bsuwolf

Q: Do songs downloaded from Icloud get saved at a higher bit rate/more gb used

Recently recovered my entire library from Icloud and the files take up more storage than when the library was originally saved on my hard drive? Is that possible? No duplicate files. I went from having 6200 songs using 32.5 gb to now having the exact same library take 55.5 gb? So are songs saved on Icloud saved at a better quality? My library is a combination of cds burned and purchased from ITunes.

Posted on Jul 21, 2016 8:35 AM

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Q: Do songs downloaded from Icloud get saved at a higher bit rate/more gb used

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  • by Phil0124,

    Phil0124 Phil0124 Jul 21, 2016 8:47 AM in response to bsuwolf
    Level 7 (26,921 points)
    iPhone
    Jul 21, 2016 8:47 AM in response to bsuwolf

    Depends on how you were saving them in iCloud.

     

    If you were using Apple Music or iTunes Match, then yes all Matched songs are upgraded to 256kbps which means their file size will be a bit bigger for the higher audio quality they deliver.

     

    iCloud Music Library: Understanding differences between Apple Music and iTunes Match - Apple Support

  • by bsuwolf,

    bsuwolf bsuwolf Jul 21, 2016 8:54 AM in response to Phil0124
    Level 1 (4 points)
    iTunes
    Jul 21, 2016 8:54 AM in response to Phil0124

    Phil0124 - Thanks, that sheds some light on the issue - I do use ITunes Match; but now that leads me to the real issue..prior to this restore, all my music only used up 32gb of my 64 gb Ipod Touch. Now the same exact # of songs takes up almost the whole Ipod. Is there anyway to downgrade the files to a lesser quality 192kbps? I am desperate to find a reasonable solution to this issue. Thanks!

  • by turingtest2,

    turingtest2 turingtest2 Jul 21, 2016 8:55 AM in response to bsuwolf
    Level 10 (85,361 points)
    iPod
    Jul 21, 2016 8:55 AM in response to bsuwolf

    Only if the original source files were something more compact than 256k AAC, e.g. 128k mp3. Why did you need to recover the library and was it recovered to the same computer? iTunes may not show any duplicates, but have you inspected the contents of a typical album folder? You may have the originals and their replacements.

     

    tt2

  • by turingtest2,

    turingtest2 turingtest2 Jul 21, 2016 8:57 AM in response to bsuwolf
    Level 10 (85,361 points)
    iPod
    Jul 21, 2016 8:57 AM in response to bsuwolf

    Ah, you can ask iTunes to convert higher bitrate songs to a lower bitrate as they are added to your device.

     

    tt2

  • by Phil0124,

    Phil0124 Phil0124 Jul 21, 2016 9:07 AM in response to bsuwolf
    Level 7 (26,921 points)
    iPhone
    Jul 21, 2016 9:07 AM in response to bsuwolf

    Yes. In the Summary Tab when the iPod is connected, there is an option labeled "Convert Higher bit rate Songs To"

     

    And a drop down. You can select 128kbps there to reduce the file size of the song's when you sync them to the iPod, though you will be losing audio quality in the process.

     

    itunes_bitrate.jpg

  • by bsuwolf,

    bsuwolf bsuwolf Jul 21, 2016 9:06 AM in response to turingtest2
    Level 1 (4 points)
    iTunes
    Jul 21, 2016 9:06 AM in response to turingtest2

    TT2 - Here is the full story. I was switching from an old Ipod Touch to a new Ipod Touch. There were some issues installing and syncing the new Ipod. After "successfully" syncing my Ipod, I notice large batches of songs were missing (some were from cds I burned and others from ITunes purchases). Contacted Apple Support and they had me restore my library from a prior back-up (apparently the restore was from the Icloud). Upon restoring, I had duplicates of all my songs. One version of the song had the normal "cloud" symbol next to it and the duplicate had a "x"d out cloud symbol next to it. I deleted all the duplicates with the x cloud and downloaded all the songs with the normal cloud next to them. Its at this point I noticed that my 6200 songs that took up 32gb previously on my old Ipod, now took up 55gb on my new Ipod and hard drive. This leaves me with a new Ipod Touch that is basically full but should only really be half filled.

    Please help me find a way to downgrade these files on my hard drive and Ipod to a smaller bit rate. I am open to all suggestions!!

  • by turingtest2,

    turingtest2 turingtest2 Jul 21, 2016 9:36 AM in response to bsuwolf
    Level 10 (85,361 points)
    iPod
    Jul 21, 2016 9:36 AM in response to bsuwolf

    The automatic downsample feature build into iTunes should give you the best of both worlds, high quality copies on your computer, smaller copies on the device so they don't take up too much room, and it should all work automatically.

     

    Now that you've deduped your library that is probably the best way to proceed. Had we been talking earlier then the steps in Empty/corrupt iTunes library after upgrade/crash might have restored your library without any need for deduping and downloading. There might still be content in your media folder such as Podcasts or Audiobooks that are excluded from iTunes Match that may need adding back into the library.

     

    From the sounds of things it is too late to go back as you will have deleted the older lower bit rate versions from the media folder. For the future I would recommend you maintain your own local backup in addition to iTunes Match as it doesn't cover everything, and may occasionally return the wrong clean/explicit or live/studio version of a track.

     

    tt2