Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)




 

Installation

 

  • How to install iSyncer?
    To install iSyncer please use the Installer.
    Just unzip the zip/tgz archive and run the installation.
    After execution of iSyncer all important files are stored in your user directory, see subdirectory 'iSyncer'.

 

  • Why is the Java Runtime required?
    With Java is it possible to offer the same application for various platforms. In this case for Windows and Mac OS.
    The Java Runtime Environment will not be installed on the system. Instead the Runtime will be unpacked and used to run iSyncer.

 

  • Is it possible to store the iSyncer directory outside of the user directory?
    It's possible for Windows. You can move the iSyncer directory from the Windows user directory to the AppData/Roaming directory. iSyncer also recognizes the AppData directory.
    For Mac OS, only the user directory is supported.

 

  • Which iTunes/Apple Music software is compatible?
    Windows: Only iTunes is compatible. Apple Music for Windows is currently not supported, as Apple does not have a known API.
    Mac OS: iTunes and Apple Music is compatible.

 

Update

 

  • How to perform an update?
    Upgrading is easy:
    Download the latest version HERE, unpack the zip/tgz archive and run the installation.

 

  • Is is possible to skip versions for an update?
    Yes, you can switch immediately to the latest version of iSyncer.

 

  • Will I lose my existing configurations when updating?
    No, you configurations are not lost. All important files are stored in your user directory, see subdirectory 'iSyncer'.

 

Uninstallation

 

  • How to uninstall iSyncer?
    Windows: iSyncer can be uninstalled normally through the operating system. Please use the uninstall via the Control Panel.
    Mac: Remove the iSyncer application, as well as the iSyncer directory in the user directory of your Mac.

 

iSyncer usage

 

  • Is iSyncer for free?
    Of course, iSyncer is for free.
    However, you can support the project with a donation. Please follow the Donation-Button at the bottom of this page and take advantage of various benefits (see Registration). Please consider the effort involved in such a project.

 

  • Why is a profile required?
    With a profile you define your desired synchronization configuration.
    So you're able to manage different scenarios.
    For example configurations for different SD cards and USB sticks of different purposes.

 

  • What is a 'Config'?
    A 'Config' defines the format to sync an iTunes/Apple Music playlist.
    You have a variety of possibilities, eg.
    • Playlist/Artist - Song
    • Playlist/SortNr - Artist - Song
    • Playlist/Artist/Song
    • Playlist/Album/Song - Artist
    • Playlist/Album/Disc/# - Song - Artist
    • Playlist/ArtistAlbum/Album/# - Song
    • And many, many more!
    Everything before the slash (/) represents directories which are created by the sync.
    The hyphen (-) is a separation of the informations in the file name.

 

  • What does the tags mean in the 'Config'?
    Here is an explanation of the tags:
    Tag Meaning in iTunes/Apple Music
    Playlist Name of playlist
    Filename Original Filename
    Song Name (see ID3 tag)
    Artist Artist (see ID3 tag)
    # Track Number (see ID3 tag)
    Album Album (see ID3 tag)
    ArtistAlbum Album Artist (see ID3 tag)
    Disc Disc Number (see ID3 tag)
    Genre Genre (see ID3 tag)
    SortNr Sort order of the playlist
    SortNr2 Sort order of the playlist, in reverse order (opposite of SortNr)
    SortNr10 Sort order of the playlist (see SortNr) starting from 10, 100, 1000, etc. depending on the number of songs in the playlist

 

  • Why are there problems when the name of an iTunes/Apple Music playlist is used multiple times?
    The name of an iTunes/Apple Music playlist unfortunately has to be unique in order to be able to establish the correct reference in iTunes/Apple Music. Therefore, multiple playlists using the same name can not be uniquely assigned when reading from iTunes/Apple Music. As a result, synchronization is not complete because a playlist name allows only a single mapping in iTunes/Apple Music.
    Although there are technical IDs when reading the iTunes/Apple Music playlists, but these IDs refer to the iTunes/Apple Music session. That means, the next time you run iTunes/Apple Music, the IDs are changed, so the mapping over an ID is lost.
    Therefore, the name of playlist must be unique. Please adjust the iTunes/Apple Music library accordingly.

