[Delacroix]

Ok, I know I'm doing something stupid but can't figure it out. Recently ripped (I know, 10 years too late) my CD collection to external HDs for convenience. Now, I've used iTunes for years and imported lots of stuff into it directly from discs in the past but this is different, I have a couple of thousand discs now in AIFF format and planned to use iTunes to play them while exploring other options. So, here's my odd issue. After connecting one HD and importing, I noticed the HD itself had somehow been stripped of all the AIFF files and only a log file left in each of the album folders. Odd, think I, but presumably I've not ticked the right consolidation or library function. Naturally I have back ups so I try various things but am stuck at this point and I can see the issue happening but not what I need to do to fix it.

Basically, I have an external HD of music. I set the external HD as the library and point iTunes to it. All good so far. However, when I play a track directly from the finder window, the AIFF file opens up iTunes, the music plays, but the file itself seems to vanish off the HD and end up in iTunes library only. Yeah, smoke and mirrors but then when I quit iTunes, go back to the basic OS finder window and look at the external HD, the files I've played are not there, or at least are not visible to me any more. So an album with 10 tracks, of which I play two, now has only 8 tracks listed in the finder....Even though I've checked and unchecked and checked again the consolidation box in iTunes to make copies for the iTunes library but leave the original file in place, this seems to not stick.  It's bugging me and my search of various Apple forums for help is not actually helping very much. Any clue? I feel sure there's a simple fix here. Thanks.

[Crimson]

Try unchecking the 'Copy files to Music Media Folder' in Preferences >> Files. I used to do what you're doing and remember having to tell iTunes to not consolidate files, or something to that effect.

[abernardi]

So, are you saying that when you double click on an AIFF file, it opens itunes, plays just fine and then when you go back in the finder, the AIFF file is gone?  If so, and if you go back into iTunes and it shows up fine there, then the file has been moved to wherever you pointed iTunes to look for files.  By default, iTunes sets up your media library on the boot disk in the User/Music/iTunes folder.  Did you check if iTunes moved it there? 
If not, do you know where the AIFF file has been moved to?  If you don't, you can find out by doing a "get info" within iTunes.  Highlight the song that's been moved, go to the "File" tab on the far right of the window that popped up and it will show you where the AIFF file is.
I have another question:  How did you rip your CD's?  Did you use iTunes to rip?  If so, unless you chose a different folder for iTunes to look, this shouldn't be happening.  No, let me take that back.  I had some trouble once because I too store my media on an external HD and point my iTunes to look for it the copy it there.  But sometimes when I restarted the computer the external HD didn't mount for some reason so when I started up iTunes, iTunes couldn't find the media library and defaulted back to the boot drive.  Maybe something like that has happened.  That would make sense for everything except the move vs. copy thing.
Have you tried a google search of "why does itunes move my file instead of copy", I'll bet something helpful will come up.  I hope this helps.

[Delacroix]

Thanks Crimson and Abernardi.

Used XLD to rip everything.  Here's what I see -- when I mount an external HD of music, the Finder lists the artists and albums in standard Mac file structure. If I click on an album track once, it plays as a regular audio file, no iTunes involved. That's ok. File structure remains as usual. But if I double click, iTunes opens and the plays it, and the actual file I clicked literally disappears from the Finder window in front of my eyes. Sure, it's been imported into iTunes. I get that but don't understand why even when I set iTunes preferences to copy and leave original in place, it just seems to disappear from the HD.

I can check the 'get info' feature on any iTunes track and it shows me the original AIFF file is still on my external HD, but the HD does not show it in its Finder listing, it is as if it's been moved or exported off the disc. I suppose what I need to check is if I move that HD to another Mac, does  the missing track show up there but frankly this is all a bit confusing. I've tried all the obvious import settings and can't stop this happening.

Now of course, since I've been importing, testing, and re-copying files onto the HD, my iTunes is messed up -- how easily can I just do a clean install of that? And how many places in the Preferences can one point to a library? I see one can create a new library, point to external or other places for the library to use etc. Ideally I'd like to have all my music only on an external HD, none on my laptop, and I may actually give up on iTunes at some point but I'd like to get it mastered so I can understand its limits before I take that decision.

[abernardi]

The only time I've seen a file disappear like that is when iTunes moves it according to it's own file structure using the metadata in the file.  Maybe XLD organizes or tags differently, or if you did it by hand, it may be a different structure than the way iTunes does it.  I would double check in iTunes to see where the missing file lives by control clicking or right clicking on a song within iTunes that disappeared and you'll get a drop down menu.  One of the options will be to show file in finder.  It should take you there and then you'll probably see it's in a new tree of folders that iTunes created.  If it doesn't show up then, then there's something corrupted and you should reinstall.  Hope that helps.

