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tgags · Jul 23, 2005, 11:00 PM

Hello all,
new here, new to Mac OSX (just got a MacMini), prev use WinXP and Mac OS9..

I am looking for a good simple MP3 player for OSX. I used Sound Jam on the Mac and Win Amp on the PC. Both were very basic - simple playlists and an equalizer, nothing much more than that. I really get confused with iTunes (the 'Library' folder and all the other folders it creates there under the "source" column).

Also need one that converts to MP3 (trying to keep with my current music file format).

I tried Audion, but not really what I am looking for. Looking for something as much like SoundJam or WinAmp. Any recommendations?

Thx,
TG

tgags · Jul 23, 2005, 11:04 PM

What emial do you all use? I am used to IE. "Mail" seems OK, but I can't seem to figure out how to make additional folders to organize my saved mail. Is there a way to do that in 'Mail'?

Thx again.

ender2002 · Jul 23, 2005, 11:36 PM

try itunes again. its very simple.

when you "add" songs to your library, itunes is just copying the file into a folder which is located inside your home folder under Music / iTunes Music Library. Then it organizes the artists and respective albums in the form Artist / Album / Song. iTunes takes care of everything for you. It also converts MP3.

Chuckit · Jul 23, 2005, 11:43 PM

iTunes is what you're looking for in an MP3 player; you just have to get used to the interface. It's not a hard program. The Source column holds your playlists, with Library being a list of all the songs you have. There's an equalizer button in the bottom-right of the window.

As for making more folders in Mail: Under the Mailbox menu, there is an item called "Add Mailbox" that you can use to add a new folder to keep mail in. (Mail calls the folders "mailboxes.")

tgags · Jul 24, 2005, 07:55 AM

Thanks for the tips, got new folders in Mail, back in the saddle!

As far as iTunes, I still get confused. I'm used to managing and organizing my music (in own folder). With iTunes I seem to end up with double files. Perhaps I should just put all my music in the iTunes music folder?

As far as converting to MP3, I don't see that option. It says "converto to AAF". Can the resulting .m4a file be played in a standard MP3 player?

Thanks for all the help!

Regards,
TG

PurpleGiant · Jul 24, 2005, 08:06 AM

tgags: Drag all your music into the iTunes music library. Now delete your original files that you dragged in, iTunes has created its own copy.

Now browse through your music in iTunes, and not the finder. By clicking the 'browse' button in the upper right you can browse by artist, album or genre. Create your own playlists in the left-hand column. The library always shows all your music. Just remember when you add a song to iTunes, it creates its own copy so you can discard the original.

TETENAL · Jul 24, 2005, 08:08 AM

Just let iTunes manage the music. Doing it yourself is unnecessary.

To convert into another format you go to iTunes->Preferences->Import and you change the encoder to the desired format. The "Convert to XXX" menu will then reflect this setting. Currently the import probably is set to AAC, the advanced audio codec. That's a very good codec that creates better sounding files than equally large mp3s. You can't burn mp3-CDs however, so if you have a car mp3-CD player or a non-iPod portable music player you might want to use mp3 instead of AAC.

tgags · Jul 24, 2005, 04:00 PM

Thanks again for the help, can convert to MP3s now

However, I really really can't use iTunes for my MP3 player. It just keeps making all these folders, and I do not like the library. I need to go back to managing my music myself, it was all very organized, iTunes is just making a huge mess. I Just can't get used to it.

thx,
TG

yukon · Jul 24, 2005, 04:24 PM

This is the wrong forum.

And there's a setting in iTunes, to not "keep the music folder organized" and to not duplicate files into it's own library. I use it. It's a feature, you can turn it off.

philm · Jul 24, 2005, 04:53 PM

Originally Posted by tgags

Thanks again for the help, can convert to MP3s now

However, I really really can't use iTunes for my MP3 player. It just keeps making all these folders, and I do not like the library. I need to go back to managing my music myself, it was all very organized, iTunes is just making a huge mess. I Just can't get used to it.

thx,
TG

I understand that this is driving you nuts, but please stick with it. Forget organising your music in the Finder's directory structure. Organise everything within iTunes and it will work out. One day, it will just click, and you will 'get it'. Honestly.

Toyin · Jul 24, 2005, 04:54 PM

Originally Posted by tgags

Thanks again for the help, can convert to MP3s now

However, I really really can't use iTunes for my MP3 player. It just keeps making all these folders, and I do not like the library. I need to go back to managing my music myself, it was all very organized, iTunes is just making a huge mess. I Just can't get used to it.

thx,
TG

I used to be like you, until I realized that there's absolutely nothing that I need to do with my music files in the finder that I can't do in iTunes. It's SOOO much easier letting iTunes do all the work. As long as you keep your ID3 tags in order the folder's should be created based on Artist-> Album or placed in the compilation folder -> album.