 

  • What's the difference between 'Artist' and 'Album Artist'?
    Perhaps a difference is useful for configs with artist.
    Here is a classic example:
    'Playlist/Artist/# - Song'      vs.      'Playlist/ArtistAlbum/# - Song'

    Often contains the attribute Artist (Artist) of a music track a variety of artists (with: 'feat.' '&', etc.).
    The additional attribute Album Artist (ArtistAlbum) is helpful to synchronize all songs with the main artist.
    Make sure that the main artist is stored in the id3 tag album artist of your songs.
    With the config options 'ArtistAlbum' will you receive a synchronization result according to the main artist.

 

  • Is it possible to synchronize my music into a unified directory?
    Of course. Use one of the various configs in the profile manager, which starts with 'Music ...' or 'Music ...'.
    To get matching playlists for each iTunes/Apple Music playlist, you can select a playlist format (e.g. m3u). With sorting option 'iTunes/Apple Music' each playlist is sorted according to the iTunes/Apple Music playlist.

 

  • How can I synchronize my music in order to the iTunes/Apple Music playlist?
    You have two possibilites:
    1. Use a config with 'SortNr', 'SortNr2' (reverse order) or 'SortNr10' (see SortNr starting from 10, 100, 1000, ...).
    2. Use the m3u/m3u8/pls/wpl/xspf playlist format with the sort option 'iTunes/Apple Music'.

 

  • How to improve performance?
    The performance depends on various factors, but mainly on the amount of files and the speed of the target disk. A slow USB stick or a slow SD card extends a sync process (I/O time).
    The iSyncer profile composition also plays an important role. The options for audio conversion and especially the artwork scaling needs much more time.
    Tip: If you really need audio conversion and/or artwork scaling, you should execute the very first sync process to your hard drive (ideally an SSD). This runs much faster than a sync towards a USB stick or SD card. After that the finished result only has to be moved (or copied) to the target (USB stick or SD card). This saves you a lot of time and after the first sync process, only the delta is synchronized anyway. This means that each additional sync directly to the target (USB stick or SD card) takes less time.

 

  • How do I avoid duplicates?
    You can use a Config for your iTunes/Apple Music playlists that does not start with 'Playlist/', e.g. 'Music/Artist/Album/# - Song'.
    All songs will be copied to a unified directory.
    To get playlists in reference to your iTunes/Apple Music playlists, you can use a playlists format, see 'Is it possible to create playlist formats?'.

 

  • Is it possible to convert the music into another format?
    Yes, you have the option to convert your music with sync into the formats 'm4a', 'mp3', 'ogg', 'wav' or 'flac'.

    Short explanation of the conversion options:
    MP3 - 128kbps (from M4A, AIF, MP3) (1):
    Converts all specified formats into mp3. The bit rate is limited to 128.
    MP3 - 192kbps (from M4A, AIF, MP3) (1):
    Converts all specified formats into mp3. The bit rate is limited to 192.
    MP3 - 256kbps (from M4A, AIF, MP3):
    Converts all specified formats into mp3. The bit rate is limited to 256.
    MP3 - 320kbps (from M4A, AIF, MP3) (1):
    Converts all specified formats into mp3. The bit rate is limited to 320.
    M4A - 128kbps, AAC (from MP3, AIF, M4A) (1):
    Converts all specified formats into m4a (as AAC). The bit rate is limited to 128.
    All Apple Lossless m4a files are also converted to AAC.
    M4A - 192kbps, AAC (from MP3, AIF, M4A) (1):
    Converts all specified formats into m4a (as AAC). The bit rate is limited to 192.
    All Apple Lossless m4a files are also converted to AAC.
    M4A - 256kbps, AAC (from MP3, AIF, M4A):
    Converts all specified formats into m4a (as AAC). The bit rate is limited to 256.
    All Apple Lossless m4a files are also converted to AAC.
    M4A - 320kbps, AAC (from MP3, AIF, M4A) (1):
    Converts all specified formats into m4a (as AAC). The bit rate is limited to 320.
    All Apple Lossless m4a files are also converted to AAC.
    OGG - 128kbps (from M4A, AIF, MP3) (1):
    Converts all specified formats into ogg. The bit rate is limited to 128.
    OGG - 192kbps (from M4A, AIF, MP3) (1):
    Converts all specified formats into ogg. The bit rate is limited to 192.
    OGG - 256kbps (from M4A, AIF, MP3) (1):
    Converts all specified formats into ogg. The bit rate is limited to 256.
    OGG - 320kbps (from M4A, AIF, MP3) (1):
    Converts all specified formats into ogg. The bit rate is limited to 320.
    WAV (from M4A, AIF, MP3) (1):
    Converts all specified formats into wav.
    FLAC (from M4A, MP3):
    Converts all specified formats into flac.

