Ipods, Apps, and WAV files...What to do???

Andyman

Scroungus Stereophilus
Subscriber
OK, here's the deal....

I just added a bigger 1 TB HD to my computer and moved all my iTunes to it. the problem is that since I ripped them almost exclusively as WAV files, iTunes doesn't read them for track, artist info, and artwork info, so I have 2500+ songs in an Unknown folder. I've been messing around a bit and can tediously match up the lost songs with the tracks by doing alpha searches and guiding the named track to the unknown track, but before I hunker down to do it 2500+ times, I have to wonder if there isn't a better way????

Here's what I want and it may be my cake and eat it too, but I'll ask anyways.

I want to be able to use my iPod touch with my digital library of music burned as WAV (or FLAC or some other higher res format) off my computer.
I want to be able to also use apps from iTunes on my Touch.

I know there are other software out there like Media Monkey and Foobar that will organize my music and that I can apparently somehow use with the touch, but I want to be able to use my apps too. I've been happy with iTunes for the last 2-3 years, but now that I've moved my library and have this huge task ahead of me I'm wondering if it's not time to move on??? This data PITA with WAV files really bothers me and I don't want to commit further if there are more viable alternatives out there.

Since I really use the touch more for the apps, I could even consider keeping itunes as a secondary music source with duplicate listings say at 320 kps for what i want to take with me. That is to say, I would consider storing all my music in some archival form and making "portable" copies at 320 kps when I wanted to copy it to my iPod. with 137 Gb of files and a 16 Gb Touch, it's pretty obvious I'm not taking it all with me, nor do I wish too.

I guess Apple could just fix iTunes to fully recognize WAV files, but that's probably too easy, eh Steve????

Let me know what you guys do or suggest? I'd like to get this sorted out w/o doing all that legwork if I could...
 
Thanks, but that's the one I followed, and while it may be fine for MP3, AAC and other stuff, the ID3 tags and the WAV files don't follow; that's why I have all the issues.

I may have screwed something up as my old computer library is messed up too. I'm thinking the consolidation part blew it up as the tags did go with the copies and that's why I have so many unknowns.

I did downloaded the free version of Media Monkey and ironically, it too see the files without the info. It's almost as if iTunes has stripped the tags out of the files when it moved them. I've got burned comps from friends with the info, but not the files that were "consolidated"

I wonder if my original folder back on the external drive has "complete" files???
 
There is no standard tagging method for WAV files, which is part of why they are a bad idea. Am I interpreting correctly that you still at least have file names that reveal what the tracks are? You should really be using FLAC or perhaps apple lossless if you're confident that you'll remain loyal to apple ;), and now seems like a good time to start.
 
Update:

This thread is a pretty good example of my exact situation. WAV files look like they have tag issues, which has me begging the question on exactly how information is stored on a CD? From the link, it appears that there is disparity if how CDs and WAV files store the info so there may be a lack of uniformity from file to file.

http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?icomp&1196628460&read&keyw&zzhi+fi+one

Our local SMAC host this week has a ton of digital media and an iPhone, so i think i'll pick his brain on this and report back.

But right now, I'm thinking..
1) ITunes is past tense as a media manager, at least for my main music library. I'll use it for apps and portable disposable copies from the main stacks.
2) I'm pretty much screwed on the 2500+ and will have to hand edit them :thumbsdn:
 
Last edited:
What about the file names? You don't necessarily need to do this by hand. You do need to convert to a tag-able lossless format.
 
When you moved the iTunes libraries, did you copy or cut? If you still have the original folders, you can start over, and use something that won't strip the tags from the wav files.
 
I have to see if the "original" files are still about. I'm wondering exactly what that "consolidation" did as it seems that it should have only copied the files, but when i go back to iTunes on the external drive where i was storing everything, it comes up with the big unknown folder.

I also found a bunch of Library .itl files with the data, but it appears that even if I move it to the new folder, itunes can't re associate the data with the files unless I guide it manually.

What does work is that if I do a search and come up with a bunch of songs I can match the titles up with the unknown songs by track length. Once I find a match, I can click on the "good" title and get a window to open saying it can't find the song and ask if it wants itunes to look for it. Then I can browse to the "bad" track and link them. so basically, it's Humpty Dumpty time as the "good" titles are the info and the "bad" are the tracks; all i have to do is put them together again.

All 2500+....
 
Back
Top Bottom