Home Forums Peripherals & Multimedia iTunes, iPhone, iPod, iPad, Apple TV Consolidate in iTunes

I'm sure I have asked this question before but I can neither remember any answers or find my original post.
SO, can anyone tell me if it there is an alternative to "Consolidate" when you are only transferring a few songs to your library/folder stored on an external hard drive.
The reason I ask/ed this is that, as I just said, there are only a handful more I want to add and the "Consolidate" takes so long when it appears to "do" my complete library. If I remember correctly, just drag and drop leaves "things" to be desired.
I have tried Googling, phew, but have not come up with anything.
Thanks in advance. Regards. Mike

Umm, I have just "Consolidated" iTunes and, to my surprise and delight, within the blink of an eye it consolidated just the few songs I had recently added to my library
I can only assume that this is down to the fact that I recently upgraded to iTunes version 9.2.1 from 7.x.x.
Sorry for wasting anyone's time - I just hope that this is not just short lived euphoria.
Regards. Mike

I'm happy to hear that everything's working as you'd like it to , but what, precisely, do you mean by "consolidate" and how are you doing it?

Are you talking about a cloning app and its functionality?

Consolidating your library. (This document refers specifically to iTunes 9.2, but the functionality appears to be the same in iTunes 10.)

I spoke (typed) too soon. As I suspected my euphoria was short lived. It only lasted as long as it took me to back up my Laptop, after which I discovered an "empty" iTunes on the back up drive.
The location of my music was correct, but I did notice that the iTunes Library File had shrunk to 4KB (or thereabouts I think) compared to the previous back up of over 21MB. I also noticed that the same file on my Laptop was only 3.9MB, as opposed to 21.7MB prior to me upgrading to iTunes 9.
Has anyone experienced similar goings on or have any suggestions or comments.
Since I replaced the "empty" file on the back up with the "reduced" file from my Laptop, all seems to be fine again.
Hope I haven't passed on my confusion. Regards. Mike

artie505, dkmarsh
I assumed that I added/consolidated my latest "additions" (about 12 songs) to the "iTunes Media folder location" on an external drive which "houses" all my iTunes music". I consolidated as per Apple's instructions - as per dk's link - but did not check "Reorganize files". I don't know if that could have been significant?
Thanks for your responses and I look forward to any further suggestions. Regards. Mike

Ugh. I'm hesitant to delve into this topic... because it is potentially very convoluted. And there is no single "right" way of doing things. A lot is dependent upon being able to fully visualize the current situation, and fully understanding what the user wants.

To start with, tell us about your Advanced prefs...

1. iTunes Media folder location <-- what is the full pathname stored there?
   
   
2. [ ] Keep iTunes Media folder organized <-- what is the state of that checkbox?
   
   
3. [ ] Copy files to iTunes Media folder when adding to library <-- what is the state of that checkbox?

Also, where are the files you want moved? [full pathname to parent]

And... what exactly seems to be the problem now?

--

FWIW, i'm very old school. Both those checkboxes are empty in my case (and always have been... well, ever since i moved my mp3s out of my home), and i don't believe in consolidation. [it's not "right" for my needs, but perhaps for other folks.]

Hi Hal

Thanks for you response.

Right:
i. On the Laptop it is "default" i.e./Users/mjstreet/Music/iTunes/iTunes Music
ii.Checked
iii.Checked

"full pathname to parent" is same as i. above.

The files I wanted moving/consolidating were actually moved/consolidated correctly to the backup external drive.

There doesn't "appear" to be any problems with the "details", but I'm confused why the iTunes Library file copied to the backup external drive was virtually non-existent size wise (4 KB I think it was), as opposed to the original on the Laptop of 3.9 MB (this in itself also puzzles me as it was 21.7 MB prior, I am assuming, to upgrading from iTunes v7 to v9!!). Perhaps the speed of the "Consolidate" this time - "the blink of an eye" - might be a clue.

