Is it better to tail by yr or not to label at all ? To move a library , which file go where ? Any antic to make playlist from folders ? How to find tracks with or without lyric ? These are the questions I tackle in this installment .
Q : I am a 1970s fan , and I have a wise play list that seize songs release between 1970 and 1979 . I am missing a pile of songs because I buy some “ Best of ” and “ strike of the ’ 70 ” albums , which have release day of the month of the albums , not of the birdcall . Is there any way I can fix this ?
Yes , you may contend with this problem using the songs ’ Year tags . If you appear at the screenshot below , you ’ll see a Sung that was performed in 1973 , but the phonograph record it ’s on was just free last calendar month . I manually specify the escort , because when I rive the CD , iTunes get information from the Gracenote database showing the 2012 release appointment .
To change the class shred , tap a strain then press Command - I ; you ’ll see the windowpane above . If you require to change multiple tracks — say you have several songs from 1976 on the same record album — select them all , wardrobe Command - I , and change the date in that window , which will look slightly dissimilar from the one picture here . Not sure what year a birdsong came out ? Look it up on Wikipedia , or onAllMusic .
Q : I have my medicine collection devise by pamphlet mention after artists , each contain booklet make after albums . I ’d like to drag several folders onto iTunes ’ playlist newspaper column and have them appear as new playlist , with the same names as the drag folders . However , at the same time trail more than one folder always creates an “ Untitled Playlist . ” For example , if I dredge “ Zappa ” and “ Mozart ” folders into the column , I stop up with “ Untitled Playlist . ” I have far too large a euphony collection ( rip from CDs ) to produce play list individually and would really wish to create multiple leaning at once .
You ca n’t do this with iTunes . However , Doug Adams recently updated hisDrop to App and Make PlaylistsAppleScript(payment requested ) .
This applet offers two options . First , it can make play list named after pamphlet name calling , as you want . Second , it can make playlists for each artist and album in a brochure , such as “ Frank Zappa — keep out Up ‘ due north toy Yer Guitar . ” And it can even do this for files in your iTunes library ; just pick out their folders from within your iTunes medium leaflet . It might look like it ’s copying the files to your subroutine library , but it ’s not .
Q : I have a library of more than 18,000 rails on an external hard crusade , since my MacBook Pro does n’t have the space to hold them . I use impudent playlists extensively based on the number of plays and skips per Sung . I ’m about to purchase a raw iMac and I would like to keep the library intact ( plays , skips , last played , and so on ) as I move it to the unexampled iMac . Is it possible to transfer the library files to the new social unit to maintain my library as it currently stands ? If so , which files do I move ?
The easiest way to do this when you get a new Mac is to habituate the make - in Migration Assistant , which will simulate your files from one Mac to another .
If it ’s already too late , or you do n’t require to use the Migration Assistant , here ’s what you need to do . Find the Music folder in your home plate pamphlet ( the one with the sign of the zodiac icon and your username ) . Inside that leaflet is an iTunes folder . You ’ll require to move that folder to the same positioning on the new Mac .
You ’ll also desire to move your iTunes preference single file . To get hold this , in the Finder press Command - geological fault - gramme and type~/Library / Preferences . In this pamphlet , typeiTunesin the hunt field . Sort the results by date modified and find the most recent file named com.apple.itunes.plist . ( There may be more than one , including some with extra words in their names . ) simulate this file to the same brochure on the young Mac .
The .plist filing cabinet will retain your mise en scene ; if you do n’t copy it , your library and playlists will still be intact . The .plist file cabinet also incorporate the location of your external drive . If you launch iTunes on the young Mac and your euphony is n’t found , go to iTunes ’ Advanced preference and next toiTunes media brochure emplacement , clack onChangeand select the copy iTunes folder on your hard drive .
Q : Is there is a way to see which Sung dynasty have any info in the Lyrics field . Can I make a smart playlist to find this ?
No , smart playlist ca n’t find out the Lyrics field , but I can realize why you might want to discover songs with or without lyrics . Doug Adams ’s $ 2TrackSift ( ) has a puppet that can produce a play list arrest all the runway you have that do n’t contain lyric .
The app also lets you limit the hunting to specific genres , so that you do n’t include , say , all your classic music or idle words .
[ Ask the iTunes Guy is a veritable column in which we answer your questions on everything iTunes related . If there ’s something you ’d care to know , direct an e-mail to the iTunes Guyfor consideration . ]
