Have your say & ask the experts

Create a new library, import all the music, then delete the lossless ones (create a smart playlist 'where bitrate contains lossless'0. And vice versa for the other library.

Hasty edit - this requires further explanation before you do that, will come back shortly.

More correctly:

- Create a new library
- Check 'Copy files to iTunes Media folder when adding to library' in preferences (on the Mac, WIndows may vary)
- Import the music from the original iTunes Library folder using File/Add to library
- You will then have two copies of the library, both containing both the lossless and lossy files, but in separate folders

Now delete the lossless ones (put 'lossless' in the search bar) in one library - this becomes your lossy library. Delete the lossy files from the other library (sort by bitrate ascending and delete the top half) - this becomes your lossless one.

Does that make sense?

JohnDuncan:

More correctly:- Create a new library- Check 'Copy files to iTunes Media folder when adding to library' in preferences (on the Mac, WIndows may vary)- Import the music from the original iTunes Library folder using File/Add to library- You will then have two copies of the library, both containing both the lossless and lossy files, but in separate foldersNow delete the lossless ones (put 'lossless' in the search bar) in one library - this becomes your lossy library. Delete the lossy files from the other library (sort by bitrate ascending and delete the top half) - this becomes your lossless one.Does that make sense?

Thanks JD - I really appreciate you taking the time.  I'll give this a go either tonight or tomorrow and let you know how i get on!

Dan Turner:

JohnDuncan:

More correctly:- Create a new library- Check 'Copy files to iTunes Media folder when adding to library' in preferences (on the Mac, WIndows may vary)- Import the music from the original iTunes Library folder using File/Add to library- You will then have two copies of the library, both containing both the lossless and lossy files, but in separate foldersNow delete the lossless ones (put 'lossless' in the search bar) in one library - this becomes your lossy library. Delete the lossy files from the other library (sort by bitrate ascending and delete the top half) - this becomes your lossless one.Does that make sense?

Thanks JD - I really appreciate you taking the time.  I'll give this a go either tonight or tomorrow and let you know how i get on!

I've done it - worked a treat.  I now have 2 libraries on my computer - one containing lossless files for home replay and one a replica consisting of 128kbps AAC files for syncing to my iPhone!  The latter is syncing as I type. Fabulous!

Thanks to Professorhat and JohnDuncan.