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10.4: Use Automator to mass-convert iTunes tracks
Authored by: designbot on Jun 30, '05 01:36:38PM

There have been a lot of incredibly bass-ackwards hints around here lately. Things like convoluted AppleScripts to set the preferences for one rule in Mail, or Automator worflows to carry out one command in iTunes. Is anybody reviewing these at all?

1. Select all.
2. Convert to AAC.
3. Select all MP3's.
4. Delete.

How does a workflow combined with a smart playlist make this simpler? Leaving aside the fact that this is a bad idea in the first place.



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Agreed
Authored by: lullabud on Jun 30, '05 02:45:32PM

Your statments pretty much sum up what I thought. Of course, I've been on the other end of this, submitting hints which were difficult ways to do things that are easier in other ways. Too bad we don't have a rating system for hints.



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hint ratings
Authored by: sjk on Jul 01, '05 03:36:35PM

How would hint ratings add value without some way to consistently verify their integrity? There'd probably end up being at least as many "bogus" ratings as "dubious" hints. And too much personal, emotional bias.

Would ratings really improve the current combination of Rob's filtering/reviewing and user commentary, which work pretty well together even if it's not a flawless process? Personally, I often get more useful, accurate information via hint feedback than an original so wouldn't that deserve a rating, too?



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10.4: Use Automator to mass-convert iTunes tracks
Authored by: rhowell on Jun 30, '05 03:07:17PM

I'm curious how you'd implement step 3. By command clicking on 1000+ scattered entries in your library? Sounds like something a script could do better.



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10.4: Use Automator to mass-convert iTunes tracks
Authored by: maddys_daddy on Jun 30, '05 03:12:48PM

By making a Smart Playlist with criterion "Kind" "is" "MPEG audio file."
Done, simple as that. Select all and delete.



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10.4: Use Automator to mass-convert iTunes tracks
Authored by: tandemrepeat on Jun 30, '05 03:12:57PM

Just add the "Kind" column by right (or control) clicking on any column header in the iTunes main pane and sort your library by Kind by clicking on that new column header...then you can just shift-click select the songs of a particular kind and Robert's your mothers brother!



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10.4: Use Automator to mass-convert iTunes tracks
Authored by: thoughton on Jun 30, '05 03:20:13PM

Just like Rev. Al above, perhaps you should stop to think before making sweeping statements.

The sort of people who would be interested in this hint are probably the ones who are low on HD space. So your method, which almost doubles the size of your iTunes library, suddenly isn't such a great solution ;-)



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10.4: Use Automator to mass-convert iTunes tracks
Authored by: designbot on Jun 30, '05 04:49:14PM

As far as I can tell, Automator does the exact same thing. It just "automates" it. There's no way you're going to convert MP3 files to AAC files without having enough disk space to hold both.



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10.4: Use Automator to mass-convert iTunes tracks
Authored by: DougAdams on Jul 03, '05 01:21:20PM

I'd like to point out, as the author of the Automator Action under discussion, that it is not intended to be used as a stand-alone Action, and certainly not meant to emulate something that iTunes is already capable of. Ideally, it is meant to work with the other Actions offerend in the collection in various Workflow configurations. For example, you can create a Workflow that: selects some or all CD tracks; changes your encoder on the fly; converts the CD tracks; loads them to a specific iPod playlist; deletes the original files in iTunes; restores your original Preferences-set encoder. There are many other combinations that can be created of course.

---
Doug's AppleScripts for iTunes
http://www.dougscripts.com/itunes/



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