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DHeckeler Author

Level 1

24 points

Gigantic Library split over two locations

Got a new MacBook Pro M3 in Dec 2023 that has been pretty reliable. We made the switch from a Seagate 16TB USB external drive that was constantly ejecting to a RAID set-up that has been stable. This happened

in March 2024. The majority of the library (~11TB) is on the RAID unit (~20TB), but all the music that has been imported since March 2024 is on the local HD. Music plays everything without issue. Is there a good way to fix this without a giant headache? The internal HD has gone from 1TB down to 350GB left, so it's a significant amount of albums.

Drag the "Music" folder from the local HD to the RAID unit and point each album over there? Delete the folders (there are a lot) and re-import them once library knows to look at the RAID again? We use all the music for work and don't want to lose days or weeks fixing this if there's an easier solution.

Should the media file that tells music where everything is be on the RAID or the laptop?

Thanks!

MacBook Pro 16″, macOS 14.5

Posted on Oct 4, 2024 8:37 AM

23 replies

turingtest2

Level 10

274,083 points

Oct 12, 2024 4:28 AM in response to DHeckeler

I'm not sure that duplicating it would work, but exporting the list as an XML file and then importing that should do it as only tracks that can be found get reimported. Yes, a much better approach.

tt2

Oct 12, 2024 7:00 AM in response to turingtest2

turingtest2 wrote:

I'm not sure that duplicating it would work, but exporting the list as an XML file and then importing that should do it as only tracks that can be found get reimported. Yes, a much better approach.

Or export it and look at (or search) the XML, if taking that route. XML is a readable format.

turingtest2

Level 10

274,083 points

Oct 12, 2024 10:11 AM in response to DHeckeler

File > Library > Export Playlist... Choose the XML format.

Rename the original copy of the playlist.

File > Library > Import Playlist... Select the exported file.

A new playlist with the old name will be generated, only tracks that can be physically located will be added to that list.

Drag and drop a selection of tracks from one list to a new empty list should also have the same result.

I've assumed the source list is a regular playlist. If it is a smart list then the second method will give you a regular list with validated tracks.

tt2

DHeckeler Author

Level 1

24 points

Oct 13, 2024 11:21 AM in response to MrHoffman

Working my way through the XML file. There are about 3800 songs that are messed up. It's looking for them on the laptop and not the RAID. We've not moved the stuff from the laptop to the RAID yet, but will do that tonight. Making a note of the songs that are a problem so those can just be added into the playlist once we re-import the XML file.

Thank you for working through this issue with me!

Anything to know before I hit consolidate on the library tonight? I'm not going to click yes on renaming files this time. Thanks again!

Oct 10, 2024 10:12 PM in response to turingtest2

Sorry to Hijack thread, but how can I pick your brain about Music problems turingtest2? I've sent you a message yesterday to samsoft and was just wondering if you could help,

Thanx

Steve

DHeckeler Author

Level 1

24 points

Oct 11, 2024 8:33 AM in response to turingtest2

Would duplicating the list maybe fix the issues? It's going to take weeks to rebuild it. Would restoring from an old iPhone back via timemachine at least get the playlist back on the iPhone?

DHeckeler Author

Level 1

24 points

Oct 12, 2024 8:17 AM in response to MrHoffman

I've never done this before. What should I be looking for in the XML file? Thank you!

turingtest2

Level 10

274,083 points

Oct 15, 2024 8:55 AM in response to DHeckeler

Backup the .musiclibrary file before you start, and double-check the setting of the media folder.

tt2

Gigantic Library split over two locations