As I said, after having replaced the"empty" iTunes Library with a copy of the 3.9 MB one, all appears to be fine. But I am - again - confused how and/or why this should have happened.
I hope I have explained the situation clearly enough - that would probably be a first - for you to "have a stab", in the nicest possible way.
Thanks again. Regards. Mike

Just noticed your edit. I too consider myself generally to be old school - notice the emphasis on old - but can you explain the advantage (to you), of leaving the boxes unchecked. Perhaps it would also benefit my tired and worn out brain when it comes to most things iTunes (in fact most things full stop). I think I have on occasion dispensed with "Consolidate" and just dragged and dropped "new" songs from the iTunes folder direct to the backup, but I kept seeing, hearing or reading that this was an "incomplete" method and could lead to problems along the way. I know it was certainly quicker than consolidating.

Just had another Google about "consolidate" and apparently in iTunes 9 there is a feature whereby you can "consolidate" just selected tracks.
This would appear to be the "alternative" I had been looking for rather than consolidating the whole library.
Did you know this? Why didn't you tell me?
SERIOUSLY though, this still doesn't solve the mysteries/problems I have encountered and I would still be grateful for any further suggestions/enlightnment.
It seems the more I read about iTunes, the more confused I get, but I think that's just me.
Thanks again. Regards. Mike

I think I'm missing something here, I've reread this entire thread trying to figure out what it is, and I'm still at a loss.

Consolidating your iTunes library syncs ~/Music/iTunes/iTunes Music with ~/Music/iTunes/iTunes Library and/or iTunes Music Library.xml, so since your iTunes Music folder is in its default location on your laptop, what does consolidating have to do with your backup (or is there an aspect of iTunes 9 of which I'm unaware because I'm running iTunes 8)?

No, i had no knowledge of that. My config has never needed consolidating (and probably never will), so i haven't kept abreast of the latest options available therewith.


--



But that totally contradicts your earlier statements:

>>> a few songs to your library/folder stored on an external hard drive.

>>> to the "iTunes Media folder location" on an external drive which "houses" all my iTunes music".

If your music files are being housed on another volume, then the path to the designated media folder in Prefs->Advanced should not look like /Users/*/Music/iTunes/iTunes Music but rather something like this:

/Volumes/DiskName/FolderName/

So: either your setup isn't configured the way you thought it was, or you've miscommunicated the situation.



If we enable "Keep iTunes Media folder organized" then iTunes will move stuff around in Finder in an attempt to have the file structure on disk constantly mirror our iTunes arrangement exactly (as determined by the artist/album/song ID3 tags). E.g., if i purchase or rip a song such as 28 from one of Steppenwolf's greatest hits albums, then iTunes will make Finder's folder structure just that: /Steppenwolf/Greatest Hits/28.m4a -- fine. But if i subsequently decide to **edit** the tags in iTunes to reflect historical reality [i.e., change the album name (in iTunes) from "Greatest Hits" to "The Second"], then —with that "keep folder organized" bit enabled —iTunes will tinker once again in Finder, and create a corresponding "The Second" folder (or use an existing one, if present) to coerce Finder into perfectly mimicking every (path-related) edit going on in iTunes.

i don't want all that hocus pocus happening behind the scenes. The names and (precise) locations in Finder are irrelevant to me. (it could be /x/y/z for all i care). And in fact, sometimes i want to force my own physical arrangement on disk. E.g., putting all classical music into one directory called _Classical_ so i can easily exclude that folder when syncing songs to a smaller Mac (such as my PowerBook G4, or perhaps an 11" MBA in the future).


As far as "Copy files to iTunes Media folder when adding to library" goes, i keep that off because i don't want any music files (mp3s, etc) stored in my home. They go into /Volumes/Music/MP3s/ somewhere. If that box was checked, iTunes would make two copies... one in my home and one in the MP3s folder.


