Synching iTunes Libraries Take 2: Syncopation
After testing TuneRanger over the past few days and not getting very good results, yesterday I had a chance to test Sonzea's Syncopation, which was recommended by several TUAW readers.
Like TuneRanger, Syncopation works by synchronizing multiple iTunes libraries. Unlike TuneRanger, Syncopation is a Universal Binary Mac-only product. Syncopation has a free 30-day demo which you can install on one computer. For access to all program features you must buy the full license for $24.95. This allows you to synchronize up to 5 Macs.
The initial install was simple, and I had it up and running quickly -- until I discovered I was quickly running out of space on my Mac Mini. Normally, the mini uses an external drive for the iTunes library given that space on the core drive is limited. I wrote to the developer who responded quickly.
I generally keep the iTunes "Copy files to iTunes Music folder when adding to library" unchecked -- I prefer to organize my tunes by hand. When Syncopation sees this setting, it stores the copied files in its Application Support folder, which is what was happening during the sync. Flicking that option made everything work again. I'd prefer that this option not affect library synchronization and that the files go into the iTunes folder but it's not a barrier to the program's utility.
Compared to Tune Ranger, Syncopation worked far faster, which is to say hours rather than days depending on your library size. I didn't need to worry about file types either. I could choose to sync or not sync Movies, TV Shows and Podcasts via the Sync settings rather than having to figure out actual file extension types. What I could not do, however, was control iPhone application and iPod game sync, which is a needed feature for future releases.
The interface is functional rather than beautiful -- although beautiful is overrated when it comes to getting the job done. Although it's missing Windows support, I'd still give the overall Syncopation experience a solid B compared to Tune Ranger's C. There are still a number of synching apps that readers suggested I try out so the iTunes file transfer story isn't over yet.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
chris said 5:21PM on 9-25-2008
Wish this type of functionality would be included within iTunes.
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Zach Jones said 5:27PM on 9-25-2008
Syncing, you mean?
PS: First!
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Zach Jones said 5:28PM on 9-25-2008
EDIT: Second... :'(
mark said 5:49PM on 9-25-2008
will this work w/ a NAS? what i mean is that i keep my music on a central network attached storage drive and want to sync just the library, not the actual files. you know?
as far as i can tell this will copy actual media files across machines.
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Sabi said 5:49PM on 9-25-2008
SlingShot is a nice program...
I use that to sync playlists.
My MacPro has around 45Gb of Music, and my macbook has about 20gb free... so i sync a top rated list and it updates whenever i want or auto daily...only thing is it copies every file one by one when it updates...which takes a LONG ASS TIME, if it could just check and se what was deleted or added and make those changes it would be perfect.
But it gets what i need done.
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Thomas said 6:49PM on 9-25-2008
I tried Syncopation but I found that it did not sync the metadata for the songs, like rating, play count, and last played date. I use these values for several smart playlists, and not syncing that information is a deal breaker for me.
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Barry said 7:38PM on 9-25-2008
I just tried Syncopation tonight -- and the metadata sync worked great!
robogobo said 7:41PM on 9-25-2008
The word "synching" gave me an itch, and I'm here to scratch it. SYNCING, not synching. Synching sounds like cinching, as does it's impudent little brother, synch. Now, isn't that easy? A cinch, even?
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m said 12:13AM on 9-26-2008
yes, poor grammar sure is annoying! you know what bugs me? people who don't know the difference between "it's" and "its."
worse still, you're also wrong. "synch" and "sync" are both acceptable variants, and the geek usage is, in fact, considered slang. if you want to be a grammar nazi, please consult a dictionary first.
robogobo said 3:32AM on 9-26-2008
hey m, go soak your head.
Schell said 9:48PM on 9-25-2008
It would be great if there was a way to sync everything up in the 'cloud' rather than on the local computer. This way, not only could I have my itunes lib across all my macs, but I could also be able to pick and chose what I want to listen to on my iPhone via the mobileme system.
PS - I'm new to the site, but "First?" Really? I mean, really?
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ericdano said 11:43PM on 9-25-2008
The developer, and the one for Tune Ranger, need to provide simple, step by step directions on how to do things. IE: You have a NAS, and you just want to update your iTunes library with any changes that have happened on the NAS......this is how you do it.
I swear, these programs are confusing........and I am very computer literate!
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aMp 732 said 11:45PM on 9-25-2008
I have my iTunes library on a NAS how can I share my library across 3 pc's Its there a quick and easy way to have them all point my NAS?
Heres my deal I cant seem to fix. I can access my music on my iMac but not the mini thats in my living room. I have my iTunes remote configured on my iPhone to talk to my iTunes in the living room which is connected to my receiver but the mini has a small HD how can I have both machines use the same library.
Share your library doesnt work good with the remote as its seen as an additional library not the " library "
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anson said 1:02AM on 9-26-2008
If I need to sync my iTunes library between two computers, I do this:
1. Mount a shared a drive/folder from another computer; e.g. using Finder "Connect to Server"
2. Run rsync; e.g.
rsync -av /iTunes_folder/iTunes /Volumes/remote_folder/
This will leave an iTunes directory on the other computer. Metadata is intact; if it was originally in the iTunes directory, it is now on the remote machine. Use this method to back up your iTunes library to an external hard drive, or NAS, too.
Sure, no fancy UI, but iTunes sync did come built in with your Mac :-)
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Clark said 12:24AM on 9-27-2008
The problem with this method (which I use across a wide network via tunneling) is that the playlists and so forth aren't updated correctly. What I ended up doing was excluding the playlist and then having an Applescript that would open all the iTunes directory in iTunes. That has the result of importing any new songs.
The downside as well is that if you make any name changes or album name changes (which frankly is pretty common) then rsync sees them as separate songs and you have duplicates. Which is difficult to resolve and which is also why I stopped syncing iTunes with rsync. Now that I have an Apple TV on one of the machines with many movies it's even trickier.
anson said 11:21AM on 9-27-2008
Clark, you're right. rsync works well as backup and incremental backup and when one iTunes library is considered the master and the others only slaves since this is not two-way sync. I just happen to use my iTunes library this way so have not needed a true sync app.
Jash Sayani said 5:35AM on 9-26-2008
Any way to impoer music in iTunes without letting iTunes copy all mp3 files in the iTunes folder. Lots of disk space is wasted in having copies of all mp3 files in iTunes folder as well. ?
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Jacob SW said 6:51AM on 9-26-2008
Just wanted to say thank you for reviewing all the iTunes syncing apps out there. I tried Slingshot and didn't have great luck--I ended up with doubles of a bunch of files.
So, before I try another sync app, I'm waiting for you to finish this series of reviews.
Thanks for taking the time to try them all, so your readers don't have to!
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duke said 7:17AM on 9-26-2008
I use PowerTunes to share a single library across multiple accounts on the same Mac. This works well, and means either account can add tracks, etc... with them showing up immediatly in either accounts iTunes. However the downside of this is that you can only have one iTunes account, which is annoying if you ave seperate iPhones etc... (PowerTunes solves this by allowing you to switch between whole iTunes folders, obviously a bit of a compromise but there you go.)
The problem with using a single library locaton for a variey of macs, is that adding tacks from one iTunes will not update across all the other iTunes, as iTunes cannot be persuaded to monitor it's own library folder, or in fact any folder. Does anybody know a way of doing this?
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EMoShunz said 8:02AM on 9-26-2008
i may have a use for this, but i need it to sync always only 1 way, main library to 2 subordinate libraries, AND i want to convert from 256 to 128 in the process. can that be done with this or any?
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