Itunes users...

SATCHMO · 08-11-2010, 07:55 PM

Okay, first of all this is not a thread to express how much you think itunes is crap in the world of media players. I think we have a thread with a purpose more specifically directed towards those opinions.

So, me being the Mac user that I am, I don't have a lot of options for platform-friendly media players that will also burn to disc and sync with my ipod. I can't think of any off the top of my head. I do have Songbird and I like it, but it really makes no sense for me to use it as my dedicated MP if I can't sync my ipod or burn a disc, that and I also use the itunes store a lot to browse music. It's quite resourceful like that, although I never actually buy anything from there.

Anyways, here's the rub. I've been acquiring a great deal of 'various artists' compilations lately, for the most part, I don't want to get rid of any of them, but I havent found a way to organize my library so that these compilations are consolidated into their respective albums like they should be. Instead they are all over the place and each different artist appears as a different album. Who on here knows how to remedy this situation with itunes. I'm trying to clean up my library right now and I have this unruly mess to deal with.

Burning Down · 08-11-2010, 08:12 PM

By "respective albums", do you mean the original albums the songs appeared on (the artist's album), or the compilation album itself?

SATCHMO · 08-11-2010, 08:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Burning Down

By "respective albums", do you mean the original albums the songs appeared on (the artist's album), or the compilation album itself?

The compilation album. I basically want to find a way to have each individual artist listed and still have the tracks consolidated into one album, the compilation album.

**Janszoon** · 08-11-2010, 08:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SATCHMO

Okay, first of all this is not a thread to express how much you think itunes is crap in the world of media players. I think we have a thread with a purpose more specifically directed towards those opinions.

So, me being the Mac user that I am, I don't have a lot of options for platform-friendly media players that will also burn to disc and sync with my ipod. I can't think of any off the top of my head. I do have Songbird and I like it, but it really makes no sense for me to use it as my dedicated MP if I can't sync my ipod or burn a disc, that and I also use the itunes store a lot to browse music. It's quite resourceful like that, although I never actually buy anything from there.

Anyways, here's the rub. I've been acquiring a great deal of 'various artists' compilations lately, for the most part, I don't want to get rid of any of them, but I havent found a way to organize my library so that these compilations are consolidated into their respective albums like they should be. Instead they are all over the place and each different artist appears as a different album. Who on here knows how to remedy this situation with itunes. I'm trying to clean up my library right now and I have this unruly mess to deal with.

Here's what you do:

Select every song on the album.
Go to File > Get Info.
If a dialogue box pops up asking if you want to edit multiple items, click "OK".
In the "Multiple Item Information" window click on the "Options" tab.
In the "Part of a Compilation" dropdown, select "Yes"
Just click "OK" and all your compilation albums will be saved on your hard drive as separate albums inside the "Compilations" folder.

Hope that helps.

Edit: Also, try going to iTunes > Preferences, clicking on the "Advanced" tab and then check "Group compilations when browsing".

SATCHMO · 08-11-2010, 08:34 PM

I've tried that and for some reason it doesn't work. Each individual artist on the compilation still appears as a separate album of the same title, so instead of having, for example, one Trojan Dancehall 69': 40 Skinhead Reggae Rarities album cover in Coverflow, I have 37.

**Janszoon** · 08-11-2010, 08:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SATCHMO

I've tried that and for some reason it doesn't work. Each individual artist on the compilation still appears as a separate album of the same title, so instead of having one Trojan Dancehall 69': 40 Skinhead Reggae Rarities album cover in Coverflow, I have 37.

Are you talking about in the file structure on your hard drive or are you talking about in iTunes itself?

SATCHMO · 08-11-2010, 08:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Janszoon

Are you talking about in the file structure on your hard drive or are you talking about in iTunes itself?

Itunes itself. I don't really care about file folders. Ironically, I organize as I accumulate with them.

**Janszoon** · 08-11-2010, 08:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SATCHMO

Itunes itself. I don't really care about file folders. Ironically, I organize as I accumulate with them.

Did you try the second thing I mentioned, the "Group compilations when browsing" option under Preferences?

SATCHMO · 08-11-2010, 08:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Janszoon

Did you try the second thing I mentioned, the "Group compilations when browsing" option under Preferences?

There is no option for that that I can see under my itunes preferences.

Nine Black Poppies · 08-11-2010, 08:54 PM

Failing that ^, I would also make sure the "Album Artist" field is blank both in the "Info" tab and "Sorting" tab of the tags for all the songs. It's been my experience that sometimes that creates a situation like what you're talking about.

08-11-2010, 07:55 PM	#1 (permalink)
SATCHMO Al Dente Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Texas Posts: 4,708	Itunes users... Okay, first of all this is not a thread to express how much you think itunes is crap in the world of media players. I think we have a thread with a purpose more specifically directed towards those opinions. So, me being the Mac user that I am, I don't have a lot of options for platform-friendly media players that will also burn to disc and sync with my ipod. I can't think of any off the top of my head. I do have Songbird and I like it, but it really makes no sense for me to use it as my dedicated MP if I can't sync my ipod or burn a disc, that and I also use the itunes store a lot to browse music. It's quite resourceful like that, although I never actually buy anything from there. Anyways, here's the rub. I've been acquiring a great deal of 'various artists' compilations lately, for the most part, I don't want to get rid of any of them, but I havent found a way to organize my library so that these compilations are consolidated into their respective albums like they should be. Instead they are all over the place and each different artist appears as a different album. Who on here knows how to remedy this situation with itunes. I'm trying to clean up my library right now and I have this unruly mess to deal with.

08-11-2010, 08:54 PM	#10 (permalink)
Nine Black Poppies Music Addict Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: A State of Denial Posts: 357	Failing that ^, I would also make sure the "Album Artist" field is blank both in the "Info" tab and "Sorting" tab of the tags for all the songs. It's been my experience that sometimes that creates a situation like what you're talking about. __________________ Like carnivores to carnal pleasures, so were we to desperate measures...

08-11-2010, 08:12 PM	#2 (permalink)
Burning Down The Music Guru. Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Beyond the Wall Posts: 4,858	By "respective albums", do you mean the original albums the songs appeared on (the artist's album), or the compilation album itself?

08-11-2010, 08:34 PM	#5 (permalink)
SATCHMO Al Dente Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Texas Posts: 4,708	I've tried that and for some reason it doesn't work. Each individual artist on the compilation still appears as a separate album of the same title, so instead of having, for example, one Trojan Dancehall 69': 40 Skinhead Reggae Rarities album cover in Coverflow, I have 37.