Do yourself a favor. Back up whatever scheme you've got working for you now (so you can revert back) and give iTunes a good month of use. If you forget about your MP3s in the Finder and let iTunes do all the work you'll never look back.

Also if you think there's something you absolutely need to use the finder for (in regards to music files), post the question. You didn't know about converting to MP3s there maybe other things you haven't discovered

msuper69 · Jul 24, 2005, 05:23 PM

Smart Playlists rock!

iTunes rocks!

Rock rocks!

tgags · Jul 25, 2005, 12:20 AM

Hi all, thanks. I think I am starting to get it. If I was starting from scratch now, all my music would be perfectly organizable in iTunes. But I have a large mass of MP3s from various places and some don't have all the ID tags, that's what is messing everything up. But I see if I put in the tags while they are in iTunes, then they go to the appropriate folder. A bit confusing, but I think yes, it will be good in the long run.

Thanks again for all the feedback.

TG

tgags · Jul 25, 2005, 12:43 AM

Ooops, I just read the sticky about this forum. Sorry.

PurpleGiant · Jul 25, 2005, 02:16 AM

tgags: You're right - having poor ID3 tags, and inconsistent ones can lead to a messy and confusing iTunes Library. You will benefit in the long run from correcting your ID3 tags as you are doing now, since they offer a lot of flexibility when trying to browse for specific genres and/or artists.

Whenever you import one of your CDs in iTunes, it should grab the correct ID3 tags from the net for you automatically. When you purchase music online, it also has these tags intact. It only seems to be file-sharing networks where some files have tags, and some do not.

yukon · Jul 25, 2005, 02:19 AM

Clean your ID3 tags. Media Rage (chaoticsoftware.com) is more powerful than iTunes for some things, but you can also use the Smart Playlists or the search in iTunes to find crap in the Comments tag, low sampling rate or bitrate mp3s, or list only files without albums.....by adding at least the Album to all your tracks (using the duration to ensure you have the RIGHT album) you can do the most improvement with the least effort (mislabled artist, incomplete files....) since tracks without album tags are usually the bad mp3s anyway. There's also MusicBrainz (musicbrainz.org) but I haven't gotten good results with it and it never seems to update.

Millennium · Jul 25, 2005, 08:47 AM

Originally Posted by tgags

However, I really really can't use iTunes for my MP3 player. It just keeps making all these folders, and I do not like the library.

You can tell iTunes to keep your current filesystem structure. Under 'Advanced' in your Preferences, turn off "Keep iTunes Music folder organized" and "Copy files to iTunes Music folder when adding to library". Once you've done this, iTunes will keep your files where they are, with no duplicates.

As for the Library, get used to it. It is your friend. Treat the "folders" created inside iTunes as separate playlists (that's what they are, after all), with the Library acting as a quick overview of your entire collection.

I need to go back to managing my music myself, it was all very organized, iTunes is just making a huge mess. I Just can't get used to it.

Yes you can, and when you do you'll wonder how you ever did without it. For one thing, when you import your music folder after unchecking the prefs I outlined above, it should create playlists for you according to the folder structure. This will help. For another thing, give Smart Playlists a whirl. That kind of thing is impossible without a Library file, and once you've tried it, you never go back. Auto-updating playlists based on the criteria you choose are Very Good Things.

Jacke · Jul 25, 2005, 10:11 AM

I use MacAmp Lite X. Yes, I'm one of those weird ones that doesn't use iTunes (mostly because I store a lot of my MP3s on CDs and I backup/delete them frequently).

Titanium Man · Jul 25, 2005, 12:49 PM

Originally Posted by Millennium

You can tell iTunes to keep your current filesystem structure. Under 'Advanced' in your Preferences, turn off "Keep iTunes Music folder organized" and "Copy files to iTunes Music folder when adding to library". Once you've done this, iTunes will keep your files where they are, with no duplicates.

Even better, the Library automatically keeps track of any mp3 files in it if you move the files around, as long as they stay in the same disk volume (either HD or partition). The only time the Library becomes confused is if you rename a folder in the Finder that contains an mp3. It's also nice that the playlists can each have their own repeat/shuffle and view preferences.

Superchicken · Jul 25, 2005, 06:37 PM

I still don't understand how people can NOT like iTunes... crazy people.

tgags · Jul 26, 2005, 10:16 AM

>>You can tell iTunes to keep your current filesystem structure. Under 'Advanced' in your Preferences, turn off "Keep iTunes Music folder organized" and "Copy files to iTunes Music folder when adding to library". Once you've done this, iTunes will keep your files where they are, with no duplicates.

Thanks, I needed that

No matter how hard I tried, continually fixing its folder organization was taking all my time and effort.

Regards,
TG

TETENAL · Jul 26, 2005, 10:46 AM

Why did you need to "fix" iTunes' folder organization? First of all iTunes folder organization is logic, but more important is that you don't have to look at it in the Finder at all. You can much easier browse and find songs from within iTunes.