iTunes 5 new features? What should apple do?

[wrldwzrd89]

Whenever I've done that, it's skipped the AACs.

That's weird...maybe it isn't possible to make MP3 CDs from iTunes Music Store files directly. Perhaps you have to waste a regular audio CD, re-import the files as MP3s, then burn an MP3 CD from those. That should work, although it's a royal pain to do.

 

[Nermal]

JHymn to the rescue then

Edit: No, it won't touch unprotected AACs either.

 

[sacear]

Whenever I've done that, it's skipped the AACs.

Are you talking about Protected AACs? Or regular AACs?

Edit:
Right, I missed the "MP3" CD part. So of course AACs won't record to MP3 CD, they are not MP3s! I can't run my diesel vehicle on unleaded petrol.

There is no way to do this directly nor a way around this due to copyright protection laws. This is the compromise Apple was able to make with copyright holders in order to make and distribute iTunes. (I'm still surprised Apple even got the legal "Okay" to make and distribute iTunes in the first place.) If Apple implemented such a feauture, then they would not be allowed to make or distribute the product (iTunes). To copy or distribute someone else's property is stealing and is illegal.

 

[Nermal]

I've tried both, and it just skips them and won't convert them to MP3 - I have to do it manually (Advanced -> Convert Selection to MP3).

 

[sacear]

I want to be able to resize the songtitle/artist/bitrate/etc etc columns per album or playlist, and have that resize only affect that particular album or playlist, instead of resizing the rest of the columns everywhere.
This feature existed in the original iPhoto but was discontinued for some reason.

I definitely agree with this one! Resizing column widths never seems to hold.

i don't know if you can do this, but i would like to see the possibility to change aac into mp3 so you can burn mp3 discs. Alot of my windows friends like itunes but won't use it as the default because they imported as aac. That's partly their own fault since you can import as mp3 too, but they all have mp3 disc players in their cars, home stereos etc. aac is better i think, but some people just can't get over the old standard. If there were something that allowed you to convert an aac into mp3, i think alot more people would be using itunes.

This is already currently possible. Read previous posts.

 

[wrldwzrd89]

I definitely agree with this one!

Hmm...interesting. My library has no regular playlists in it...100% smart playlists...and I don't have this problem.

 

[cyanide]

iTunes 5

1.i want iTunes five to have native access to at least ten times as many radio stations. I know i can still listen to them, but having them in the radio "playlist" would be nice.

2.Tabs.. i want to be able to open playlists, iTMS, radio, and my iPod in different tabs ala safari.

3.I would like iTunes somehow integrated with .Mac and iSync so that no matter where I go I have an Apple-branded solution to listen to my music from my home's dynamic IP. It would require logging in to .Mac to protect my files.

4.I want iTunes five to surprise me with its intelligence like the iPod Shuffle did.

5. Smart integration with iApps, along the lines of the magic iMovie feature. Something like this: I define the parameters of music in iTunes or an iApp so that iTunes oh-tomatically (sj ) takes the songs i listened to the most during the week i was vacationing in oregon and groups it with the photos i took that week, creates a slide show, and plops it on a DVD. Automator is the closest thing i have seen to this.

Current Song: Fiona Apple::Fast as You Can Help free Fiona's latest album from the clutches of a corporate criminal!

 

[shidoshi]

Edit:
Right, I missed the "MP3" CD part. So of course AACs won't record to MP3 CD, they are not MP3s! I can't run my diesel vehicle on unleaded petrol.

Er, it could, I don't know... convert the unprotected AAC files into MP3 in order to put them on said MP3 CD?


As for me, my #1 wish for iTunes 5 is better tagging support. First of all, iTunes doesn't even support the entire range of tagging that the CDDB supports. That's not nice.

Second - and this might break things if the tracks are then played in non-iTunes players, I don't know - I'd love the ability to add my own tags. I'm big into Japanese and Korean music, and putting them in my library can be tricky sometimes. For example, for a Japanese track, do I have the song's name be the original Japanese title, the Japanese title in romaji, or the song name translated into English? Do I have the artist's name be in Japanese characters or romaji?