--

I think you're fine with those prefs. Consolidation will work (and apparently did) because of the way your prefs are set (boxes checked lets iTunes have its way, to move and rename stuff as it sees fit).

I don't think there is an actual problem (other than one of understanding perhaps).

I agree things are confusing... because the word "backup" did not appear in this thread until relatively recently.

Back when iTunes was introduced, one way to use it was as a central place where we could play all of our music files, no matter where they were (i.e., scattered over many disks and folders). It isn't mandatory to physically collect the files into any one location... iTunes knows where they all are, and it can simply be used as a librarian through which we can quickly access anything anywhere.

Later on came the concept of consolidation, wherein we have iTunes physically gather those scattered items into one place. (As i said before, there is no single "right" way of doing things. It mainly depends on what the user wants to happen).

A few observations from one who uses iTunes very little:

1. Originally Posted By: MikeS

   SO, can anyone tell me if it there is an alternative to "Consolidate" when you are only transferring a few songs to your library/folder stored on an external hard drive.
   The reason I ask/ed this is that, as I just said, there are only a handful more I want to add and the "Consolidate" takes so long when it appears to "do" my complete library. If I remember correctly, just drag and drop leaves "things" to be desired.
   
   Why not simply use the Add to Library... command from iTunes' File menu?
   
   
2. Unless I missed it, we don't know what MikeS means by "backing up." If a cloning program was used, in a mode in which files on the target volume were overwritten by files on the source volume only if the former had an earlier modification date than the latter, then we might find that Volumes/backup_volume/Users/short_username/Music/iTunes/iTunes Library was not overwritten by ~/Music/iTunes/iTunes Library because both files were modified at the same time, i.e. during the consolidation.
   
   Furthermore, if the previous backup had made a true copy of ~/Music/iTunes/iTunes Library, we'd expect that backup to have weighed in at the same ~21 MB as the original. Any chance that consolidating did the following: found two libraries, on the laptop and on the external, both weighing in at ~21MB, and replaced the library on the backup with an alias/symlink/whatever to the default location on the laptop, thus accounting for the new 4 KB file size on the backup?
   
   Since I have no familiarity with the inner workings of iTunes' databases, I don't know if such a scenario is plausible, but it sure would nicely account for what otherwise seems to be a lot of contradictory information: the backup immediately following consolidation would have left Volumes/backup_volume/Users/short_username/Music/iTunes/iTunes Library—now a 4KB pointer—untouched, because its modification date was as recent as that of ~/Music/iTunes/iTunes Library.

The "Add to Library" function does different things depending on the settings in iTunes > Preferences > Advanced. There is a checkbox labeled "Copy files to iTunes Media folder when adding to library". If this box is UNchecked when you use the "Add to Library" in the Files menu the music remains in the original location but pointers are added to the iTunes Library making those tunes available in iTunes. If it is checked the files are copied into the ~/Music/iTunes/iTunes Music folder.

If you have tunes in folders outside of the ~/Music/iTunes/iTunes Music folder that are indexed in the iTunes Library, the "Consolidate Files" command will copy the external tune files into the ~/Music/iTunes/iTunes Music folder which according to the Help file where "it’s easier to move your library to a new computer.". Which, of course, it would be.

artie505, Hal Itosis, dkmarsh, joemikeb
Hi all
I know and acknowledge my capacity to easily cause confusion - I put it down to advancing years and ill health - , but I did not realise just how vague I have obviously been with this post. I am going to take a few minutes (probably hours) to digest the latest replies, check out my initial "ramblings" and hopefully respond to one and/or all clarifying just what "my problem/s is/are".
Thanks for taking the time to attempt to help. Regards. Mike

