ITunes 9: No multiple libraries improvement?

Hi,
I like iTunes 9 but there still seems to be something missing.
I have 3 iTunes Libraries on 1 computer. My main library contains all my music (over 80GB). I have a separate library for my iPod Classic (30GB) containing music and podcasts. My third library is for my iPod Touch (16GB) containing movies, TV episodes, and apps.
What I usually do to navigate between libraries is hold down the alt/option key when lunching iTunes. This brings up a Select Library box, in which I can navigate to select the library I want to access.
So, let's say I want to synch my iPod Touch. I hold down alt/option, select my iPod Touch library, open, and synch. But now I want to switch to my iPod Classic library. To do this I must close iTunes completely, hold down alt/option, launch iTunes again, and select that library.
What I really wanted to see in iTunes 9 was a way of switching between libraries without having to close iTunes and relaunch a different library. I hoped the Home Sharing feature might do this, but Home Sharing only seems to work BETWEEN computers, not between libraries on the SAME computer.
Am I wrong?
Cheers,
Martin

Hello.
I have two libraries on my computer, one for "everything" and one for select content that syncs to my iPT (it's only 8 GB). You are correct in having to close/relaunch iTunes in order to switch libraries. I, too, would have liked to see some improvement in this area of the user experience. My (submitted to Apple) idea would be an option in preferences to have iTunes prompt the user on launch which library s/he would like opened. Or something to that effect if at all possible. I'll keep hoping.
CG

Similar Messages

  • ITunes match with multiple libraries

    I can't seem to find a satisfactory answer to this.  Namely, how does iTunes Match treat multiple libraries on the same Mac.  In my case, I spent a lot of time segregating my music.  Thus, I have a rock library, a classical library, an instrumental (Windham Hill and Narada) library, an ambient recording library.  It makes sense to me to do this rather that dump everything into one pot.  That way, I can load a Touch with a specific library and don't have to create a zillion playlists.  Using the same iTunes login, how will Match treat these different libraries?  Will it only concern itself with what it finds in the currently open library?  How will it treat different iPod Touches that are linked to a specific library?  Will it want to push the wrong music to a Touch? Would appreciate any thoughts.

    One person sets up Match on their computer using the iTunes account.  Uploads everything to match.
    I would recommend waiting until that person is done, and do computers one at a time.  No particular reason, just seems sensible.
    Next person sets up match using same iTunes account details.  Uploads their stuff.  They will then see everything the previous user put into the system, unless you select "Hide music not on this computer" in the view menu.  Previous user will now see their stuff too.
    Rinse and repeat.
    This is how it worked with my multiple machines anyway...  As long as every computer uses the same iTunes account for the store, you all get access to the same Match account.

  • How to handle iTunes Match with multiple libraries (one account, 5 family members)?

    How would this work, in the situation below ...
    Everyone has their own iCloud account (for their own syncing purposes).
    But we (family) ALL share the same iTunes account (for purchasing).
    How will this work, since we all have our own iTunes libraries?

    One person sets up Match on their computer using the iTunes account.  Uploads everything to match.
    I would recommend waiting until that person is done, and do computers one at a time.  No particular reason, just seems sensible.
    Next person sets up match using same iTunes account details.  Uploads their stuff.  They will then see everything the previous user put into the system, unless you select "Hide music not on this computer" in the view menu.  Previous user will now see their stuff too.
    Rinse and repeat.
    This is how it worked with my multiple machines anyway...  As long as every computer uses the same iTunes account for the store, you all get access to the same Match account.

  • HT1495 What do I do if none of my devices are being properly detected by iTunes when using multiple libraries (mostly via wifi sync)?