Right now I use the artist name tag for the name in romaji, and use the composer tag for their name in the original language. (I know, that's not what it is for, but it works.) Of course, that doesn't fit the problem I have deciding what I do with the name of the track.

 

[Nermal]

Er, it could, I don't know... convert the unprotected AAC files into MP3 in order to put them on said MP3 CD?

Yeah, the problem's not that you can't do it (you can via the Advanced menu) but rather that it doesn't happen automatically.

 

[bennetsaysargh]

i still want a tag for featuring artists. come on, how annoying is it to scroll through an ipod with the featuring as it's own artist?

 

[mkrishnan]

i still want a tag for featuring artists. come on, how annoying is it to scroll through an ipod with the featuring as it's own artist?

Yeah, this is annoying. What I do is recode all the songs when I get them in iTunes, so that the artist is the main artist and the title is "xxxx (feat. xxxx)." That way, when I do searches in iTunes, I still get all the songs where the artist is a feature, as well as their own songs, but in the iPod I don't get the multiple artist entries. But it doesn't help find them in the iPod -- there's no way to get all the songs that have Twista in them, for instance, from my iPod.

 

[Nermal]

i still want a tag for featuring artists.

YES! That's much more important than the AAC -> MP3 conversion I talk about above.

 

[sacear]

Hmm...interesting. My library has no regular playlists in it...100% smart playlists...and I don't have this problem.

Well, I wonder if this is an OS level problem. I just updated this Mac a few hours ago to 10.3.8, which runs much snappier, btw. I just tried resizing columns in iTunes on this Mac (not mine), and iTunes had never been launced before, this was the first launch. This is iTunes 4.7.1 and I use iTunes 4.6. iTunes 4.7.1 is holding column widths in all libraries, including playlists, smart playlists, Party Shuffle, and the main library; even after Quit and re-launch. I know column widths is a problem on my PowerBook because it irritates me to no end. I'll check it out in iTunes 4.6 on my PB later.

Er, it could, I don't know... convert the unprotected AAC files into MP3 in order to put them on said MP3 CD?

Yeah, the problem's not that you can't do it (you can via the Advanced menu) but rather that it doesn't happen automatically.

Because AAC is a newer, better, and stricter algorithm developed by a group that includes Dolby and the Society of Motion Picture & Television Engineers, and standardized by the ISO and the IEC, there is no way to do this directly (automatically) for the purpose of recording to a CD, nor a way around this due to copyright protection laws. This is the compromise Apple was able to make with copyright holders in order to make and distribute iTunes. (I'm still surprised Apple even got the legal "Okay" to make and distribute iTunes in the first place.) If Apple implemented such a feauture, then they would not be allowed to make or distribute the product (iTunes). To copy or distribute someone else's property is stealing and is illegal.

 

[Nermal]

I'm not following you here. There's no law that says you can't convert from AAC to MP3.

 

[wrldwzrd89]

I'm not following you here. There's no law that says you can't convert from AAC to MP3.

This only applies to Protected AAC. For unprotected AAC, the sky's the limit.

 

[sacear]

I'm not following you here. There's no law that says you can't convert from AAC to MP3.

Well, it depends on your intent and purpose. If your intent is to distribute the files, then yes there is a law against that, and that is why Apple had to agree to not enable this type of function. In other words, Apple was told they would not get sued as long as they made a simple song player (jukebox) that did not promote or enable file sharing. It may only playback song files. AAC is a patented format and converting AAC to MP3 for the purpose of distribution violates copyright and enables filesharing.

 

[Nermal]

Yet iTunes will let you convert from AAC to MP3. You just select the song, and choose Convert Selection to MP3 from the Advanced menu. You can then copy these MP3s onto CD and listen to them with, say, an in-car MP3 player.

The feature that we want is the ability to have iTunes automatically convert from AAC to MP3 when we choose to make an MP3 CD. Currently we have to convert the songs (using the Advanced menu), then copy the songs to CD - it's a 2-step process.

