Re-downloading from iTunes

[Dave2002]

I recently wanted a copy of a track I'd previously bought as an MP3 from Amazon. It turned out it was very easy to do, using Amazon's player to download the track again.

I found this - http://www.apple.com/uk/icloud/featu...-in-the-cloud/ - which seems to indicate that a similar capability is now available for iTunes. It doesn't seem to work for me, however, or at least not on one of my desktop Macs. I have been copying files from one Mac to another - they are in fairly widely spaced locations miles apart. When I read this I thought that maybe it wasn't so important to do this, as if anything goes wrong I could use the re-download feature mentioned.

I can indeed see my previous purchases, and I can locate them in the Apple Store. The only option I seem to have at present is to hear a short snippet of each previously downloaded track. That article also mentions iCloud, but it's unclear whether the tracks get put there by iTunes, or some behind the scenes operations. I certainly don't have any tracks in iCloud, and I really don't want to enable much there, as I have thousands of tracks and I don't want them all uploaded into cloud storage.

If anyone else can shed light on this I'd be interested.

PS: Could my failure to get this to work be because this particular computer is running Snow Leopard?

[cloughie]

I only use iTunes to store from my own downloaded cds and whilst I have had no problems in producing compilation CDs from playlists I have no way of copying from to mp3 player or memory stick to use in the car. Additionally I have previously synced from Windows Media Player on Vista but the same process from Windows 7 does not produce files which are recognised by my car or Yamaha system USBs. I suspect copy protection from record companies colluding with Windows and iTunes is causing both our problems.

[Stunsworth]

I suspect copy protection from record companies colluding with Windows and iTunes is causing both our problems.

There is no copy protection on music in iTunes, and hasn't been for quite a few years.

[Dave2002]

cloughie

I assume your car has an MP3 CD player. It shouldn't be too difficult to make MP3 CDs from iTunes, though you might have to take care. In Preferences there is a setting under Import Settings for MP3s. The default for MP3s seems to be 160 kbps MP3, which personally I'd not use.

You may have to take extreme care (I don't trust iTunes absolutely ...) if, like me, you use a default lossless encoder, as carelessness could lead to downgrading existing tracks to a lower quality format. Being ultra cautious, I'd probably copy out the audio files from the iTunes library and put them somewhere safe for a while, though rumour has it that iTunes can work with multiple compression formats, and keep the files distinct.

Basically you set up a playlist with the tracks you want to convert to MP3. Set the default compression to your chosen MP3 mode, then select the tracks and you should get an option to generate MP3 tracks. Once this has been done reset the default compression back to your original mode. You should then be able to locate the MP3 tracks in the library, and copy them to a CD. This can be useful, though there are other tools which can do the same. If you're not sure where the tracks are in the library, using CMD-I in iTunes (presumably CTRL-I in the Windows version) will enable you to find the tracks on your hard drives.

There may be other ways, but it's certainly possible. Putting the MP3 tracks on to CD or memory stick enables rather long pieces to be stored - useful for long car journeys. You don't need to use iTunes for putting the files onto CD - simply copy them in from the file system.

This is what Apple say about making MP3 discs - http://support.apple.com/kb/PH1748 in case you still want to use iTunes to burn the MP3 disc.

[Beef Oven]

cloughie

I assume your car has an MP3 CD player. It shouldn't be too difficult to make MP3 CDs from iTunes, though you might have to take care. In Preferences there is a setting under Import Settings for MP3s. The default for MP3s seems to be 160 kbps MP3, which personally I'd not use.

You may have to take extreme care (I don't trust iTunes absolutely ...) if, like me, you use a default lossless encoder, as carelessness could lead to downgrading existing tracks to a lower quality format. Being ultra cautious, I'd probably copy out the audio files from the iTunes library and put them somewhere safe for a while, though rumour has it that iTunes can work with multiple compression formats, and keep the files distinct.

Basically you set up a playlist with the tracks you want to convert to MP3. Set the default compression to your chosen MP3 mode, then select the tracks and you should get an option to generate MP3 tracks. Once this has been done reset the default compression back to your original mode. You should then be able to locate the MP3 tracks in the library, and copy them to a CD. This can be useful, though there are other tools which can do the same. If you're not sure where the tracks are in the library, using CMD-I in iTunes (presumably CTRL-I in the Windows version) will enable you to find the tracks on your hard drives.

There may be other ways, but it's certainly possible. Putting the MP3 tracks on to CD or memory stick enables rather long pieces to be stored - useful for long car journeys. You don't need to use iTunes for putting the files onto CD - simply copy them in from the file system.

This is what Apple say about making MP3 discs - http://support.apple.com/kb/PH1748 in case you still want to use iTunes to burn the MP3 disc.

I'm not techie so I can't explain how it works, but I access my iTunes library in iTunes Match on my iPhone5 and press the CD/Aux button on my factory supplied player in my car and I can play anything I want. No CDs, eight-tracks, cassettes etc!

[Dave2002]

I'm not techie so I can't explain how it works, but I access my iTunes library in iTunes Match on my iPhone5 and press the CD/Aux button on my factory supplied player in my car and I can play anything I want. No CDs, eight-tracks, cassettes etc!

