iTunes & Multiple Macs - Advice?

[~J~]

Hey guys,
I have a MBP right now, but will be getting a Mac Mini next week (its in the mail right now from the refurb shop). I was curious as to how you guys with multiple Macs handle your iTunes libraries? Do you put them on an external disk? Have a copy of your library on each computer? My MBP is still going to be my primary computer, the mini will be my media and encoding machine. Just curious. Thanks!

 

[bartelby]

I just share iTunes over the network.

 

[wordmunger]

Hey guys,
I have a MBP right now, but will be getting a Mac Mini next week (its in the mail right now from the refurb shop). I was curious as to how you guys with multiple Macs handle your iTunes libraries? Do you put them on an external disk? Have a copy of your library on each computer? My MBP is still going to be my primary computer, the mini will be my media and encoding machine. Just curious. Thanks!

I have my itunes library on a central computer and then just use sharing to listen to stuff using other computers. The central computer (an iMac) is always on, so everyone in the house can listen.

But if you want to listen to music while you're out and about, that's not going to work for you. You could copy a subset to your MBP and keep most music on your mini. Or you could just make a duplicate on each computer.

The other issue is syncing your iPod. You can't sync if the song's not physically on your computer, so you need to be aware of that when you decide where to keep your music.

 

[Mac In School]

I do not share the library files, but I do share the actual music files. Each computer has its own library.

 

[mkrishnan]

But if you want to listen to music while you're out and about, that's not going to work for you. You could copy a subset to your MBP and keep most music on your mini.

That's more or less what I do (full library on iMac, smaller, separate library on my iBook). The big library's also available via iTunes Sharing on the iBook, but I don't really use the iBook for music when it's at home.

It's not that hard to go find a song on the other computer and bring it over, but it's too bad there's no easy way to sync one of the computers as if it were an iPod.... But I don't know any such way. If someone does... I'd love to hear about it.