    There are also conversion rules available.

    Short explanation of the conversion rules:
    at Format Deviation, Bitrate Overrun:
    A conversion occurs when the format of the file does not correspond to the target format, or if the bit rate is higher than the desired bit rate.
    at Format Deviation (1):
    A conversion occurs only if the format of the file does not correspond to the target format.
    at Bitrate Overrun (1):
    A conversion occurs only if the bit rate is higher than the desired bit rate.
    only M4A (1):
    A conversion occurs only for M4A files.
    only M4A at Bitrate Overrun (1):
    A conversion occurs only for M4A files if the bit rate is higher than the desired bit rate.
    only M4A, AIF (1):
    A conversion occurs only for M4A and AIF files.
    only M4A, AIF at Bitrate Overrun (1):
    A conversion occurs only for M4A and AIF files if the bit rate is higher than the desired bit rate.

    Attention:
    A conversion increases the synchronization time significantly.

    (1) Only with registration.

 

  • After synchronization folders / titles appears with 'unknown'.
    'Unknown' is set if a necessary ID3 tag information of a song is missing.
    Please complete the ID3 tags in this case.

 

  • Is it possible to create playlist formats?
    Yes, it is possible to create playlist formats in m3u, m3u8 (UTF-8), pls, wpl or xspf.
    A playlist is created according to an iTunes/Apple Music playlist.

    Overview:
    m3u (Windows)
    m3u (Mac)
    m3u8 (Windows)
    m3u8 (Mac)
    pls (Windows)
    pls (Mac)
    wpl (Windows)
    xspf (Mac)
    Windows means: \ as separator in file paths.
    Mac means: / as separator in file paths.

    Additional options:
    Sorting:
    Sorting the playlist in accordance to filename, or according to sort-order of the iTunes/Apple Music playlist (1).
    Storage Location:
    The playlists can be created directly in the target directory, or in a separate subdirectory '\Playlists' (1).
    Hierarchy level:
    With version 2.2.0 the hierarchy level option was added. This means that you could automatically create playlist formats for created subdirectories. For example subdirectory Genre in Config 'Playlist/Genre/# - Artist - Song' (Level 2) (1).
    The level represents the hierarchy of the directory structure. Level 1 always corresponds to the iTunes/Apple Music playlist.
    More information is available HERE.
    Limit:
    Since version 2.3.0, you can also limit (1) the playlists.
    More information is available HERE.

    (1) Only with registration.

 

  • What is the hierachy level?
    With the hierarchy level is it possible to automatically create playlist formats for created subdirectories. For example subdirectory Genre in Config 'Playlist/Genre/# - Artist - Song' (Level 2) (1).
    The level represents the hierarchy of the directory structure. Level 1 always corresponds to the iTunes/Apple Music playlist.

    Explanation of the hierarchy with an example:
    Config: 'Music/Year/Genre/Artist/Album/# - Song'
    Level 1 = iTunes/Apple Music playlist
    Level 2 = Directory for 'Year'
    Level 3 = Directory for 'Genre'
    Level 4 = Directory for 'Artist'
    Level 5 = Directory for 'Album'

    Example result:
    Config: 'Music/Genre/Artist/Album/# - Song'
    · Music
      · Nu Metal
        · Linkin Park
          · Living Things and Recharged
          · The Hunting Party
      · Rock
        · AC_DC
          · Black Ice
          · Family Jewels
          · High Voltage
          · T.N.T

    Playlistformats for level 2:
    Nu_Metal~~Music.m3u
    Rock~~Music.m3u

    Playlistformats for level 4:
    Living Things and Recharged~~Linkin Park~~Nu Metal~~Music.m3u
    The Hunting Party~~Linkin Park~~Nu Metal~~Music.m3u
    Black Ice~~AC_DC~~Rock~~Music.m3u
    Family Jewels~~AC_DC~~Rock~~Music.m3u
    High Voltage~~AC_DC~~Rock~~Music.m3u
    T.N.T~~AC_DC~~Rock~~Music.m3u

    (1) Only with registration.

 

  • What is the limit?
    The limit (1) sets a maximum value for your playlists. It means that a playlist gets not more than the specified number of songs.
    With this setting the playlist will be divided into several parts (playlists).
    The input value must be a valid integer.

    (1) Only with registration.

 

  • What is the Artwork Dimension?
    With the artwork dimension you can resize your artwork/covers. The options 300x300px, 500x500px, 900x900px, 1200x1200px and 1500x1500px are available for MP3, M4A and OGG. Larger artworks/covers will be scaled down. Smaller artworks/covers will not be changed.