    Have a Windows 7 machine with terabytes of HDD space and 8 Gigs RAM. Two iTunes libraries (mine and my wife's with about 10% file overlap). Two iPhone 5s (iOS 6.0.2), 1 iPad 2 (iOS 6.0.1), 1 iPad 3 (iOS 5.1.1), and a jailbroken iPhone 3GS 32 GB that we've converted to an iPod essentially (iOS 3. something--not willing to update given the historically bad performance of the new iOS on the 3GS). Running iTunes 10 (also not willing to update to 11 after reading reviews).
    I get multiple errors in both libraries with lots of popup boxes saying devices cannot connect, be properly identified, or sync, etc. Disconnecting and reconnecting via cable is marginally better (more so with the 3GS less with the iPads).
    I'd like to be able to link certain devices to certain libaries (i.e. my iPhone5 and iPad3 with my library and my wife's iPhone5, iPad2, iPhone 3GS with her library). Instead it seems the wrong devices always show up or none at all.
    Any suggestions would be most welcome. I have a moderately high level of tech expertise, so if there are scripts or hacks to be written/run I wouldn't be shy about trying them. Also would consider an iTunes alternative given that Apple isn't interested in supporting users with massive music libraries who need powerful databases as opposed to the dumbed down stuff they are trying to push in 11.
    Thanks!
    PS also my home sharing doesn't work at all on any device, but that seems to be Apple standard
    tags: home_sharing ios windows7 working sync_itunes iphone5 ipad2 ipad3 iphone3gs multiple_libraries multiple_users multiple_devices sync itunes10 computer 10.5

    Latest problem now with iTunes is that I can't connect to the iTunes store or update art work. Freezes up. Clearly they nerfed old iTunes to make us upgrade to an inferior version. So frustrating.

  • How do I divide my iTunes library into multiple libraries based on unique Apple ID?

    I have one iTunes library on my iMac that started with just me.  As each of my kids and my husband got their own Apple IDs, all of their purcahses are loaded into my library.  They have their own IDs because each has their own phone/iPod/iPad and is responsible for paying for their purchases through their own accounts.  We decided to use only my computer so we could share content.  But Apple restricts each device from having content from more than 5 IDs anyway. 
    Now, I really don't want my kids stuff anymore though they may want some of my music (which I imported from CDs for the most part).  I learned how to create a new library but I don't understand how to move content into each library.  Would it make more sense for each kid to set up iTunes on his own computer?  If so, how do I move the content from my Mac to their computer, when it's not my entire iTunes library moving?
    Thanks in advance for your help

    Duplicate the entire library, then in each copy throw away the content that you don't need.
    You can duplicate the iTunes library by copying the folder to a new location.
    You can switch between libraries by holding down shift as you start iTunes.
    iTunes uses the name of the folder as it's window title. You could, for example, rename the copied folder as "Bob's iTunes" and the original as "Alice's iTunes", assuming the two people in question are called Alice and Bob.
    tt2

  • General question about iTunes Match and multiple libraries

    Hello to everyone,
    I have a general question about the iTunes Match service, which is available since yesterday in my country (Italy). Currently my library situation is the following:
    Computer A (desktop, Windows 7): "big" iTunes library (about 20 GB), at the moment not associated with my Apple ID
    Computer B (MacBook Air 2011): "small" iTunes library (about 5 GB), associated with my Apple ID
    At the moment, both my iOS devices (iPhone 4 and iPad 2) are synchronized with the smaller library on the MacBook Air.
    Question is as follows: should I subscribe to iTunes Match, would it be possible to upload the "big" library (provided I associate it with my Apple ID) to iCloud while keeping my devices synchronized with the "small" one?
    Ideally, at the end of the day, the situation should be the following: both iOS devices with music from the small library + possibility of downloading songs from iCloud (coming from the big one). Is this possible?
    Maybe the question sounds stupid, but I want to be sure about this before paying for the service.
    Thanks a lot.

    Yes, you could also associate your larger library with iTunes match if you associated your Apple ID with it. However any purchases in the library made from another Apple ID will not be matched with iTunes much.
    If both libraries are part of iTunes match, then all your devices will see all of the content from both libraries, which content you choose to have on those devices and which you have accessible via iTunes match is entirely up to you.

