MC has a "File --> Export to iTunes & iPhone" that will let you export as a playlist any selected tracks to iTunes, but it only works if the tracks are MP3. The issue is that many of us have non-MP3 libraries.....so here is "Another Method to Sync Non-MP3's to iPhones" pulled together from other threads.
Non of this is as good as what we used to have "in the good old days with direct syncing" and is not as feature rich as the Prod's MCiS (
http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=51734.0) but it gets you tracks onto the iPhone.
Preparation: We are going to use the "Stacks" feature of MC to create, store and track an MP3 version of all of your Non-MP3 files...(sorry this will take some time and additional disc space in line with the size of your non MP3 Library). The great thing about using Stacks is you just manage your library as normal eg if you change a Tag then all the versions in the Stack are updated (eg both the original and the MP3 versions).
1. Create a Handheld: Under "Tools --> Options --> Handheld --> ...Add device"... Give it any name you like (I used HandHeld Target) and a path to a dummy directory (say c:\temp)...We are never going to actually Sync Anything to this, we just need to setup the preferences to get access to the configuration for the Stack Feature as shown. Note: the bit in the Red Boxs, I prefer NOT to keep the Stack Location in the same folder but in a separate directory so I can simply delete them if I need to (We are never going to actually Sync Anything to this). Save your settings.
2. Create a MP3 Cache: In StdView select the view that shows the tracks you want to create a MP3 Stack for (I choose my entire library), then go back into "Tools --> Options --> Handheld --> Conversion --> Conversion Cache --> ... Build cache for selected handheld" for the Handheld profile we just made. Here is the sloooow bit, it took MC about 15seconds per track to create the MP3 Stack Version. So if you have a big library it will take many hours or days. Subsequent builds will be faster as MC will only create any of the Missing MP3 from new tracks you have added
3. Create a MP3 View Scheme: The next bit to setup is a View Scheme where you can see all your MP3 tracks (both any you already had + the ones from the stack). In this example you can see I have copied the std "Album Artist (auto)/Album" View Scheme and modified it to show all the MP3 Versions (even in the stack)
Exporting to iTunes & iPhone: You can now select the songs you want from the "iTunes Sync" view and use the "File --> Export to iTunes & iPhone". I used the exptort to iTunes and then sync "All Music" to the iPhone from there. Each Export will add more tracks to iTunes and you can delete stuff from iTunes that you no longer want to by sycned
Limitations & Suggestions:
Big Three Suggestions that would completely remove the manual "Preparation" stuff & to get the "File --> Export to iTunes & iPhone" working well:
- Stacks: It would make sense if MC create the MP3 stack version as a part of the "export to iTunes & iPhone" instead of having to do this before hand for the entire library.
- Views Scheme: Instead of needing a custom view to see the MP3 Stack Versions, it would be great if MC just grabbed the MP3 version from the stack from any view scheme
- Library Server: You can not use Library Server (have to be connected to a Library). We already have an option "Play local file if one that matches Library Server file is found" so it would be great to use a similar feature for us LS users
Other Stacks enhancements that would be welcome:
- Stacks: It would be great to be able to create a stack without having to create a Handheld First
- Stacks: It would be good to create a profile so that stack versions were created automatically when new tracks are added to the Library
- Stacks: It would be good if Multithreaded conversions were used (I think only one at a time is being done even though I selected "Simultaneous Conversions: 4")
Thanks
Nathan
Author
Topic: Another Method to Sync Non-MP3's to iPhones (Read 3157 times)