music files deleted form iPad after synchronization in iTunes on MacBook Pro

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music files deleted form iPad after synchronization in iTunes on MacBook Pro

Hi,

Every time I sync my iPad in iTunes on my MacBook, about a 1000 tunes of my 7000 (all private, non iTunes/Apple bought mp3's and aiff, wav files) library is deleted and then re-copied to an iPad (what takes hours).

I have multiple library backups on external devices. I use my library to dj. Lately with an iPad controller (iDJPro). This auto-deleting and recopying is very frustrating as it takes hours. Especially happening before a gig.

I would appreciate any advice or solution <3

Macbook Pro 13" 2011 10.13.6 High Sierra with iTunes 12.8.2.3, iPad Air 2 14.3 (all - last updated)

All the best and happy new year!

Piotr

Posted on Dec 30, 2020 8:30 AM

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Answer 1

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turingtest2

Level 10

274,222 points

Jan 5, 2021 5:57 PM in response to piotr27

Sounds like manual management is an acceptable workaround for the issue.

FWIW I wouldn't care to have my 65,000 tracks in a flat folder with no track numbers. I like being able to drill down through my artists, see all of the album folders each with their own artwork, and then in each album see the tracks in album order sorted by their leading track numbers. None of which really matters when you use software to play the content because it can organize in multiple ways none of which relate to the physical organization in storage. In fact in my own library I've added A-Z folders to break up the artists so there aren't too many folders in one level to easily search through.

tt2

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Answer 2

turingtest2

Level 10

274,222 points

Jan 5, 2021 10:43 AM in response to piotr27

I'm a fellow user with no power to influence Apple at all. I've been wrangling iTunes for about 13 years trying to bend it to my will and I know it can sometimes be just plain awkward. Logical duplicates, two tracks linked to the same physical file definitely have a tendency to sync twice overwriting each other, and being copied over with every sync. Tracks with non-empty values in Work (which in turn may have been inherited from values that used to be in Grouping via an earlier bug when Work & Movement were introduced) definitely cause repeat syncing with older pre-iOS devices. They shouldn't really cause a problem with iOS devices, but perhaps can do so in certain circumstances. Since you appear to have ruled out both of those mechanisms I'm trying to work out what else it might be. You have my best guess so far, which I realise might be well wide of the mark.

You could try this advice, which I normally offer for slightly different symptoms.

Try iTunes > Preferences > Devices > Reset Sync History and then try syncing once more.

If that hasn't helped try signing out of the iTunes Store on the device and then try again. (Unlikely to be help in this case.)

Otherwise see this post on erratic syncing.

tt2

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Answer 3

turingtest2

Level 10

274,222 points

Jan 5, 2021 1:00 PM in response to piotr27

Apple Support personnel don't generally read these user to user forums. You can try Feedback - iTunes - Apple, but I wouldn't hold my breath. I don't recall seeing your exact symptoms before. I think you'll need to run through the steps in erratic syncing, even if only to confirm they don't help, before it is worth trying anything else. Assuming it doesn't help then I'd be tempted to make a clone of the library, let iTunes reorganize the clone into artist and album folders the way it normally would with the Keep Organized option, and then see if it was able to sync normally without repeat copying after an initial sync. Clearly that would require an investment of time, but it might be the only way to eliminate the current layout as the cause.

tt2

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Answer 4

turingtest2

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274,222 points

Dec 30, 2020 12:31 PM in response to piotr27

Compare the Work and Grouping columns in the songs view. If you're not actively using the Work & Movement option for classical music then you want the Work field to be empty. This may have inherited values from Grouping at some point in the past, and may be a factor in the repeat syncing. You should also eliminate any duplicates from the library as they can also be a factor.

tt2

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Answer 5

piotr27 Author

Level 1

8 points

Jan 5, 2021 4:39 AM in response to turingtest2

Thank you very much for your help. I appreciate it, and I still look for the other solutions and suggestions to fix this issue.

Work and Movement option in details view is not even turned on (not ticked), in any of my music files. I never had used it and never had classical music files in my library. I have examined (cmd all) that with all files in my library.

The very few duplicates found in iTunes, are different versions or extensions of a same title I use. They are not identical files or size. I do use the both (extended or regular version, mp3 or aiff). And it is really a few duplicates as such recognized by iTunes in my library.

Again: about a 1000 of 7000 library is being deleted from the iPad and recopied in the syncing process.

What could be other ideas or solutions?

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Answer 6

turingtest2

Level 10

274,222 points

Jan 5, 2021 5:39 AM in response to piotr27

Can you isolate a particular track that gets removed and copied back? Compare the file path noted in Song Info > File > Location with its true location in Finder. Is there any mismatch of case between the two?

tt2

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Answer 7

piotr27 Author

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Jan 5, 2021 7:23 AM in response to turingtest2

All the files of the Itunes library are stored directly in one folder (no subfolders there at all). It is a "Serato" folder in "Macintosh" drive which is a second internal drive (I got it replaced on the place of the dvd Idrive long time ago).

