Author Topic: Sorting Folders by Release Type  (Read 16515 times)

Sani

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Hi Everyone,

I'm new to this forum. I hope that everyone is fine.

I am using MusicBee from two months now and i love it. I tried iTunes and other players but it attracted me more.

My music library was always in chaos as i never tagged and organized it. I always used to play music from folders itself and used Winamp for playing. I felt a need to tag/organize now because i am using a more bigger player.

I use MusicBrainz Picard and Mp3tag (occasionally to tag manually organize each album i download.

My folder structure right now is:

Album Artist > Year (YYYY) > Album > Track

I'm using this to organize with MusicBee <Album Artist>\<Year (yyyy)>\<Album>\<Disc-Track#> <Title>

Everything is going good except i am not finding any way to organize Compilations, EPs, Singles within an Album folder. For example; if a rapper has albums, compilations and singles. I want that MusicBee creates folders of Compilations, EPs, Single seperately and put each albums and tracks within those folders. Please note that release types are already tagged in files but i am not finding a way that how to organize it with MusicBee.

Please help me about it. I would be thankful. =)

psychoadept

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Hi, welcome to the forum!

You say you already have the release types tagged.  What happens when you try to use that tag in an organization template?
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Sani

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Hi, welcome to the forum!

You say you already have the release types tagged.  What happens when you try to use that tag in an organization template?

Thanks for welcoming. =)

Well, i already mentioned that i am using this organizing template:

 <Album Artist>\<Year (yyyy)>\<Album>\<Disc-Track#> <Title>

By doing this, MusicBee is just putting all the albums in their year folders only. I don't how to put them separately in Compilations, EPs, Singles etc. folder as there is no release type tag in naming template.

Can i create one myself?

EffenBlue

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You can use any valid tag to create a template.

Please note that release types are already tagged in files…

What tag is this?
You can use it like: <Album Artist>\<Year (yyyy)>\<ReleaseTypeOrWhateverTagIs>\<Album>\<Disc-Track#> <Title>

Sani

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Quote
What tag is this?
You can use it like: <Album Artist>\<Year (yyyy)>\<ReleaseTypeOrWhateverTagIs>\<Album>\<Disc-Track#> <Title>

The tag is Release Type which is filled in automatically while taggin in MusicBrainz Picard.

You can see the screenshot below:



But I didn't find anything like release type in MusicBee that's why i am asking.

And your mentioned template won't work as there is no Release Type tag in MusicBee.

EffenBlue

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Okay, so then you have to create it first.

In case you haven't done it before:
Edit, Preferences, Tags (1), custom tags, define new tags.
In an empty slot under identifier, type Release Type then press tab and see it fill in the others.
Save, then under custom tags choose a slot and change custom(whatever#) to Release Type and instead of "save to MusicBee database only" choose Release Type and save.

After it scans your files, you should then be able to use the <Album Artist>\<Year (yyyy)>\<Release Type>\<Album>\<Disc-Track#> <Title> format.

Sani

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Okay, so then you have to create it first.

In case you haven't done it before:
Edit, Preferences, Tags (1), custom tags, define new tags.
In an empty slot under identifier, type Release Type then press tab and see it fill in the others.
Save, then under custom tags choose a slot and change custom(whatever#) to Release Type and instead of "save to MusicBee database only" choose Release Type and save.

After it scans your files, you should then be able to use the <Album Artist>\<Year (yyyy)>\<Release Type>\<Album>\<Disc-Track#> <Title> format.

Yes, it makes sense and i just did it but when i went to organize the template of <Album Artist>\<Year (yyyy)>\<Release Type>\<Album>\<Disc-Track#> <Title>, it gave me Unknown Custom 3 folder instead of Studio Albums, Compilations. Thank God, i didn't organize it yet just saw the prevew or else it would have mess the folder structure.

See the screenshot:


psychoadept

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Here are the picard tag mappings: https://picard.musicbrainz.org/docs/mappings/

It looks like the release type tag is mapped to "TXXX:MusicBrainz Album Type", so in the "Define New Tags" window in MusicBee, you should enter "MusicBrainz Album Type", not "Release Type".  Configure that as a custom tag, then wait for MusicBee to rescan your files.

