So do I delete the songs from the library. Keep those boxes unticked and add the songs from the core folder. Before that should I also delete the copy of the folders that iTunes made when it was managing my library(when the boxes were ticked).
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iTunes Help!
- Thread starter adityashah1989
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Make a new folder to keep your Music and Movies in. Then add the changed ones you did.
When your done delete the old ones from iTunes. Then use File-import in itunes to put them back.
When you delete them from itunes it will ask to remove and delete them from the library, click yes.
Are you guys saying that if you let iTunes manage everything, and copy files to it's library -- adding lyrics/artwork does not copy to the file itself?
You seem to be telling him to un check the boxes for some reason. I have both mine checked, and my lyrics are written to the file's ID tags, as well as artwork all embedded into the files. I moved some music to the PS3 -- and each album had it's proper artwork displayed on the Ps3.
As for lyrics, I have not really tried to check it on another computer, but I know if I check the ID tags, they're on there. I pasted them in myself for the most part (with help of some applescripts)
You seem to be telling him to un check the boxes for some reason. I have both mine checked, and my lyrics are written to the file's ID tags, as well as artwork all embedded into the files. I moved some music to the PS3 -- and each album had it's proper artwork displayed on the Ps3.
As for lyrics, I have not really tried to check it on another computer, but I know if I check the ID tags, they're on there. I pasted them in myself for the most part (with help of some applescripts)
Artwork doesn't copy if you get it from the iTunes store by Right Click 'Find Album Artwork'. If you drag it onto the Album Art viewer, it copies to the file.
I don't know why people are saying to manage it manually, it's terrible advice. I've been using iTunes since v1, I've always let iTunes manage my library. Everything is in the iTunes folder, and everything is embedded into the file.
This makes no sense at all.
iTunes will put a copy of your music or videos in the iTunes folder no matter where it's located if you let it.
The reason you setup manage my files is to avoid the problem he is having now. iTunes is not that smart as to how you like to control your stuff.
I wish it was more like Dreamweaver, Where if you make a change in it, it updates all your files for you that are connected to it. know matter where they are stored.
The reason you setup manage my files is to avoid the problem he is having now. iTunes is not that smart as to how you like to control your stuff.
I wish it was more like Dreamweaver, Where if you make a change in it, it updates all your files for you that are connected to it. know matter where they are stored.
When I had the boxes ticked the changes I made to my music files(like adding artwork, lyrics, changing title names, etc.) did not apply to the core files in my music folder. That is the reason some of the members asked me to untick those boxes to avoid this from happening. So are you guys telling me that unticking the boxes won't solve it?
Unticking them will solve your problem. If it was me I would make all my changes first in my stored music video folder. Get all my art work ready. Then start all over with manage man. from then on.
You have to understand couple of things:
Normal way to operate with iTunes is to have those two checkboxes checked.
The way you are ment to organize your music stuff, is to drag your files(one album at once is good), then itunes will COPY the dragged files to its own "database" folder under your Music/iTunes ...this is the place your newly dragged files are resting. Do not "mess with" these files "by hand" under that directory structure! You are ment to manage your files inside iTunes.
You can/should delete the original "core" files (they are waste of space) after you have copied them to itunes folder by dragging them to iTunes.
You export your itunes library from the old computer to a new computer(running itunes and been a mac computer) with normal migration assistance wizard or with the iTunes, OR if the computer is a random PC, then, and only then you need access your files from file structure with finder IF your new computer does not use iTunes.
Remember, that iTunes does put your files "logically" to its own "database" directory structure. Its logical and easy to browse "by hand", BUT remember, in normal usage, you should NEVER change the content outside iTunes.
You can find the files inside your home directory under "Music/ITunes Music",
under that directory there is a directory of the artist, then under that an album and so on...VERY easy to understand if you for some weird reason need to access your files "by hand".
Wow. Lots of incorrect information in this thread. I'll start by suggesting that you listen to Sky Blue.
Those two options have nothing to do with whether iTunes updates the actual audio file's tags when you make edits to the song information. It does this regardless of those options.
Sky Blue is also correct that whether the covert art is embedded in the audio file is dependent on how it's added to the files.
Here's what those two options do:
1) Keep folder organized: As you make changes to a song's tag data within iTunes, it changes the directory/file name to match the tag data. This option only affects the file and folder names and only for those files in the iTunes Music folder.
