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Questions / Re: can't see tracks when clicking on album in library explorer
« on: July 22, 2021, 02:28:34 AM »
i guess, from lack of replies, that it isn't possible to see tracks lists when clicking on an album in library explorer.
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Questions / Re: tracks not in order, won't add new changed name tracks
« on: May 20, 2021, 09:34:37 PM »
Just because there are STANDARDS for metadata in different formats doesn't insure that the standards are followed completely in every software. Municipalities have laws about almost everything, but rarely enforce all the laws or apply them equally to everyone. There are standards for bluetooth. That didn't ensure that my Plantronics bluetooth headset works completely with my iphone. As the Plantronics engineer explained "Apple doesn't follow all the standards. They have their own way of doing things".
In a discussion with the developer of a different music management software, I learned that metadata is a bit of an issue, between formats and between software. Everyone doesn't handle it the same way.
No need to reply to me. I will not be back at this thread. Perhaps not back to this forum at all. The level of vitriol, hostility, insult, and lack of clarifying explanations to people asking for help is stunning.
My sincere apologies to the tagging gods for having offended them.
In a discussion with the developer of a different music management software, I learned that metadata is a bit of an issue, between formats and between software. Everyone doesn't handle it the same way.
No need to reply to me. I will not be back at this thread. Perhaps not back to this forum at all. The level of vitriol, hostility, insult, and lack of clarifying explanations to people asking for help is stunning.
My sincere apologies to the tagging gods for having offended them.
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Questions / Re: tracks not in order, won't add new changed name tracks
« on: May 19, 2021, 02:41:22 PM »
Since I started digitizing cassettes, cd's a few months ago, (and this is my only use of computer for playing music) i was stunned to learn how primitive the environment is. foremost was the difference in standards between formats (mp3, m4a, flac, etc), versions of formats, and the naming of fields in different music programs. And how info entered in one software often doesn't make it into another software.
I get the general idea of the link that you provided; that music programs may depend on whatever data they find that corresponds with their data field naming scheme. I use mp3 occasionally. Mostly m4a. Sometimes flac.
It was clear at the beginning that metadata was going to be an unreliable vehicle for storing music information, and a source of problems. This has proven correct. And that if I was depending on metadata to hold music info, at some point in the future I will be disappointed, should I switch software, or metadata version support changes.
I get the general idea of the link that you provided; that music programs may depend on whatever data they find that corresponds with their data field naming scheme. I use mp3 occasionally. Mostly m4a. Sometimes flac.
It was clear at the beginning that metadata was going to be an unreliable vehicle for storing music information, and a source of problems. This has proven correct. And that if I was depending on metadata to hold music info, at some point in the future I will be disappointed, should I switch software, or metadata version support changes.
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Questions / Re: getting new entries into and visible in library
« on: May 19, 2021, 05:25:29 AM »frankz, I didn't see any helpful advice in your post, only criticism about trying to use mb as a folder browser
Where is the critisism?:The issue you're running into is that MB is not designed as a folder browser. I think the most standard usage is that people have a "MUSIC" folder or some such, scan this folder and all of its subfolders, which are managed and organized within Musicbee, for new tracks (or set it to automatically scan the folder), and manage their library from there from within MusicBee using metadata found within the files rather than their location and file names. It's not designed as a prettier Windows Explorer to use folder by folder.
MusicBee is primarily a Music Library Manager. Using it for other functions will ultimately lead to frustration. Using it for its intended function will not.
He is explaining what I also tried to explain earlier to you:MusicBee is not a file/folder player.
It's designed to maintain and play a library that is adequately tagged. (=metadata)
Using file- or folder names isn't a great idea to begin with, trying to mix (parts of) filenames with metadata is even worse.
The best advice would be to learn how to tag your music properly.
So you have now two experienced members trying to help you and explain why you keep running into issues.
You chose to ignore that advice, and even consider it useless criticism.
It would be good if you started thinking about what you are doing and why you keep running into problems, and needing to keep asking for help.
Or perhaps just forget about trying to learn MusicBee and look for a folder player. Boom is a good one:
https://www.perkele.cc/software/boom
simply telling someone that they aren't thinking about what they are doing, or to get the tags right, etc is not useful or practical.
the only practical advice you have given is to investigate other software.
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Questions / Re: tracks not in order, won't add new changed name tracks
« on: May 19, 2021, 05:22:25 AM »Are you suggesting that mb shouldn't be expected to display the file names as the track names?