artie505, Hal Itosis, dkmarsh, joemikeb
Having spent (quite) a few minutes perusing your responses (and, unfortunately adding to my existing confusion) I thought I would initially take a step back and explain the history of my iTunes "phobia".
Here goes.
My Laptop initially had a 40 GB hard drive which over time was becoming too full, mainly due to the amount of music (in iTunes) on it. I therefore decided to transfer the music to an external drive and, after following the instructions according to Apple (which contrary to some other suggested methods, advises one to "Consolidate"), I did successfully (would you believe) carry out this task.
Subsequently, I added more music onto the Laptop and eventually wanted to transfer this to the "home" of my music on the external hard drive. At the time I seemed to remember that during my previous delvings into Google about transferring music onto an external drive that it was advisable to ALWAYS use "Consolidate" to add/move/transfer, call it what you like. SO I double-Googled and did find this advice again (I wish I could find it now ) and therefore used "Consolidate" to do the dirty deed. I was amazed at the amount of time it took to "Consolidate" a comparatively few songs but did notice that reference was being made in the "progress panel" to songs which I had initially transferred and where so already on the external hard drive. Hence my assumption that my whole library was being "consolidated" again.
When the transfer had completed, due to the amount of time it had taken, I decided to again Google this task to see why I had been persuaded to "Consolidate" the additional songs rather than just drag and drop and I seem to remember that "all sorts of things" (again I cannot remember what) may go wrong by just dragging and dropping as opposed to consolidating.
So on most occasions that I have added from the Laptop to the external drive I have used "Consolidate", but a few days ago in advance of adding a few more songs I thought I would again broach the subject of an alternative/alternative way to that of "Consolidate". AND, here we are, I appear to have spread my confusion/vagueness more thickly than usual.
Given this potted little history, I wonder have I clarified or even more confused this topic.
I will endeavour, when I have rested my brain at least overnight, to individually answer/"clarify" the points you have all made.
Incidentally, I have this vague memory that on the one occasion I dragged and dropped, there did appear to be some "discrepancies" on some of the files transferred compared to the originals, but, again, unfortunately I cannot remember the details.
One more incidental, I have recently upgraded the hard drive on the Laptop to 120 Gb. That was more simple (or at least less taxing on my brain) than transferring a few songs from a Laptop to an external hard drive.
Thanks again. Regards. Mike

Hmm, perhaps a word other than "home" might be less confusing there. The designated Media folder location (first item in Advanced prefs) would seem more deserving of such suggestive classification.




Here's one Apple article where they favor the verb move: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1449

For some reason they go into excruciating detail on the trivial stuff —e.g., ten steps (1 thru 10 in the 2nd part) simply to designate a target folder.

But that's also the part where your config deviates from that article... because it seems that the designated Media location got switched back to /Users/you/Music, etc., at some point. Or is there an alternate way to engage 'Consolidate' to copy files to a folder other than that Media location which is specified in iTunes' Advanced prefs?





I'm certainly no expert on every nuance or possible use of 'Consolidate' (nor its aggressive sibling 'Reorganize Files'). Truth be told, i've barely tested out those functions once briefly (having proper backups first so i could easily revert to square one). I quickly decided that i want to stay far away from both of those actions. [way too dictatorial for my liking.]

--

But behind all this it seems to me that what you've been doing isn't typical of the intended use of 'Consolidate' at all. It appears instead that you've been employing 'Consolidate' to effect a backup of sorts. [not that there's anything wrong with that... but there might be easier ways to do (more or less) the same thing.]