2) Copy to Library: When you add a file, it copies the song file to the iTunes music directory. Your original files is left untouched. If this option is not checked, it adds the file to the library, but does not copy it to the iTunes music directory.
OP: I think what Sky Blue was getting at is that you might not be copying the correct music file. The one that iTunes is using. Are you copying it from the iTunes Music Folder?
As Sky Blue said, right-click and select: Show in Finder. This way you're sure to be looking at the correct audio file.
If you are looking at the correct file and it;s still not updating the ID3 tags, then it's most like a permission problem not allowing iTunes to update the file.
- DLH
Those two options have nothing to do with whether iTunes updates the actual audio file's tags when you make edits to the song information. It does this regardless of those options.
Sky Blue is also correct that whether the covert art is embedded in the audio file is dependent on how it's added to the files.
Here's what those two options do:
1) Keep folder organized: As you make changes to a song's tag data within iTunes, it changes the directory/file name to match the tag data. This option only affects the file and folder names and only for those files in the iTunes Music folder.
2) Copy to Library: When you add a file, it copies the song file to the iTunes music directory. Your original files is left untouched. If this option is not checked, it adds the file to the library, but does not copy it to the iTunes music directory.
OP: I think what Sky Blue was getting at is that you might not be copying the correct music file. The one that iTunes is using. Are you copying it from the iTunes Music Folder?
As Sky Blue said, right-click and select: Show in Finder. This way you're sure to be looking at the correct audio file.
If you are looking at the correct file and it;s still not updating the ID3 tags, then it's most like a permission problem not allowing iTunes to update the file.
- DLH
No I did not copy the files from the iTunes directory for the sole reason that whenever I make a change to a file iTunes makes a new cop of that file in its directory. So if I have changed the artist name of a file five times, there will be five different files of the same name with the different artist names. So overall its a complete mess. So if I want to copy my complete music, and copy the iTunes directory then I will have atleast two copies of every file.
Well, then there's your problem. You didn't copy the file iTunes is using. That's the only file that iTunes will update the ID3 tags.
Also, iTunes will not keep making copies of the files just because you change the artists name. If it really is doing this, you might have some permission issues. Even then, I think iTunes will just not update the ID3 tag and not make extra copies.
Well, it shouldn't do that, so we need to figure out why it is.
Let's try this. Pick one song in iTunes. Right-click and Reveal in Finder. Then right-click on the file and select get Info. Does it show you as having Read & Write permission to the file?
If so, in iTunes, change the Track (song) name. Again, show in finder and then get info. Does More Info now show the new song name? That's shown from the ID3 tags, so we'll know that it's actually changing the ID3 info in the file.
If this works fine, then try changing the artists. What files does it create and hwere are they?
Whenever I have manually added album art it makes a new copy.
For eg. under an artist say Eminem, I have a song xyz with no album art. When I add album art, then in the iTunes directory in the Eminem folder I will have xyz and then the file with the album art is named xyz1 for some reason. Although if you access my iTunes it will just be named xyz with the album art and there will be no other copy of it.
For eg. under an artist say Eminem, I have a song xyz with no album art. When I add album art, then in the iTunes directory in the Eminem folder I will have xyz and then the file with the album art is named xyz1 for some reason. Although if you access my iTunes it will just be named xyz with the album art and there will be no other copy of it.
iTunes shouldn't make mulitple copies. If you have a music file on your desktop, and you drag and drop it onto iTunes (and you have those boxes ticked), iTunes copies that file in to it's own db in /Music/iTunes/iTunes Music.
You can delete the original song on your desktop and it won't affect the file in iTunes. However, if you edit the tags in iTunes, you'll need to copy the file thats in iTunes, not the one on you desktop.
Have you been deleting songs and choosing 'Keep in Library' instead of 'Move to trash'. That might cause multiple copies.
Can't think of any reason why this would be.
Did you try the things I suggested? You're going to have to narrow this down to figure out what's going on as this it not how it should work.
wow seems to be a lot of confusion.. this could be a mess lol
I'll explain some things about iTunes in the hopes that it will help to diagnose the problem, or click something in the OP's head about what he may possibly be doing to cause it.
Keep iTunes folder organized: This will make iTunes edit file names and information automatically to the files themselves, as you make changes in the iTunes application.
