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Oct 9, 2008 5:33 PM in response to tgbellby Niel,Do I need to convert all the lossless files to AAC and then move to the Touch?
Yes. iTunes won't do that on the fly unless you're syncing an iPod shuffle or non-Apple cellphone.
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Oct 9, 2008 7:56 PM in response to tgbellby ed2345,This question comes up a lot, as more and more people want to have lossless files to play on their stereo and compressed files to play on their iPod.
iTunes does not have any tools to support it. You will have to use an ad hoc method, either by starting two libraries, or keeping two sets of playlists. I'd prefer the latter.
Once you set it up, every new song you add will have to be manually handled to make sure it ends up in both places. -
Oct 10, 2008 6:02 AM in response to tgbellby PT,Convert the files to AAC format and keep both in your library. Now create a SMART playlist where live updating is checked and the rule is that "KIND" are AAC files. Now set up the Touch to only sync that Smart Playlist.
As you add new tracks to the library and convert them to AAC, they will automatically be added to the Smart Playlist and when you plug in your Touch, it will only, and automatically, sync the AAC files and not the larger lossless versions.
Good luck,
Patrick -
Oct 13, 2008 8:12 AM in response to PTby tgbell,Now create a SMART playlist where live updating is checked and the rule is that "KIND" are AAC files. Now set up the Touch to only sync that Smart Playlist.<<</div>
Do I create the "Smart" playlist first or convert all the desired files to AAC and move these 'lower quality' files to a separate folder? I'm asking, do the loss-less and AAC files reside in the same location, or does it matter? Currently, iTunes Preferences/Advanced/General shows a music folder location. When the Smart folder is created, it will/should it appear in the same location box?
I'm not familiar with the phrase "live updating". How does this happen?
I hope this is making sense. Thanks! -
Oct 13, 2008 8:20 AM in response to ed2345by tgbell,You will have to use an ad hoc method, either by starting two libraries, or keeping two sets of playlists.
I'm not sure I'm understanding the difference. Music files are saved to a "library" file, whereas a playlist is independent of where the audio files are kept and is tracked by the application?
Using the playlist method, I'd have to do what to keep the 2 music file types?
Thanks! -
Oct 13, 2008 10:23 AM in response to tgbellby PT,When you convert from Lossless to AAC, you will end up with BOTH files in your library, the original lossless ones and the newly created AAC ones.
If you want you can create a new playlist and simply drag and drop the tracks you want synced to the iPod into that playlist. However you can create a Smart Playlist (SPL) and just make the rule to be Kind is AAC and the playlist will automatically find all the AAC files for you.
When you create a Smart Playlist (SPL), in the edit window for the playlist is a button for "Live Updating". If you check this box, then the Smart Playlist will keep updating when you add or change things in your library. So say later on you add a couple new CDs to the library as lossless and then convert them to AAC format. When the AAC formatted songs are created, due to the live updating feature of the SPL those songs will automatically be added to the SPL without you having to do anything.
Regards,
Patrick -
Oct 24, 2008 8:21 AM in response to PTby tgbell,PT,
Thanks very much for your responses. I understand the theory, but it is the practice that is killing me. With iTunes 7.71, I see under "Advanced" there is a selection to >>Convert Selection to Apple Lossless". But nothing to convert a Lossless file to AAC. I've tried to Export, but that does not seem to yield the desired result.
I can't find the command to go to AAC from Lossless. Is the required technique that I need to reload all the albums that have been saved as Lossless and re-save as AAC?
The Smart Play List worked like a charm. Every track that had beens saved as an AAC file, has fallen into my SPL.
So the theory is fine, I'm just having problems executing. -
Oct 24, 2008 8:42 AM in response to tgbellby Niel,Open the Advanced section of the preferences(General in iTunes 8) and choose AAC as the default encoder. You should now be able to convert them to AAC.
(36908) -
Oct 24, 2008 8:45 AM in response to PTby tgbell,Ah Ha!!
The method is not intuitive! I found >>http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1550?viewlocale=en_US<<
"iTunes: How to convert a song to a different file format". Now I have the directions I could not figure out.
Now, when I visit the iTune Library, I've got both formats. And if I want to play the high quality files thru the home entertainment center, will I need another Smart Play List to group all the Lossless files? -
Oct 24, 2008 9:33 AM in response to Nielby tgbell,Hi Niel,
Thanks, I managed to answer my own question.
But I have another!!
Using Max (http://sbooth.org/Max/) which was posted in another thread regarding formats, I've noticed that when I convert Apple Lossless to AAC, using iTunes 7.7x, the new files are shown as "Kind" AAC in iTunes, but as MPEG-4 files when I'm looking at the file through the Finder. I can only guess when viewing files thru iTunes that the smaller files are AAC because I converted them and the files are appearing in my SPL.
However, the files that I ripped using Max and saved as AAC ADTS (AAC) are shown in the Finder as AAC files. But, even after I move one of these files to the default folder that iTunes is storing all files, iTunes does not "see" the file. Neither does it show up in my SPL that is set to "detect" AAC files.
Using Max to convert the original CD to AAC is a less cumbersome process than iTunes.
Is the lesson here that iTunes cannot "see" the output of any files that 'it' has not converted?
Thanks to all for contributing to my knowledge base. -
Oct 24, 2008 10:33 AM in response to tgbellby Niel,But, even after I move one of these files to the default folder that iTunes is storing all files, iTunes does not "see" the file. Neither does it show up in my SPL that is set to "detect" AAC files.
You need to import the file into iTunes through iTunes as opposed to just putting it into the iTunes Music folder; iTunes uses a database to keep track of what's in its library.
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Oct 24, 2008 5:29 PM in response to Nielby tgbell,Ahhh, what a journey!
Thanks to all who responded, guided and pointed.