Author Topic: tag fields  (Read 5093 times)

KyleHx

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I've heard that .flac files don't store (don't have a field for) lyrics, like .mp3s.
I've seen updates in my database NOT be restored when wiping the database & re-scanning.

Does someone have a breadown of fields for various audio/video formats?
A most useful starting point would be a simple list of fields that apply to all.

I think one key point is whether (or where) all the work I do, inside MusicBee, is written out
to the underlying files, or only to the database.

:)

redwing

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I've heard that .flac files don't store (don't have a field for) lyrics, like .mp3s.

Probably it depends on the app you're using. MB can embed lyrics in FLAC files.

I think one key point is whether (or where) all the work I do, inside MusicBee, is written out
to the underlying files, or only to the database.

Some fields are stored only in database. You can test it yourself with Tag Inspector.

KyleHx

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I have the latest MusicBee and "Additional Tagging and Reporting Tools" but I don't see anything labelled "Tag Inspector"

While we're here:
I've heard discussions of external files storing information for tag-fields.  It might be a bit of a pain to have to create such for my 428,000 A/V files, but less distressing than losing & having to manually re-do the database work.
Can I import/export something like this in MusicBee .. and can such tag-info files handle the fields that aren't written back to the A/V files (ie, info stored only in the database)?

Thanks for the help.

psychoadept

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I have the latest MusicBee and "Additional Tagging and Reporting Tools" but I don't see anything labelled "Tag Inspector"

you open it from within the tag editor. I can't lnk right now, but there's more info if you search the wiki
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redwing

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I've heard discussions of external files storing information for tag-fields.  It might be a bit of a pain to have to create such for my 428,000 A/V files, but less distressing than losing & having to manually re-do the database work.
Can I import/export something like this in MusicBee .. and can such tag-info files handle the fields that aren't written back to the A/V files (ie, info stored only in the database)?

Is that for tag-backup purpose? (For a practical use, I wouldn't recommend it with that huge size of your library.) As long as your machine has sufficient RAM to handle those data, it would work. But it might take some time to process such a big number of tracks. Another way is using library reports command provided by boroda74's plugin.

As for the fields stored only in the database, they can be sent to clipboard. (I tested <Play count> and it worked. But you should test yourself if you have some specific fields on your mind). But importing those back to database is not necessarily guaranteed. It depends on the field and whether it's supported by both MB and the plugin.

KyleHx

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:) Tools - Tagging Tools - Edit Tags - Tag Inspector
only file-by-file though

Worrying about whether a tag is in the underlying media file or only in MB's database
has to do with backup and with portability .. like if I want to send an album to a friend,
I'd like all of my work to go with it.

For the backup, I'll look at Boroda74's work, which seems extensive,
and I have the basic option of manually copying the "my music" files for MB.

Thanks agains

KyleHx

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one follow-up though:

Where do we control whether and/or when database updates are written out to the media files
(that info which those files can store)?  I don't see any reason not to have that fulll-on.

redwing

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:) Tools - Tagging Tools - Edit Tags - Tag Inspector
only file-by-file though

Worrying about whether a tag is in the underlying media file or only in MB's database
has to do with backup and with portability .. like if I want to send an album to a friend,
I'd like all of my work to go with it.

Most fields can be saved into a file. That's why I suggested testing yourself with Tag Inspector to figure out what fields are stored in a file.

Where do we control whether and/or when database updates are written out to the media files
(that info which those files can store)?  I don't see any reason not to have that fulll-on.

I think any updates are written into files in real time, like as soon as you click on save button of Tag Editor. If that doesn't work for whatever reason, you can force it with synchronize tags command (Tools> Tagging Tools> Advanced), but I never had the case I had to use the command.

KyleHx

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just to be a pain ...

I ran through edits, inside MusicBee and with Explorer-Properties.
I used a .MP3 file that was already in the MB database.
It started out with the artist field as "artist 1/{f}/artist 2"
I wanted it to be "artist 1; {f}; artist 2"

I really did do it in detail, with both manual "synchronize" commands, exit & restart of MB, etc.
I edited in MB in various ways, and I edited in Windows in various ways.
I did mulltiple restarts of MB, and two system reboots.

In no case ever could I force a sync between the artist field in the .MP3 file and the MB version.
It appears that once it is in the MB db, it is there as a completely separate entity,
unless I delete it from one place or the other and rescan,
in which case I lose the edits from the secondary.

I could not force anything like a sync .. and i did all the tests with an old .MP3 file and the artist field
to minimize variables.

any thoughts?

redwing

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It started out with the artist field as "artist 1/{f}/artist 2"
I wanted it to be "artist 1; {f}; artist 2"

Semicolon is used in MB as a delimiter between multiple values.

psychoadept

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Are you using ID3v2.3 or 2.4 tags in MusicBee?  Windows Explorer does not read 2.4.  And do you have "also save ID3v1" tags checked?  This is all configured in Tag Preferences: http://musicbee.wikia.com/wiki/Tags_Preferences
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KyleHx

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Yes, indeed .. ID3v1 needed to be enabled .. thanks & kudos.
Is there a reason to use v2.3 instead of v2.4?