[avta]

Are you using Catalina? if not what OS version?

[Delacroix]

Still using Mojave 10.14.6, not updated to Catalina yet.

So, when I do the info chase, it tells me the file is still on my external HD. In other words, if I browse the external HD, pick a track, double click it and iTunes plays it, the track then shows in iTunes library and interface.  But when I look at the external HD using Finder, it's not visible, in fact if I watch that track when iTunes starts to play it, the actual file literally disappears in front of my eyes in Finder...so I'm guessing this might mean some weird XLD metadata/iTunes interaction.  I knew I should have sprung for Poweramp or equivalent....I found XLD messy enough when I started but I don't think I did anything unusual with formatting or file structure. Having gone with it for 2000cds I'm sort of invested.   Everything looks neat and tidy on my HD, except for odd compilation albums where some tracks seemed to get placed in odd folders, but everything is ripped otherwise.  So....not sure where this leaves me. Struggle with iTunes on one external HD but keep back ups on other discs until I figure it out, for sure.

So, for stuff that iTunes grabbed before, meaning when I first loaded the HD and thought I had lost everything from the disc so I refilled the disk from a back up, it tells me those tracks can't be found so can I locate. When I say 'yes' it takes me straight to the external HD and then I can 're-point' the iTunes label to the track and play the music. Funky stuff as it then tries to relocate other 'missing files' and presumably the whole dance starts again.  I really would like to start with a blank slate as far as iTunes is concerned -- so how do I enable a fresh install of the iTunes app and delete all existing libraries/metadata?

thanks - I never thought Apple would make me feel like a computer novice again, but I confess, iTunes has succeeded. Happy new year.

[avta]

If you have not done so you might run Disk Utility First Aid on your Mac HD and on your external HD.

[Delacroix]

OK, after much faffing about, I THINK I've got the answer...Did a complete reinstall, pointed to external HD and created new iTunes library. At first it seemed the same problem -- a Finder full of folders that had only log files while the music was nowhere to be found except when using iTunes. However, tracking it down I now see the AIFF files get moved into a folder on the external HD called 'Music'. I just did not see this among the list of folders of various albums that was always there. Those folders map to my music collection but each only contains the log files of the album. The actual AIFFs (which I saw 'disappearing') are shifted into the "Music" folder on the external HD which shows up at that same level as the basic file folders. It's sort of counter-intuitive to me, especially for Apple to handle file management like this but I think I've got to the bottom of it for now. Thanks all.

[avta]

I assume that when you have your HD attached it shows up on your desktop. If you open the HD by double click it’s icon does it show all your music files as ripped or downloaded ? There are free and for pay programs that are fairly easy to use. I like VOX for a free program and Audirvana for a payed one.

[Delacroix]

HD shows up on desktop, yes, and within it each album shows as a folder, as usual. Within each folder you only see the log file from XLD once iTunes is involved (even if not booted up at the time but having been used to create a library).  Before I ever create an iTunes library, the folders contain the log file and the AIFF files for each album. After iTunes library is invoked, the disk only ever mounts showing the log files in folders, the AIFF files are all moved into Music folder (which I originally never noticed as I have several albums with titles beginning with 'Music...'. Only by chasing down AIFF file types did I determine this new folder existed. And there, hey presto, are all my ripped tracks. What I need to still check is if this new structure is true when the HD is connected to another Mac, I presume it is but need to confirm for my own curiosity.

I've tried Vox in the past, seemed ok but I'm not sure what else is popular now that Roon has taken over. Sort of sitting it out on paid players until I get used to the idea of building something into my main rig (which I tried before with iTunes but thought it sounded poor). Anyway, the idea of having a couple of thousand CDs on a small portable HD remains of interest to me, just wanted to be sure I could beat iTunes into submission to play music wherever I was with a computer since I'm Mac immersed at home and office. Might be XLD is part of the issue I've been having, at least as I ripped stuff, but I hope I have that part solved for now. Appreciate the input from you, Abernardi and Crimson. I was tearing my hair out in frustration a couple of days ago at this.

[avta]

It’s always a pleasure to exchange ideas with devoted audiophiles. I recently tried and ultimately bought a lifetime subscription to Roon. I won’t go into all the details but you might give it a try. They allow for a free trial period.