iTunes: Importing vs. Add to library - does importing rip the songs twice???

[crackrock]

This is a retarded question, because usually Apple software doesn't let you do stupid things.

I'm want to keep the integrity of my music as much as possible. I'm copying my songs from my computer to my computer at work (both macs running panther). Mine's a 867 G4 powerbook and the work computer is a 533 G4 tower. Some are Mp3s ripped from CDs, some are purchased AACs, and some are AACs ripped from CDs. My import setting is at 128 AAC. I first connected my powerbook to the network, used sharing prefs to allow remote login, logged into my powerbook from my G4 tower, and dragged them onto the desktop of the G4 tower. Then I opened iTunes and went to file/import, selected the 'itunes music' folder with all the folders of the band names, and waited a half hour for my 3500 songs to copy.

Whats the difference between file/importing my already ripped songs to the itunes library vs. going to file/add to library. I'm concerned about iTunes ripping my songs twice (which would destory the quality of the sounds). I want them just to copy into the iTunes folder as they are without anything in the file changing and have the tags show up in the library.


Does importing rerip the songs or does it just copy it to the music/itunes folder? What about Soundcheck, does that affect the file or is it just an EQ tag in the ID3 part of the file. For some reason the songs I copied onto my work computer sound 'swishy' - including the ones I purchased from the iTunes music store. The EQ settings are the same (rock, no preamp) and Soundcheck is on with both of them. Sound enhancement is on low for both of them.

Anyone else experience this when copying songs from one computer to the next? I want clean music, not 'swishy' noises. Whats the best way to copy songs from one computer to the next besides this? (YES - I could have saved a lot of time using a firewire cable instead of Ethernet, but that's besides the point)

-crackrock

 

[stevietheb]

I could be wrong here, but I think "Add to Library" merely adds the file to your library without copying it over to the iTunes folder.

I think the easiest way would have been to do one of these two things:
1) copy the files directly into the iTunes Music Folder and then do "Add to Library"
or 2) copy files to desktop, then drag the folder into the iTunes window, then deleted them from the desktop (which is what I would've done...for better or worse)

I don't believe that either of these options would have re-encoded the files. I'm guessing that what you did did not re-encode the songs either. The easiest way to find out: if your "import" settings are set to encode AAC then go to something you know was mp3, select it, press command-i, and see if it's still mp3. Make sense...

Hope that helps you.

 

[garybUK]

Yep Stevietheb is right....

Basically if you import it, it copies the file to your local iTunes library and puts it in your /Music/iTunes/ folder if you just add file it will keep it wherever you ahve the file.... useful if you have some music on a removable disk and some on your hard disk.

If you want to copy songs from your powerbook to a powermac easiest way to do it is put the powerbook in Target mode (Hold T at the chime) plug in a firewire cable between the two, from the powermac just drag and drop the music from your powerbooks /Users/%username%/music/itunes folder onto your itunes library.

 

[vashim66]

theres an option in the advanced tab that is "Copy files to iTunes music folder when adding to library"

I suggest you check that before "adding to library". If not, just copy them over in the Finder then add to library.

 

[decksnap]

No- this is not true. Whether or not it is copied to your itunes library folder on your hard drive is based on whether or not you have your preferences set that way. I only use 'add to library' and it copies everything to my music folder.

 

[decksnap]

So to clear this up- 'import' is to rip stuff, 'add to library' is to...add to library. My reccommendation is to set your preferences to 'copy to iTunes music folder when adding to library' as well as 'keep iTunes music folder organized'. This way you never have to worry about where any of your resources are, and your folders will stay organized when you edit data within iTunes.