Sounds like you've got a fairly recent car. I'm guessing you don't need a wired connection to the iPhone, in which case the link to the car player will be Bluetooth. Effectively you're playing from your iPhone, and it's accessing a streaming service via iTunes. Possibly it might run up costs for the 3G or 4G service, unless you download to your phone first, and then play directly from that.

Some older cars (such as mine) can do the same thing, but using a wired phono connection or 3.5mm jack fed in via the aux input to the car player, with an iPhone to phono cable, or alternatively just take the headphone out and feed that into the car connections.

I don't have an iPhone, though I do have older iPods which can be used for preloaded music.

As far as I can see, the latest cars will store music on their own internal drive - possibly an SSD - from connected (wireless or otherwise) music players, so that the music stays in the car until either deleted, or the storage device fills up. Not everyone seems aware of this, and one of my friends was surprised to discover this recently on a car he's had for several months now. He noticed one day when having a button pressing spree!

[Beef Oven]

Sounds like you've got a fairly recent car. I'm guessing you don't need a wired connection to the iPhone, in which case the link to the car player will be Bluetooth. Effectively you're playing from your iPhone, and it's accessing a streaming service via iTunes. Possibly it might run up costs for the 3G or 4G service, unless you download to your phone first, and then play directly from that.

Some older cars (such as mine) can do the same thing, but using a wired phono connection or 3.5mm jack fed in via the aux input to the car player, with an iPhone to phono cable, or alternatively just take the headphone out and feed that into the car connections.

I don't have an iPhone, though I do have older iPods which can be used for preloaded music.

As far as I can see, the latest cars will store music on their own internal drive - possibly an SSD - from connected (wireless or otherwise) music players, so that the music stays in the car until either deleted, or the storage device fills up. Not everyone seems aware of this, and one of my friends was surprised to discover this recently on a car he's had for several months now. He noticed one day when having a button pressing spree!

Yes, it's a recent car and has Bluetooth. My mobile phone tariff has unlimited internet use so there's no issue regarding big bills.

[Resurrection Man]

I recently wanted a copy of a track I'd previously bought as an MP3 from Amazon. It turned out it was very easy to do, using Amazon's player to download the track again.

I found this - http://www.apple.com/uk/icloud/featu...-in-the-cloud/ - which seems to indicate that a similar capability is now available for iTunes. It doesn't seem to work for me, however, or at least not on one of my desktop Macs. I have been copying files from one Mac to another - they are in fairly widely spaced locations miles apart. When I read this I thought that maybe it wasn't so important to do this, as if anything goes wrong I could use the re-download feature mentioned.

I can indeed see my previous purchases, and I can locate them in the Apple Store. The only option I seem to have at present is to hear a short snippet of each previously downloaded track. That article also mentions iCloud, but it's unclear whether the tracks get put there by iTunes, or some behind the scenes operations. I certainly don't have any tracks in iCloud, and I really don't want to enable much there, as I have thousands of tracks and I don't want them all uploaded into cloud storage.

If anyone else can shed light on this I'd be interested.

PS: Could my failure to get this to work be because this particular computer is running Snow Leopard?

Have you read the whole article and also the notes on system requirements at the bottom?

Assuming you meet the requirements, this link explains how easy it is http://support.apple.com/kb/VI292

iMatch is different from iCloud but I guess you know that already. iMatch is 100% useless for classical music. But then iTunes is as well so no surprises there. I'm currently thinking about getting a secondhand Mac laptop and putting all my CDs on that as an iTunes 'server'. iTunes works as long as you adapt its schema and use, for example, the Artist field for composer since an iPod Touch cannot search on Composer.

If you use Home Sharing (to access your inhouse iTunes music library on an iPod Touch then there does not seem to be ANY search feature that you can use on the iPod Touch.

[Resurrection Man]

Signed up for iMatch today. It doesn't work. Not for for purpose and so trying to get a refund under Distance Selling Regulations.

[Beef Oven]

Signed up for iMatch today. It doesn't work. Not for for purpose and so trying to get a refund under Distance Selling Regulations.

WAIT!! I signed up recently and had a couple of initial headaches, but persevere for a few days and you will find that it's the dog's danglies!!!!

[Resurrection Man]

WAIT!! I signed up recently and had a couple of initial headaches, but persevere for a few days and you will find that it's the dog's danglies!!!!

Curious...why is that? I have got my money back....interesting aside...if you order from iTunes store and even though you navigated there via apple.co.uk then as far as they are concerned Distance Selling Regs do not apply.

Googling revealed so many other people with similar problems.

[amateur51]

Yes, it's a recent car and has Bluetooth. My mobile phone tariff has unlimited internet use so there's no issue regarding big bills.

Does big bill know?

[Beef Oven]

Does big bill know?

No possessive apostrophe - pun does not work.

[MrGongGong]

No possessive apostrophe - pun does not work.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLCKSPFrkJQ

[Beef Oven]

Curious...why is that? I have got my money back....interesting aside...if you order from iTunes store and even though you navigated there via apple.co.uk then as far as they are concerned Distance Selling Regs do not apply.

Googling revealed so many other people with similar problems.

It works. It's brilliant. All your music stored in the ether and available on your PC, laptop, iPad, smart phone etc.