Comparing two itunes (shared) libraries

[Thunderbird8]

I have a Mac Pro desktop and a Macbook with (mostly) duplicate music on. But there is some music I only have on one or the other. Most uploaded from CDs and some bought from itunes, Amazon etc. Each has about 20GB each but as I said it's mostly the same.

I want to do a complete clean re-install on the Macbook and then not take up its HD space with music, just use Home Sharing via the desktop/airtunes.

Apart from literally going alphabetically through both, is there a neat way of comparing, to make sure that when I clean off the Macbook I don't miss something that isn't on the pro?

Thanks.

 

[mcx]

Have double songs the same name?

 

[Thunderbird8]

Yes, as I explained the majority of them are, what I want to do is compare two libraries on two different computers, which have mostly the same songs.

 

[GGJstudios]

Apart from literally going alphabetically through both, is there a neat way of comparing, to make sure that when I clean off the Macbook I don't miss something that isn't on the pro?

There's no simple way. You can't compare file names, because you could have the same song in both libraries, but the file name differs. Likewise, you could have the same file name on two songs, but they show as two different songs in the libraries, because the tag information differs.

You could import them all into one library, then eliminate duplicates, but it's still going to be a chore.

 

[mcx]

You could import them all into one library, then eliminate duplicates, but it's still going to be a chore.

Yes that was the target behind my question.
A other way to find duplicates with different names is to use an app which compare files byte wise. It ignores the title and compare the other part of your files.

 

[GGJstudios]

Yes that was the target behind my question.
A other way to find duplicates with different names is to use an app which compare files byte wise. It ignores the title and compare the other part of your files.

That still won't work. Two different songs could still have the same exact size.

 

[Thunderbird8]

I did fear as much. Still, I'll do it once then that'll be it.

Hopefully.

 

[GGJstudios]

I did fear as much. Still, I'll do it once then that'll be it.

Better to do it now, before your library gets any bigger.

 

[Thunderbird8]

Yeah - indeed!

 

[mcx]

That still won't work. Two different songs could still have the same exact size.

Yes but how properly is it that two songs have the same bit follow as a different song?

Look a that small example.

The probability that a bit is 1 or 0 is 50% or 1/2.
The probability that bit follow of the length n has a specifically bit follow is (1/2)^n.
Why this strange mathematic?
I want to say thats nearly impossible that one song has the bit follow for example 0101110001010010110101.... as the other.

Maybe you miss understand me. The app compare bit by bit and not the size.

 

[GGJstudios]

Yes but how properly is it that two songs have the same bit follow as a different song?

Look a that small example.

The probability that a bit is 1 or 0 is 50% or 1/2.
The probability that bit follow of the length n has a specifically bit follow is (1/2)^n.
Why this strange mathematic?
I want to say thats nearly impossible that one song has the bit follow for example 0101110001010010110101.... as the other.

Maybe you miss understand me. The app compare bit by bit and not the size.

What app are you referring to? Even if you could find one that compares bit-by-bit, you could have the same song in two libraries, one song having an extra second of silence at the end of the song, making the file size and bit configuration different. There's simply no automated method to do this without the risk of deleting something you don't want to, or failing to delete something you wanted to.

 

[mcx]

What app are you referring to? Even if you could find one that compares bit-by-bit, you could have the same song in two libraries, one song having an extra second of silence at the end of the song, making the file size and bit configuration different. There's simply no automated method to do this without the risk of deleting something you don't want to, or failing to delete something you wanted to.

Ok if you compare songs it might be problematic. i only used it to compare pictures. That is less problematic. I ll look which app it was.
The best way is to copy one mediathek to the other and sort by hand and by using the show duplicate function.