The OSX/Apple support thread

[mattyn1]

Hi experts!

Am upgrading my iMac 27" to a Mac mini... Can someone please explain what DACs are all about - not particularly interested in the deeper technology but more about simple connectivity to solve some confusion... especially interested in being able to work music over video editing etc as well as listening to background music or watching YT.

M4 Mac mini has from what I see on the reviews, a really crappy on board speaker. If I wanted a half decent speaker set, do I need to connect to the front audio jack socket, or can I use a USB (to whatever audio plugs the speaker has) from perhaps a dock? The set ups on line seem to talk about a DAC - something like this:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fosi-Audio-Headphone-Digi...

Now noting I still need speakers, what does that do over something like this

https://www.amazon.co.uk/UGREEN-Adapter-Headphone-...

which I see using and doing all the speaker control on the speakers themselves... such as these:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Creative-USB-Powered-Down...

or

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Edifier-R1000T4-bookshelf...

TIA.

[Tindersticks]

The Mac Mini has a built-in DAC that is very decent quality. You don’t need an external.

[mattyn1]

Tindersticks said:

The Mac Mini has a built-in DAC that is very decent quality. You don’t need an external.

Helpful, thanks. So I just need to work out how to plug the speakers into the audio jack then? 2-1 y-lead … even I can work that out!

[Tindersticks]

Do you know which speakers? Some are USB powered now. You can add a small USB hub if you’ll need more USB slots.

[mattyn1]

Tindersticks said:

Do you know which speakers? Some are USB powered now. You can add a small USB hub if you’ll need more USB slots.

No not yet. Maybe like those linked up a bit, but no decisions!

[bad company]

I recently was subscribed to Apple Music for a 3 month free trial. Previously I used my own locally stored music ripped from my cd collection. I had a playlist of about 1500 songs.

I set up a new playlist on my iPhone adding new music as an alternative playlist.

What I wasn’t expecting was for the music app to decimate my local stored music. Some cds have gone, some have fewer songs and my 1500 song playlist has been reduced to 1 song. Ironically the 1 song left on the playlist is ‘Everybody Hurts’ by REM. I’m certainly hurting !!!

I’ve spoken with the Apple support people who tried to find the lost music files to no avail.

Just a warning for others.

[Stussy]

I assume you're storing the files on the phone? Are they still there, or has it deleted them, or just removed them from the playlist?

[bad company]

Stussy said:

I assume you're storing the files on the phone? Are they still there, or has it deleted them, or just removed them from the playlist?

They were stored on my iMac and copied to my iPhone. When the files were destroyed on the Mac they also disappeared from the iPhone.

[Stussy]

There are various settings in Music that can allow for mp3s to be removed, for example one is that it will remove files not used for ages if space is getting low
Settings > Apps > Music > Optimize Storage

[thebraketester]

bad company said:

I recently was subscribed to Apple Music for a 3 month free trial. Previously I used my own locally stored music ripped from my cd collection. I had a playlist of about 1500 songs.

I set up a new playlist on my iPhone adding new music as an alternative playlist.

What I wasn’t expecting was for the music app to decimate my local stored music. Some cds have gone, some have fewer songs and my 1500 song playlist has been reduced to 1 song. Ironically the 1 song left on the playlist is ‘Everybody Hurts’ by REM. I’m certainly hurting !!!

I’ve spoken with the Apple support people who tried to find the lost music files to no avail.

Just a warning for others.

Have you setup a different library by mistake? I’ve had this before.

[bad company]

thebraketester said:

bad company said:

I recently was subscribed to Apple Music for a 3 month free trial. Previously I used my own locally stored music ripped from my cd collection. I had a playlist of about 1500 songs.

I set up a new playlist on my iPhone adding new music as an alternative playlist.

What I wasn’t expecting was for the music app to decimate my local stored music. Some cds have gone, some have fewer songs and my 1500 song playlist has been reduced to 1 song. Ironically the 1 song left on the playlist is ‘Everybody Hurts’ by REM. I’m certainly hurting !!!

I’ve spoken with the Apple support people who tried to find the lost music files to no avail.

Just a warning for others.

Have you setup a different library by mistake? I’ve had this before.

No. I spent 2 hours on the phone with 3 Apple support technicians. They confirmed music has gone.

I still have the CDs so can rip them again but that’s going to take a loooooooong time.

[tog]

Did they explain how or why it happened? I have recently signed up to Apple Music, at the behest of my wife and children, but still only really listen to my ripped CDs myself. All my music is kept on a drive connected to an old Mac Mini that is only used as a music server, and I sync a few albums at a time over to my phone, changing them every few months. (Old fashioned I know, but it works for me and how I listen to music.)

[bad company]

tog said:

Did they explain how or why it happened? I have recently signed up to Apple Music, at the behest of my wife and children, but still only really listen to my ripped CDs myself. All my music is kept on a drive connected to an old Mac Mini that is only used as a music server, and I sync a few albums at a time over to my phone, changing them every few months. (Old fashioned I know, but it works for me and how I listen to music.)

No, they didn’t understand why it happened. Oddly some album songs on my Mac are now greyed out but they play through my iPhone.

[tog]

bad company said:

No, they didn’t understand why it happened. Oddly some album songs on my Mac are now greyed out but they play through my iPhone.

That's slightly concerning in itself, but implies it should be an unusual occurrence. My rips are backed up, but hopefully it won't come to that.

[bad company]

tog said:

bad company said:

No, they didn’t understand why it happened. Oddly some album songs on my Mac are now greyed out but they play through my iPhone.

That's slightly concerning in itself, but implies it should be an unusual occurrence. My rips are backed up, but hopefully it won't come to that.

I’m going to cancel my Apple Music fee trial, re build my cd playlist and take a subscription with Spotify.

[stemll]

bad company said:

No. I spent 2 hours on the phone with 3 Apple support technicians. They confirmed music has gone.

I still have the CDs so can rip them again but that’s going to take a loooooooong time.

Do you have sync library ticked in Apple Music?

[bad company]

I’ve shut down now, I’ll take a look at the sync library tomorrow. For now I’ve disconnected the computer from the internet so Apple can’t cause any more damage.

As an example this was a ripped cd with 22 songs.
M

[bad company]

Looks like mine isn’t an isolated incident:-

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/255572425?sor...

[BlueMR2]

Do you have a time machine backup?

[bad company]

BlueMR2 said:

Do you have a time machine backup?

I’d never heard of Time Machine until the Apple support people put me onto it. I did have another backup which proved useless. I’m using Time Machine now. My fault.

I’m busy re ripping my cds which is fine but time consuming. This morning’s issue is this 2 cv album where 1 disc syncs from the Mac to my iPhone but the other refuses to.