This tutorial will guide you in installing, setting up and using Banshee to manage your iPod in Ubuntu. Though the steps to install Banshee are specific to Ubuntu (or any Linux distribution that uses the Synaptic Package Manager), the steps to actually use Banshee can be applied to any Linux distribution.
Note: if you aren’t using Ubuntu, visit the Banshee downloads page to obtain Banshee for your version of Linux.
- Open the Synaptic Package Manager by selecting System -> Administration -> Synaptic Package Manager. You’ll need to enter your password for Synaptic to launch.
- Click the Search button from the top of Synaptic, enter banshee and click Search.
- Click the box next to the banshee entry and select Mark for installation.
- A window will appear asking you to confirm that you wish to install Banshee and the required packages associated with it. Click Mark to continue
- Click the Apply button.
- A Summary window will appear asking you to confirm yet again that you wish to download and install Banshee. Click Apply.
- The download and installation will being.
- When it’s done, click Close.
- Launch Banshee by selecting Applications -> Music & Video and then Banshee Music Player.
- The first time you run Banshee it will ask you to import you music library. Select Local Folder from the drop-down list and then click the Import Music Source button.
- Navigate to the folder you store your music in, select it and click Open.
- Banshee will launch and display your music library. Double-click a file to start playing it. One of the features of Banshee is that related info can be displayed (if you’re online) while a song is playing. Notice the lower panel in Banshee.
- Plug in your iPod if it isn’t already, and it should appear in the left column. High-light files you want to copy to your iPod, and drag them to the iPod entry.
- Select your iPod from the left column and confirm that the tracks you added are listed. Click the Synchronize iPod button.
- Review the info in the Synchronize iPod window and then click Save Manual Changes (unless you actually want to copy your entire music library to your iPod, in which case click Synchronize Library).
- The files will copy over.
- To eject your iPod, close down Banshee and right-click on the iPod icon on your desktop. Select Eject. You can now safely disconnect your iPod from your computer.
Nice tutorial, cheers – just what I was looking for. I was trying to drag and drop playlists into the iPod but it wasn’t working for me – a little bemused I have to select songs by hand…but it works quite nicely
What I would really like is a music player that creates playlists according to folder names in my music folder so that I don’t have to import music and all that hassle – any ideas? And when I create playlists on banshee importing songs and what have you is that creating copies of all the music files?
cheers!
Please help….
I have a nano 3rd generation that Banshee has made me change it’s software so it can configure with it…
It changed my iPod’s software and now I can’t sync my songs with banshee… it will just say synchronizing and then stop after a few seconds…leaving my iPod with no songs at all, even though Banshee shows my iPod with all it’s songs with playback possible… my iPod only shows 3.6 gigs of ‘other’ which was really was the amount of songs I had before I configured my iPod with Banshee. please help!!!
I tried installing iTunes with Wine, and when I run iTunes, a message will appear saying:
“The software required for communicating with the iPod is not installed correctly. Please reinstall iTunes to install the iPod’s software.”
Which I already have installed iTunes a couple times with the same result… but I don’t even know if I can even uninstall iTunes because ‘uninstall wine software’ doesn’t show an option for iTunes-but for QuickTime and Apple software update, which only installs these software, not uninstall.
Newer iPods won’t sync with Banshee, as Apple was kind enough to break all non-itunes compatibility. However, the folks at gtkpod have fixed this problem. Try a “sudo apt-get install gtkpod” and see if you can transfer files to the ipod with it.
I have an iPod video, and Banshee seems to be able to add new files to it fine, but the iPod icon on the left bar is greyed out and at no point am I given the option to “save manual changes” or “synchronize library”. (I want to do the latter.) I also can’t seem to find a “synchronize iPod” button or menu option anywhere, Any advice?
Thanks! gtkpod is the only thing that works properly on a nano 3rd gen…
..but remember to eject the ipod in gtkpod first and in the file browser after (right click on ipod partition and ‘eject’). Also wait until the ‘OK to disconnect’ on your ipod disappears.
Rhythmbox in Ubuntu supports iPod nano 3rd gen just fine.
Try a “sudo apt-get install gtkpod” and see if you can transfer files to the ipod with it. <– Im an ametuear , waht does that mean and how do i do it?
open up a terminal: Applications > Accessories > Terminal, and type “sudo apt-get install gtkpod”, without the quotes.
I get a cannot unmount volume error and no music is on the ipod when i remove it from the file manager, can anyone help me with this?
i dont have a synchronize ipod button…
i just cant figure out how to put files on my ipod
Oigan tengo un ipod classic y seguneste la compu lo lee esmas el sist lo lee pero banshee no lo esta leyendo. que creen que sea ayuda por favor
FYI: Your link to the Banshee’s download page is coming up error 404 site not found (as well as the Banshee Wiki main page). Good article though, very helpful.
Thanks FlightDreamz – link fixed
i have ubuntu and am using banshee to manage my music. when banshee is open and i plug my ipod in it shows up on my desktop but won’t show up within banshee. I have a nano, and i think its 1st or 2nd generation. I tried the “sudo…” command and it still isn’t showing up. anyone have any tips? thanks.
When syncing to an Ipod, can you make it only sync the play lists and not your whole library? reason being is that my whole library won’t fit and I want to make sure my play lists fully transfer over before some random songs that I only listen to on occasion
YO–COMET
THE SAME THING HAPPEND TO ME, JUST INSTALL GTKPOD, AND THEN IT RESTORES ALL UR SONGS AND EVERYTHING!!!
Hello, I’ve got a 3rd generation iPod Shuffle. While I tried having a sync between iPod and banshee, it rebuilt my iPod database. When I unplugged my iPod, it doesn’t play. Anyone got a solution for this?
Wie lassen sich die Filmorder ändern,Banshee hat bei meinen ipod video alle Filme unter Musikvideos abgelegt….
I have an Ipod Touch. I did all the steps but when i plug it in it doesn’t show up that an ipod has been plugged in!?
Now what do i do?