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[KenYz]

Hi,

New to MC.  I've looked for a few answers but did not find them, so please point me to the thread. 

What happens to files that are imported to MC from iT, duplicated into a file structure dedicated to MC, or does MC just create a db of the metadata and file locations?

It looks like ripping will put newly imported files into the MC folder structure.  How can they be put into the iT folders, so they can be synced to iOS devices?

[Cmagic]

Hi,

I think it will not be very different from the current situation when running MC in a virtual machines on a Mac. In fact I've been using MC this way for quite a while now on my Macs in conjunction with iTunes (to sync my iPad & iPods).
The cohabitation of MC and iTunes is not a problem. They have there own separate library and they share the same folder structure for music files.
I had to set iTunes preferences not to keep folder organized, etc. in Prefs/Advanced.

In my setup MC is the Master of audio file organization. I do all of the imports, tagging, renaming etc. with MC. iTunes uses the same file but is really used as just a player/syncer.

If you import an iTunes files in MC, then MC just creates a library entry for it with all of the metadata than it can read . It will no duplicate the file nor copy it into a structure of its own (MC's not iTunes).

When ripping a CD with MC you can freely choose where to put your files and create you own structure. MC does not impose any type of folder organization to you. If you want you can even instruct MC to put files in the iTunes default folders (Music/iTunes/ITunes Media/Music/....) but I don't advise you to do so.
IMHO It's best to have your own music structure outside of iTunes.
After you've ripped new music with MC you will need to import it in Itunes, and that's it! Again, you'd better set iTunes not to automatically organize folders (iTunes/Prefs/Advanced) and let MC do it for you.

So in short, MC and Itunes can live together in pretty good harmony (at least on my iMac and Air).
You'll find a lot of smarter users of the MC - iTunes connection In the forum.
If you are also on windows, there is also utility to help sync MC and iTunes Libs: http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=51734.0

As for the exact behaviour of MC Mac regarding iTunes syncing we don't know yet, but I assume it won't be so different, let's wait and see...

Happy MCing,

Christian

 

[glynor]

What happens to files that are imported to MC from iT, duplicated into a file structure dedicated to MC, or does MC just create a db of the metadata and file locations?

It just makes a database.

It looks like ripping will put newly imported files into the MC folder structure.  How can they be put into the iT folders, so they can be synced to iOS devices?

You can configure where the files are stored, and the filename structure.  So you could just have it put the files where iTunes expects them (or in that weird "auto imported folder" thing they do.  You can have MC's Auto-Import monitor any folders on your drive you want.  So, you could just "follow iTunes's rules" (and let MC clean itself up with Auto-Import's "Fix Broken Links" option).

But...

I'd recommend you do NOT let iTunes automatically manage your file structure, though, as MC has much more powerful tools (once it is stable and ready, of course).  Instead, move the files to a sane "shared" place not so buried on your hard drive.  Maybe to \Users\Shared\Music\ for example, or maybe on an external disk?  In any case, you can turn the "automanagement" of files and folders off easily in iTunes in the Preferences under Advanced.

Uncheck Keep iTunes Media Folder organized.

You can also move the files from right within the same spot.  A good way to do it would be to "allow" iTunes to keep the files organized for long enough to move them, then once they're moved (which will cause iTunes to "fix" all of the old junk that hadn't been actually kept organized, which it does), you can untick that box to disable the auto-reorganizing feature.

Then...

Doug's AppleScripts for iTunes

He's got scripts for everything on there.  Scripts for auto-importing files from folders, scripts for renaming things, controlling iTunes, syncing devices, and all sorts of scripts.

Keeping MC and iTunes in sync on a Mac may not prove that challenging at all.  Auto-Import on the MC side, Doug's Scripts on the iTunes side.  Maybe, just maybe, a little custom stuff from Glynor down the line too.  Because that'll be fun to play with.