 

[spacepower7]

more of everything

Wish list:


Help for PC users switching: Sometimes alot PC MP3 rippers save a playlist file and name the individual files. The MP3 tags of the songs only contain the title of each track. The playlist file contains the artist and album MP3 ID tags, and iTunes can't connect them. I have had to fix alot of MP3 tags with TriTag.

How about an option to use Gracenote DB or FreeDB. I find that FreeDB has many more albums(especially imports, limited editions, and rereleases), although many errors too.

Spelling and grammar correction/suggestion for song titles. Especially capitalization. This is probably more a FreeDB and PC problem.
(I know my own sucks but I can copy directly off a CD, why can't everybody else.)

Keyboard shortcuts for the various columns... Source,Artist,Album, and Songs.

Better organiszation of VA or Various Artists.

That's my wish list.

 

[sacear]

1) The same thing I'd like to see in iPhoto 5.... multiple libraries. I hate having every song I've ever imported all in one library. all my wife's stuff, all my kids stuff, all my stuff. when i import new stuff with the automatic read & import option, it all gets dumped in there. i only have a few hundered songs., it must be a right pain for folks with thousands of songs.

This is handled at the OS level. Create a user account for each person (yourself, your wife, your kid, etc.) in OS X and each person will have their own iTunes library.

2) Also, not having to go to preferences to change the export type... surely all export options could be offered all the time!

I am not sure what you mean. I am not familiar with any Export type options in iTunes preferences. All export format type options (xml, unicode, & text file) are presented and selectable in the Format drop-down list in the dialog box after choosing "Export Song List" command from the File menu. The "Export Library" command allows only the xml format type.

I'd like to put playlists in any order I want, not in alphabetical order. Plus I'd like to be able to seperate playlists from other playlists with a line or something to that effect. I have my music in broad decade based playlists but I'd like to have a "Relaxing Music" or "Upbeat" sub playlist that I can seperate from the rest.

Yes, definitely! The ability to re-order playlists by dragging would be great! Currently, I am using numbers to put my playlists in the order I want.

I'd like to see Browser view improved and customizable. I'd like to be able to choose which columns are visible and in which order, just like in playlists.

I'd also like the ability to sort according to mulitple criteria order and column names, and to pick that sort order, for example, Artist > Year > Album > Song.

 

[sacear]

Yet iTunes will let you convert from AAC to MP3. You just select the song, and choose Convert Selection to MP3 from the Advanced menu. You can then copy these MP3s onto CD and listen to them with, say, an in-car MP3 player.

The feature that we want is the ability to have iTunes automatically convert from AAC to MP3 when we choose to make an MP3 CD. Currently we have to convert the songs (using the Advanced menu), then copy the songs to CD - it's a 2-step process.

Yes, that is what I have explained at length. It will remain a 2-step process so that Apple does not get sued. iTunes will not convert an AAC file to MP3 and then record that to CD all from one command because they are legally prevented from doing so. Those that own the AAC format won't allow it, because the probability of illegal file sharing is great. Apple has given us everything they are currently allowed. AACs can be recorded to audio CD and AACs can be down converted to MP3s. Dolby wants money for their technology, so contact them about the agreement with Apple about the abilities and capabilities of iTunes. And quite frankly that process does take only two-steps. So what? Let's not be so lazy that we complain and draw attention to things that the copyright owner did not want. Apple gave us the loop-hole, so let's not ruin it, otherwise even that will disappear in the next iTunes release.

 

[Nermal]

Sorry if it seemed like I was being stubborn, the way I read your posts I didn't think you realised that there was a conversion feature built in - I thought you were flat-out saying that it can't be done. Your last post clarifies what you were trying to say.

I still don't understand the logic though, but I do know that the American legal system is crazy, so I have to assume that what you're saying is correct

 

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

My wishlist:

1. The ability to "merge" files, so that if you have the same song on two or more albums (e.g. the original album, a collection and a compilation) you only need one physical file, and link to that from all places (thus also updating a common playcount etc for the song nomatter which album you're listening to). Having multiple instances of the same object is bad database design...

