davebraziersax
Level 1 (5 points)
iTunes

Q: iTunes freezes if its wifi network has no access to the internet

Hi all.

 

I'm running a 13" mac book pro with OS X El Capitan.

 

I have a very specific iTunes problem which is really bugging me.  I'm a pro sax player and part of my work is performing as a soloist with backing tracks on my mac.  To avoid having to walk back to the mac to start the backing track for every song, I use a tablet on a stand which I can place anywhere in the venue.  I set up a wireless router next to the mac which both the mac and tablet connect to, and I run "retune" on the tablet (I think that's what its called) which is an iTunes wifi remote.  The setup is really smart cos it allows me to choose new tracks from the playlist from anywhere in the venue instead of walking backwards and forwards to the mac every time.

 

The problem I have is that sometimes (maybe 1 in 5 times), I have a real problem starting iTunes when the mac is connected to a wifi network that has no actual internet connection.  I'm sure that iTunes detects the wifi connection and then tries to access the internet to connect with the store.  When it can't find the store it just locks up and I get the spinning wheel of death.  Most of the time I can simply restart the program a few times and eventually it decides to play ball, but its a real pain.  And I did a gig yesterday where it simply wouldn't have it, no matter what I did.  So I had no choice but to turn off the router and keep walking back to the mac for every song.

 

I can't find a setting anywhere on iTunes that can deactivate the connection to the store and I really am stuck.

 

I've also tried alternative programs (I used Clementine briefly but I've just found it too flakey to be relied upon) and so I'm open to other suggests.  But I need a player that has a remote app that I can use on my tablet.

 

Thanks in advance for the help.

MacBook Pro (13-inch Mid 2012), OS X El Capitan (10.11.5)

Posted on Sep 26, 2016 10:21 AM

by Limnos,Solvedanswer
Limnos Limnos
Level 9 (54,240 points)
Mac OS X
A:

I use a much older version of iTunes and in preferences I can disable Store, Radio, Sharing services, probably Genius if I had it. Check all your preferences settings including ones you think don't matter such as parental preferences (that's where Store is hidden on mine).  Realize too that iTunes has morphed from being a simple media player to a 75% sales and marketing as well as do-it-all tool (a.k.a. bloatware) trying to do too much at one time and the developers probably can't even imagine any (i.e., the target everyday user) using it without the Internet.  Add onto that you are trying to use a third party application to control iTunes and anything like that is likely to misbehave willy-nilly every time Apple introduces an update.

 

Remember with wi-fi you are subject to interfering signals from other wi-fi services in the area or stage equipment.

Posted on Sep 26, 2016 2:51 PM

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davebraziersax

Q: iTunes freezes if its wifi network has no access to the internet

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  • Helpful answers

  • by Limnos,Solvedanswer

    Limnos Limnos Sep 26, 2016 2:51 PM in response to davebraziersax
    Level 9 (54,240 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 26, 2016 2:51 PM in response to davebraziersax

    I use a much older version of iTunes and in preferences I can disable Store, Radio, Sharing services, probably Genius if I had it. Check all your preferences settings including ones you think don't matter such as parental preferences (that's where Store is hidden on mine).  Realize too that iTunes has morphed from being a simple media player to a 75% sales and marketing as well as do-it-all tool (a.k.a. bloatware) trying to do too much at one time and the developers probably can't even imagine anybody (i.e., the target everyday user) using it without the Internet.  Add onto that you are trying to use a third party application to control iTunes and anything like that is likely to misbehave willy-nilly every time Apple introduces an update.

     

    Remember with wi-fi you are subject to interfering signals from other wi-fi services in the area or stage equipment.

  • by davebraziersax,

    davebraziersax davebraziersax Sep 26, 2016 12:23 PM in response to Limnos
    Level 1 (5 points)
    iTunes
    Sep 26, 2016 12:23 PM in response to Limnos

    Thanks Limnos, I would never have looked under the restrictions tab but I've found the box to turn off access to the store.  Wont know for sure whether that solves my problem or not until the gig at the weekend, but hopefully it will work first time!  You may have just saved me a massive headache!

     

    Thanks for your advice re: wifi interference.  Funnily enough there's one venue that I play at quite regularly where the connection simply doesn't work, but everywhere else I go its absolutely fine.  I've already assumed there must be some sort of interference at that particular place, but weird that I've used it in countless other places and never had a problem (except for the iTunes issue above).

     

    Thanks again for taking the time to help.

  • by djmykemyers,Helpful

    djmykemyers djmykemyers Sep 27, 2016 9:36 AM in response to davebraziersax
    Level 1 (13 points)
    iTunes
    Sep 27, 2016 9:36 AM in response to davebraziersax

    HI there,

     

    i startet an similar toppic here some days ago, and I tried the suggestion from Limnos....

