Moving music to a NAS

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Level 1

9 points

Moving music to a NAS

How do I transfer my iTunes (v11) music from my Mac to the new NAS?

I copied the folder "iTunes Music" to the shared directory "iTunes" on the NAS (Synology), and all the music files (part AAS, part MP3, part Wav).

Now I do I get iTunes on the Mac to keep the rating and playlists but point to the NAS for the actual music?

Do I need to move also the library files to the NAS (the .xml ; .ltdb ; .itl and the artwork folder?)

I've tried the instructions found somehwere on apple support, but I am confused as some commands seems not to be there (maybe refer to older versions), other refers to keys not on the keyboard ("options"key) . I tried through preferences - advanced by selecting the newly created iTunes Music folder but checking in iTunes on Get Info the songs were still mapped to the Mac drive.

MacBook Pro

Posted on Jan 16, 2013 10:53 AM

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Answer 1

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safari rss

Level 2

410 points

Jan 16, 2013 1:29 PM in response to Lucorr

You are going to want to keep the iTunes folder on your local disk (in the Music folder). Just move the "iTunes Media" folder to the NAS location. When it is transferred over, open iTunes and, in the menubar, click iTunes then click Preferences. Under the Advanced tab, you will find something called "iTunes Media folder location", with a path, and a "Change" button to the right of it. Click the change button and navigate to the new location of the iTunes Media folder. Click Open, then click Okay.

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Answer 2

Lucorr Author

Level 1

9 points

Jan 17, 2013 3:21 AM in response to safari rss

Thanks safari rss. I actually moved everything to the NAS, under a iTunes directory, then opened iTunes holding "Alt" and pointed to the library file on the NAS, and it works perfectly. I just have to ensure the NAS dirve is mounted on the MAc before opening iTunes, but even when it's not it just pops up the question about the library to use and it takes half a minute to get it up and running.

Are you saying that I could leave the library on the Mac and map it to the actual media on the NAS? I didn't see that option in the Preferences (can't chack now, I am away from teh Mac but will do it later). What would be the pros and cons of that solution?

I'd like to be able to access the iTunes library from the Apple TV or the streaming Hi FI (yet to buy, was thinking of Sonos) also when the Mac is off or busy with other stuff. Would that be possible?

thanks again

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Answer 3

Jan 17, 2013 9:56 AM in response to Lucorr

On my Mac I have the iTunes media folder on an external drive with the library still in the iTunes folder on my Mac. This allows you to still view your library and change song metadata without having the external drive connected.

For a step by step guide on how to move your iTunes Media folder to a different directory than your iTunes folder, see this article: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1449?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US

To access your iTunes library on your AppleTV, iTunes must be running on your Mac (although iTunes does not need to be the sole application running). Streaming systems may offer the ability to connect to your media directly through the NAS, although the metadata attached to the files through iTunes (playcount, rating, etc.) will not be found by simply browsing the iTunes Media folder.

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Answer 4

Lucorr Author

Level 1

9 points

Jan 19, 2013 5:17 AM in response to safari rss

Ok, this helps clarifying thanks.

So I guess I need a streamer like Sonos or other to access the music on the NAS without going through the Mac. My NAS has an iTunes server, although I have yet to understand how it works or what it does. I was hoping that would have ben able to stream to the iPAd directly from there but the iPad does not find the NAS as a "computer" and the NAS Media Server application does not see the Apple TV. Unless I am missing something on how it works (instructions are awful).

Do you think the streamer would be able to browse the iTune media folder on the NAS or do I have to copy or move all the music to the "Music" file on the NAS to let the Media Serve manage it?

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Answer 5

Adam1964

Level 1

0 points

Feb 17, 2013 6:02 AM in response to Lucorr

Hi Lucorr,

I have the same question, HOW CAN I FIND MY MUSIC ON THE NAS IN THE MUSIC APP ON THE iPAD ?

The NAS has a build-in iTunes Server, so there should be a way for the iPad to pick this up...

I have installed the 8Player app, which is OK, but it's not as nice as the standard music app...

Let's share idea's. Thx !

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Answer 6

Mar 20, 2013 7:48 AM in response to Lucorr

Hi,

The methods described here are suitable for external USB drives, however they are not optimal when using a NAS.

When one uses these methods, only 1 client can access the library at a time. If the library is stored on a NAS, and if a second client want to access it by defining the path to the NAS as its iTunes library, an error message will popup.

There should be a better way to share an iTunes library among multiple clients on a NAS.

Best,

-a-

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Answer 7

Mar 20, 2013 3:33 PM in response to asheen levrai

Hi Asheen

I have a sucessful setup which I have used for a couple of years as follows:

Qnap TS210 NAS with a shared folder "Music" for example which stores all music. Music management is handled by TwonkyMedia Sever as a pkg on the NAS. This setup allows multiple simultaneous access for example by the Home Cinema and my iPad2 (app PlugPlayer) both playing different tracks. Not tried a 3rd stream !!!

I also have an identical set of music tracks on my Mac located in the iTunes folder where I manage tagging and album art with Swinsian. Once I am satisfied with the tracks/albums I sync the local music folder with the NAS. I only use iTunes to manage the iPad but with Music sync set to manual. This method lets me have music in most areas and avoids problems with iTunes music library when not connected to the NAS. As a small aside Swinsian embeds album art (like MediaMonkey for Win users) in the tag/file, rather than in a separate folder in iTunes, which guarantees I get album art on to the iPad Music App.

The one problem I have still solve is how to prepare a playlist for the NAS otherwise all is working fine.

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