The "track name" you are referring to is stored inside the "title" tag of the file and has nothing to do with the filename. So yes, that's expected behaviour in MusicBee and every other music player that is displaying the title tag as a column in the main view.
For the title tag to be the same as the filename would require an intentional modification, they are separate entities.
so, where is the software getting a track name, if not from the track file name?
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Questions / Re: How to remove from library
« on: May 19, 2021, 05:19:19 AM »
ma_t14, thanks for the detailed instruction. Your replies have pretty much been the only ones that have provided useful information. I thank you for that. For the most part all the others simply complained about how I wasn't using mb correctly, get the tags straightened out, and little practical info.
Following your advice I changed the left panel, It now looks close to what I had it looking like. However the main panel is stuck showing the tracks from one album. I can't figure out how to make it show the contents of the chosen album from left side panel. I had, some time ago, gone through all the panels and set them up to show what I wanted. Now I am starting all over. There are lots of choices but no indication of what the choices will do.
I give up. I started out with music monkey and left it because it is too complicated, and screen was too busy, showing stuff I wasn't interested in.. at first i thought that mb was just right, but now find it is also too complicated to set up and use.
i'll look for other software. thanks again.
Following your advice I changed the left panel, It now looks close to what I had it looking like. However the main panel is stuck showing the tracks from one album. I can't figure out how to make it show the contents of the chosen album from left side panel. I had, some time ago, gone through all the panels and set them up to show what I wanted. Now I am starting all over. There are lots of choices but no indication of what the choices will do.
I give up. I started out with music monkey and left it because it is too complicated, and screen was too busy, showing stuff I wasn't interested in.. at first i thought that mb was just right, but now find it is also too complicated to set up and use.
i'll look for other software. thanks again.
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Questions / Re: tracks not in order, won't add new changed name tracks
« on: May 17, 2021, 06:37:03 PM »Quote
Why would you expect MusicBee to always properly parse your untagged or badly tagged tracks according to your personalized, random filename structure?
Are you suggesting that mb shouldn't be expected to display the file names as the track names?
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Tag your tracks - stop messing with file names and folders - and they will display exactly how you wish.
Don't put the tracks from individual albums in subfolders for each album, but put all tracks, from all albums, together in one folder? No subfolders, no separating of tracks by album?
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Or move to a player that simply and solely displays all files by whomever's distinct folder and filename structure.Suggestions?
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All the time you've spent manually renaming individual files could have been spent just tagging them properly in the first place.How should I have tagged them differently to get them to display in track order, or to have the file name display as track name? The tags had track numbers.
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Why would you expect MusicBee to always properly parse your untagged or badly tagged tracks according to your personalized, random filename structure?
how is mine a random filename structure?
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Questions / Re: getting new entries into and visible in library
« on: May 17, 2021, 05:30:15 PM »
frankz, I didn't see any helpful advice in your post, only criticism about trying to use mb as a folder browser; which I had no interest in doing, had no idea that it could do, and was surprised to find that, apparently, it is in that mode. I still have idea where the 'other' library mode is. If that is the problem, you could have offered instruction about how get to the library mode. Rather than indignation and criticism.
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Questions / Re: getting new entries into and visible in library
« on: May 17, 2021, 05:04:38 PM »
frankz, I don't know how to reply to your comment. I think that I have already explained, twice, that what you are suggesting, is not what mb is doing. also, in another thread (look for it, i am the op), it was suggested that there is a file manager browser aspect to mb. And that, somehow, I am using that aspect of mb.
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Questions / Re: How to remove from library
« on: May 17, 2021, 04:56:52 PM »
there is a folder browser in mb that is different than what? Some other browser to look at music? Really?
Here is what I am seeing: for deleting track
and for deleting folder:
Here is what I am seeing: for deleting track
and for deleting folder:
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Questions / Re: tracks not in order, won't add new changed name tracks
« on: May 17, 2021, 04:43:29 PM »
ma_t14, this is not about mb changing any of the tags.
This started from the tracks not being in track# order. Not having found an option (I since was directed to where this option is located) to direct track # order (again, I didn't have this issue previously, with other albums, they automatically displayed according to track #), I went into the subfolder (not in mb) for that album, in a backup, and renamed each file, prefacing each name with side and track number. I hoped that this would force mb to properly order, plus make it easier to reference tracks when using the cover info.
