Syncing two folders

[eransh]

Is there an easy way to use dbpoweramp to synchronize two folders with two different codecs? I RIP all my music to WMA lossless but need it in MP3 for my portable device and would like an automated way to keep the libraries in sync.

[LtData]

Best idea I have is to just always try to mass-convert the entire library and use dynamic naming to point it at the new structure ([origpath]\[origfilename]) and when you get prompted about duplicates, just click "no to all".

Or maybe even use the [Multi-Encoder] utility codec

[eransh]

I thought about the mass convert, was wondering whether there is some way to automate/schedule it.

[Teknojnky]

nope

[RonM]

Is there an easy way to use dbpoweramp to synchronize two folders with two different codecs? I RIP all my music to WMA lossless but need it in MP3 for my portable device and would like an automated way to keep the libraries in sync.

Here's what I do. Not a synch process, but serves the same function:

For music I'm ripping, I use dbPoweramp's multi-encoder to create two versions in two different places, one lossless WMA to my "main" music database, one in a lossy WMA or MP3 format to a different location. This is the continuing maintenance. I did a one-time batch convert of my existing lossless files to the lossy format in that location, and then have incremented with the new rips. Don't ever have to do anything else.

For downloaded lossy files, I maintain separate sub-folders for each source (eMusic, iTunes, etc) within the main music folder (which has the lossless files). I then use a backup utility (2nd Copy) to incrementally copy new files within those subfolders to the folder with all the lossy files for my portables. I don't maintain the folder separation between lossy and formerly-lossless at this point, they just get copied in to appropriate artist/album location. The backup utility can be set to do an automated backup at whatever schedule you want, I just do it manually when I think about it.

So what you get is a system that, once set up, maintains itself on a pretty-much indepenent basis. New rips get sent to both the lossless and lossy folders, downloaded files get automatically "backed up" to the lossy folder (while they live in the first instance in the main folder with the lossless files). The result is that I have two separate sets of music files, one mixed lossless/lossy (mainly lossless), one all lossy.

Ron

[Teknojnky]

I just maintain one library and use an application that can convert on the fly while syncing to my device.

It may (or may not, I've never timed it), take longer to sync, but its so much better than trying to maintain multiple libraries.

[RonM]

Yes, this is true, it can work nicely if you are happy with the quality of the conversion that the app does, and if you have some control over it. My experience is that sometimes the app does not use as high a quality as I would like, and sometimes there is no way to control this. For casual listening through the portable, probably not an issue, but if you have invested in decent equipment (e.g. I have Shure 3c buds, that set me back a whole lot) you may want to use the best conversion app you can, e.g. dbPoweramp, in which case separate libraries may be the way to go.

R.

[kjgarrison]

I just maintain one library and use an application that can convert on the fly while syncing to my device.

It may (or may not, I've never timed it), take longer to sync, but its so much better than trying to maintain multiple libraries.

Care to share the app name?

[Teknojnky]

I use mediamonkey, its the best music library app that I have found that can handle the large library I have. Auto-conversion/mp3 encoding does require the 'gold' paid for version, but it allows you to specify what formats get converted and to what (ie anything not mp3 gets converted to mp3 v4, or wma, etc).

I believe Foobar and possibly others can also sync/convert on the fly.