Author Topic: How to show the real tags in a file?  (Read 702 times)

cpc2

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I have some files without proper title and artist tags, and would like to identify and fix them. However, MusicBee is automatically infering them from the filename, without actually setting those tags in the file itself. For example, this track is shown like this in MusicBee:



However, the file itself doesn't have those title and artist tags set:



Is there a way to disable that automatic title and artist inferring?

Zak

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MusicBee will always use the file name to guess at Artist and Title values for tracks that don't have that information in a tag. It has to show something, otherwise you might end up with a huge list of identical (blank) entries.

If you want to see which files are missing real tag values so can fix them, try Tools > Tagging Tools > Show Files with Missing Tag.
-Edit-
I must not have tested this properly before and now I see that MusicBee doesn't consider these tags to be "missing" even when added automatically. Which is... not ideal.

Then if you want to set real tag values based on the file names, use Tools > Tagging Tools > Auto-Tag by Track > Infer and Update Tags From Filename....
Last Edit: May 18, 2022, 01:53:32 AM by Zak
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Steven

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I guess i could change it so only the Title field gets populated so that will make it easier for people to find the untagged files

Zak

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I guess i could change it so only the Title field gets populated so that will make it easier for people to find the untagged files
That doesn't seem like a great solution at either end. People relying on MusicBee to just guess at values based on the file name might end up with less useful information than they did before, and it still won't help people trying to find files that don't have a Title value.

Is there no way for the Show Files with Missing Tag command - and ad hoc searches - to distinguish between files with inferred tag values and those with real ones? It makes that command title a bit misleading if it can't because that's not how people would expect it to work.

Maybe it's time to throw the people who don't tag anything under the bus, and just show [No artist], [No title] instead of trying to infer those values. Only half joking, by the way.  8)
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phred

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Is there no way for the Show Files with Missing Tag command - and ad hoc searches - to distinguish between files with inferred tag values and those with real ones? It makes that command title a bit misleading if it can't because that's not how people would expect it to work.
When moving or copying to an organized folder there is an option to "do not regorganize files with missing naming tags." Can that be made to show files with missing tags and solve the OP's issue? Plus there is also the option to "infer and update tags from filename."

Quote
Maybe it's time to throw the people who don't tag anything under the bus, and just show [No artist], [No title] instead of trying to infer those values. Only half joking, by the way.  8)
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I am continually baffled by the users who only want to use MB to play their music. It is a music manager.
Download the latest MusicBee v3.5 or 3.6 patch from here.
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Zak

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I am continually baffled by the users who only want to use MB to play their music. It is a music manager.
I kinda get it. Let's not ignore the fact that as well having lots of great features to manage music, MusicBee is also a fantastic music player.
Depending on how you define "manage", I'm primarily using MusicBee as a player. The difference being that I've already tagged and organised all my music before it gets added to my library. I use MusicBee because of the exhausting level of customisation it allows for finding, displaying and playing said music.

But people who won't meet MusicBee even halfway and refuse to tag anything, whether out of apathy or idleness, and wonder why they have problems? Under the bus with them!

(To clarify, not talking about OP here, who is trying to fix their tags)
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