     

    in parental control I deactivated " connect " " radio " " Apple Music" and " Podcasts " ....." Store " is still in Use.

     

    now I can Open ITunes with Wlan on, and Internet off....it tooks a little longer to Start Itunes, but if open, it runs without any hooks or stuck....and Remote runs also....

     

    So, that seems for me a little Workaround

    thanks and greetings

  • by davebraziersax,

    davebraziersax davebraziersax Sep 27, 2016 9:36 AM in response to djmykemyers
    Level 1 (5 points)
    iTunes
    Sep 27, 2016 9:36 AM in response to djmykemyers

    That's really helpful, thank you.  Fingers crossed a similar thing works for me.  I shall find out for sure over the next few gigs!

  • by Limnos,

    Limnos Limnos Sep 27, 2016 10:12 AM in response to davebraziersax
    Level 9 (54,240 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 27, 2016 10:12 AM in response to davebraziersax

    Wi-fi in the US operates on 11 channels but in reality because of channel overlap there's only 3 that are far enough apart to not interfere and most people configure their routers to stay on either channel 1, 6, or 11 so they don't overlap with others.  So if you have yours set to one of those you have a 1:3 chance of seeing interference, particularly if the router is seeing heavy use. Most routers default to channel 6 so if you have yours set to default #6 there is a better chance of somebody else just having left theirs there too.  If you have yours set to one of the channels in between you stand an even better chance of something interfering to some extent because, for example, a router set to channel 9 will see interference from all the channel 6 and 11 users.

     

    On top of that I am not sure what frequencies wireless microphones and wireless everything else use. 

  • by djmykemyers,

    djmykemyers djmykemyers Sep 27, 2016 11:24 AM in response to Limnos
    Level 1 (13 points)
    iTunes
    Sep 27, 2016 11:24 AM in response to Limnos

    OK, I understand that, but that isn't the Problem.for me and David. It is in fact just the " missing" of Internet.

     

    My Setup is :

     

    a Mac Pro 13" connected  via FireWire on Presonus RM 32AI. the Presonus RM 32 connected via Ethernet to the AirPort Extreme.

     

    The Airport Extreme is connected just to Power...nothing else is connected ( exept the Presonus )

     

    ipad Air connected via WLAN ( AirPort Extreme) to the Presonus mixer .

     

    now I run a 32 track recording software and the Mac records the Show ... And I also mix the Artists with the iPad .

     

    that all runs well and stable ..it's no difference if there is Internet conectet to the Airport exreme , or not, or if there is any other WLAN in the Venue.

     

    so, and before the ITunes Update I was also able to run ITunes on the Mac and start orStop Tracks playing with Remote on my IPad . So far so good.

     

    but since the last or the before last Update it is not possible to run ITunes on the Mac in that same Setup....

     

    so I tryed it some other Venues ...but I figured out that the problem is the missing Internet... In that moment when I connect a Internet Cable to the Airportextreme... The ITunes programmm start immediately work.

     

    in that moment I pull the Internet Cable it begin to stuck...( colored Ball turns ) and i am not able to klick anything in ITunes ...meanwhile the Record Process or the Mixing App still runs without any Dropout....

    when end I put back the Cable into Airportextreme...Itunes resumes playing songs and work on....

     

    the Problen is , often I doesn't have the ability to use an " Internet " connection

     

    i can only repeat that this works well since one of the last ITunes Update.

     

    greetings

  • by Limnos,

    Limnos Limnos Sep 27, 2016 11:29 AM in response to djmykemyers
    Level 9 (54,240 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 27, 2016 11:29 AM in response to djmykemyers

    djmykemyers wrote:

     

    OK, I understand that, but that isn't the Problem.for me and David.

    It could be for David:

    Thanks for your advice re: wifi interference.  Funnily enough there's one venue that I play at quite regularly where the connection simply doesn't work, but everywhere else I go its absolutely fine.  I've already assumed there must be some sort of interference at that particular place, but weird that I've used it in countless other places and never had a problem (except for the iTunes issue above).

  • by davebraziersax,

    davebraziersax davebraziersax Sep 27, 2016 2:09 PM in response to Limnos
    Level 1 (5 points)
    iTunes
    Sep 27, 2016 2:09 PM in response to Limnos

    Thanks all.  I've marked the question as solved for now as I'm pretty that Limnos' original reply is all I needed (hope I haven't just cursed it by saying that!).  I wont know for sure until I test the set up on a few more gigs, but I'm sure I can reopen it again if I need to.  And I've learned a little more about wifi signals in the meantime!  Thanks again.