Ripping to iTunes - HELP

[tubegem]

Hi new to dbpoweramp and first post.
I'm trying to rip to iTunes, and I'm obviously missing a step. Going through the various documentation, the only thing I came across is to configure DSP > Write > Track, Album Gain & iTunes Track Normalization. Albums identify by > Album Id Tag. Gain Calculation >EBU > R128, -18db. which I have done.
The rip (AIFF) succeeds properly and when finished, I press the CD/eject button in the software. Is there something else that needs to be done to move it/save to iTunes? When using Finder, I can see the album and music in the proper iTunes folder with correct cover art and Folder.jpeg with the rest of my music.
After a number of rips and trials, when going into iTunes, nothing relating to the newly ripped album appears. Not the individual songs nor the cover art. I have closed/restarted iTunes and also totally restart the iMac. There must be a step that I am missing. After four days of trying, I seem to be going in circles. Can someone please provide some guidance.
I'm on the trial version and really like the capabilities of the software especially the art cover retraction. As I have over 400 albums to fix, I need to get the basics working, before purchasing. Using Version 16.2.
Thanks in advance.
Ed

[Dat Ei]

Re: Ripping to iTunes - HELP

Did you import the resulting folders into iTunes or did you rip to the "Automatically Add,,,' folder?


Dat Ei

[tubegem]

Re: Ripping to iTunes - HELP

Dat Ei, thanks for the response.
No, I have not imported the resulting folder separately to iTunes. I have the following set up and presumed that it would automatically move things:
Path > /Volumes/ WD-Music/iTunes1/Music
CD Ripper: Tags & Filenames > "Rip to Temporary folder, move album after ripping".

So it appears that the rip is going to the iTunes drive properly, as verified trough Finder, but not being imported. What else do I need to do?

[Dat Ei]

Re: Ripping to iTunes - HELP

iTunes uses an internal database. If you rip with iTunes, iTunes adds the files to the database. If you rip with any external program, you have to add / import the files manually or rip to the iTunes folder "Automatically add...". For the latter keep in mind to stop iTunes before and while you are ripping.


Dat Ei

[tubegem]

Re: Ripping to iTunes - HELP

Yes, I'm trying to rip directly to iTunes. As soon as the cd is inserted, iTunes automatically opens and I was not closing it. I have done so as per your suggestion, but still no luck.
The "Automatically add....." is that within dbpoweramp or iTunes? All of the library controls within iTunes are ticked active, and I can't find anything similar in dbpoweramp set up.
Is there something within dbpoweramp that I'm missing? I have limited experience with computer audio, where/how would I find the folder created and import it to iTunes manually as you also suggested.
Thank you for your time.

[garym]

Re: Ripping to iTunes - HELP

If you are in windows, the folder you want to rip to is:

music\itunes\itunes media\automatically add to itunes

Do you see this folder in windows explorer?

[Dat Ei]

Re: Ripping to iTunes - HELP

Hey tubegem,

Yes, I'm trying to rip directly to iTunes. As soon as the cd is inserted, iTunes automatically opens and I was not closing it. I have done so as per your suggestion, but still no luck.

I think that you didn't understand my point. It is not enough that your music files are within the folders of iTunes music Folder. You have to insert the files into iTunes database by using iTunes import function or - and that is the second possibility - to rip to iTunes special folder named "Automatically add..." (have a look into the iTunes folder to find it).

The "Automatically add....." is that within dbpoweramp or iTunes?

It is a iTunes folder.

I have limited experience with computer audio, where/how would I find the folder created and import it to iTunes manually as you also suggested.

The import function is located in the main menu of iTunes (the function Name is something like "add to mediathek" or so). Unfortunatelly (or fortunatelly) I have no iTunes on my PC in the Office, but I can give you more concrete advices tonight when I'm home. I still use iTunes for my iPod classic.


Dat Ei

[garym]

Re: Ripping to iTunes - HELP

If you already have your music inside your itunes media file, from within itunes, select, FILE > add folder to library > then at the popup, locate your upper level folder containing all your music files. Don't worry that some of these are already imported. Itunes will only add the new files that are not already there.

but going forward, I'd change my dbpa settings to rip the files to the "music/itunes/itunes media/automatically add to itunes" folder.
Also, in itunes, go into EDIT > PREFERENCES > General Tab, halfway down you see the "when you insert CD" options. Yours is probably set for IMPORT CD. Change this to "show CD". This way, itunes won't try to rip the CD in your drive. You are ripping with dbpa now and don't want itunes to try to rip.