As I keep all those music files on the second drive, there is no files at all in my system's drive ("mbpro") in default iTunes folder (/Users/mbpro/Music/iTunes/iTunes Media). And the folder "Music" there I keep empty. In iTunes folders is only functional library file: iTunes Music Library.xml.

I have consciously track the removed file's location and it's properties. It is all the same as the rest of the non removed files. It has the same location - the same and only one music folder where I store all my library files, with no subfolders.

Below you have examples of locations: first file there got removed, other - stayed:

/Volumes/Macintosh/serato/Blackbelt Andersen - Kuk Av Stal.mp3

/Volumes/Macintosh/serato/Ashford & Simpson - Stay Free.mp3

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Answer 8

turingtest2

Level 10

274,222 points

Jan 5, 2021 7:43 AM in response to piotr27

As far as iTunes is concerned the functional library file is the iTunes Library.itl file. Libraries original created with much older versions of iTunes on a Mac may omit the extension. The XML is there to support third party applications.

It is possible that your non-standard naming convention is behind your issue. When iTunes syncs content to a device the files that go onto it are placed in 50 hidden folders named F00 to F49 and given seemingly random four letter filenames. One suspects there is actually a mechanism that creates these names and that something goes wrong when the library tries to work out if a file is already present or not. If many of your files have the same artist, and thus the same initial dozen or so characters, then perhaps that exhausts any mechanism that is in place to cope when two or more tracks would otherwise be given the same randomized file name and folder.

tt2

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Answer 9

piotr27 Author

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8 points

Jan 5, 2021 9:37 AM in response to turingtest2

If what you are suggesting is the case - then several Apple users who have large music collections (mine of 7000 files is not even a big one) are in danger. And naming files "artist - title", as far as I observe is very common practice, as those files and libraries may travel across various systems and devices and backup drives of fans, DJs, music lovers, collectors.

Are you in power to engage apple software developers to fix this issue in future iTunes and Apple Music and other updates, to as soon as it is possible, find and implement the safe and easy way to protect and sync of libraries over Mac OSs and devices?

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Answer 10

piotr27 Author

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8 points

Jan 5, 2021 12:31 PM in response to turingtest2

Well I am grateful there is someone on earth sharing experience on this issue and helping. Please receive my blessings for that. Let's hope somebody from Apple Support team reads this and do something to solve or repair it!

I have no Reset Sync History (and see no backups) in iTunes > Preferences > Devices >, so I couldn't do this one.

I have just reset iTunes Store cache memory in ...>Advanced tab.

On Mac I have just logout/login with iTunes/Apple Store in Account tab.

On the iPad for Apple Store, I had to log out and login with Apple ID which I just did.

I have just launch sync on MacBook on iTunes... and immediately, again 1100+ files is deleted/greyed on iPad and being recopied in the last, 4th sync step (I am suspecting they are always the same files as I recognized some). It means I will have to leave both devices turned on over hours/a night now, using energy and exploiting both MacBook and iPad and beeing deprived of the access to my files on the iPad deleted by the faulty system.

The idea of the sync function is a great thing. Hopefully, until it works, there is a solution or at least a workaround to easy and successfully update iTunes library, files, playlists from the MacBook to the iPad.

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Answer 11

piotr27 Author

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8 points

Jan 5, 2021 1:53 PM in response to turingtest2

I did these steps form "erratic syncing" with a iPad and then in Apple Store, iCloud...

Backup device.

Restore as a new device.

Restore the backup you made earlier.

So Keep it Organized option should lessen possibility of creating similar "code names" for files on iPad? If ithis is really the problem here...

I guess this option means moving my files to subfolders on MacBook, reorganizing my collection there? Will they be also moved from original folder where I keep them on second drive to the iTunes folder on the system drive? I don't have space on the system drive for music files, and the actual location of the files is remembered by my DJ software and its playlists/crates. It would be a mess there.

I have just send that feedback, detailed, and wrote there what I already did and try.

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Answer 12

turingtest2

Level 10

274,222 points

Jan 5, 2021 3:06 PM in response to piotr27

I don't know if the layout is the cause of the problem. Were it me it would be something I would try, with a cloned copy of the library on a different drive, assuming I had the time and the space for the experiment, but given your need for things to suit the way you work with them in your DJ software it is probably not worth the effort. I guess save updating the iPad for quiet weekends.

tt2

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Answer 13

piotr27 Author

Level 1

8 points

Jan 5, 2021 5:36 PM in response to turingtest2

So it appears this reoccuring auto-deleting files on devices is caused by iTunes' archaic organizing and renaming files system on Apple devices.

What I found helpful in this case, to avoid automatic deletion of the files, or if it happen get them then re-copied faster, is to sync via usb cable - lot much faster then via wifi, and to use (to tick in iPad icon >summary) option "sync only checked songs..." (to first un-grey this option, go into iTunes>preferences>general that has a box for show list checkboxes) and rather than sync all at once, to try to add selected files manually to the iPad library in iTunes library via file+option>add to device.

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