iPod / Running out of capacity

[TwinTip]

I am getting to the point where I have more songs than capacity on my iPod.

Does anyone know if there is a way to create an "iPod Library" that will get downloaded/synchronized with the iPod as opposed to using the main library within iTunes where all of the songs are listed?

I would like to continue growing the main library and just select the songs/playlists that I want to download into the iPod.

At the time, all of the songs on my main library are being downloaded/synchronized to the iPod.

Thanks.

[Mikeski]

RE: iPod / Running out of capacity

Twin tip,

welcome to the world of mp3s

As you may have already discovered the Ipod's software has lots of limitations when it comes to moving the mp3 files between devices (RIAA compliance).

I have about 200GBs of music that I have collected over the past 5 years. If you use good encoding like LAME or even some of the later windows media players you can set a higher bitrate and retain most of the music's original quality. These files will be available to your computer, TIVO, or other mp3 devices. Get an external drive and copy your entire music collection over to mp3, then you can drag-n-drop stuff onto your Ipod's music library when you need a change. The external unit's work great as they allow you to swap files with your friends in the same manner that you would swap CDs. I have found the USB 2.0 interfact to work quite well with most people's machines.

[TwinTip]

RE: iPod / Running out of capacity

Thanks Mikeski. I will start looking at these options and see how to make this work.

[actiondcpd]

RE: iPod / Running out of capacity

I'm in the same boat... I should have bought the 60GB!!!!!!!!!

[JoeCos]

OK, im going to take a stab at this..... by no means im an itunes / ipod expert but.....

If I understand your question, you want your itunes Library selections to grow, but only "select" the titles you want in your ipod ? If thats what you are trying to do, then there is a solution.....

in your iTunes Library, if you dont want a specific song into your iPod, all you need to do is "uncheck" the unwanted song and the next time you synchronize, that song will NOT be in your iPod Playlist.

That "de-selected" song will be be in your itunes library (your pc's hard drive) but NOT in your iPod. Unless down the road you change your mind and want to add it again - all you need to do is "recheck" the box of that song title and it will be back in your iPod playlist again.

This way, your itunes Library is intact and your iPod has only selected tunes.

Hope this helps.

[Flux]

From the Itunes Help section:

By default, when you connect an iPod or iPod mini to your computer iTunes automatically transfers the songs and playlists in your iTunes library to your iPod, and deletes songs from your iPod that aren't in your library.

You can also set up iTunes to automatically transfer only certain songs or playlists, or to allow you to transfer songs manually. You may want to choose one of these options if you have more music on your computer than will fit on your iPod.


For information on transferring songs to iPod shuffle, search "iTunes and Music Store Help."

To automatically update your iPod or iPod mini with all the songs in your library, first connect your iPod to your computer. When it appears in the Source list, choose Edit > Preferences and click the iPod tab. Click the Music tab and make sure "Automatically update all songs and playlists" is selected. Then make sure the "Only update checked songs" checkbox is deselected.

To automatically update your iPod or iPod mini with only certain songs, select the checkboxes next to the songs you want to transfer in the iTunes window. Then connect your iPod to your computer and when it appears in the Source list, choose Edit > Preferences and click the iPod tab. Click the Music tab and make sure "Automatically update all songs and playlists" is selected. Then select the "Only update checked songs" checkbox.

To automatically update your iPod or iPod mini with only selected playlists, first connect your iPod to your computer. When it appears in the Source list, choose Edit > Preferences and click the iPod tab. Click the Music tab and select "Automatically update selected playlists only," and then select the playlists you want to transfer.

To transfer songs manually from your iTunes library to your iPod or iPod mini, first connect your player to your computer. When it appears in the Source list, choose Edit > Preferences and click the iPod tab. Click the Music tab and select "Manually manage songs and playlists." Then drag songs from your library or playlist to iPod in the Source list.
If you connect and update your iPod, and then add songs to your iTunes library that you want to add to your iPod, choose File > Update iPod

[TwinTip]

Great JoeCos and Flux, that's exactly what I was looking for. Mikeski, I haven't had the chance to try your solution but I will try this one first. I am not that much into music but have added a lot of songs to my library and only want some songs on the iPod.

[Sbt3]

For those of you who don't have an Ipod yet but are think of getting one check into the I-river stuff. I have had a H320 20gig one for the last 9 months and just recently bought a H340 40 gig. My wife was wanting something and I needed a bigger one so I got the h340. I looked into the I-pod and thought about buying one but didn't like the fact that you have to use I-tunes to transfer music to the I-pod. With the I-river you can just store all of your songs on a hardrive and drag and drop them on to the unit. No BS software needed. It just shows up as another drive on the PC. you can also use it to hold other files or data. The only downside to the I-river in my opinion is that the I-pod stuff has so many accessories available to them. The I-river stuff is pretty limited. Check out http://misticriver.net/ for more info on the I-river stuff. They have some good forums.

[Flux]

I agree with sbt3 that there are some other great mp3 players out there. Cnet.com is a good source for reviews on these items. I was stuck between a Zen Micro and a Mini Ipod. I eventually went with the mini 6 Gb. I really like it, the battery charges quick, and 6 is plenty of storage for a weekend at the lake. I am selective with what i put in and find alot of stuff that I don't even listen to.

There really are tons of Ipod accessories though, one reason I went with it. I love the tiny little mini, its great for the gym, roadtrips, and boating.

[ag4ever]

There are other programs out there that will allow you to load songs onto you ipod, and even some that will allow multiple computers to sync up with it.

I had one for about two months, and loved it (6 gb mini) until some scum broke into my truck in a resturant parking lot in San Antinio after the owner's reunion at sea world. I plan to replace it soon either with a 40 gb ipod or an identical 6 gb mini. The battery life was great on the mini, I could play it for almost 20 hours on a single charge.