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how to disable gray stars/suggested song rating based on album rating

This seems to be a common complaint but when I rate a song, itunes assigns the album the same ratings, and suggests the album rating for all the other songs on the album. This is not only annoying but it interferes with smart playlists. If I have a smart playlist of songs with 5 star ratings, now it is populated with songs that I tunes suggest I rate 5 stars, but which I have never rated. This is a major drag that seems to have started for me with iTunes 12 (mac). Any solutions out there?

MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Late 2013), Mac OS X (10.7.5)

Posted on Jul 29, 2015 3:29 PM

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28 replies

Feb 27, 2017 3:52 PM in response to sisunator

Apple has destroyed more amazing features than Microsoft has ever invented. Baffling, but that's the arrogant insensitive ignoring its core market Apple users, in order to sell more design, rather than useful, driven features, and iPods. iPads etc. Apple.


Have a look at Doug's Applescripts. http://dougscripts.com/itunes/index.php


Not only has he for the most part reversed the simplification of iTunes by Apple, he has also managed to solve issues that Apple, looking out at the world with its head up its ***, never realised existed.


On top of that, if you email him with an issue, unlike Apple, he will respond and help you solve it.

Jul 31, 2015 1:13 AM in response to sisunator

Hi sisunator!


Let me try to help you! Be sure to read through before starting so you can understand the procedure


In order to delete these annoying AUTO ratings you need to backup your songs that you have rated yourself first. The easiest way is to create playlists according to rating stars e.g. "One Star" for all the songs you have rated with one Star.

Now save all your playlists by exporting them to a save place (see picture below) (sorry for german/ i was too lazy to switch languages)

User uploaded file

After this you can start to fix your library by simply deleting your library files from the following directory:

(Be also sure to save these files at save place just in case)


Macintosh HD/users/"username"/Music/iTunes Library.itl

Macintosh HD/users/"username"/Music/iTunes Library Extras.itdb

Macintosh HD/users/"username"/Music/iTunes Library Genius.itdb

Macintosh HD/users/"username"/Music/Album Artwork

This deletes all data iTunes has stored for you - You can now start with a brand new iTunes library! All Ratings and Play counts are reset to none.

Now we come to the part of restoring your files. Therefore simply add your all files with the CMD+"O" shortcut again. (Much easier if all your music is stored in one folder)

Then import your exported playlists by using "Import Playlists" in the same dialogue as in the screenshot above.

You will know have no ratings at all!


To restore your ratings take the "Star" playlists from above. Mark all songs from one playlists (CMD+"A") and change their rating to the one you had before.

Do this for all five playlists.

Et voila now only your ratings are back and you have no annoying album ratings anymore!😉

Jul 31, 2015 5:43 AM in response to terdinatore

Thanks! This is a helpful answer. Unfortunately its complex enough that I won't do it regularly to solve the problem. I rate new songs every day so would have to do this procedure constantly to clean things up. I appreciate the help though as this may help other users who want to solve this problem on a one time basis. In the meanwhile, Apple - please fix this for us!

Jul 31, 2015 6:29 AM in response to sisunator

sisunator wrote:

In the meanwhile, Apple - please fix this for us!


If you want Apple to read your opinion send it to http://www.apple.com/feedback/itunesapp.html The people seeing it here are just other users like yourself.


I use iTunes 7.5 from year 2007. It behaves that way with single item ratings. You say Itunes 12.2 still behaves that way with ratings 8 years later. I will let you extrapolate the likelihood of anything being changed. 😉

Nov 13, 2015 10:12 AM in response to terdinatore

If you do this, you will lose all your playlists in the library. Apple has been aware of this issue for years, but never comes up with an answer or solution.


The only solution that works, is one by one removal of album ratings, under the Album view. I am sure I have done that, but like weeds in a lawn, they just keep coming back.


The scorched earth solution you are suggesting, follow by replanting of grass seed will work. But I want to keep the trees and the flower beds...

Nov 13, 2015 10:26 AM in response to Timothy Holt

You're right about losing playlists. A possible workaround to auto ratings is AlbumRatingReset from Doug's Scripts. I have a Windows script in which I assign a value of 1% when the track is currently set to 0%=computed. I'm not at my Mac just now but it looks as if this script should give the same results. Select a bunch of tracks, set album rating to 1% and then you can edit track ratings as often as you like and the album rating will remain as 0 stars unless you manually choose a different value.


tt2

Nov 13, 2015 9:00 PM in response to Timothy Holt

The first script will clear automatic album ratings for a selection of tracks, the second restores the default behaviour.



-- ClearAlbumAutoRating - V1.0 - © Steve MacGuire - 2015-11-14

tellapplication "iTunes"

if selection is not {} then

set mySelection to selection

repeatwithaTrackinmySelection

if album rating kind of aTrack is computed then set album rating of aTrack to 1

endrepeat

endif

endtell

-- SetAlbumAutoRating - V1.0 - © Steve MacGuire - 2015-11-14

tellapplication "iTunes"

if selection is not {} then

set mySelection to selection

repeatwithaTrackinmySelection

ifalbum ratingofaTrackis 1 thensetalbum ratingofaTrackto 0

endrepeat

endif

endtell



Save them in User/Library/iTunes/Scripts with their respective filenames and you can access them from the iTunes menu bar.



tt2

Nov 14, 2015 4:49 AM in response to turingtest2

Matching scripts for clearing or resetting track auto ratings.



-- ClearTrackAutoRating - V1.0 - © Steve MacGuire - 2015-11-14

tellapplication "iTunes"

if selection is not {} then

set mySelection to selection

repeatwithaTrackinmySelection

if rating kind of aTrack is computed then set rating of aTrack to 1

endrepeat

endif

endtell

-- SetTrackAutoRating - V1.0 - © Steve MacGuire - 2015-11-14

tellapplication "iTunes"

if selection is not {} then

set mySelection to selection

repeatwithaTrackinmySelection

ifratingofaTrackis 1 thensetratingofaTrackto 0

endrepeat

endif

endtell



tt2

how to disable gray stars/suggested song rating based on album rating

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