A personal music library rarely needs to look identical on every device. A Mac may hold a complete archive of lossless albums and DSD transfers, while an iPhone needs a focused collection for commuting and an iPad keeps a few favorite artists for longer listening. PhaseShift 1.5 makes that difference explicit: every sub device can now sync the whole primary library or only selected artists and playlists.
The selection works alongside PhaseShift’s existing audio-quality filter. That means a device can receive, for example, selected playlists made only from Lossy files, several favorite artists in Lossless quality, or the whole library including Hi-Res Lossless and DSD originals. Each sub device keeps its own choices, while the primary device remains in control of the source library.
Sync a Private Music Library Without a Cloud Account
PhaseShift Library Sync connects devices you own over your local network. One iPhone, iPad or Mac acts as the primary and holds the source library. Other devices join as subs by scanning a QR code or entering a pairing code. The transfer does not require a PhaseShift account, a streaming subscription or cloud storage.
Along with music files, Library Sync can move playlists, artwork, ratings, play history and supported tag changes. PhaseShift 1.5 redesigns the setup so the primary and sub roles are easier to understand, and makes audio quality, selection, transfer size and progress more visible before and during a sync.
Choose the Whole Library or Selected Artists and Playlists
On a sub device, open Library Sync and choose the library selection. Whole Library mirrors every song that also matches the chosen quality tier. Selected Items lets you choose artists, playlists or a combination of both. A song is included when it belongs to any selected artist or any selected playlist, so overlapping choices do not create duplicate copies.
Artist selection is useful when you want complete catalogs from a few favorites. Playlist selection is more flexible for a purpose-built device: a commuting playlist, a classical collection, recently purchased albums or a manually maintained travel set can define exactly what should be stored locally.
The choice belongs to the sub device rather than the primary. A Mac sub can mirror everything, an iPad can follow selected artists, and an iPhone can keep only a few playlists. Changing one device’s scope does not alter what another sub stores and does not remove songs from the primary library.
Combine Library Selection with an Audio-Quality Filter
Library scope answers which music you want; the quality preference answers which original files qualify. PhaseShift offers All Qualities, Lossy, Lossless, Hi-Res Lossless and DSD. Both conditions apply during sync.
Suppose a playlist contains AAC, CD-quality FLAC and 24-bit hi-res files. Selecting that playlist with All Qualities transfers each original. Selecting the same playlist with Lossless transfers only its standard lossless files. Choosing Hi-Res Lossless transfers only its higher-resolution PCM files. PhaseShift does not create replacement versions for the tracks that fall outside the selected tier.
This distinction matters for storage planning. A playlist may look small by song count but contain large WAV, AIFF or DSD files. Version 1.5 presents the selection and transfer information more clearly, helping you understand what a sub device is about to receive before a large library sync begins.
Original Files Stay Original
PhaseShift’s quality preference is a filter, not a transcoder. Sync copies the original files stored by the primary when they match the selected scope and quality. It does not recompress FLAC to AAC, reduce a sample rate or create a smaller alternate version behind the scenes.
That keeps the process predictable for listeners who care about file provenance and audio quality. It also means the primary library must already contain a version that matches the sub device’s choice. If the primary has only a hi-res FLAC of a song, choosing Lossy on the sub does not manufacture an AAC copy; that song is excluded.
What Happens When You Change a Sync Selection?
Library Sync treats the primary and the sub device’s current preferences as the source of truth. When you run a sync after changing selected artists, playlists or audio quality, PhaseShift downloads newly included originals and removes local songs that no longer match. Songs deleted from the primary are also removed from the mirrored selection on the sub.
Those removals apply to the sub device’s synced copy. They do not delete music from the primary. PhaseShift explains this behavior in the sync interface because narrowing a selection is not just an additive download: it also reclaims storage from music the device is no longer configured to keep.
Version 1.5 uses a catalog-based sync process designed to make comparisons more dependable for large libraries. Transfer progress, current activity and completion are easier to follow, and artwork is transferred efficiently without treating every repeated album image as a separate high-priority job.
A More Personal Library After the Sync
Selective sync is paired with a more customizable Library tab. You can choose album, song, pinned and recently added shelves, then adjust artwork sizes to show more items or give favorite covers more space. A phone holding a deliberately small travel collection no longer needs to present its library exactly like a Mac containing the complete archive.
Now Playing also provides faster routes back into that collection. Tapping the song title or artist opens details and related library views, making it easier to move from the current track to its metadata, artist, albums or songs. Playback controls are more flexible, and playback is more resilient when a file or referenced library source changes.
How to Plan a Different Music Collection for Each Device
Start with the role of the device. Choose Whole Library when storage is ample and you want a complete local mirror. Choose artists when you want every album by a known set of favorites. Choose playlists when the collection should follow a theme, activity or manually curated shortlist. Combine artists and playlists when neither choice covers the device by itself.
Then choose the audio-quality tier. All Qualities preserves the complete selected set. Lossy is suited to a compact device when the primary already contains compressed versions. Lossless keeps standard-resolution originals, Hi-Res Lossless targets higher-resolution PCM, and DSD isolates DSF and DFF files for a device intended to play them.
PhaseShift 1.5 turns Library Sync from a single mirror into a per-device plan. Your primary library can remain complete and carefully organized, while each iPhone, iPad or Mac stores the artists, playlists and original audio quality that make sense for its available space and listening purpose—all without placing the collection in a cloud account.