VICTORY! – we have a solution, MusicBee can do it:
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-redwing
• Guest
REPLY #34 ON: JANUARY 21, 2013, 10:46:23 PM
Update audio stream only while preserving all kinds of metadata
MB allows you to replace your music file with another while preserving all tags and metadata of the original including date added, play count, rating, and (auto-)playlists. This feature can be useful when you want to update your music file to better quality or format without altering any metadata of the original.
1. You can choose either a target file (to be replaced) or a source file (to replace with). There's no need to tag the source file before.
2. Right click on the track, select Send To> Folder (Replace)> and choose one of the two replace commands
3. Choose a target or source file with the file browser, and click on "OK" button of confirmation dialog. Now MB will take care of the rest.
4. Note that the target file will change to the source file's file format. For example, if you replace an MP3 file with a FLAC file, the replaced file will be a FLAC file.
Caution: MB will delete the source file afterwards. If you want to keep the file, restore it immediately from Recycle Bin, or make a copy of it before using it for this purpose.
LAST EDIT: AUGUST 04, 2017, 05:08:45 AM BY REDWING
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I tested this and it works Here’s a summary of what I do:
-Open MusicBee, Load the album into MusicBee as if you were going to play the album, Choose in your mind the song (-mp3) you will work with,
-Open audacity, Use Audacity’s :”File”,”Import”,”Audio” to load the song from your PC drive into audacity, Use audacity to do whatever cleanup function you want to do (such as remove clicks, etc.), finally use Audacity’s “File”,”Export as mp3” to load the resulting file into your PC drive (audacity will suggest that you load it back into the same location where you got it and give it the same name, but instead I always modify the suggested file name by inserting the number “2” – example: original file name is FileName.mp3, change it to FileName2.mp3. Also add a “2” in the same way when it suggests using the original “Track Title”. These two actions will put the new file exactly where we want it in the folder – which is: immediately following the original song (it’s easier to find and work with if located there).
-Now in MusicBee: Right click on the original song, use “Send To”, “Folder (Replace)”, “Replace the Selected File”, then search for and choose (double click on) your Filename2.mp3 file when asked to choose a file. Click OK when asked to confirm. Wait a minute or two, you will know it is completed when your Filename2.mp3 file disappears, and you are left with only your original file. That original file has now had the original audio replaced by the audio that was in the Filename2.mp3 file, but nothing else has changed – all of the artwork, comments, and the other settings that are part of the original file’s structure remain the same. So that is exactly what we wanted, and a little easier and faster than cutting and pasting each artwork photo from file to file individually. Once you learn to do it a few times it moves quickly.
-I never used the “Folder (Replace)” function before, had never seen an application for it or why I would use it. Now I know that it’s helpful.
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Now, the thank you’s and what I’ve learned.
-the MusicBee Forum seems to be great and very active. In less than 24 hours from loading my question there were nearly 50 members who took the time to read it. Many Thanks to all of you!
-Thanks to “Redwing” for your message which I copied above. It gave the answer that I needed. Even though your message was 8 (or 5) years ago, and I don’t know what original question you were answering, I was able to use the internet (putting the word MusicBee in my search) and find it (although purely by accident).
-Thanks to “Boroda”. It was really great to very quickly get a reply from someone rated as a Hero Member. Even though it wasn’t a full solution to the problem, it showed me that the Forum is backed by an active community. That was encouraging, and gave me some hope to keep searching till I found a solution.
-Thanks to MusicBee. It showed me that it’s a well thought out, robust software, since they even had designed-in this minor but stepsaving feature.
-I learned you’ve got to search several times using different wording. Although my original question title was worded completely different from Redwing’s, it was roughly the same question – but phrased in a way I would have never thought of.