Thanks Hal. Yes, I agree, perhaps "home"wasn't a good choice of word, but I'm sure by now that you realise "Confuse" should be my middle name.
O.K., "move" it is - if its good enough for Apple..........
I don't think my "config deviates from that article...", it was more a case of you know what (yes, confusion) on my part, because, having read your first post again, I realise that I should have included the pathname of the destination of the move somewhere instead of quoting the source pathname twice - does that make sense to you? In other words, the Media location in the Advanced prefs without the external drive attached to the Laptop is "/Users/mjstreet/Music/iTunes/iTunes Music" and when the external drive is attached changes to (something like) "Mikes iTunes/iTunes Music". I do not seem to have any problem as far as that "part" goes.
Having read the Apple article, I can confirm that those are the procedures I follow/ed, and possibly "blame" such "information" for my pre-occupation with "Consolidate", inasmuch as it/they mention "This not only copies your audio and media files over, it also retains your ratings and playlists.". It was this sort of "scaremongering" (only joking) that stayed in my mind (sub-consciously) because I did/do want to retain my playlist information - not too bothered with the ratings as I don't bother to rate my stuff. My greatest concern/problem was/is the fact that after I backed up my "whole system" - which I make a habit of doing after at least every "iTunes Music MOVE" - there was a total absence of any music, playlists etc. when I opened iTunes off my back up on the external drive containing my "whole system" back up. Also,as I have said, the iTunes Library file on the back up had shrunk from 26 MB on the previous back up to about 4 KB. Also also, when I checked the "source" iTunes Library file on my Laptop, that too had shrunk, in this case to 3.4 MB from 26 MB, but this was still allowing iTunes on the Laptop to function properly with all the music, playlists etc. intact.
Hope you're still with me.
With regards to your last comment, yes, you're probably right, but out of curiosity, do you have your music stored on an external source, and if so how do you MOVE new stuff to it off the computer. I also intend to ask that same question (actually, those two questions) of the other contributors to this post, but I dread to think when I will get around to it as I have still not responded as I wanted/promised.
I hope I haven't caused too much further confusion and, in fact, hope I have clarified a few things. Regards. Mike


I'm sorry about all the " ", ( ) and /'s that I use but I am, believe it or not using them for emphasis or to avoid too much confusion. I know, its not working.

Right, I'm going to "Submit" this now before my brain explodes.

Designating the Media location to be on an external volume, and then launching iTunes without that external volume mounted will cause iTunes to revert to its default default. Operating iTunes in that sort of seesaw manner is bound to cause it to behave schizophrenically.



I would need a more detailed picture painted to be able to (clearly) pinpoint the place where things get broken... but it's not really necessary. The basic problem seems to be that there is something fundamentally flawed with your entire modus operandi. Consolidation is a desperate measure one might resort to once in a lifetime... not something to embrace as a weekly routine. (okay, i exaggerated there... but not by much).



Again, IMHO you are misapplying the Consolidation function.



Frankly, no. I cannot decipher what the actual need for —or philosophical purpose behind —all these gyrations might be. [when files need backing up, use backup software.]

Instead of concentrating so much on Consolidation, focus instead on a sensible setup. Pick a stable Media folder (one that is always accessible before iTunes is launched), and let it be. That should cure the current headaches. If there is some other logistical problem with operating iTunes in a normal fashion, then describe that problem and perhaps we can find a more suitable solution.



Not technically external, no. But it is on a separate volume (i.e., a different partition than that from which Mac OS X is booted).



I never "move" anything. I do backup my music files using ChronoSync to three different destinations (i.e., not including iPad-type devices), but there's never any moving going on. Why should there be?

> [...] do you have your music stored on an external source, and if so how do you MOVE new stuff to it off the computer.

I've got my iTunes Music folder backup on an external HD, I update it regularly with drag & drop, and I didn't experience any issues when I restored (also with drag & drop) my music to an HD that had been wiped. (Note that I neither rate my music nor use playlists, so I have no idea whether they're affected.)

The one issue I have run into is not being able to locate and perpetuate iTunes's equalizer settings.

Sure, in retrospect one can always see that a strategy which evolves piecemeal to handle a series of unanticipated situations leads to confusion of the sort which would've been easily avoided with a comprehensive initial plan, but that kind of Big Picture clairvoyance is hard to come by.

I guess the question is how should Mike proceed to get from where he is now to that kind of steady-state setup?

@artie: com.apple.iTunes.eq.plist (But let's not get into a disucssion of that here; if there's more to say on the topic, please start a new thread.)

