lot faster you should go with with the triple interface one. This seems to be a tough call. Although I just find it to be a tad big. If you don't carry it around, ok, but still this thing seems huge. I'd say if you need the size(500GB) which I wouldn't and if you need the extra speed go for it. But if you do a lot of transfering between the DV Cam and your drive AND if USB 2.0 is a lot faster than FW400 go with the other one(or if you just don't like the size, like I :D )
Glad I already made the decision. Choice is tough sometimes.
If you need any more input or thoughts on that I will put more into it. :D

USB2.0 is 480 versus 400 for FW400, so not that much faster.

USB would be to give me another option and given my camera is only FW400 I dont think its too much of an issue to not go with the extreme range

I was looking at the 250 gig tripple port not the 500...far to exy.

[Diatribe]

USB2.0 is 480 versus 400 for FW400, so not that much faster.

USB would be to give me another option and given my camera is only FW400 I dont think its too much of an issue to not go with the extreme range

I was looking at the 250 gig tripple port not the 500...far to exy.

Yep, that sums it up nicely. Just use the FW800 to access the files. For what it is good for if you'd really need to you could carry the 250GB along. I don't know about the 500GB. And to have another option was the reason I went with the triple interface one too. And until they get wireless FW on the way I won't change a thing.
Hope you'll be as happy with yours as I am with mine. I wouldn't want to live without it any more. (Although I have to for another 15 weeks :( )

[Bedawyn]

A few people asked about having multiple libraries. There is a freeware app, Libra (at versiontracker), that will allow you to do this. I haven't been using it very long so if it has problems I may not have discovered them yet, but so far it seems simple and effective. The only weakness is that you can't have multiple libraries open at the same time, but it's a matter of seconds to switch between them. Libra does not affect your actual song files; instead, it works by creating a new XML and iTunes library file for each of your song libraries, then switching them in and out of the default location where iTunes looks for them. I'm using it to keep separate track of songs on my internal and external hard drives and to keep actual music separate from spoken word files.

[pianojoe]

Recompressing from 320 to, say, 128 AAC will sound pretty much the same as reripping from CD to 128 AAC.

(All folks who don't think so: Try!)

So you can solve your problem with a few mouse clicks in iTunes (and a couple of hours for the coding to take place, of course).

[Diatribe]

Recompressing from 320 to, say, 128 AAC will sound pretty much the same as reripping from CD to 128 AAC.

(All folks who don't think so: Try!)

So you can solve your problem with a few mouse clicks in iTunes (and a couple of hours for the coding to take place, of course).

That depends on each person, on their taste, on their hearing, on their equipment, etc. I've heard people say that they cannot differentiate between 128kbit and a regular CD. If they can't, fine. I can. And for me it sounds horrible. Even 192kbit LAME I wouldn't use on my dad's stereo. On mine it is fine although there is a difference to a CD. But I don't care because it's marginal. But everyone has to try that out for themselves.
But if he said he ripped it in 320kbit to have the same quality as a CD reripping it is probably not sth. to consider.