You should probably put in handling in your template for when the field is empty, too, otherwise you will continue to see that "Unknown Custom 3" type info.
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EffenBlue

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Crap, sorry about that. I should probably stop interfering in these things before I screw up somebody's files.

Sani

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Here are the picard tag mappings: https://picard.musicbrainz.org/docs/mappings/

It looks like the release type tag is mapped to "TXXX:MusicBrainz Album Type", so in the "Define New Tags" window in MusicBee, you should enter "MusicBrainz Album Type", not "Release Type".  Configure that as a custom tag, then wait for MusicBee to rescan your files.

You should probably put in handling in your template for when the field is empty, too, otherwise you will continue to see that "Unknown Custom 3" type info.

Oh thanks a lot psychoadept. It did work but i am having a problem with Various Artists or maybe i don't know what to do with them.

This is what i wanted, like how Pick of Da Litter will be into Mixtape folder when organized.



Now for the Various Artists compilations, is it correct way to do like first there will be Various Artists folder for Album Artist and then Compilations? Please suggest if there is any other better way.



Also after this, I am feeling that Year YYY folders are useless. Isn't it better if i do it like this: Album Artist > Album Type > Year-Album Name > Disc Track# - Title.

Please suggest. Thanks for the amazing help guys.

psychoadept

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Oh thanks a lot psychoadept. It did work but i am having a problem with Various Artists or maybe i don't know what to do with them.

Now for the Various Artists compilations, is it correct way to do like first there will be Various Artists folder for Album Artist and then Compilations? Please suggest if there is any other better way.

Also after this, I am feeling that Year YYY folders are useless. Isn't it better if i do it like this: Album Artist > Album Type > Year-Album Name > Disc Track# - Title.

Please suggest. Thanks for the amazing help guys.

I personally combine year with album, just like you suggest. That way they're in chronological order, but I don't have a bunch of folders with just one subfolder.

For various artists, the album type folder seems pretty redundant.  You can use functions to work around it, like $If(<Album Type>=compilation,,"\"<Album Type>).  I'm on my phone, so definitely double check my syntax on that.

Although, doesn't Picard still tag the album type with compilation?  I'm surprised you're not getting something like "compilation album".  There are ways to deal with that with functions, too.
Last Edit: March 20, 2017, 05:46:36 PM by psychoadept
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Sani

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Quote
I personally combine year with album, just like you suggest. That way they're in chronological order, but I don't have a bunch of folders with just one subfolder.

Then why would you know that the album is Mixtape, Studio Album or EP if there is a folder only with Year and Album Name?

Quote
For various artists, the album type folder seems pretty redundant.  You can use functions to work around it, like $If(<Album Type>=compilation,,"\"<Album Type>).  I'm on my phone, so definitely double check my syntax on that.

Although, doesn't Picard still tag the album type with compilation?  I'm surprised you're not getting something like "compilation album".  There are ways to deal with that with functions, too.

Well, the album is tagged as Various Artists in Genre and Compilation in Release Type that's why i am getting Various Artists/Compilations. What if i leave the Genre or Release Type empty for these kind of albums?

Sani

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Now I'm getting one another issue. How do i organize my non-album Singles from the same artist? In MusicBrainz Picard, i kept the Album tag blank so it named folder to Unknown Album which is bad. Is there any way i can have Singles folders within a Artist folder so all non-album singles goes there. Please see the screen shot below for directory structure



MusicBee is making me crazy to organize my music.  :(

psychoadept

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Again, you can use functions as a workaround for this.  I put the non-album tracks in the top level folder.  If you want them to have their own folder, adjust your template accordingly.  Just substitute one of these templates where you have the "<Year> - <Album>" folder.

This will put them in the artist folder:
$IsNull(<Album>,,"\"<Year>" - "<Album>)

This will put them in their own folder:
\$IsNull(<Album>,"Non-album Singles",<Year>" - "<Album>)
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theta_wave

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MusicBee is making me crazy to organize my music.  :(
Heh, that's the nature of the beast.  That being said, I am forever grateful that MusicBee provides this amount of control out of the box.