Increasing memory to involve music playback

haddock26

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I have a 16gb iphone 4S, and i've filled it up. I really dont wanna faff around with manual syncing, auto syncing is just so much easier. So I need some expanded memory to tide me over til the iphone 5 is out (or even xmas if i am getting it as a present).

I've been told by my family not to swap it for a 32gb when i'll only probably be getting an iphone 5 32gb when its out.

So i've been looking at using some sorta cloud service (iCloud/ Cloud from Currys/PC world, etc). But what no one is sure about is if you can get music playback using the actual apple music player, so that it can run in the background and be controlled by the screenlock keys so that i can just skip a track at the gym.

My music is ever growing, and my bro said something about downloading my music to itunes on my laptop but not my iphone, and just having play lists on my phone.

But i like the variety and surprise of shuffle. And to be fair if i made a playlist of songs i listen most to, i'd probably have a tough decision and go for about 3/4s of my music, but then that would grow over time anyways. So it kind of defies the point. Also, i dont always skip the same tracks, it just depends on my mood. ("how do you listen to that much music?" well i just do - 1h30 at the gym each time, train rides, etc)

But like i said earlier, using the screen lock music controls is really handy. I dont wanna be on the treadmill and have to unlock my phone to go into a different app to skip tracks.

I do have an ipod classic (which pretty music lives as a player in my car), but i dont really wanna carry two devices with me all the time and then forget to put it back in my car haf the time, then have my issue of limited size on my iphone for car journeys.

Sorry for the long post, but its just to give you an idea of whats been suggested to me and how easy i want things.

Ha i sound like such a gym freak, only been going 3 months!
 
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Playlists on iPhone, rather than full library
Reduce bit rate of music synced to iPhone, to save space
Use iPod Classic for main music playback, and iPhone for "on the go" music

I do all three of the above, and haven't filled my 16gb iPhone (5gb of which is apps and photos), despite having a 58gb and growing library in iTunes
 
Playlists on iPhone, rather than full library
Reduce bit rate of music synced to iPhone, to save space
Use iPod Classic for main music playback, and iPhone for "on the go" music

I do all three of the above, and haven't filled my 16gb iPhone (5gb of which is apps and photos), despite having a 58gb and growing library in iTunes

+1 That is how I've been doing it for years. Why bring the whole music library with you. I've got smart playlists for say everything 4* rated and above..
Then I've also got a smart playlist for everything added in the last three months...

That way it is fully automatic and I only carry relevant stuff with me.
 
As ever Matt and Dejongj's avice is sound, and I like the idea of smart playlists...

... on the other hand I manage my music and vids manually. I've got a relatively small library and carry pretty much everything with me. It's nearly all in albums, so it's easy to do. I've also got 8GB+ of videos and 10GB of Apps including several O/S 50K maps which are nearly 1 GB each which I juggle. Add a couple of films and that's 32GB gone.

I hate the idea of reducing bit rates, IMHO the stuff's compressed enough as it is. Easy to say but difficult if you're on a budget but the moral for me is to buy the biggest memory you can afford. Things such as Apps are only going to get more data hungry.

My first proper MP3 player was a very nice (in 2003) Sony

Sony NW-MS70D: iPod Killer or Expensive Paper Weight? : Introduction

"The NW-MS70D provides 256MB of internal flash memory at the user's disposal, which, considering the size of the device, should be more than sufficient for all but the most obsessive audiophiles" :eek:
 
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Thanks guys.

Yeah. I've had 32gb 3GS' before. And I was just being tight by buying the 16gb. So next time I will buy the 32gb one. Since getting my 1st idevice 2 years ago my musics just grown. I also take more pics and videos than I have done on any other OS.

I'm not near my pc at the mo. but can I sync everything but music automatically?

Hmm I guess I'm gonna have to fiddle with my 10 or 11gb of music manually or do playlists then. What a bore. Can't believe there isn't a way of having it all. But I guess that's what you get when you like iOS!
 
I'm not near my pc at the mo. but can I sync everything but music automatically?

Yes... as long as you don't mind doing your videos manually as well. It's on the front page of iTunes when your phone's connected. Select your device from the LH pane then under Summary it's at the bottom under Options, check the "Manually Manage Music and Videos". Just add your albums by going to File then Add File to Library. Then drag and drop. Voila.
 
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I hate the idea of reducing bit rates, IMHO the stuff's compressed enough as it is.

I agree, but when you're talking about the difference of 320k MP3 vs 192 or even 128k MP3, in the context of playing it through a mobile device into little bud headphones or down a jack cable to a car stereo, it's really not that big a deal

Can't believe there isn't a way of having it all. But I guess that's what you get when you like iOS!

