iTunes files on a flash drive

[phred]

If I convert them to MP3 using MB, do I have a choice of bitrate?

Yes. Check out Preferences > File Converters.

How much space will I save?

We can't answer that as it depends on which bitrate you use and the size of the original files.

Where does the artwork in the iTunes library come from?

Let your favorite search engine be your friend.

[MTVhike]

Problem here - my iTunes files are on a flash drive in a folder called iTunes, which includes iTunes Music, artwork, MusicBee files, etc. and I want to convert the entire folder. When I select that, I get "no file selected". How do I select the entire folder and subfolders? If I select one song, then it works.

My question about file size is to see of the size reduction is enough that my 45GB of iTunes files (mostly ALAC but some AAC) will fit on my 32GB destination flash drive. Before I got the error message, I was given the choice of quality, and selected one less than Maximum, but was hoping MB would tell me that there is not enough space if that's the case. I could play it safe and select Standard, but don't know how much worse that would be for use in my car with all it's background noise!

[frankz]

Problem here - my iTunes files are on a flash drive in a folder called iTunes, which includes iTunes Music, artwork, MusicBee files, etc. and I want to convert the entire folder. When I select that, I get "no file selected". How do I select the entire folder and subfolders? If I select one song, then it works.

Personally, I'd import all of the files into my Inbox in MB, check the artwork and tags and make sure they're set to my liking, and then select the files from there to do the conversion.  That way you know what you're going to get before you get it.

My question about file size is to see of the size reduction is enough that my 45GB of iTunes files (mostly ALAC but some AAC) will fit on my 32GB destination flash drive. Before I got the error message, I was given the choice of quality, and selected one less than Maximum, but was hoping MB would tell me that there is not enough space if that's the case. I could play it safe and select Standard, but don't know how much worse that would be for use in my car with all it's background noise!

I recommend setting "High Quality" to "-V0 - [outputfile]"  (without the quotes) and using that.  This lets the encoder decide what the optimal bitrate is.

AAC files won't get smaller - they're already compressed. They'll just get sonically wrecked.

If ALAC is anything like FLAC, those will get reduced in size considerably.  I just tested a 26MB flac and it went down to a 7.8MB MP3. This will vary by content, but it will be significant.

I don't know what this "background noise" thing is. Are you driving a 69 Charger with no A/C and the windows down on a gravel road or something?  Most modern cars with stereo systems that would play digital files are pretty quiet inside.  Quiet enough to hear whether compression artifacts make your cymbal crashes sound like they're being hit underwater, at least.

[MTVhike]

I currently have them loaded into MB and can see the artwork (where it exists). I have over 1000 files and I just want to import them all. Can I do a batch import (or a batch convert)?

Regarding the background noise, I thought the major advantage of a high quality MP3 is that the dynamic range is greater, which means the minimum sound level is lower. Any car has background noise greater than 0dB (or even 30dB). In fact, one problem, especially with classical music, is that I have to keep tweaking the volume because of the inherent high dynamic range! I suspect MB has a function to reduce the dynamic range - I guess it would scan the entire file to do this.

[hiccup]

Dynamic range is not really the issue with lower quality lossy audio.
It is artificial sounding artifacts that are the problem.

It will depend on the audio recording, the audio equipment, and mostly your ears and brain if you will be able to detect them.
I have been called an audiophile sometimes, but I am not beyond admitting that for some music I have a very hard time distinguishing a re-encode, and sometimes even a re-encode of a re-encode.
But for some recordings and some music lossless is sacred to me.
For your car I wouldn't worry a second about re-encoding to something in the range roughly above 150kbps.

About dynamics:
MusicBee can calculate perceived loudness of tracks or albums as a whole, and make adjustments for that.
So your eardrums don't need to crack when Def Leppard plays after Satie.
But it has no build in feature to dynamically change the loudness within a track.

[frankz]

Musicbee has no function to reduce dynamic range. You'd need an audio compressor / limiter for that.  This is different than the type of data compression you're doing when converting files.

MB does have the ability to scan your files, judge their loudness based on a set standard volume, and adjust them for playback so that they all sound relatively as loud as each other.  It's called ReplayGain and you should look it up if you want more information about how it works and what it does. It will not adjust up and down for volume changes within the same file, so it's not great for Classical given its great range of dynamics within the same file.

