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[John_Man]

I'm a long time former user of MC.  I used to run MC9 & 10 but then switched totally to a Mac   However, I remained on the MC mailing list and announcement about the new Mac version caught my eye.

It may be a silly question (I haven't run MC for many years now) but how would MC 18 on a Mac be better than iTunes ?  My use of iTunes is audio only (MP3/AAC files (a library of a few thousand files only); and Internet streams); and syncing with my iPhone.

(In any event, I upgraded today to MC 10 on Windows to install on my Mac Windows virtual machine and will have a play.)

Thanks in advance for any info.

[laerm]

Hm. Well, I can't think of a better way to put it than to say that if you haven't been disappointed by iTunes on the Mac, then I can't think of a reason to switch to MC. I don't think I was using MC back in v9/10 (I think my first was 12), but it's probably fair to assume there are a lot more features these days.

For those of us who have libraries of tens of thousands of files (or higher), iTunes is so lousy that it is actually not an option. That's the main reason why I'm looking forward to MC Mac.

Micah

[glynor]

MC is a substantially more powerful database than iTunes.  It is WAY faster, more flexible, and powerful for large libraries and power users.

Plus, the quality and format support is second to none.  And, of course, it has a real 10-foot UI for home theater use, Internet streaming support, and a lot more.

MC has grown quite a bit since MC9/10.  Try out MC18 in your VM.  You might not need the extra stuff (it is a premium app, and I don't think JRiver is hiding from that), but it is miles beyond iTunes.

[kiwi]

Along with what everyone else has said.

I'm also looking forward to APE & FLAC support...

[glynor]

Along with what everyone else has said.

I'm also looking forward to APE & FLAC support...

+1

And DTS and MPC and MKA for audio.  And MKV and TS and BluRay and any other video format you can shake a stick at.  And photos... It'll even thumbnail and handle PSD files!

The early versions (maybe all of MC18, we'll see) will be Music-only.  But there are some real possibilities there...

[sgallaghe]

What did it for me was when iTunes 11 removed album art preview from the lower left corner list view. What were they thinking, they already wrote the code for doing it. And getting rid of Cover Flow was equally stupid. It's another example of them trying to make a desktop/laptop OS/interface more like an iOS device. I have one of those, but I'd never try to manage my library with it.

I manage over 110K songs. iTunes started out as a library manager, but now handles iPhone syncing, etc. It's now more of a portal to the iTunes store, a way for you to buy stuff from them.

Personally, I need a dedicated library manager. Hopefully I'll get that. Just hoping I can retain all the metadata I've added in the conversion.

[JimH]

... I need a dedicated library manager. Hopefully I'll get that. Just hoping I can retain all the metadata I've added in the conversion.

If it doesn't happen right away, please let us know what you need.  We may be able to do it.

[John_Man]

Thanks for the replies - I'm not sure I need it but I do want it (plus the current price is relatively inexpensive) so I've just purchased a Mac licence as well.  Looking forward to the release.

[sgallaghe]

If it doesn't happen right away, please let us know what you need.  We may be able to do it.

I'm sure you can, that's why I suggested an Import Wizard that that allow me to basically clone my iTunes metadata when I import the references to the actual music files.

Hopefully I'd only need to do this once.

The thorn is, could I then sync my several iPods to MC?

[shAf]

I'm sure you can, that's why I suggested an Import Wizard that that allow me to basically clone my iTunes metadata when I import the references to the actual music files.
...

An import wizard might also be suggested for importing (e.g.) a MC18(Win) library backup file.  For example, to import the zip and then to prompt the user for the new root folder.  That is, my primary MC(Win) library is an external USB3 3Tb drive connected directly to the Win7 HTPC.  My Macbook, on the other hand, will be looking at the same library which had been backed up to my Synology NAS, which can also be made available as a networked drive. (... altho ultimately I believe connecting MC Mac to the WinMC server is more elegant and will suit me better ... at least until MC Mac running on ATV or a Mac Mini is capable of becoming the better HTPC)

my CA$0.02 

[glynor]

An import wizard might also be suggested for importing (e.g.) a MC18(Win) library backup file.  For example, to import the zip and then to prompt the user for the new root folder.

I'm reasonably confident that this is planned.  When, we don't know, of course.

[verden]

The simplest answer is: iTunes does not sound good.

[scottlf]

I have a very large (2 TB+) music library and I have become increasingly frustrated with iTunes' sluggishness. I'm hoping that MC can manage such a large library with more finesse. I am also hoping that MC will change sample rates automatically for files, given that I have a fair number of 48/24, 88.2/24, and even some 96/24 files, although the lion's share is standard 44.1/16. I certainly like MC on Windows, so I'm looking forward to a similar experience on the Mac -- perhaps in time, as the program has enough time to grow and develop.

[Pale Rider]

The simplest answer is: iTunes does not sound good.

With all the other options for better sound output, that still use the iTunes back end, I am not sure the simplest answer is the best. Any of Amarra, Audirvana, Fidelia and others can produce better sound of an ordinary Mac, while still using iTunes for one's organizational tool. I am not an iTunes fanboy, though up until some of the recent UI changes, I was happier with it. And I still use it for organizing, tagging, etc. I don't rip with it, but—knock on wood—it has been a fine, stable container for my music [about 15,000 tracks].

Indeed, even a modest setting in CoreAudio can rectify most of iTunes' sonic imperfections. For example, using iTunes only, and setting CoreAudio correctly, can deliver quite fine sound through a PWD. Last time I checked though, that's still limited to 96/24. But still quite good, and in fact, with the right player, even lowly 44/16 can sound fine. Depending on one's DAC, UPnP servers can also deliver quality sound. Of course, if one is delivering the analog sound out of the Mac, neither iTunes nor MC will make much of that mess, though I assume you are referring to digital output.

MC is a significant development project. Sound alone would not justify that; that market already has good contenders. Obviously, it offers the potential of a great deal more, and it could become quite the alternative to iTunes, though like of foundational integration with the iTunes store will always mean it does not sleep in the master bedroom. But for me, I am simply looking for the best, most robust UPnP server/client combo. EMM is not bad, but it is not up to the standards of the $4k DAC for which PS Audio supplies it. Even in this pre-alpha state, MC is already faster than EMM. Whether it will be more robust—and my bet is that it will—remains to be proven, but I am enthusiastic about this project.