  • Error messages in iTunes when using multiple libraries

    Hi there -- my boyfriend got a new iPod yesterday, a 5th generation 30G. I have a 4th generation 20G that I've been using for about half a year. After some difficulty getting it set up, thanks to extra editions of iPod software on the computer conflicting with iTunes 7, we finally got the iTunes recognizing his new iPod.
    I created a seperate library for him (like you can in iPhoto, where you press shift when you start the program to choose your library). When I plug the 30G iPod in, iTunes recognizes it and starts updating. It gets about halfway through the songs that need to be updated, and then an error popup shows up that says something like "iPod cannot continue updating because the file or folder is corrupted." It's not stopping on a particular song or album; it seems to stop about halfway through the list of songs it's updating, whether it's adding 10 songs or 50. If I click "OK" (the only option), it continues updating; when it's done I get the "iPod has finished updating" message.
    Then, if I press eject I get another error: "iPod cannot eject because it is being used by another program." The iPod still has the "Do Not Disconnect" symbol at this time, instead of switching to charging like it should once it's done updating. I have to pull the USB cord from the computer or shut down iTunes to get it to stop.
    The iPod will update and seems to work fine, but this makes me worry that there's a problem that will only get worse with time, and I'd rather deal with it now. I also don't know if I should keep disconnecting the iPod when it's tell me not to even though it's updated, if I can help it.
    Is it the software on the iPod (fully updated)? Or perhaps having two libraries (the one with the problems is not the original one)? iTunes was deleted and reinstalled last night with the help of Apple's phone support, so it's new.
    For the record, my 4th generation iPod updates fine with my library, with no error messages, and ejects as it should. I haven't tried it with the second library; I also haven't tried using the 5th generation iPod with a new library or my existing, original one.

    Latest problem now with iTunes is that I can't connect to the iTunes store or update art work. Freezes up. Clearly they nerfed old iTunes to make us upgrade to an inferior version. So frustrating.

  • Is there a way to break my iTunes Library into multiple libraries?

    Hi,
    I have a huge library...53,000 songs, 585GB of music.  I'd like to use iTunes Match, so I'm wondering if there's a way to create a different library, where I could copy 25,000 songs from the "Master" library, to have iTunes Match use?
    Any help appreciated,
    Geoff

    Check the instructions provided with the player. You may need to convert the music to MP3 first and/or locate it in the Finder.
    (84341)

  • Supposed support for Multiple Libraries in iTunes 7

    Come on Apple, your website says iTunes 7 supports multiple libraries in multiple locations, yet there is no way to enable a second library or create additional libraries through iTunes. Is this just hype about the tedious manual workaround of not having iTunes copy everything to one location? When will we get true multiple libraries? This is sorely missing functionality for anyone with a harddrive smaller than 250GB.
    Quoted from http://www.apple.com/itunes/overview/
    "Multiple Libraries
    Build your collection over multiple libraries, and keep them on different hard drives to save space."

    I think there are a large number of us who are in the "for some reason" category: we want to have our libraries split across multiple HD's.
    Here's my exact scenario:
    I have a small portion of my library stored locally on my PowerBook for when I am on the road (~30GB). I have the bulk of my music collection stored on an external drive at home (~160GB). I have another set of tracks that are works in progress that my band is in the process of writing/recording, stored on a 2nd external drive at our studio (~10GB). I want to be able to plug in any of the external drives, and have access to that content whenever I am at home or at the studio, without having to change the local library stored on my PowerBook.
    Consolidating the library does not help at all in this scenario - not only does the complete library not fit on my PB's hard drive, but I also don't want the reverse, which is to consolidate to one external drive which I'd then have to carry around everywhere. iTunes should be smart enough to recognize different library files concurrently, and store the import/organize settings per library. I guess that's too much to ask...

  • ITunes Updates & Multiple Libraries

    In Windows 7 I use iTunes V 10.7 with three iTunes Libraries. Before attempting any updates I always Backup MY MUSIC, & make sure that I have a very recent Windows System Backup. Every time I attempt an Update, I always end up with three Libraries that are totally mixed up. It does not help that I copy my Backed Up Libraries into My Music & reopen iTunes with those Library files, because they get mixed up too. I end up using 'Restore System Settings' to restore my system to the happy days of V 10.7.
    Now I'm sure that there are lots of other iTunes users with multiple Libraries.
    I'm hoping that one or more of them can tell how to do a 'clean' update with clean Libraries.