Yeah, that's a tough one.

It's just awkward doing this sort of thing without having at least one "master" machine (which has adequate space) to do proper management. Do all iTunes manipulations from that master machine, and then push the library from there down to the slave machines. The slaves will work fine... and simply show an exclamation mark (!) wherever songs they don't have access to get referenced.

It's either that or: always be sure the external disk is mounted before launching iTunes.

There may be a third possibility which entails juggling two different library files (switchable by launching iTunes with the command key down or something?). Again, that would be awkward and require a degree of mental memorization to keep straight which was which. [i don't want to think that hard myself.]

Hi again

re: "Designating the Media location to be on an external volume, and then launching iTunes without that external volume mounted will cause iTunes to revert to its default default. Operating iTunes in that sort of seesaw manner is bound to cause it to behave schizophrenically."
Yes, I understand the reverting "to its default default.", but this does not appear to be a problem -yet - let alone schizophrenia.

re: "I would need a more detailed picture painted to be able to (clearly) pinpoint the place where things get broken... but it's not really necessary. The basic problem seems to be that there is something fundamentally flawed with your entire modus operandi. Consolidation is a desperate measure one might resort to once in a lifetime... not something to embrace as a weekly routine. (okay, i exaggerated there... but not by much)."
I think I am getting the impression that consolidation is perhaps not the easiest/correct way of achieving my goal. I think, however, if this "selective selection" of songs to consolidate is a viable option, I may well go with it. Obviously I will not found out the answer to this or, possibly, my other queries until I have done a replication or other "experiment". This, I don't think will be for a few days yet.

re: "Again, IMHO you are misapplying the Consolidation function."
This too should, hopefully, become clear after further "forays".

re: "Frankly, no. I cannot decipher what the actual need for —or philosophical purpose behind —all these gyrations might be. [when files need backing up, use backup software.]

Instead of concentrating so much on Consolidation, focus instead on a sensible setup. Pick a stable Media folder (one that is always accessible before iTunes is launched), and let it be. That should cure the current headaches. If there is some other logistical problem with operating iTunes in a normal fashion, then describe that problem and perhaps we can find a more suitable solution."
As I have said/implied previously I (mistakenly?) was under the impression that "Consolidate" WAS the (correct) way to go, but I am quite prepared to take on board any method that will easily and successfully carry out "this task". As I have just said, "selective consolidation" may prove to be the simplest solution, but I will not know until I have tested the water. Until I have worked up the physical and mental energy/enthusiasm to double (or whatever) check what happens after my next approach, I won't know how much of a "problem" (if any) I am still experiencing.

re: "I never "move" anything. I do backup my music files using ChronoSync to three different destinations (i.e., not including iPad-type devices), but there's never any moving going on. Why should there be?"
I "MOVE/D " any "new" files (via "Consolidate" ) from the iTunes Media folder location on the Laptop to its equivalent on an external hard drive. I subsequently back up (using "backup software) the contents of this (iTunes Media folder location on an external hard drive) to another external hard drive, ensuring that I always have at least 2 back ups of my precious music collection, also "not including iPad-type devices".

I do hope that this might have clarified my "modus operandi" even a little bit, as I do really appreciate your (singular and plural) patience and efforts to "sort me out".
Thanks again. Regards. Mike

Thanks for your reply.
As I said - and seem to keep saying - "I can't remember" what inconsistency I experienced when I dragged and dropped, but popular opinion does seem to point to it being the easiest and quickest method. Although as I have said, the "selective" consolidation did seem amazingly quick, although I won't know the exact consequences (if any) of it until or if I try it again. Thanks again. Regards. Mike

Yes, clairvoyance. What I'd give for a bit. (Is there such a denomination of clairvoyance? )
Hopefully, with the assistance and patience afforded to me, I'm more confident of achieving a "kind of steady-state setup".
Thanks again. Regards. Mike