2. Better and more specialiced conditions e.g. the ability to say (A and B) or (C and D) or (E and F), without making three helping playlists and on random playlists the ability to say (like in Party Shuffle) "play higher rated songs more often".

3. Playlists in folders (like iPhoto).

4. The possibility to split tracks and remove parts (to seperate and identify bonus tracks, without having to have two instances - this problem is not that unlike #1) - or at least that when you set a Start Time or Stop Time in the option for a track that the iPod also gets (and reacts to) that information - its very annoying when I've "cut" away a bit of a track, and it sounds like I want it in iTunes, but NOT on my iPod mini (might be an iPod problem, but I had to get it off my chest )

5. Continious play (for albums like Pink Floyd "The Wall") without making the intire album into one track.

6. That iTunes recognices CD-Rs longer than 74 minutes, so you can burn 80 min CDs.

7. The ability to have an album connected to the main artist, but still mark collabarations with "Artist1 feat. Artist2" or "Artist3 with Artist4" and let them show up when you browse Artist1, -2, -3 or -4, respectivly. Now it will make a new arist (an folder) with "Artist1 feat. Artist2" and if you choose Artist1 and than the album, that track will not show in the browser...

8. Artwork seperated from the music files (in its own metafile?) and just linked in, it takes very much unnecessary space to have the image included into evey songs file (at least with larger scans). Again poor database design...

1) The same thing I'd like to see in iPhoto 5.... multiple libraries. I hate having every song I've ever imported all in one library. all my wife's stuff, all my kids stuff, all my stuff. when i import new stuff with the automatic read & import option, it all gets dumped in there. i only have a few hundered songs., it must be a right pain for folks with thousands of songs.

Different users -> logins -> libraries...?

a built in mp3 editor. maybe tied into garageband. something like iPhoto so i can click on the 'edit' button then do things like cut off the last 2 seconds of silence on some songs, or those 2 songs on an album that run into each other i can just clip together very simpily.

You can already do that by going into get info: options, and selecting the start and stop time.

Yes, but as I say in #4, my iPod dosn't get the Start Time, and there's also the pont, that if its a 14 minute track and you only want the first (or last) three minutes you "drag around" 10-11 MB (more or less depending on bitrate and encoding) of deadweight.

It's slightly annoying to rip fully beat-mixed CD's I've bought for export to my iPod and there be a gap, albeit minute, between tracks. Can you imagine if we didn't have this on the dance-floor? How rude!

Yes, crossfades on home burned CDs would be awsome, if possible...

I'd like to see something that would also be useful in iPhoto and Address Book...

The ability to delete a song/photo/address from a playlist/album/group and also have it deleted from the library (not necessarily replace the remove from p[playlist/album/group but allow it an option, maybe option+del or option+cmd+del)

Isn't this already a feature...? I thought it was with alt-delete (alt-<-), but I see other has different suggestions... Anyway, it IS possible...

On the fly queuing of music - essential for those of us DJing off our powerbooks!

-- Andrew

Party Shuffle...?

As to burning aacs (protected or not) to mp3 cd's: That is not possible, but you can choose "Burn as data CD", and (at least the unprotected) aacs will also be burned into the cd with tags and everything (even my rating as far as I remember). Works as a music cd when opened on a Mac or PC with iTunes, though how it behaves in an mp3-cd-player I don't know...

Man, I should have started reading this post earlier...

 

[Lacero]

UNDO that actually works..

other than that, I'd like
- ability to edit ID tags such as Year directly in the browser
- playlist folders
- separate libraries for my music, sound effects, misc stuff

 

[wrldwzrd89]

UNDO that actually works..

other than that, I'd like
- ability to edit ID tags such as Year directly in the browser
- playlist folders
- separate libraries for my music, sound effects, misc stuff

What's wrong with the current undo? It works for me when I'm in the tag editor and I unintentionally wipe out the contents of a tag.

Editing more tags in the browser would be nice...why you're not allowed to edit the year in the browser is unclear. I can understand forbidding editing the track number in the browser, since it's a 2-part tag displayed as one field.