When you want to convert your files to the new format, you can select them all, right click->Send To->File Converter. Please set it up so that you don't overwrite the originals.

For the record, I disagree strongly with my good friend Senator Hiccup about lossy to lossy re-encodes.  They are audio death in nearly every circumstance.

[hiccup]

For the record, I disagree strongly with my good friend Senator Hiccup about lossy to lossy re-encodes.  They are audio death in nearly every circumstance.

Guilty: somewhat off-topic.
And if the OP objects, please let me know and I'll delete the whole thing.

This is a re-encode of a re-encode:

DoubleDare

Is this honestly audio-death?

conversions:
First: flac to VBR 0 extreme, then VBR 0 to vbr 4 medium (estimated 160kbps).
Then I converted it back to flac so I could chop off some 30 seconds using Audacity so to safely share the fragment.

[frankz]

Honestly, for me, that's a very swishy hi-hat and I can hear the loss of fidelity that the spectro shows.  

Little glitches throughout (very noticable 0:25-0:26).  



EDIT: I mean, you're taking one encoder that removes or reduces a set of audio information based on a set of parameters, and then sending that to something else that removes or reduces other audio information based on a different set of parameters.  That's never going to sound as good as one pass at it.

PS not trying to be difficult don't come at me!  

[hiccup]

Sure you can hear it if you pay attention to it.

If I wouldn't think so I would have made it some A/B challenge.
But then I wouldn't use VBR 4 medium in the second stage, and I would probably use a less demanding recording.

I am pretty sure in the majority of user cases, almost none of the listeners would be aware or would be bothered.
People are happy and satisfied with ridiculously processed radio transmissions, aren't they?

[Zak]

My question about file size is to see of the size reduction is enough that my 45GB of iTunes files (mostly ALAC but some AAC) will fit on my 32GB destination flash drive.

I recommend setting "High Quality" to "-V0 - [outputfile]"  (without the quotes) and using that.  This lets the encoder decide what the optimal bitrate is.

AAC files won't get smaller - they're already compressed. They'll just get sonically wrecked.

If the AAC files were low bitrate to begin with, using V0 will make the files much larger.

I may have missed it, but I don't think OP has said what bitrate the original files are.
Assuming they were ripped from iTunes years ago, there's a good chance they're 128kbps, which I think was the iTunes default.

[MTVhike]

You all gave me a good discussion about MP3 quality, etc. but no one answered the other part of my question: is there an way way to convert/copy ALL the files in my iTunes directory to another location? If so, how? I can't seem to select all tracks from the main player window.

On another note, to respond to Zak's comment, I tried to find the date these files were created in iTunes, but Windows doesn't seem to want to give me that date - either the folder date is the date I copied the files to my flash drive (yesterday), or the file date which, for all the files, is 12/25/2016, even the "previous iTune libraries", the earlies of which is 3/17/2009, so that's how old the oldest files must be!

[frankz]

...no one answered the other part of my question: is there an way way to convert/copy ALL the files in my iTunes directory to another location? If so, how? I can't seem to select all tracks from the main player window.

Of course you can, which is why this "no one" told you how to do it.

When you want to convert your files to the new format, you can select them all, right click->Send To->File Converter. Please set it up so that you don't overwrite the originals.

What is a main player window? Do you try these things before declaring you can't do them?  Maybe a screenshot of what you're trying to do would be helpful.

[MTVhike]

Sorry that I'm a bit of a Luddite regarding terminology. In the upper left corner, the drop-down box allows me to select "Main Player", which is what I normally use. I'm still a little confused about Libraries and Playlists; to do this project I created another library on the flash drive from which I am trying to copy/convert the files. Yesterday, when I turned on MB, I was asked which library to use, and I select the new one. Today, I wasn't asked that question, the original library came up, but it had not only files in my C: drive but all those in my F: drive. I then went to File/Library/Open Library and selected "Flashdrive - F:\iTunes".  When I went to the left hand panel where I can select the music source and select F:/iTunes, nothing shows up. I guess when I selecte F:\iTunes, that's where the library is, not where the files are.

What am I getting wrong here? Thanks

[psychoadept]

I think the screenshot frankz suggested is a good idea at this point.

[MTVhike]

I'm not sure what help my screenshot will do, but here it is:

https://imgur.com/nDY8YmU
https://i.imgur.com/nDY8YmU.png

OK, after several missteps, I got the screenshot to work - twice!