MusicBrainz Picard q & a thread

[MTVhike]

Thank you, Hiccup for doing this. I have a few questions: I did everything you recommend at the beginning, but it's two years later and you have made some changes. I am using Picard 2.5.2.
2 - workflow. I'm a little confused about the workflow. Should I do it from the CD itself, or should I rip the CD into FLAC files and do it with the files?
3 - not a Picard problem specifically, but when I am using a player NOT MusicBee (such as that in my car), how will the Classical tags appear?

Thanks again for your efforts!

[hiccup]

Should I do it from the CD itself, or should I rip the CD into FLAC files and do it with the files?

Picard is used to write metadata (tags) to your files, so these files need to be on a writable medium (usually your harddisk) in a format such as flac or mp3.

when I am using a player NOT MusicBee (such as that in my car), how will the Classical tags appear?

They probably won't.

[MTVhike]

Hiccup: Progress!, except that in MusicBee I couldn't "Create a custom tag named: Picard title full". I mean I couldn't find how to create the custom tag.
I found a CD which I had previously ripped (twice!). The first rip was several years ago using iTunes, which had pretty good tags, and the second one was a couple of days ago. Because the first one was not FLAC, I decided to re-rip it using Exact Audio Copy. Even though EAC claimed to be able to rip into FLAC, the files ended up as WAV. I loaded the CD, read it into Picard, and put the folder containing the WAV files into Picard. The tags were successfully found and sorted correctly for Classical music. But when I read those files into MB, the tags were not very good. Thinking that problem might have been caused by the WAV format (I know that tagging is a problem with WAV files), I converted them to FLAC using MB and re-loaded them into Picard. Putting the FLAC files into MB was better, but still most tags were missing.
I assume that it was the lack of the custom tag in MB was the problem. Please help me complete that step. tia

[MTVhike]

I read Hiccup's instructions on how to use Picard, but couldn't understand how to get  the tagging to work with MB. He says "Create a custom tag named: Picard title full"; then put in some scripts (which he lists). Is that done with Edit/Tags(2)/Custom1? I tried that but it didn't work.

[psychoadept]

No, you configure custom tags in preferences. There's some info here: https://musicbee.fandom.com/wiki/Custom_Tags

In this case, you would need to use Define New Tags to create it.

[hiccup]

Hiccup: Progress!…

I'm impressed ;-) Tagging and handling classical music is a difficult matter with many complications.

Maybe I will read and respond to your posts in more detail at a later time, but for now I think it's important to make two things clear:

1.
The system I described is a system I have designed and refined over a couple of years, and is tuned to my very personal liking and preferences.
It is not assuming to be a good system for anybody else.
Other 'serious' users of classical music/MusicBee/Picard probably each have their own system that they like better.

2.
Most users that have classical music in their library—but are less obsessive with it—will make use of two specific tags that were introduced a couple of years ago to improve on tagging and handling classical music:
'Work' and 'Movement'.
While I have reasons for deciding not giving them any (important) role in my system and workflow, it will be sensible for most other user to do use them, and maybe it will make things easier or better for you too.

So, do not consider my system to be some holy grail.
It could turn out to be:
- frustrating to replicate and make it work
- not a solution for what you are looking for

(to me it is the holy grail though ;-)

[MTVhike]

I'm just trying how to get the file(s) I tagged with Picard into MB and have MB recognize them. Is there another program which could read the tags already on the file? Sometimes if I load a non-text file into a text editor, certain words appear, but in this case, only the title appeared.

[hiccup]

I'm just trying how to get the file(s) I tagged with Picard into MB and have MB recognize them. Is there another program which could read the tags already on the file? Sometimes if I load a non-text file into a text editor, certain words appear, but in this case, only the title appeared.

There is a reason that this board is titled: Tips & Tricks, with the subtitle: User-to-user advice and tips - no questions please!

Questions specifically related to the start post would be o.k. I guess, but anything else should be posted on the questions board or another board that is relevant and open to questions and discussions.

[phred]

but anything else should be posted on the questions board or another board that is relevant and open to questions and discussions.

I have merged this part of the original thread with this Picard Q&A thread.

@MTVhike- the Tips & Tricks section is for Tips & Tricks with no questions please. As hiccup suggested, either carry on here, or post new questions/issues in the appropriate section. Thanks.

[MTVhike]

OK, I put Hiccup's tags into Custom1 (in Preferences/Tags (1)). I changed the name of Custom1 to "Picard title full" and all the scripts into Define New Tags/ Vitural1 through Virtual6. I then saved it and reloaded MB. "Picard title full" appeared as the title of one of the displayed fields, but nothing else. For the one track which I had open at the time, in that field was "Picard title full", followed by one of the scripts. What did I do wrong? I was a little confused by Hiccup's Note about the minuscule tremas ¨ used at the end of the tag names, so I deleted them.

An additional comment: my existing 2000 audio files are in several formats, many from iTunes. They pretty much all have tags, and most are OK, so I don't plan to re-tag those. Except for the MP3 or AAC files from the iTunes, I plan to re-rip them and, of course, re-tag them. In the particular example here, the one file is FLAC. And, the entire CD (album) was tagged correctly by Picard, but the modified tag only appears on the first file.

[hiccup]

"Picard title full" appeared as the title of one of the displayed fields, but nothing else. For the one track which I had open at the time, in that field was "Picard title full", followed by one of the scripts. What did I do wrong?

Can you post screenshots of these displayed fields?

I was a little confused by Hiccup's Note about the minuscule tremas ¨ used at the end of the tag names, so I deleted them.

I thought I explained that somewhere in that post, but I'll check, maybe I forgot:
It is purely a personal habit of mine to add them at the end of all my virtual tags.
In that way they are always a (subtle) indicator and reminder to me that the field is a virtual tag.

[MTVhike]

Thanks, I was editing my reponse when you posted. Do you mean the main MB page?

[hiccup]

And to be sure that I understand at what stage you are:

So you have Picard working with the script and the Classical Extras plugin?
If you use MusicBee's Tag inspector on one of the processed songs, do you see the new custom tag that makes 'all this magic' work?

[hiccup]

Thanks, I was editing my reponse when you posted. Do you mean the main MB page?

I mean any panel or field where you see something that is wrong or unexpected.
(it's been a long week, and pictures would make it a bit easier for me)

[MTVhike]

I'm trying to paste a screen shot, but to answer your question, yes, I got Picard to work and tag the 7 files from my CD. And, again, I know there are instructions on how to paste an image, but I haven't found them yet. Can I just put the file (either .png or .jpg) into my reply? And, is the Tag Inspector under Tools/Tagging Tools? I can't find it.