ITunes library

iTunes for Dummies - edited edition:

• think in terms of adding a computer file to your iTunes Library (your specific computer file is a song, not a picture), rather than "importing" it. Once added, you can now think of it as a song in your iTunes Library (Hopefully, the reason for this will become clear in a minute)
• when adding "song files" to your iTunes Library, you are telling iTunes where to find the file for that song. The song is not - and never is - "in iTunes". Therefore, if you move the file after adding it to iTunes, iTunes will no longer be able to play the song because it will not know where to find it. So do not move the computer file after adding it to your iTunes Library
• if you wish to group several songs together so that they can be played as one list (or "playlist"), even though they are not related, you can add them to a Playlist in your iTunes Library. Those songs will remain in iTunes' Recently Added Playlist, because they are still recently added (to your Library)
• when adding songs to Playlists in your iTunes Library, the file does not move. All that happens is you tell iTunes which songs you want to group together - as a playlist. A song an be in as many Playlists as you wish
• the only "folder" in iTunes is a Playlist Folder:

• you can add Regular Playlists and Smart Playlists to Playlist Folders
• you cannot add songs directly to a Playlist Folder
• you cannot drag or manually add songs into Smart Playlists*

• in your example, you can create a Regular Playlist (File/New/Playlist). It will be empty
• you can rename the Playlist as Wind Band, either now or at any time in the future
• you can drag any song from the right hand window of your Library, to that Playlist
• that's it

Did I pass the audition?

As an extra point:

when you use iTunes to "import a CD" (yes, now you're importing), or buy music from the iTunes Store, iTunes uses the following standard for storing the files:

• • single-artist albums (including an artist's "Greatest Hits" compilations, are in your Music folder, and then in the iTunes Media/<artist name>/<album title>/<song name>
  • various artist compilation albums will be in iTunes Media/Compilations/<album title>/<song title>

(You may also see alternative folder names in addition to the iTunes Media folder)

If you have questions, please ask. in particular, you may have noticed that I mentioned Smart Playlists, but did not really explain them*. If you need any further information about Smart Playlists, such as what do they do etc., please ask.

* Edited by author, after initial posting

Wingerbill wrote:

I think all of my ITunes music is in ITunes, rather than pointing to my hard drive, because some time ago I was told that it is better to select the advance option to store the tunes in ITunes rather than just having ITunes point to my hard drive location.

No, the advice you were given was incorrect, or you have misunderstood what you were told. As I previously mentioned, your music, whether it came from the iTunes Store, CD, personal recordings or anywhere else, is not and has never been, stored "in iTunes". It is on your hard drive and once added to your iTunes Library, is still in that same place, on your hard drive.

What you may be referring to is the following: there is an option in iTunes to Copy files to iTunes Media folder when adding to library, but even if you use this feature, the files themselves are still not stored "in iTunes". Instead, you tell iTunes where the file is located and iTunes uses that location to find the file every time you want to play that song or whenever iTunes needs it in order to manage an iPod. If you use the copy to media folder option, iTunes makes the copy and remembers where it has put the file, but it's still most definitely not "in iTunes". That location can be the computer's internal hard drive, its internal SSD, or an attached, but removeable hard drive, memory stick, etc.

It's important to understand this point; once you add a song to your iTunes Library, the location you told iTunes about must always be available for iTunes to use. But if you believe you have put the file "in iTunes", it tends to cause people to believe they can then delete the original or any copies of the file they happen to find on their computer. We then see posts from people who have deleted their only copy of the song. We also hear from people who add a song that is on a memory stick, then remove the memory stick from the computer and find that the song will not play.

If you were to delete the iTunes programme from your computer, it would not delete your music files - because the music is not in iTunes.

iTunes is simply a database, a music player and a digital music manager:

• a database - because it lists all the music you have added to it
• a music player - because it can play the music listed in its database
• a digital music manager - because:
  • you, the user, can use iTunes to edit much of the information contained within the digital file. For example, you can use iTunes to edit the song title, album title, artist name, year (of release), track number, artwork and genre. All of that information is inside the mp3 file (or Apple's m4a files)* and will transfer with the file when copied, moved or played in another player
  • in addition, iTunes itself can store additional information about a song within iTunes, such as the star rating that you assign to a song, or options for starting a song late and/or finishing it early. Note that this information does not transfer with the file, it is purely iTunes' information, which it remembers within the iTunes programme, for use with its player and its associated portable devices (iPod, iPhone etc.)
• iTunes can copy a song from CD and convert it into an mp3 file

I have some other folders in this Music folder that are all in ITunes and on my IPod so I am assuming they are actually stored in ITunes. These were all added by a son-in-law

No, they are not stored "in iTunes". Your ex son-in-law would have added every song to iTunes (your iTunes Library) by using File/Add File to Library or File/Add Folder to Library. There is a third and even fourth method, but to avoid complicating things, we'll skip that for now.