[tubegem]

Re: Ripping to iTunes - HELP

OK, I finally got it. Thanks garym and Dat Ei.
As per above, my set up was Path > /Volumes/ WD-Music/iTunes1/Music, based on the documentation I found.
I use Mac and not Windows. So changing things to >Path: /Volumes/ WD-Music/iTunes1/Automatically add to iTunes, fixed the issue. As suggested I also changed the cd options to "show cd" and that stopped the dual rip to itunes. So two albums down and another 400 to go.....
This 68 year old, thanks you both for your patience and for teaching this old dog something new. Happy Holidays.
Ed

[garym]

Re: Ripping to iTunes - HELP

great. enjoy.

[tubegem]

Re: Ripping to iTunes - HELP

NEW ISUE:
It appears that Folder.jpg with cover art is NOT attaching to the album file within iTunes. Within dbpoweramp, there is a folder marked "Not Added" which now contains all of the missing Folder.jpg files. Any idea on how to automatically include these or move these in the iTunes library? The reason for this is that I cleaning up all of my music and will make a duplicate to a separate HDD to attach to either the OPPO105D or the sms-200, both which need the Folder.jpg file in order to display the art cover.

[Spoon]

Re: Ripping to iTunes - HELP

iTunes will never move these files as it does not recognize folder.jpg

dBpoweramp also embeds the art which iTunes is using.

[garym]

Re: Ripping to iTunes - HELP

NEW ISUE:
It appears that Folder.jpg with cover art is NOT attaching to the album file within iTunes. Within dbpoweramp, there is a folder marked "Not Added" which now contains all of the missing Folder.jpg files. Any idea on how to automatically include these or move these in the iTunes library? The reason for this is that I cleaning up all of my music and will make a duplicate to a separate HDD to attach to either the OPPO105D or the sms-200, both which need the Folder.jpg file in order to display the art cover.

If you want to use itunes as your music library, you should embed the artwork in your music file tags rather than using folder.jpg. You can do this in a batch manner. Use dbpa Batch Converter. Select all your files you want to do this to (top music directory?), then select convert, then choose "Id Tag Update", then in "manipulation tab" under album art, choose "import from", enter folder.jpg, and the criteria (embedded, something like 500x500 is usually good).

[tubegem]

Re: Ripping to iTunes - HELP

Thanks for the advise. I'm actually trying to move away from iTunes as a library which is all I have used up to now. The reason for adding Folder.jpg is to get me in that direction.
Looks like the additional discs I have to rip, I'm better off ripping to the music file directly, and than open iTunes, and physically import the new albums into the iTunes library. This seems to work as I get both the imbedded cover art as well as Folder.jpg. While using dbpoweramp to rip directly to iTunes, a folder was created called "Not Added" which contained all of the .jpg artwork not transferred to iTunes. I could not access it to copy over the art work. This must have been a temp file as I don't see it today.
I don't want to use a physical computer in my music system and roon is too expensive for my needs. Any recommendations on a library that will manage music on an external HD attached to something like an sms-200?

[garym]

Re: Ripping to iTunes - HELP

Thanks for the advise. I'm actually trying to move away from iTunes as a library which is all I have used up to now. The reason for adding Folder.jpg is to get me in that direction.
Looks like the additional discs I have to rip, I'm better off ripping to the music file directly, and than open iTunes, and physically import the new albums into the iTunes library. This seems to work as I get both the imbedded cover art as well as Folder.jpg. While using dbpoweramp to rip directly to iTunes, a folder was created called "Not Added" which contained all of the .jpg artwork not transferred to iTunes. I could not access it to copy over the art work. This must have been a temp file as I don't see it today.
I don't want to use a physical computer in my music system and roon is too expensive for my needs. Any recommendations on a library that will manage music on an external HD attached to something like an sms-200?

I use Logitech Media Server (LMS) as a music server. Mine runs on a headless tiny fanless computer with 4TB of storage, stuck in a cabinet that runs 24/7. It is mostly open source and has an active user group and forum. You can install it on a very inexpensive microcomputer (Rasberry Pi, etc.). Here's an example thread on this. People have made images to use to make this "turnkey" for non-computer folks. You can run LMS on a pi and also make the pi a networked music player (ie a replacement for a hardware squeezebox touch).
http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?105018-Announce-piCorePlayer-2-00&highlight=rasberry+pi

people also use max2play as a microcomputer for this:

https://www.max2play.com/en/

http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?101856-Max2Play-Webinterface-for-Mediaclients-(Audioplayer-Squeezeserver-Airplay-XBMC)&highlight=max2play

forum at:

http://forums.slimdevices.com/index.php