I'm about to start converting all my music to AAC 128 and I don't want to lose play count and last played etc. info. Does anyone know how to avoid losing it in conversion?
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iPod Keep my play count!
- Thread starter Astral Cars
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Mitthrawnuruodo
Moderator emeritus
Converting or re-ripping?
If you just convert, no problem (with the meta data, but there might be quality issues).
If you re-rip, and your meta data (song title, artist, album) exactly match whatever iTunes pulls from CDDB when you insert the CD. If so, iTunes will ask if you want to add or replace when you start the import. Choose replace and playcount, rating, album art, etc will be preserved (and the old files will be moved to the trash)... 🙂
If you just convert, no problem (with the meta data, but there might be quality issues).
If you re-rip, and your meta data (song title, artist, album) exactly match whatever iTunes pulls from CDDB when you insert the CD. If so, iTunes will ask if you want to add or replace when you start the import. Choose replace and playcount, rating, album art, etc will be preserved (and the old files will be moved to the trash)... 🙂
Well I just did one album as a test. I selected them all and said "Convert selection to AAC" the play counts etc. were not kept. But it could have been different for this one, because all the songs were different bitrates and apparently weren't added as an album, but you'd think it would still keep the info. I think I've converted songs in the past and some have kept it and some haven't. Do you know why that might be?
Mitthrawnuruodo
Moderator emeritus
So, did you (when converting, as you get when re-ripping) get a question about whether you wanted to replace the old files or keep them and get another set? To which you answered not to replace?
Nope, didn't ask me anything. It didn't replace them either. Hmm, could that be because when it converts or rips things it's set to put them on my desktop and then I move them where I want them? Would it work if it was converting them and putting them in the same folder the originals are in?
Mitthrawnuruodo
Moderator emeritus
Aaah... the above advice works only if you let iTunes organize your library. If not your, quite literary, on your own... 😉
Just replacing the mp3 files with aac's will not work, I think (different file names, or should I say file endings).
Just replacing the mp3 files with aac's will not work, I think (different file names, or should I say file endings).
Mitthrawnuruodo
Moderator emeritus
Hmm.... I just tested converting an old mp3 to aac, and didn't get any questions... 🙁
The new file did not replace the old one, and even if it did add my rating, it ignored the playcount and last played, and entered today's date as date added.
Near total fiasco.
I would suggest re-ripping from CDs instead. Even if that involves A LOT of work. That's what I'm doing with my old CDs, a couple a week. Have done about 100 and have about 75 left. 😉
The new file did not replace the old one, and even if it did add my rating, it ignored the playcount and last played, and entered today's date as date added.
Near total fiasco.
I would suggest re-ripping from CDs instead. Even if that involves A LOT of work. That's what I'm doing with my old CDs, a couple a week. Have done about 100 and have about 75 left. 😉
arg.
So, would it work if I:
a) set the folder it goes to as the one with all my music, or
b) tick the "Keep my iTunes Music folder organized" box?
So, would it work if I:
a) set the folder it goes to as the one with all my music, or
b) tick the "Keep my iTunes Music folder organized" box?
whocares
macrumors 65816
A somewhat complicated solution 😱 :
Providing you have enough HDD space free to double your iTunes music folder, create a new user account and re-rip all your cds with the same meta tags (using CDDB if that's how you did it before) in this new account.
Once you've done that, copy your "old" iTunes Music Library (from your normal account) over to your new account account and replace the new with the old. Open iTunes in your new account and look at the play counts.
If it worked, then your ok to copy your new music folder into your old account 😉
[DISCLAIMER] : I have no idea if this will work. Only thing I'm sure of, is that it'll waste a lot of time if it doesn't 😱 😛 😛
Providing you have enough HDD space free to double your iTunes music folder, create a new user account and re-rip all your cds with the same meta tags (using CDDB if that's how you did it before) in this new account.
Once you've done that, copy your "old" iTunes Music Library (from your normal account) over to your new account account and replace the new with the old. Open iTunes in your new account and look at the play counts.
If it worked, then your ok to copy your new music folder into your old account 😉
[DISCLAIMER] : I have no idea if this will work. Only thing I'm sure of, is that it'll waste a lot of time if it doesn't 😱 😛 😛
I just get why it's done it right in the past, and kept the info, but now it doesn't. Would it work if I have it save music into the same folder all the rest is or if I set it to automatically organize my music?
Okay, I've got a bit of a situation here, not only am I stuck on how to keep the play count info, (neither of my two ideas worked) but I ticked the "Keep my iTunes Music folder organized" box and after I did that it processed for a couple minutes and organized my whole music folder. The problem I think I've got is that I've got my music in two places. I've got it all on my computer and all on a backup HD. The tricky part is some music originated on the external HD and was added to iTunes then copied to my computer, whereas other music started on the computer and was put in iTunes then copied to the HD. This just became a problem because when it organized my music folder it only organized the version on my internal HD, so some music was organized, some was left as is, nothing was done on the external HD.
I'm trying to figure out a way I can get it all more organized. Is there a way other than replacing all those added from the external with the version from the internal?
Or should I just live with the disorganization for now and wait until I get a new computer in about a month and just copy all my music to there and have a fresh start? (Problem being I still want to convert everything to 128 AAC and kinda wanted to do that before I got the new computer.)
Also, there's no way to make it convert or import faster is there? for some reason going to AAC it only goes at about 4.something x.
Please help me.
I'm trying to figure out a way I can get it all more organized. Is there a way other than replacing all those added from the external with the version from the internal?
Or should I just live with the disorganization for now and wait until I get a new computer in about a month and just copy all my music to there and have a fresh start? (Problem being I still want to convert everything to 128 AAC and kinda wanted to do that before I got the new computer.)
Also, there's no way to make it convert or import faster is there? for some reason going to AAC it only goes at about 4.something x.
Please help me.