    At the example 300x300px:
    Artwork 1200x1200px: Scale down to 300x300px.
    Artwork 240x240px: No change.

    (1) Only with registration.

 

  • What means the option 'Delete hidden files' (Mac OS)?
    These option cleans the hidden system files of Mac OS. For example '.fseventsd', '.Spotlight-V100', '.Trashes', etc. It cleans only hidden system directories and files in the destination directory.
    Hint: Please be careful when using on the system disk!

 

  • What means the option 'Use attribute "Artist" if attribute "ArtistAlbum" is missing'?
    If you use a config with 'ArtistAlbum' and there are songs with missing 'ArtistAlbum' tag, the 'Artist' attribute is automatically used.

 

  • What means the option 'Use sort attributes instead of normal attributes'?
    This option will use the sort attributes 'Sort Song', 'Sort Artist', 'Sort Artist Album' and 'Sort Album' instead of the normal 'Song', 'Artist', 'Artist Album' and 'Album' attributes.
    Note: If a sort attribute is missing, the normal attribute is automatically used.

 

  • What means the option 'Skip copy-protected media'?
    Media with the ending 'm4p' (copy-protected media file) will be skipped in sync process.

 

  • What means the option 'Skip disabled media'?
    Disabled songs in iTunes/Apple Music will be skipped in sync process.

 

  • What means the option 'The conversion is performed using multi-threading'?
    You have the choice (1) of whether the audio conversion is performed by multithreading.
    On some systems the conversion via multithreading causes an overload, so a simple conversion is more advisable.

    (1) Only with registration.

 

  • What means the option 'Without deletion'?
    A sync does not delete data that has been previously synced. Only new files and changes will be considered. And removed iTunes/Apple Music playlists in the profile will be retained.

 

  • What means the option 'With directory structure of iTunes/Apple Music'?
    You have the choice whether the directory structure from iTunes/Apple Music is included in the synchronization (1).
    So if you have structured your playlists into folders, you have the option to keep this structure.
    In order to get the desired result, you have to add the iTunes/Apple Music playlist into the profile. Adding the iTunes/Apple Music folder will only sync the folder because the folder will also be treated as a playlist.

    (1) Only with registration.

 

  • What means the option 'Note sorting in the file system'?
    For some playback devices, the order in which the files are copied to the file system is important to playing them in the correct order. This option solves this problem when new files are added due to a sync.

 

  • What means the option 'SafeMode'?
    The SafeMode removes all special characters and accents from the file names during synchronization. Some playback devices cannot recognize and play music tracks with these characters.

 

Registration

 

  • What are the benefits of registration?
    The advantage is an enhanced functionality.
    New functions:

 

  • How does the registration work?
    Support the iSyncer project to cover the running costs with a donation. The amount of the support is up to you. Please consider the effort involved in such a project.
    As thanks you will receive a registration code to your mail address (1) (2). Please check also your spam folder.

    Attention: The processing and distribution of the code may take several days.

    You have to transmit the registration code with mailaddress (1) (2) in the iSyncer registration form.
    Complete the registration process and afterwards the additional functions are available.
    The registration form can be found in the menu of the iSyncer application (entry mask) at 'Info' -> 'Registration'.

    Note: You can register up to 3 devices with the registration code. The management of the devices is also in iSyncer.

    If you have any problems just contact us by sending an e-mail to registration@isyncer.de.

    (1) PayPal:
    Your mail address from PayPal transaction.

    (2) Cryptocurrencies Bitcoin and Litecoin:
    Please send a mail to registration@isyncer.de with the transaction number so that we can generate a code for your mail address. Otherwise no assignment is possible.

 

  • Where to put the registration code?
    The registration form for entering the registration code can be found in the application.
    Please start iSyncer and select in the menu of the entry mask 'Info' -> 'Registration'.

Donation:
Like this software?
You could support the project with a donation. As thanks for the support, you will receive a registration code. Donations can be made with PayPal or with cryptocurrencies (*) Bitcoin and Litecoin.
Please consider the effort involved in such a project.

(*) Note for cryptocurrencies Bitcoin and Litecoin:
Please send a mail to registration@isyncer.de with the transaction number so that we can generate a code for your mail address. Otherwise no assignment is possible.

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My claim with iSyncer is to provide a clean solution for exporting music from iTunes/Apple Music. And with clean I mean a product free from advertising and adware

Michael Fischhaber, Developer of iSyncer

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