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Stormraven

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 5, 2010
21
0
I've been trying to figure out how to sort this for ages now, and I just can't get to the bottom of it to save my life.

This is the situation. I've just downloaded an album, and it ended up in my Downloads folder, so I moved it to the desktop, then played one of the songs in the album.

As soon as I played the song, it opened up in iTunes and then automatically added the song to the music library. I don't want it to do that, I've spent the last couple of hours sorting out my library, adding album artwork, name changes etc and the last thing I need is things getting automatically added to the music library and cluttering and messing things up.

Can someone help me please? I want to use iTunes as my default media player, as I've heard a few people say 'Use QuickTime then' but I don't want to do that. Can someone help me out please, I'd appreciate it so much.

Kind Regards.
 

Hal Itosis

macrumors 6502a
Feb 20, 2010
900
4
Just do your previewing with QuickLook then. [select a file and press the spacebar... use arrow keys to select next/previous file, etc.]
 

Stormraven

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 5, 2010
21
0
That works, but there's got to be a way to do this through iTunes hasn't there? I mean, it should be a pretty nesessary setting IMO. I'd prefer iTunes way if there is a setting for it,
 

killmoms

macrumors 68040
Jun 23, 2003
3,752
55
Durham, NC
The whole point of iTunes is to be a library-based player. When you open something with it, it’s added to the library (even if you set it to not copy files to its folder). That’s how it works. If you want something to just play files by default, set all MP3s or AAC files to open with something else, like QuickTime Player or Vox or whatever.

You can “not want to do that” all you want, but as long as you keep wanting to use iTunes to a purpose for which it was not designed, you’ll be much more frustrated, I think.
 

Kyffin

macrumors 6502
Sep 5, 2010
419
0
Hello, not sure if what you ask is possible (I wish it were though- it'd be nice to be able to play something on iTunes without it taking any sort of action- just like, well, a music player) and in the interests of keeping an immaculate library I've stopped trying- but if anyones got any tips please bring them.

Instead I use VLC for this sort of thing; but have you tried going to the playlists where you can see your recently added/played songs? It should be possible to delete them from the library from here (and in the iTunes>Preferences>Advanced box there is an option if you don't want to add the song to iTunes as well)- I mean its not perfect but you should be able to remove them afterwards, hopefully restoring your library.

As another option, if you want your music to go into the iTunes library flawlessly (its the way I do it- very neat, very large library) have you tried editing the ID3 tags so that the song should show up perfectly in the library? I use a free program called musorg, it lets you change the MP3 information so that the track/album shows up in iTunes as you want before you import it.

Sorry, can't be of any more help, but would be interested if there is a way to make iTunes behave as you say?
 

iLog.Genius

macrumors 601
Feb 24, 2009
4,903
451
Toronto, Ontario
If they aren't "added" to the library, how do you expect it to play? I guess I'm a little confused at that part but with any other music player, when you open an mp3, you're kind of "adding" it to that player's library. Adding it to iTunes library doesn't mean anything

Also, if you're editing the tags, adding album artwork, how exactly is iTunes messing it up? If you're organized, and it looks you are in terms of adding info to the tabs, iTunes shouldn't be messing anything up and it should look very organized.

Maybe I'm not understanding your real problem here?
 

Hal Itosis

macrumors 6502a
Feb 20, 2010
900
4
If iTunes didn't function this way (i.e., as a librarian), then there would be even more threads with folks wondering: " hey, i recently played a song in itunes and now i can't find it... wth? "

iTunes is no more a 'player' than iPhoto is a 'viewer'.
[use QuickLook ftw]
 

AppleNewton

macrumors 68000
Apr 3, 2007
1,697
84
1 Finite Place
itunesw.png


Do that....



Also to note, if you already have it enabled for pre-tagged albums you can disable it then open up the albums then tag em and reenable the preferences.
 

Nermal

Moderator
Staff member
Dec 7, 2002
20,573
3,872
New Zealand
That option won't help; the track will still be added to the library but just won't be copied to the media folder.
 

iLog.Genius

macrumors 601
Feb 24, 2009
4,903
451
Toronto, Ontario
That option won't help; the track will still be added to the library but just won't be copied to the media folder.

Maybe that's what the OP is experiencing but he wasn't clear. I was thinking too that iTunes was making a duplicate in his iTunes music folder, since it made no sense what the OP described in terms of playing music in iTunes without adding to the library.
 

