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User profile for user: Nova
Nova Author
User level: Level 2
385 points

Auto Synching iTunes libraries and music files among 3 computers?

My wife and I have a PowerBook and a MacBook that we use offsite at work and at home. I'm buying a new iMac for home. What I'd like to do is make the iMac a central respository for our entire iTunes music library, and have the 2 'books synch with the iMac. It's a huge music library - like 80+ GBs, so it won't even fit on each of our laptops. I don't want to simply turn on iTunes sharing to stream the music to the laptops, especially since that won't work (easily) while we're not at home. What I do want, is to have certain playlists automatically synched to the 'books, so the music files of a particular playlist (or lists) actually reside on the 'books. My wife would have the playlists & associated mp3 files on her MacBook and I'd have my playlist and associated mp3files on my PowerBook. And the iMac would have everything.

I thought that I read an article in MacWorld or MacAddict a while ago about this, but can't seem to turn it up. I've also looked at some of the synching software on VersionTracker, but I'm not seeing anything that's as simple as clicking a Synch now button...

Anyone have any suggestions? Advice? Thank you in advance!!

PowerBook G4 15", 1.67 GHz, 2GB RAM, 100GB HD, 128 VRAM, etc., Mac OS X (10.4.7)

Posted on Sep 23, 2006 2:09 PM

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User profile for user: Yer_Man
Yer_Man
User level: Level 10
162,314 points

Posted on Sep 24, 2006 4:24 AM

Nova

I replied earlier to your iPhoto question, and the response here is similar. iTunes is not a server and so you will have similar issues. Things are further complicated because iTunes doesn't particularly like to Export song files (tho' it will merrily export Playlists). However you can drag and drop Library listings to the Desktop and it will copy the song files there. So, drag and drop the files to a folder, sync that folder to a folder on the client machines, and again add the songs to iTunes via a script using Folder Actions for automation.

And again, you will have issues if you try and sync back to the iMac. So there's nothing as simple as clicking a Sync now button.

I wonder if this capability is limited because it would make piracy even easier?

Have you thought of buying a couple of iPods? 😉 That's how we solved the same issue in this house.


Regards

TD
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User profile for user: Yer_Man
Yer_Man
User level: Level 10
162,314 points

Sep 24, 2006 4:24 AM in response to Nova

Nova

I replied earlier to your iPhoto question, and the response here is similar. iTunes is not a server and so you will have similar issues. Things are further complicated because iTunes doesn't particularly like to Export song files (tho' it will merrily export Playlists). However you can drag and drop Library listings to the Desktop and it will copy the song files there. So, drag and drop the files to a folder, sync that folder to a folder on the client machines, and again add the songs to iTunes via a script using Folder Actions for automation.

And again, you will have issues if you try and sync back to the iMac. So there's nothing as simple as clicking a Sync now button.

I wonder if this capability is limited because it would make piracy even easier?

Have you thought of buying a couple of iPods? 😉 That's how we solved the same issue in this house.


Regards

TD
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Auto Synching iTunes libraries and music files among 3 computers?

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