Neil,
What I'm attempting to do is synchronize WAV, FLAC and Apple Lossless music files into iTunes.
iTunes does not support FLAC so I have four programs that can accommodate all the music files but each work differently and not equally user friendly.
FLAC files don't play or display album art in iTunes normally and each of the other programs are different in appearance, design and quality and (so far) only one plays nice with iTunes and supports all formats up to 384.
That's before we even begin discussing the sound quality.
For ease of use I want absolute control with no monitor, so I have several programs I've experimented with to "see" my Mini with the monitor off. The best is "Remote" which is Apple software, it's slick as can be and is absolutely free to download and use.
The best remote desktop that controls everything (not just iTunes) is Log Me in Ignition which is quite a bit more complicated to download, install and use but it's capable of even running Photoshop if need.
The short answer is, right now it's looking like a runoff between Amarra Pro and Channel D Pure Music.
The user manuals on both of these is enough to make me run to my turntable :^). I do like the fact that 1000 + CDs and high res downloads fit in a couple of 2 TB hard drives I scored at Amazon for $88.00 each.
Last, it winds up being important to do some tweaks to the Mac Mini to make it perform it's best. Solid state drive, good USB cable, best Intel chip and maximum RAM. That should be no surprise to anyone who uses a computer, those facts help everything from Mail and Word to Photoshop.
What I'm attempting to do is synchronize WAV, FLAC and Apple Lossless music files into iTunes.
iTunes does not support FLAC so I have four programs that can accommodate all the music files but each work differently and not equally user friendly.
FLAC files don't play or display album art in iTunes normally and each of the other programs are different in appearance, design and quality and (so far) only one plays nice with iTunes and supports all formats up to 384.
That's before we even begin discussing the sound quality.
For ease of use I want absolute control with no monitor, so I have several programs I've experimented with to "see" my Mini with the monitor off. The best is "Remote" which is Apple software, it's slick as can be and is absolutely free to download and use.
The best remote desktop that controls everything (not just iTunes) is Log Me in Ignition which is quite a bit more complicated to download, install and use but it's capable of even running Photoshop if need.
The short answer is, right now it's looking like a runoff between Amarra Pro and Channel D Pure Music.
The user manuals on both of these is enough to make me run to my turntable :^). I do like the fact that 1000 + CDs and high res downloads fit in a couple of 2 TB hard drives I scored at Amazon for $88.00 each.
Last, it winds up being important to do some tweaks to the Mac Mini to make it perform it's best. Solid state drive, good USB cable, best Intel chip and maximum RAM. That should be no surprise to anyone who uses a computer, those facts help everything from Mail and Word to Photoshop.