Nermal

Moderator
Staff member
Dec 7, 2002
20,573
3,872
New Zealand
Maybe that's what the OP is experiencing but he wasn't clear. I was thinking too that iTunes was making a duplicate in his iTunes music folder, since it made no sense what the OP described in terms of playing music in iTunes without adding to the library.

The OP's third paragraph, to me, implies that he wants a one-off play without adding it to the list of tracks in iTunes. Of course, everything's open to interpretation.
 

mo14k

macrumors newbie
Nov 10, 2010
3
0
I've been trying to figure out how to sort this for ages now, and I just can't get to the bottom of it to save my life.

This is the situation. I've just downloaded an album, and it ended up in my Downloads folder, so I moved it to the desktop, then played one of the songs in the album.

As soon as I played the song, it opened up in iTunes and then automatically added the song to the music library. I don't want it to do that, I've spent the last couple of hours sorting out my library, adding album artwork, name changes etc and the last thing I need is things getting automatically added to the music library and cluttering and messing things up.

Can someone help me please? I want to use iTunes as my default media player, as I've heard a few people say 'Use QuickTime then' but I don't want to do that. Can someone help me out please, I'd appreciate it so much.

Kind Regards.


Just press SPACE BAR and play it once/preview it through that.
 

mrboult

macrumors 6502
Jul 29, 2008
406
91
London, England
I always hated the way double clicking any audio track in the finder would open up iTunes and start importing it.

I often forget about quicklook as an option.

So I simply clicked on an audio track, selected 'get info' (file menu) and chose that 'all files like this' should be opened with QuickTime.

Now tracks only go to itunes if I specifically put them there.
 

cerberez

macrumors newbie
Jun 19, 2010
7
0
WOW that is absolutely ridiculous! and they don't even include an option to "stop adding automatically." If itunes is, as one of you said, for a library, not a player, then why is it set as the default player? Typical apple.
 

reedy777

macrumors newbie
Aug 4, 2013
1
0
The whole point of iTunes is to be a library-based player. When you open something with it, it’s added to the library (even if you set it to not copy files to its folder). That’s how it works. If you want something to just play files by default, set all MP3s or AAC files to open with something else, like QuickTime Player or Vox or whatever.

You can “not want to do that” all you want, but as long as you keep wanting to use iTunes to a purpose for which it was not designed, you’ll be much more frustrated, I think.

he's not the only one with this problem half of all people hate iTunes and say its the worst thing about apple they need to make the software around what users want its so restrictive its horrible. wrecks your library every time, when you've got 3000 albums and it has one of its episodes. you think no wonder god gave Steve Jobs cancer although its probably not his fault he just didn't have time to fix the problem. point being apple software is so far behind windows and others its ridiculous, how deluded the people now in charge actually are. they washing the company out.
 

killmoms

macrumors 68040
Jun 23, 2003
3,752
55
Durham, NC
he's not the only one with this problem half of all people hate iTunes and say its the worst thing about apple they need to make the software around what users want its so restrictive its horrible.
Dude, punctuation. And, no, they don’t. That’s like saying Jeep HAS to make small, compact hybrid cars because that’s what people want. There are plenty of other people making compact hybrid cars! Jeep doesn’t need to serve every market. Same with Apple. iTunes is a jukebox that organizes a library. If you don’t want a piece of software that does that, use one of many other fine non-jukebox music player software.

wrecks your library every time, when you've got 3000 albums and it has one of its episodes.
I’ve kept and maintained the same iTunes library across 4 computers over 10 years and it has been fine.

EDIT: Also, holy thread resurrection, Batman.
 

bbfc

macrumors 68040
Oct 22, 2011
3,849
1,612
Newcastle, England.
he's not the only one with this problem half of all people hate iTunes and say its the worst thing about apple they need to make the software around what users want its so restrictive its horrible. wrecks your library every time, when you've got 3000 albums and it has one of its episodes. you think no wonder god gave Steve Jobs cancer although its probably not his fault he just didn't have time to fix the problem. point being apple software is so far behind windows and others its ridiculous, how deluded the people now in charge actually are. they washing the company out.

Actually iTunes on the Mac is really good and works flawlessly for me. Windows is a different story. Kinda like how office on the mac stinks but the windows version is great!

Your comment about SJ and cancer was way below the belt. You should be ashamed of yourself!!
 
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