Playlist folders = "Hierarchical playlists" (we both want the same thing)

Why do you need separate libraries when you've got playlist folders? With that, you could implement library folders too - achieving the exact same effect (organizing your audio files better) with much less hassle for Apple.

 

[sacear]

My wishlist:

1. The ability to "merge" files, so that if you have the same song on two or more albums (e.g. the original album, a collection and a compilation) you only need one physical file, and link to that from all places (thus also updating a common playcount etc for the song nomatter which album you're listening to). Having multiple instances of the same object is bad database design...

I see what you mean, yet iTunes is not a true database, and for the purposes of iTunes each instance of a song object (each album) is a different object. Even though each song file sounds alike, even note for note, it is considered a different object, even if it came from the same album. I have many CDs of demo tracks and re-mixes of the same song, some have sub-titles and some don't, just the same song name. If iTunes were to take some action and "merge" or "delete" some of those songs, I'd be super angry. To do a search and then delete the songs myself that I definetely know are duplicates is much better, easier, and secure.

2. Better and more specialiced conditions e.g. the ability to say (A and B) or (C and D) or (E and F), without making three helping playlists and on random playlists the ability to say (like in Party Shuffle) "play higher rated songs more often".

I understand your conditional statement, yet I'd like to see a real world example. I can do all I want with Smart Playlists and have not reached any limitations. I never use the "Play higher rated songs more often" option, yet adding it as an option to other playlists would be okay.

3. Playlists in folders (like iPhoto).

Yes, I agree.

4. The possibility to split tracks and remove parts (to seperate and identify bonus tracks, without having to have two instances - this problem is not that unlike #1)

I think that function is better served by another application program outside of iTunes.

- or at least that when you set a Start Time or Stop Time in the option for a track that the iPod also gets (and reacts to) that information - its very annoying when I've "cut" away a bit of a track, and it sounds like I want it in iTunes, but NOT on my iPod mini (might be an iPod problem, but I had to get it off my chest )

I have not personally experienced this, yet would be very bothered by it.

5. Continious play (for albums like Pink Floyd "The Wall") without making the intire album into one track.

Yes, I agree.

6. That iTunes recognices CD-Rs longer than 74 minutes, so you can burn 80 min CDs.

I have only ever used 80min CD-Rs and have never used 74min CD-Rs, and iTunes works great burning full 80 minutes to 80min CD-Rs.

7. The ability to have an album connected to the main artist, but still mark collabarations with "Artist1 feat. Artist2" or "Artist3 with Artist4" and let them show up when you browse Artist1, -2, -3 or -4, respectivly. Now it will make a new arist (an folder) with "Artist1 feat. Artist2" and if you choose Artist1 and than the album, that track will not show in the browser...

Yes, I agree. There needs to be an improvement on handling multiple artist songs. I hate putting "(feat. 'artist name')" in the song title, because it is not part of the song title, it's a featured artist not a featured song title. I wonder if the recording industry already has a "standard" way of doing this. Sometimes artists do one-time duets with other artists, Paul McCartney come to mind "Ebony & Ivory" with Stevie Wonder and "The Girl is Mine" with Michael Jackson. I wonder how those are cataloged.

8. Artwork seperated from the music files (in its own metafile?) and just linked in, it takes very much unnecessary space to have the image included into evey songs file (at least with larger scans). Again poor database design...

Again, iTunes was not designed to be a database, it's design is for song playback. It really has outgrown it's original intention and could use a complete re-design and re-write from the ground up. Maybe store the artwork in iPhoto?

Different users -> logins -> libraries...?

Yes, every individual user account in OS X has their own individual iTunes library.

Yes, but as I say in #4, my iPod dosn't get the Start Time, and there's also the pont, that if its a 14 minute track and you only want the first (or last) three minutes you "drag around" 10-11 MB (more or less depending on bitrate and encoding) of deadweight.

This is a problem, but only for a small number of people. I think song file editing is better handled by a seperate application.

Yes, crossfades on home burned CDs would be awsome, if possible...

So, the crossfade feature currently only functions for playback and not on recorded CDs?