iPodRocks

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Library ​

The Library panel manages your music catalog: folders, scans, shadow libraries, and the track list.

What it does ​

  • Add Folder — Add a root folder for music, podcasts, or audiobooks. iPodRocks scans it recursively.
  • Scan Library — Re-scan all folders to pick up new or changed files. Uses content hashes to skip unchanged files.
  • Clear scan cache — Reset content hashes so the next scan re-processes all files (use when tags or files changed externally).
  • Harmonic data banner — Shows how many tracks have key/BPM data. Links to Settings to enable extraction and Essentia analysis.
  • Library Folders — Compact list of added folders with remove option.
  • Shadow Libraries — Pre-transcoded mirrors (e.g. FLAC → MPC). Create, rebuild, or delete them.
  • Tracks / Playlists — Switch between the track list and library playlists. Search, sort, and filter by device, type, and sync status.

How it works ​

  • Scan reads file tags (artist, album, title, genre, etc.) and optionally key/BPM via metadata or Essentia. It stores content hashes to skip unchanged files on the next scan.
  • Shadow libraries are built once; devices can use them as the source instead of the primary library for faster sync (no on-the-fly transcoding).
  • The track list is virtualized for large libraries. Filters (device, type, on device) apply in memory.

How to work with it ​

  1. Before scanning: Enable "Extract harmonic data" and "Analyze with Essentia" in Settings if you want key/BPM for Savant and harmonic mixing. Then add folders and scan.
  2. After adding a folder: A scan runs automatically. Wait for it to finish before syncing.
  3. Shadow libraries: Create one if you sync to a device that needs a different codec (e.g. MPC). Point the device to the shadow in Devices.
  4. Clear cache: Only when you know files or tags changed outside iPodRocks and you want a full re-scan.