    Thanks. I think that the first part of your response is not relevant in my case. But the second part is definitely relevant, because I get hung up at the message 'The file iTunes Library.itl cannot be read because it was created by a newer version of iTunes'. That is the point where I give up & 'Restore System Settings' to put me back to V 10.7. Yes - technically I'm doing a 'downgrade'.
    Now, when I was in V 12, after resetting my displays - Playlists etc. on the Left side, & Music showing in a Song list the way I like, I didn't see any benefit of V 12 over V 10.7. Moreover, in V 12 the 'iTunes Store' doesn't work - it just closes the iTunes program!
    So I'm not in a big hurry to try reinstalling V 12.
    But I'm up to the academic challenge, so at the end of the week - which will be the New Year - I might try a more thorough job of Backing Up my three Libraries, & downloading/installing V 12 & see if anything has changed. Of course, I will do a Windows System Image Backup first, so that if I end up ****** off, I can do 'Restore System Settings' & thereafter live forever happy with V 10.7.
    Remember that in the software world "New does not mean better". Very, very true.

  • Multiple libraries on same computer with current iTunes version

    How can I create multiple libraries with the current version of iTunes? I want to add a library to a computer that already has one. Please help!

    Go to System Preferences>Users and Groups and click on the padlock in lower left and enter admin PW to allow changes. Then click on the + sign in lower left and add a new user

  • Multiple Libraries for Multiple Users on iTunes

    Is there a way - using iTunes 7 - to have multiple libraries? Our family shares a computer and I would love to have separate libraries.
    Thanks.
    Tas804

    Hi there
    Hold down the 'alt' key for a couple of seconds when you launch iTunes from the dock.
    You should get a prompt to create a new library, or choose another library to launch.
    Good luck
    noel

  • Multiple Libraries for iTunes

    I am wondering if there is any way to create multiple libraries for my music? I use my iTunes for both work and personal music and would like to be able to move my work music into a separate library. I've seen this concept in accounting programs, where you create new companys in order to store and track separate information. Any suggestions? I am currently using iTunes 5.0

    Cherrie:
    Try iTunes Library Manager. It's not free, but it does work.
    Lita

  • Multiple Libraries in iTunes 7 (Windows)

    Another whinge about iTunes 7!
    The multiple libraries feature in the Windows version (I don't know about the Mac version) is very poorly implemented and, quite frankly, useless.
    When changing libraries in iTunes 7, the preferences for the new library are not copied across; in effect, iTunes 7 retains the preferences for the previous library. This becomes very annoying if the user has libraries with different preference settings, as I do. I have two libraries, one of which is located on the hard drive of my PC and the other on a network drive. The two libraries have different preferences, ie music location and the encoder used when importing files (one lossless and the other AAC).
    Whenever I switch libraries in iTunes 7, the preferences for the previous library are retained. Consequently, when I select a new library I have to change the preferences to match those required for that library. Otherwise, iTunes 7 updates the new library according to the preferences for the old library. Very frustrating, I can tell you!
    I have now removed iTunes 7 and restored iTunes 6, along with a third party library manager until such time as Apple comes up with a decent way of managing multiple libraries.
      Windows XP  

    No, it's the same Windows XP user account, but I have two separate music libraries - the music files in library are in a lossless format, while those in the other are in AAC. For convenience, I wish to keep the two libraries separate.
    In iTunes 7 it is possible to have separate libraries - start iTunes and hold down the SHIFT key (Windows) while the program starts. A dialogue box then appears where the required library can be selected. However, as far as I can tell, it's not possible to have a different set of preferences for each library.
    Say the preferences are set up for my lossless library, which is located on a separate network drive. If I then make the AAC library active and open iTunes, iTunes reindexes the library according to the settings for the lossless library and I end up with the AAC library full of lossless files. I've tried unchecking various things in the preferences box, but I've had no luck fixing the problem. Thanks for your suggestion - I have already reported the problem.
    The whole thing is a rather inelegant way of managing multiple libraries in iTunes. Surely the Apple developers can come up with a way of doing it from within iTunes??

  • Multiple Libraries in iTunes.

    Can someone explain me how to create multiple libraries in iTunes.
    I've a huge load of 5000 songs of which 2000 is what I hear often.
    I don't have album art on the other 3000 songs and don't want to clutter it with my main library.
    Moreover, these 2000 songs are automatically synced with my iPhone. However, I sometimes need to move a couple of songs from the main list which I find it too tedious without a library.
    Can someone teach me how to create a second library in iTunes without affecting my main library and switch seamlessly (and copy files) between the two?
    Thanks,
    Mugunth

    One more thing, if you want a more efficient way to switch iTunes libraries without having to keep restarting iTunes, considering downloading free software http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/ipoditunes/multitunesdavidcaldwell.html

Maybe you are looking for