Copy files to iTunes Library when adding: This takes files from a CD, DVD, or folder on the computer, and copies them all into the iTunes music directory. This is the most convenient and efficient way of doing things, especially if it is also organizing the files for you.
ID Tag information written to the files themselves will be updated by iTunes provided the above items are checked and/or in the ON position. Information currently known NOT to copy are:
-Album artwork downloaded by iTunes
When adding files to the library -- you drag a CD or folder into the iTunes window -- and forget about it. It will make a copy of the files, add them to the library, and create the artist/album folder structure. It will also name the file in a "Track Number - Song Name - Extension'' format in accordance with the ID tag information.
The originals can be deleted afterwards.
iTunes uses the following directories by default:
HDD/Users/yourname/Music/iTunes (iTunes library)
HDD/Users/yourname/Music/iTunes/iTunes Music (Where it copies music to)
HDD/Users/Yourname/Music/iTunes/iTunes Music/Artist/Album/ 00 song.mp3 (Artist/Album folder structure)
ID tag info can be edited in the iTunes window like changing a file name. You can right click and "get info" an item, or entire group of items to change ID Tag Information. This will then be updated to the files themselves by iTunes.
As mentioned above, you could have permission errors, or for some other strange reason your music is all "read-only".
If it is "Read-Only" iTunes will not have permission to write anything to the file, and may indeed make a copy of it -- a copy that it CAN edit.
I'll explain some things about iTunes in the hopes that it will help to diagnose the problem, or click something in the OP's head about what he may possibly be doing to cause it.
Keep iTunes folder organized: This will make iTunes edit file names and information automatically to the files themselves, as you make changes in the iTunes application.
Copy files to iTunes Library when adding: This takes files from a CD, DVD, or folder on the computer, and copies them all into the iTunes music directory. This is the most convenient and efficient way of doing things, especially if it is also organizing the files for you.
ID Tag information written to the files themselves will be updated by iTunes provided the above items are checked and/or in the ON position. Information currently known NOT to copy are:
-Album artwork downloaded by iTunes
When adding files to the library -- you drag a CD or folder into the iTunes window -- and forget about it. It will make a copy of the files, add them to the library, and create the artist/album folder structure. It will also name the file in a "Track Number - Song Name - Extension'' format in accordance with the ID tag information.
The originals can be deleted afterwards.
iTunes uses the following directories by default:
HDD/Users/yourname/Music/iTunes (iTunes library)
HDD/Users/yourname/Music/iTunes/iTunes Music (Where it copies music to)
HDD/Users/Yourname/Music/iTunes/iTunes Music/Artist/Album/ 00 song.mp3 (Artist/Album folder structure)
ID tag info can be edited in the iTunes window like changing a file name. You can right click and "get info" an item, or entire group of items to change ID Tag Information. This will then be updated to the files themselves by iTunes.
As mentioned above, you could have permission errors, or for some other strange reason your music is all "read-only".
If it is "Read-Only" iTunes will not have permission to write anything to the file, and may indeed make a copy of it -- a copy that it CAN edit.
Try this then, Drag and drop a file into iTunes. Now while in iTunes try to change the Name, Artist, etc. You can't it won't let you.
Now if you import them from the iTunes file-import it will. I been down this road and it took over my own files. Then I figured out what was causing it and did it all over my way this time.
To clear it out I checked the files of which iTunes have made more copies all of them have read and write privileges. So there is something else that is wrong because iTunes is making more copies even though the file has read and write privileges.
1) you do not understand something very basic fundamental
or
2) your itunes settings are messed up
I would suggest you to delete your whole "iTunes Music" folder under your home directory "Music" folder, and also delete the iTunes preference file(s) (.plist file..ask if you dont know how) to erase iTunes to default settings.
Then you should learn how the iTunes should be operated by using ONLY ONE album.
This means:
Drag one album songs to itunes, delete the files you just dragged because itunes already made a copy to its own library, ID tag your files inside itunes using "Get info" and add album arts(again with itunes get info). Then look under your "Music/iTunes Music" folder. There should be no dublicated files!
ps. I still think this whole issue is just a user error
Just so everyone is clear, this option only affects the file and folder names. It has no affect on whether iTunes will update the ID3 tags in the file. It will do that regardless of whether this option is enabled or not.