Author Topic: Can the music/playlists on my Android be imported/reverse synced into MusicBee?  (Read 3355 times)

LtTawnyMadison

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Hi, I used to use iTunes and its library file got deleted in an upgrade and I stupidly didn't have a backup file. So my 80+ playlists that I used to update in iTunes (and sync using iSyncr) are now only on my Android. My husband had advised me to stop using iTunes on the PC because apparently they don't play well together, so I haven't installed iTunes on my new PC and would like to use MusicBee. But I do not want to recreate all my playlists as that would take forever. I do still have all my music in an iTunes library folder that I THINK follows the same path structure as on my phone.

Is it possible that I could import all the music that's in that iTunes folder (or maybe it'd be even better to import the music directly from my phone?) into MusicBee, and then import the playlist files from my Android and they would find the songs automatically through matching paths? I am not really sure how to ensure that the paths match and would welcome any technical advice on how to do this!
Last Edit: November 05, 2021, 01:45:18 AM by LtTawnyMadison

phred

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For the playlists on the Android, only if:
1- you use MB's WiFi Sync app from the Google Store
2- you use either PowerAmp or GoneMad as your phone's music player

It's possible that only PowerAmp can reverse sync playlists. I use GoneMad and looking at the WiFi Sync app on my phone, "reverse sync playlists" is grayed-out. Someone who uses PowerAmp should be able to provide a more definitive answer.
Last Edit: November 04, 2021, 01:34:40 PM by phred
Download the latest MusicBee v3.5 or 3.6 patch from here.
Unzip into your MusicBee directory and overwrite existing files.

----------
The FAQ
The Wiki
Posting screenshots is here
Searching the forum with Google is  here

psychoadept

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Are you able to access your music and playlists through the computer, if your phone is hooked up?
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Latest beta patch (3.5)
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psychoadept

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It depends on the playlist format, but in this case your idea of importing the files directly to MusicBee might work. You can scan them into the library where they are. MusicBee should automatically copy the playlists to its own Playlists directory. If you then use File Organizer in MusicBee to move the files themselves to your PC, the playlists will be updated to reflect that.

There are still some big ifs here, so proceed with care.
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LtTawnyMadison

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It depends on the playlist format, but in this case your idea of importing the files directly to MusicBee might work. You can scan them into the library where they are. MusicBee should automatically copy the playlists to its own Playlists directory. If you then use File Organizer in MusicBee to move the files themselves to your PC, the playlists will be updated to reflect that.

There are still some big ifs here, so proceed with care.

Thank you! I'm still relatively new to MusicBee. How exactly do I "scan them into the library?" (i.e. where do I go... like File > Library > ? or somewhere in the sync settings?)  I do know how to use File Organizer, sort of.

psychoadept

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Here's a couple of things you might find helpful:

https://musicbee.fandom.com/wiki/Importing
https://musicbee.fandom.com/wiki/File_Organization

Note that when you're moving files between drives, you have to make a specific rule for files coming FROM whatever drive letter.
MusicBee Wiki
Use & improve MusicBee's documentation!

Latest beta patch (3.5)
(Unzip and overwrite existing program files)

LtTawnyMadison

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Here's a couple of things you might find helpful:

https://musicbee.fandom.com/wiki/Importing
https://musicbee.fandom.com/wiki/File_Organization

Note that when you're moving files between drives, you have to make a specific rule for files coming FROM whatever drive letter.

After reading the above and experimenting with various things based on it, I found a way!!

File > Playlists > Import playlists. Then import the playlist files from the phone. The songs are listed in MusicBee but shown as missing. Recreate the exact path MusicBee shows for the MP3s, which in this case is C:\storage\emulated\0\Music\[the subfolders they're in on my phone]. Then copy the phone's music subfolders into it, and then add that C:\storage\emulated\0\Music\ folder to the Music Library. ALL of my playlists are restored!!

My last question is to make sure this never happens again: When I do a library backup, that contains everything I need to recreate the library besides the MP3s, correct?

phred

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When I do a library backup, that contains everything I need to recreate the library besides the MP3s, correct?
Not necessarily
If you're using the portable version of MB, just copy the entire MB directory to a flash drive and/or another partition on your PC. -That- will back up everything except your music files unless you're keeping them under \MusicBee (which I don't recommend.)

In addition to File > Library > Backup Library you should also do:
Edit > Saved Settings > [Save] or [Load} Settings snapshot
AND
View > Import/Export > [Export] or [Import] Panel Arrangement
Download the latest MusicBee v3.5 or 3.6 patch from here.
Unzip into your MusicBee directory and overwrite existing files.

----------
The FAQ
The Wiki
Posting screenshots is here
Searching the forum with Google is  here

LtTawnyMadison

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  • Posts: 21
When I do a library backup, that contains everything I need to recreate the library besides the MP3s, correct?
Not necessarily
If you're using the portable version of MB, just copy the entire MB directory to a flash drive and/or another partition on your PC. -That- will back up everything except your music files unless you're keeping them under \MusicBee (which I don't recommend.)

In addition to File > Library > Backup Library you should also do:
Edit > Saved Settings > [Save] or [Load} Settings snapshot
AND
View > Import/Export > [Export] or [Import] Panel Arrangement

Thank you! (and I was going to try your suggestion of using those two phone apps if I hadn't found another solution today.)