I then deleted the folder from mb, hence from the computer storage (there is another thread about this issue, which you have seen), copied the folder from backup to storage and rescanned with mb. At first I thought that mb was simply re-adding the folder from some secret storage, because the track names still didn't reflect the name that I changed them to. Later I saw that I could separately list the track file names, which displayed correctly. But the track names are still different from the file names, missing the side and track # info. I don't see why mb is stripping the side and track # (eg A1, B2, or S1 2, S1 3) from the file names when it displays the track names. They should be the same. Unless mb has a cross-reference somewhere from previous scan, so is continually associating track names from that folder name with track numbers, regardless of file names. This is just a guess.
I know that I can bulk change detail info by highlighting all tracks then going into detail and entering data. But these changes were different for each track.
This started from the tracks not being in track# order. Not having found an option (I since was directed to where this option is located) to direct track # order (again, I didn't have this issue previously, with other albums, they automatically displayed according to track #), I went into the subfolder (not in mb) for that album, in a backup, and renamed each file, prefacing each name with side and track number. I hoped that this would force mb to properly order, plus make it easier to reference tracks when using the cover info.
I then deleted the folder from mb, hence from the computer storage (there is another thread about this issue, which you have seen), copied the folder from backup to storage and rescanned with mb. At first I thought that mb was simply re-adding the folder from some secret storage, because the track names still didn't reflect the name that I changed them to. Later I saw that I could separately list the track file names, which displayed correctly. But the track names are still different from the file names, missing the side and track # info. I don't see why mb is stripping the side and track # (eg A1, B2, or S1 2, S1 3) from the file names when it displays the track names. They should be the same. Unless mb has a cross-reference somewhere from previous scan, so is continually associating track names from that folder name with track numbers, regardless of file names. This is just a guess.
I know that I can bulk change detail info by highlighting all tracks then going into detail and entering data. But these changes were different for each track.
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Questions / Re: getting new entries into and visible in library
« on: May 17, 2021, 04:26:23 PM »
ma_t14, Yes, I have read that wiki.
The act of importing, per se, isn't the issue, so much as having to tell mb to scan any newly added subfolder, before it will see that subfolder. there is a dialog of checkboxes that indicate which folders to scan. but each newly added subfolder needs to be checked manually. Simply checking the main folder isn't sufficient.
and then, after the folder has been scanned. there are more filters to deal with, otherwise mb won't display the newly added folder along with the other folders. Again it has to checked as part of the "filter". Without using filter, any and all folders on the drive will also show up in mb.
Hope this helps.
The act of importing, per se, isn't the issue, so much as having to tell mb to scan any newly added subfolder, before it will see that subfolder. there is a dialog of checkboxes that indicate which folders to scan. but each newly added subfolder needs to be checked manually. Simply checking the main folder isn't sufficient.
and then, after the folder has been scanned. there are more filters to deal with, otherwise mb won't display the newly added folder along with the other folders. Again it has to checked as part of the "filter". Without using filter, any and all folders on the drive will also show up in mb.
Hope this helps.
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Questions / getting new entries into and visible in library
« on: May 17, 2021, 06:35:05 AM »
When I have a new folder/album of tracks to install in mb library, I click 'insert'. but this isn't enough, I have to somewhere to check the box next to the new folder.
Then the folder doesn't appear in the library, until I go into the filter and check the box next to the new folder.
Given that I don't want to see every entry on that drive in the library list, only the two folders (and their sub-folders) that contain music, what do I have to do so that I don't have to jump through these hoops to get mb to scan for new albums in the two music folders, and list them in the library?
Then the folder doesn't appear in the library, until I go into the filter and check the box next to the new folder.
Given that I don't want to see every entry on that drive in the library list, only the two folders (and their sub-folders) that contain music, what do I have to do so that I don't have to jump through these hoops to get mb to scan for new albums in the two music folders, and list them in the library?
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Questions / How to remove from library
« on: May 17, 2021, 04:47:01 AM »
I see the option to delete an album, or track, but this deletes from computer memory.
How to only remove from mb library?
How to only remove from mb library?
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Questions / Re: tracks not in order, won't add new changed name tracks
« on: May 17, 2021, 03:39:27 AM »astro46 what happens if you select the tracks in MB > Right-click > Send To > File Rescanma_t14, thanks, thanks for the suggestions. unfortunately neither rescan or compact changed the display.
If that doesn't help, you could also try using:
Tools > Advanced > Compress Library
This gets rid of redundant/deleted entries from the library, which applies to your case.
Regarding the sorting issue though, that is certainly very strange. If the above don't fix it you could try sending the files to Steven (in a private message) so he can investigate. But first post a screenshot of your main panel and what sorting you are using so we can better understand your setup.
Here is pic of main panel that you asked for: Note that the file names are different from the track names. This different than every other album.