Well, you can. You just need a larger capacity device. If you have 11gb of music, a 32gb iPhone would be fine (provided you don't have more than 18/20gb of apps, movies, photos etc). It's not the iPhone's (or iOS) fault you can't fit it all on there ;)

Downconverting your bit rate will also help. I just did a side by side comparison between the same track in 320k MP3, 192k AAC and 128k AAC (I used AAC, as the built in downsample feature in iTunes for iPods and iPhones uses the AAC codec)

320k MP3 - 14.6 Mb
192k AAC - 9.5 Mb
128k AAC - 6 Mb

So as you can see, 192 is roughly two thirds the size of the 320 mp3, and the 128 AAC is almost 1 third the size. So if you reduced everything to 128k AAC when syncing to your iPhone, you'd reduce you're library size (assuming it's all 320k mp3) to nearly a third. Given there's some variables in there, I'd say you'd pretty much halve it. So if your library on the computer is 11gb, you could get that down to 5.5 or 6gb by downsampling using the stock iTunes built in feature;
 

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I suggest we're all agreeing here... whatever you do with limited memory, it's always likely to be a compromise and as Matt says, there's little point in worrying about the difference between 256 and 320 kbps if you're playing the stuff back through standard in-ear phones or through your car stereo.

On the other hand, I've got some Sennheiser HD 25-1 IIs and you very much can tell the difference between lower and higher bit rates. Even with the better quality Apple dual driver earbuds, it's worth having the highest bit rate you can. If I'm feeling lazy, I even play it through my home hi-fi and again, the higher the bit rate, the better the quality. Perversely, I find that even with Bluetooth headphones (e.g. the Moto S9 HD) where the quality is heavily compromised, the better quality bit rate stuff still sounds better.

I've ripped my entire CD collection at least five times in the last 12 years, from 48 to 64 kbps right through to what I've got now, 320 kbps. Wish I'd done it like that the first time, but back then you could only get a handful of albums on an MP3 player at anything like that bit rate. I've considered ripping the whole lot in one of the lossless formats (when I've got the odd couple of weeks to spare) but for now, for me at least, 320 kbps is a reasonable compromise.
 
Is streaming not built into iTunes Match yet then? I thought I read something about it being added.
 
I dont wanna reduce the quality. I've removed a few albums just to create a bit of space til i get round to making play lists and such.

Yeah true, its not entirely their fault i cant fit it all on, but with itunes being so easy, my music just increases! So if they were a little cheaper in the price difference between each since, i may not have been so tight! But i have learn my lesson, 32gb next time!

I think when i get my 32gb iphone I'm gonna have to start using it from day one, as an early pressie, i wont be able to cope til xmas with this little memory available!

I've heard about Match doing streaming too but i think thats ann iOS6 thing. So either way, its a waiting game for me!
 
You could have a look at AudioGalaxy in the interim. Allows you to stream from home but not sure what the data usage would be like. I've only really used it over Wifi.
 
Aha with iOS6, that would make sense. No good to you now though... It never really sat well that Match, a cloud service, was so dependant on local storage. Completely counter-intuitive. With streaming it should realise its potential as it's a great solution to this common problem (in the absence of expandable storage) and pretty good value to boot. Just hope the streaming element is not US only.

You can get free streaming with offline caching on your Lumia if you want a little music exploration in the meantime. I use it on my Lumia 800 from time to time.
 
My lumia is just a going out phone. I wanted a decent going out phone that was cheapish, but smart and not android. And I like it far more than Android, but it not quite there yet, but i could see myself leaving iOS for Windows one day maybe! If they survive the competition with Android and iOS. But back to the point, i dont use it that often. Oh that reminds me i need to update the software.

I'm not impressed with myself that im gonna cave in to an iphone 5 even tho its gonna have a different charging port so i will have to replace my accessories. I least its only two accessories for me, but once youve spent that ridiculous amount on a 32gb one, you dont wanna spend an extra £70 replacing your bit that are still fully functional.
 
haddock26 said:
I dont wanna reduce the quality. I've removed a few albums just to create a bit of space til i get round to making play lists and such.

Yeah true, its not entirely their fault i cant fit it all on, but with itunes being so easy, my music just increases! So if they were a little cheaper in the price difference between each since, i may not have been so tight! But i have learn my lesson, 32gb next time!

I think when i get my 32gb iphone I'm gonna have to start using it from day one, as an early pressie, i wont be able to cope til xmas with this little memory available!

I've heard about Match doing streaming too but i think thats ann iOS6 thing. So either way, its a waiting game for me!

I just tried it, and yes iTunes Match in combination with ios 6 most definitely does the streaming thing for me :)

Cool, I didn't realise that! Something to look forward to then for you.
 
I just 5 star my very fave tunes, a lot of which are gym orientated too.
Then my phone only auto syncs anything I 5 star
 

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