Frequently Asked Questions
Does Syncopation work with Snow Leopard?
Yes, Syncopation 2.2 has been thoroughly tested on Snow Leopard and does not have any known compatibility issues.
Can I specify only one playlist to synchronize?
Yes, in Syncopation 2.0 or later you can use the Syncopation playlist settings to choose which playlists to synchronize.
Are Smart Playlists supported?
No. Unfortunately, iTunes does not expose a way to read the criteria of the smart playlists or programmatically create a smart playlist using AppleScript. Therefore, Syncopation cannot copy a smart playlist from one computer to another.
Is the synchronization of album art supported?
Album art will be copied with the track if it is stored in an ID3 tag within the song file itself. In many cases iTunes stores album art externally, and in this case the album art is not transferred with the synchronized tracks. Changing the album art of an existing track is not synchronized to other computers.
Are ratings, play counts or last play times synchronized?
Yes! Starting with version 2.1 of Syncopation, these attributes are now synchronized these attributes. On the initial synchronization between two libraries, Syncopation will update tracks that have no ratings, play counts or last play dates, but will not overwrite existing values. Thereafter, as the attributes change on one computer, they will be synchronized to other subscribed libraries by Syncopation.
Can I have Syncopation manage the content on my central music server or NAS device so that the songs are automatically added to my iTunes library on each computer in the household, but the song files are kept on the shared device?
Yes, use the "Import without Copying" feature in Syncopation's advanced tab.
How can I speed up the transfer process?
Much of the time it takes to transfer music to your computer is spent adding the tracks to the iTunes music library as opposed to moving the data across the network. For some reason, iTunes is faster to add the tracks to the library when it is the foreground application. Therefore, if you are doing a large transfer, click on the iTunes icon in your dock and let Syncopation run in the background. Your transfer will run significantly faster this way.
How are changes to tracks handled?
Certain attributes of a track, such as the name, album and artist are used by Syncopation to identify the track. If you edit these properties, then it will want to delete the track of the old name and then re-add the track with the new name. This is also necessary because these track attributes are stored within the track file itself as ID3 tags, so editing the attributes will actually change the file.
Can I have one computer get updates from another instead of having them synchronize both directions?
Sure, that's easy. You don't have to subscribe going both directions. For example, if you have a PowerMac and a MacBook, and you want your MacBook to get updates from the PowerMac, but not update the PowerMac from the MacBook, you still need to install Syncopation on both of them. Then on your MacBook you subscribe to the PowerMac as a source, but you don't subscribe the other way. This will then be "one-way" synchronization.
Does this software run on OS X v 10.3.x?
No, it requires Tiger (10.4) or Leopard (10.5) to run.
I ordered the software, but cannot find my registration code.
The registration code is on your receipt that was displayed at the end of the order process and emailed to you. The registration code is the serial number in the license and has the format XXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXX.
Where do I get the software?
The software can be downloaded from the Syncopation page at http://www.sonzea.com/syncopation/.
Do you have a Windows version?
No, I do not have a version that runs on Windows and have no plans to write one. The main reason I am doing this project is that writing Cocoa Apps is fun. Writing and supporting Windows Apps is not. That's just how it is.
I am getting the error "Could not connect to any address provided by service" when I try to subscribe.
Most often, this is caused by the Mac OS X firewall feature. The firewall is implemented differently on Tiger and Leopard.
To configure Tiger (10.4) to allow Syncopation to work with the firewall:
Open System Preferences and click on the Sharing Icon.
Click on the firewall tab and determine if the Firewall is on:
Click the "New" button to the right of the list of allowed services.
On the panel that appears, change the Port Name to "Other". Add 29000-29032 in the TCP Port Numbers, leave UDP port numbers blank and set the description to "Syncopation", as shown below.
Click OK. You should now see Syncopation in the list of allowed ports and it should be checked.
To configure Leopard (10.5) to allow Syncopation to work with the firewall:
The Leopard firewall filters by Application, not by port. Open the System Preferences and select the Security icon.
There are two settings that will allow Syncopation to operate. One would be to Allow all incoming connection (equivalent to turning your firewall off.) This is not recommended. Instead, you will choose "Set access for specific services and applications" and add Syncopation to the list of allowed applications:
If Syncopation is not shown in the list, it can be added by clicking the Plus sign below the list and navigating to the Syncopation application in your Applications folder.