I will add something here though: notice that I frequently refer to an "iTunes Library". I use this to clarify what is being referred to. "iTunes" can refer to several different products or services. I tend to use the following:

• iTunes - the programme itself (we start iTunes, we use iTunes and we close iTunes)
• iTunes Library - the music we have listed in our iTunes
• Music purchased from the iTunes Store - as it says. This is not iTunes Music or Apple Music
• iTunes Music - no such thing exists. iTunes does not make or perform music. Music purchased from the iTunes Store is music
• Apple Music- a subscription service provided by Apple. It offers access to more music than you will want, but only while you subscribe. When you stop subscribing, access to that music ends. The music that Apple Music plays is simply music. Even if an artist is stupid enough to enter into an exclusive deal with Apple so that their music is available only through Apple Music, it's still not Apple Music. Rather, it's music that their fans won't be able to obtain if they do not use Apple Music

Any musician who would like to debate with me the advantages and disadvantages of their exclusive deals with outlets, radio stations retailers etc, is welcome to do so.

* Regarding the asterisked point I made in the previous post, an audio file in wav format cannot have artwork inside the file itself.

Instead, iTunes remembers that a piece of artwork is associated with that particular song. If that wav file is copied or moved, or played in another player, the artwork will not go with it.

Rest assured, your questions are what everyone should be asking.

A back up is the most sensible thing you can do - I wish more people did it. In fact, since the audio you're talking about includes your own personal recordings, which will not be commercially available, I recommend at least two backups.

No matter how you obtain your recordings, decide where the master version (that you never edit) is going to be. Perhaps I've misunderstood, but from what you're saying, it seems that you're using the external drive to store your master version and then taking a first copy of that to use in your iTunes Library. I would recommend the opposite: i.e. that you use the version in your Tunes Library as your master. That way, you can use iTunes to correct typing errors in song titles, artist names etc. and those changes will subsequently be made to your backups, which you do on a regular basis. If you do it your current way, then if you have to use the backup copy to replace what is in your iTunes Library, you will have to make the changes again. If you're really that worried, do this:

• • Master version - never modified and safely stored wherever you choose. (This unedited version isn't strictly necessary, but if that's what you prefer to do, that's fine)
  • First copy - on your computer, in the iTunes Media folder and used by iTunes for your Library. You play this copy and crucially, edit this copy to correct any typing errors in song title, artist name etc.
  • Backup one (repeated monthly for example) - external hard drive. A backup of the First copy, which once you backup again, will be complete with edits to the song's information that you made in iTunes
  • Backup two (also re-backed up monthly) - different external hard drive or perhaps online cloud storage. Also with corrections that you made in iTunes

When all of your music (and other audio) is located in the iTunes Media folder, back up the entire folder on a regular basis. That way, not only have you backed up the music, but also any corrections that you've made, as well as the iTunes configuration file which tells iTunes about your Playlists, ratings etc.

Any changes you make to a song should be carried out in iTunes; i.e. correcting typing errors in song titles, artist names etc. As mentioned previously, those changes will be made to your iTunes Library copy of that music and then, by backing up the entire iTunes Media folder, the corrections you made to a song will also be in the back up.

As before - do not be tempted to move (or delete) the iTunes Library copy of a piece of music that you've told iTunes about. If you do, iTunes will not be able to play that song, until your replace the missing copy with a copy from your backup.

If you lose the iTunes version of one song for example, do not simply point iTunes to an alternative location. Instead, make a copy from your backup and put that back into the iTunes Media folder. If you simply give iTunes an alternative location (i.e. the backup location), you effectively split your Library up and it will eventually become unmanageable.

By the way, don't be over worried about filename errors.

If you spot a typing error in a filename, do not correct in in the Window File Manager. If you do, again, iTunes will lose track of the song. If the typing error shows up in your iTunes Library, correct that in iTunes. Leave the typing error in the filename as it is, do not bother correcting it.

I'm glad you're sorting things out.

Like you, I have recordings taken from my records, as well as personal recordings that cannot be replaced. It's been surprising how many records I've bought from abroad, that I am unable to get on CD, hence copying from record into a digital format. Don't think I've transferred anything from cassette though.

I've been using iTunes for many years now and I've found it to be a very useful management tool as well as a place for my music library.

I hope your challenge works out well.