I don't know when, or if, this stuff will make it into the OSX version (of course), but... MC for Windows is extremely scriptable.  You can script all manner of crazy things, automate it, mine the database, and extract metadata via a REST-based web interface (XML).

[glynor]

All of this is based on the Windows version of MC, but the Mac version will be largely the same.  There will be large pieces of functionality missing, at least at first, and we're not sure yet what will be... (I'd assume that scripting would not necessarily be in the first pass, but who knows, it might be sort-of "built in" depending on how that works on Apple's end).

Essentially, they've said what they've said and that's what is "guaranteed" (such as it were).

But core-principles aren't going to change.  The "goal" (or maybe long-term mission) is to build something equal.  They're not building two completely separate projects.  This is all the same code base (with Windows and OSX specific "sections" and "extensions").  But part of the amazingness they performed to let them even do this project was abstracting the Windows version completely away from the Windows API (or pretty darn close to completely).  So, they can use "one project" (-ish, I'm not privy to the exact details) without just porting to an inherently "cross platform" interpreted language like Java or whatever.

Because they're magic.

[KenYz]

Thanks all, much appreciated.

So this method is much the same as Pure Music, but PM doesn't really facilitate a single file repository.  Instead, iT unsupported files are kept in a separate location, and there's an import function that adds them to the iT db.  I don't really like this method because it leads to syncing and playback conflicts.  iT organization is shut off to prevent breaking the links.

For file organization, it looks like I can either:
- Establish a separate folder and point iT to that folder as you've recommended - shut off file organization and make a copy on adding to Library. 
- Leave the core collection where it is, and bring in the flac collection, allowing MC to import it and the manage the file structure going forward. 
   - I don't think I mind having it here because the music folder is easy enough to share regardless of location. 
   - Plus, iT major upgrades have had a nasty habit of ignoring my independent choice of folder, defaulting back to Music/... 
   - I'll have to click a little further to access files, but that doesn't happen very often.
   - I'm not keen on ever using the organizer again, opting to just re-add files with broken links because they haven't happened very often for me, and iT is good at displaying probs.  iT is also very good at finding a file that's been moved without having auto-org turned on.  I don't have clean data on the compilations checkbox, and iT has "over-compilated" way too many albums, sometimes putting Disc 1 and Disc 2 in separate folders.  Maddening.  Maybe MC's tools will make it easy to correct the compilations data with a query/mass update.  Then I'd consider, but it will be too late!  Bwaahahahaha!

Question:  Why not just use Add to Library for supported files after importing to MC rather than a script?  Works well for small imports. 

• This is just a test of bulleting format
  with more than 1 bullet
  I'm getting code in the editor, and I can't remember if the button has to be clicked for each sentence, or if the Return can be used.

[KenYz]

I'd like a bulleting function because it can make posts more readable.  However, it looks like the bulleting tool has to be clicked before each bullet.  No obvious indenting/outlining function, and I don't know the code.

• Bullet 1.  Now reposition the cursor for the 2nd bullet
• Bullet 2.  Now reposition and enter code to start the 3rd bullet
• Bullet 3.

[KenYz]

So, the bullet button inserts code for 2 bullets, not just one, making bullet lists a meticulous affair.  Yeesh.

[KenYz]

Sorry for the distractedness.

In conclusion, I'm going to purchase MC, it comes highly recommended from an expert friend.  The Mac version certainly looks promising.

Thanks again for the quick, knowledgable, and thorough replies.

Best,
Ken

[glynor]

So, the bullet button inserts code for 2 bullets, not just one, making bullet lists a meticulous affair.  Yeesh.

I totally agree.  I actually just brought that up in another post.  SMF (the software this forum runs on) is probably the nicest one available, and I know BBCode (the common "forum posting" markup language) quite well.  But making both ordered and unordered lists doesn't work very well.

One tip though, for unordered lists, you can just put a * in [] at the beginning of your lines, and it'll auto-bullet them.  But it doesn't always work very well.

I usually just make them manually.  It is ugly, but there are rendering/spacing issues with the built-in ones too.