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Help: Managing Apple Music Files

What is the best practices for the following scenario:

I have backed up my lossless Apple music files from a dedicated external 1GB Hard Drive (dedicated HD) to another 1GB HD (backup HD).

I now want to import music to my laptop PC from the back up HD but want to compress the files (to 256 or 320kbps AAC??).

What compression do you think I should use? These files will be used to import music to my Iphone and other Ipods since I use my laptop to manage my Iphone syncs. I have around 600 GB of losslees music on my HD's but only want to use 100 gigs or less on my laptop and will filter out about one fourth of these files in the transfer (600GB minus 150GB= 450GB to compress and transfer). I will also listen to these files on my laptop while traveling etc...

What is the best way to do this? I was told that I would need to compress these files while still on the the back up HD and then import the compressed files to my laptop. Then erase the compressed files and go back and back up the loss less files from the dedicated HD.

By the way, I am using Carbon Copy Cloner to manage back ups and Mac Drive 8 to enable the PC laptop to manage the MAC formatting of my hard drives… are these the best software for these tasks?

Thanks, Doug
128x128lokie
mozartrules
42 posts
 
This is really simple. Import all the full resolution files to your laptop making sure that the the settings are such that you don't copy on import (last tab). This is relatively fast

You then select all the tracks in iTunes and ask it to convert to your desired format. This will take a long time (hours) at the end of which you will have two copies of each track with different bitrate.

Add bitrate to the column selection and remove all the 1441kbps entries (this will not remove the files since you didn't copy them in the first place).

I do all this on a single computer for both ripped DVDs and music by using two login IDs (so they have different iTunes setup). You may decide to do this on your desktop even if the final destination is the laptop if your desktop is significantly faster than the laptop.
lokie's avatar
lokie OP
528 posts
 
Mozartrules- "Import all the full resolution files to your laptop"

I don't have that much space on my laptop. I need to compress it before it hits my laptop.
kijanki's avatar
kijanki
4,430 posts
 
Mozartrules - I agree that converting in ITunes might be the simplest but how do we import the files? What about leaving files where they are and just give Itunes on the laptop wireless (or network cable) access to them by sharing backup drive. Itunes is perhaps slower than wireless anyway. According to my calculations wireless transfer of 650GB would take at least 32 hours but this amount of ALAC data is equal to about 2000 CDs. 32hrs=1920min so it comes to about minute per CD for Itunes to convert - sounds about right.

Max on the Mac would convert faster and transfer would take many times less since data is compressed about 4-5 times (remaining space on external hard drive can be used for temporary storage). Better yet make MAX or Itunes to compress it and deliver to different location that would be laptop's shared drive over wireless. I would use 256kbs with VBR.
mozartrules
42 posts
 
Connect to backup drive to the laptop (I assume it is USB) and import all the files. iTunes will with the correct setting not copy the files to the laptop, it will just show that they can be played. This means that they will show up in iTunes even if you disconnect the backup drive, but it will fail if you try to play the music without the drive. Your laptop harddrive will not use any space for the music files!

But I think you should use my suggestion of setting up a second user (mine is called 'iPhone Admin') on your desktop and simply have both sets of files there where they can be backed up.

Is there a reason that you need the files on the laptop other than moving them to the iPhone? The second user with the compressed files works fine (which is what I do) and that makes it easier to generate the compressed version when you add new music to the library. My desktop is my only computer.
lokie's avatar
lokie OP
528 posts
 
Mozartrules "Is there a reason that you need the files on the laptop other than moving them to the iPhone?"

Two reasons:
1. I want to change the content on my Iphone from time to time and it is easier if I can do that from my laptop since, as I mentioned, I use my laptop to keep my Iphone synched.

2. I travel with my laptop and it would be nice to have the majority of my music collection with me.
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