Need to add Composition Field for Classical Music

[ArthurDaniels]

I am a new Music Bee User.  Overall, I am impressed with Music Bee.  However, for Classical Music, I propose that a new Field needs to be added.  Most classical titles need both a Composition name and an individual track name.  Example:  Composition = Symphony # 09.  Tracks would have individual movement names - in this case, 4 movements.

I have an extensive classical library already created in a proprietary program called Musichi.  I have already imported all metadata into Music Bee.  But, I cannot import the Musichi Composition Field because there is no corresponding field in Music Bee.  I cannot figure out any way to import the Composition field into a Music Bee Custom field.

Comments and help will be appreciated.

Thanks,

Art

[psychoadept]

Hi, welcome to the forum!

There's good news for you, because classical support had just been vastly enhanced, including work/movement fields.  I can't link you right now, but if you look around it's not to hard to find the latest 3.1 patch and the classical music thread (I believe it's in the wishlist section).

[ArthurDaniels]

Hello Psychoadept,

Thanks for your quick and encouraging reply.  However, I have had no luck finding any reference to a 3.1 patch.  A 3.1 version is not listed in the Downloads section.  I looked in the Wishlist section of the forum, but I did not find any mention of a 3.1 patch, etc.

Perhaps, because I am new user and a new forum member, I just don't know my way around.

So, when you have time, I would appreciate further help.

Best,

Art

[phred]

See my sig for patches.

[psychoadept]

And here's the classical music discussion thread: http://getmusicbee.com/forum/index.php?topic=20209.0

I think I need to copy your sig, phred!

[phred]

I think I need to copy your sig, phred!

Looks like you already did!

[ArthurDaniels]

OK Guys,

Thanks - I have downloaded and installed the 3.1 Patch.  I see the new Movement and Work Fields.  I know how to add the Work Field to my Library.  But, I don't know how to import the data from the Composition field in my metadata files to the Work Field in my Music Bee database.

What is the process for getting the data from my Composition field to the new Work field?

Thanks,

Art

[psychoadept]

Would you please post a screenshot of your composition field in the tag inspector (opened from within the tag editor)?

[ArthurDaniels]

I have a printscreen image, but I don't know how to post it in this forum.  Clicking Paste did not post the image.

Please advise.

Thanks,

Art

[psychoadept]

Upload the image to another host and use the image button (above the reply box) to link it.

[ArthurDaniels]

Ok - let's shift gears.

I have added the Custom1 field to my library structure.  I renamed the Custom1 field to Composition to match the field name in my existing database.

I then created a new library, expecting the creation process to find the Composition field name and pull in the data in the existing Composition field to the newly-named Composition field.  However, it did not work - no data appears in the Composition field in the new library.

So, please tell me how to bring data into the MusicBee library from the Composition field in my existing database.

I have over 23000 records in my existing database, so it is not practical for me to manually re-create that data in a MusicBee library.

Thanks for help.

Ar

[psychoadept]

I really need that screenshot of the field in the Tag Inspector in order to offer more advice.

http://musicbee.wikia.com/wiki/Posting_Screenshots

[ArthurDaniels]

I am still having difficulty posting a screen shot.  So, I will try to offer additional details in lieu of a screen shot.  My 23000 plus music files are stored in a database created within a program called MusiCHI.  Each record contains a number of different fields, including a field entitled "Composition".

I have created and deleted a number of Libraries in MusicBee.  Each time I have created a new MusicBee Library, the process has successfully accessed my MusiCHI database and pulled over all fields which match the named "standard" (Tag 1) fields in MusicBee.

So, I have a very usable MusicBee library - except for the fact that many of my MusiCHI entries do not contain the Composition name in the Title field.  Example:  A Beethoven symphony with 4 movements contains only the movement names in the Title field.  The symphony name is contained in the Composition field.  Therefore, when this data is pulled into the MusicBee Library, the movement names come over into the Title field.  But, the symphony name information is not captured because there is no Composition field in the MusicBee Tag 1 set of fields.

Now, in Patch 3.1, there is a new field called Work, but it is not useful in my case because I cannot rename the MusiCHI Composition field to Work and I cannot rename the MusicBee Work field to Composition.

Bottom line:  I can rename one of the MusicBee custom fields to Composition and I have done so before creating a new library.  However, MusicBee will not populate this custom field during the library creation process.

So, my simple question is:  How do I "auto-populate" a MusicBee custom field?  If it is not possible to "auto-populate" a MusicBee custom field during the Library creation process, then please just tell me that it cannot be done and I'll move on.

Thanks,

Art 

[psychoadept]

It should be possible to make your composition fired a custom tag, but what i need to know from the tag inspector is what the technical name of that field is.

Once the field is configured in MusicBee, then you can use the Additional tagging & reporting tools plugin to copy the values into the work field, if necessary.  This can be automated.

[ArthurDaniels]

Here is what I see when I look at a particular file in Tag Inspector.  There are three columns of information -- NAME; TAG CODE;  VALUE

Under NAME: COMPOSITION

Under TAG CODE: COMPOSITION

Under VALUE: In the Blue of the Evening

"In the Blue of the Evening" is the composition name as well as the Title Name in this particular example.

Here is a classical example:

NAME: COMPOSITION

TAG CODE: COMPOSITION

VALUE: Adam, Giselle

"Adam, Giselle" is the composer's name and the title of the composition, which I have previously entered into the MusiCHI database in the Composition Field.

This second example shows the need to capture this composition data in a separate field in MusicBee.

Thanks,

Art