iTunes sync to laptop

[Synecdoche]

Hi all,

I just started DJing for our local scene in Hong Kong more seriously, and I'd like to start DJing from a laptop instead of my iPod so that I can review BPM, switch around music, etc.

However, my music collection is way too big to fit on my laptop hard drive. Plus, I need to continue to use my desktop computer as the primary manager of my music, etc. What I'd like to be able to do is to selectively sync portions of my iTunes collection (both mp3 files and playlists) to my laptop, just like I sync music to my iPod. I can't find a way to do this simply and easily. Please let me know if you know how.

Otherwise, I'm curious how other DJs manage their music collections between a large collection in a semi-permanent place, and a smaller collection on their laptop.

Thanks,

Brian M.

[lipi]

There's no simple way of doing this. There are some third party tools, but they're probably not maintained very well.

I copy my entire music library to an external hard drive every month or so and then take that with my laptop to dj from. It's not the world's most elegant solution, but it's fairly robust.

[CafeSavoy]

Hi all,

I just started DJing for our local scene in Hong Kong more seriously, and I'd like to start DJing from a laptop instead of my iPod so that I can review BPM, switch around music, etc.

However, my music collection is way too big to fit on my laptop hard drive. Plus, I need to continue to use my desktop computer as the primary manager of my music, etc. What I'd like to be able to do is to selectively sync portions of my iTunes collection (both mp3 files and playlists) to my laptop, just like I sync music to my iPod. I can't find a way to do this simply and easily. Please let me know if you know how.

Otherwise, I'm curious how other DJs manage their music collections between a large collection in a semi-permanent place, and a smaller collection on their laptop.

Thanks,

Brian M.

How are you currently synching between desktop and laptop? Lipi's suggestion of using an external drive is probably the most commonly used method. But you could tag your files so that you can extract only the files you want to use for djing. And you could export the relevant playlists and import them onto your laptop.

[kbuxton]

How are you currently synching between desktop and laptop? Lipi's suggestion of using an external drive is probably the most commonly used method. But you could tag your files so that you can extract only the files you want to use for djing. And you could export the relevant playlists and import them onto your laptop.

This is exactly what I do. The one thing that doesn't seem to come across on the import is the rating, so I put something in the comment like "5star" or whatever and then re-rate on the laptop

[Synecdoche]

How are you currently synching between desktop and laptop? Lipi's suggestion of using an external drive is probably the most commonly used method.

To date, I haven't been syncing my laptop and desktop; I've been DJing from an iPod. Sounds like there's not really a great method

[keither]

You can get a 500GB laptop hard drive for $100 (see here). Why not just upgrade your laptop's storage and solve the problem entirely?

I will preach until the end of time that having an external drive at a gig is a bad, bad, bad idea. I've seen them get unplugged mid-set, dropped, kicked, knocked off the table, left behind...

[Surreal]

I will preach until the end of time that having an external drive at a gig is a bad, bad, bad idea. I've seen them get unplugged mid-set, dropped, kicked, knocked off the table, left behind...

... stolen, etc.

Putting in a new hard drive can be annoying if you don't have an OS cd to boot/install from though.

[lipi]

(well, internal drive doesn't work for me, since i'd need a 1 tb drive. i haven't seen any internal laptop drives of that size yet.)

kristin: if you copy the library file along, you'll get the ratings, too. i just over-write the one on the laptop every time i copy new music to the external drive. you do lose all the playlist info that you created on the laptop this way, so if you care about that...

[keither]

Your library consists of 1TB of audio files?

[CafeSavoy]

How are you currently synching between desktop and laptop? Lipi's suggestion of using an external drive is probably the most commonly used method. But you could tag your files so that you can extract only the files you want to use for djing. And you could export the relevant playlists and import them onto your laptop.

This is exactly what I do. The one thing that doesn't seem to come across on the import is the rating, so I put something in the comment like "5star" or whatever and then re-rate on the laptop

I normally also put the bpm and ratings in the song name so I can generate them independent of the tags.

[lipi]

Your library consists of 1TB of audio files?

It's a little out of control, I admit, but not quite that bad: 650 GB of audio (losless). If I'd only use an internal drive there would need to be room for the OS and all the other stuff I use my laptop for: hence 1 TB or so.

[keither]

I realize this is a total derail, but have you done any listening tests to see if you really need that much data on the road?

----------------

IMO, the real limiting factor here is iTunes. There are other programs that are far more sophisticated about linking up playlists and storing and retrieving info from the tags. I actually use a sync solution that uses my net connection to keep my laptop, home desktop, and my work computer (I brought in a drive from home for my music) all lined up.

With a different program, it'd be possible to keep the files you wanted to sync in a different area on your drive and use any of the number of sync programs to bring things across, including all of the ratings and comments.

[lipi]

I realize this is a total derail, but have you done any listening tests to see if you really need that much data on the road?

No, but I'm fairly certain you're right: I don't need more than 192 kbit/s or so mp3 for the place I regularly DJ. Keeping a copy of the library in another format, and keeping the two synched, including tags, is such an enormous hassle though that I haven't dared try.

So it's not that much of a derail--it comes back to synching two copies of the library.

[kbuxton]

if you copy the library file along, you'll get the ratings, too. i just over-write the one on the laptop every time i copy new music to the external drive. you do lose all the playlist info that you created on the laptop this way, so if you care about that...

I haven't done this because I'm only copying over the stuff for DJing not my entire music library

[Surreal]

I remember years ago there used to be an HP laptop where you could take out the optical drive and stick in another hard drive. Not sure if they still make that. Oh wait... or maybe it was an extra battery instead? I don't remember.

I echo the comment about finding a sync solution. Keep the lossless stuff on the home rig, carry the compressed stuff on the laptop. I'm sure J.River Media Center may be able to do that.