Author Topic: Create asx file from single mp3 file  (Read 1086 times)

SalDiVita

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 29
1) Is it possible to generate an asx link in a target album when the mp3 file currently only exists in a source album? Manually creating the asx file isn't desirable.

Example:
  Source artist:              Martha and the Vandellas
  Source album artist: {null}
  Source album:            Martha and the Vandellas Greatest Hits
  Source title:                 Heat Wave.mp3
  
  Target artist:              {null}
  Target album artist:  [Various Artists (60s Girl Groups)
  Target album:            60s Girl Groups
  Target title:                Heat Wave.asx

('60s Girl Groups' includes many artists from from which I only have 1 or 2 titles. All are stored in the same folder in my Library).

One option would be to duplicate 'Heat Wave.mp3' in '60s Girl Groups', and then replace it with an asx file using Manage Duplicates, but is there a better way?

I'll also create a '60s Girl Group' Playlist to aggregate everything, but believe the '60s Girl Groups' album (corresponding to a folder in my Library) will make the collection more extensible outside MusicBee.

2) Related question: Does MB support multi-sectioned asx files which link to multiple titles (all in a single folder in my Library) and play all when the asx file is selected?

Any thoughts, critiques, and suggestions will be appreciated. Thank you.

hiccup

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 9155
1) Is it possible to generate an asx link in a target album when the mp3 file currently only exists in a source album? Manually creating the asx file isn't desirable.
I can't imagine how.
All I can think of is that it would be easier (as a first step) to accomplish something like this if the file convertor (send to) would have a new option for converting to .asx.

SalDiVita

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 29
@hiccup Thank you.
It would be nice to have a "send to asx" option, although I can see how there might not be much demand for this.

Re the multi-part asx, I pulled this from Perplexity (so take it with a grain of salt) but following is a sample they gave me.  I'll test it out in MB one of these days.

<ASX version="3.0">
  <!-- Playlist Title -->
  <TITLE>My Multimedia Playlist</TITLE>

  <!-- First Media Entry -->
  <ENTRY>
    <TITLE>Song One</TITLE>
    <AUTHOR>Artist One</AUTHOR>
    <COPYRIGHT>2025 Music Co.</COPYRIGHT>
    <REF href="http://example.com/media/song1.mp3" />
  </ENTRY>

  <!-- Second Media Entry -->
  <ENTRY>
    <TITLE>Song Two</TITLE>
    <AUTHOR>Artist Two</AUTHOR>
    <COPYRIGHT>2025 Music Co.</COPYRIGHT>
    <REF href="http://example.com/media/song2.mp3" />
  </ENTRY>

  <!-- Third Media Entry -->
  <ENTRY>
    <TITLE>Video Clip</TITLE>
    <AUTHOR>Director Name</AUTHOR>
    <COPYRIGHT>2025 Video Co.</COPYRIGHT>
    <REF href="http://example.com/media/video.mp4" />
  </ENTRY>
</ASX>

hiccup

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 9155
It would be nice to have a "send to asx" option, although I can see how there might not be much demand for this.
I think it could be a useful feature, and I would support a possible Wishlist request for it.

voodoopunk

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 221
It would be nice to have a "send to asx" option, although I can see how there might not be much demand for this.
I think it could be a useful feature, and I would support a possible Wishlist request for it.
As would I, bit late for my current 600 asx files.

I still probably would have done them the old fashioned way... just because.
Black Flag - The First Four Years

hiccup

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 9155
It would be nice to have a "send to asx" option, although I can see how there might not be much demand for this.
To me it seems like something that makes sense and could benefit other/future users aiming to use .asx files.
So I have created a request for it.

SalDiVita

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 29
Thanks again @hiccup.
If the multi-sectioned asx file works, this would also be a way to permit separate titles in the  Library to always play as an aggregated, ordered, unit - something MB apparently currently doesn't handle natively. (Here's a link to a prior question I submitted on the topic:   Group songs for playback purposes)
Last Edit: March 22, 2025, 09:27:05 PM by SalDiVita

hiccup

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 9155
If the multi-sectioned asx file works, this would also be a way to permit separate titles in the  Library to always play as an aggregated, ordered, unit - something MB apparently currently doesn't handle natively.
I'm not sure I really understand 'multi-sectioned'.
Are you suggesting some new option to be able to select multiple tracks, and then use 'send to > file convertor > asx which will result in a single asx file that contains and refers to all the files that were selected?

SalDiVita

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 29
Yes @hiccup. The newly created asx file would consistently play all songs referenced therein, together and in sequence.

A multi-sectioned asx file would also enable a hierarchy independent of Artist > Album. We could effectively embed an album ("Martha and the Vandellas Greatest Hits") to consistently play inside another album ("60s Girl Groups").

I understand this might, to some extent, be accomplished using Playlists + custom sorting with MB, but setting the "60s Girl Groups" up in this way is potentially more direct, and would even work in places (e.g., Windows Explorer) where playlists aren't supported or MB's playlists aren't recognized.

For sake of clarity, "send to asx" shouldn't replace the existing mp3 file, but generate an asx pointer in another folder / Library location.

Please let me know if this is still unclear or you think it doesn't make sense.
Last Edit: March 23, 2025, 03:31:45 PM by SalDiVita

Zak

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2553
Thanks again @hiccup.
If the multi-sectioned asx file works...
It doesn't work. It appears that if MusicBee ever does anything that updates the .asx file, it only saves the first <Entry> tag when it rewrites the file.

A multi-sectioned asx file would also enable a hierarchy independent of Artist > Album. We could effectively embed an album ("Martha and the Vandellas Greatest Hits") to consistently play inside another album ("60s Girl Groups").
The ability to create "virtual albums" that comprise existing tracks but with their separate tag values has has been requested for many years in various forms. It has never been supported in any way beyond creating .asx files in what can best be described as a "hack", and not a very good one. I guess as disc capacities continue to increase, having duplicated files becomes less of a concern.

For sake of clarity, "send to asx" shouldn't replace the existing mp3 file, but generate an asx pointer in another folder / Library location.
No confusion there, because if you remove the original file the "pointer" file has nothing to refer to.
Bee excellent to each other...

SalDiVita

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 29
@Zak. My hope was that as part of creating this new "send to asx" function, MB would allow selection of multiple mp3 files. I've not yet tested manual creation of a multi-part asx file, but am hoping it would work in MB as indicated above - playing all tracks included therein, together and in sequence.

tjinc

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 845
The ability to create "virtual albums" that comprise existing tracks but with their separate tag values has has been requested for many years in various forms.
Excuse my lack of imagination but I am just wondering what might be the advantages of creating a 'virtual album' over a playlist?
(I guess one would be the ability to create your own compilations/collections and view them in amongst your 'proper' albums)

Zak

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2553
I've not yet tested manual creation of a multi-part asx file, but am hoping it would work in MB as indicated above - playing all tracks included therein, together and in sequence.
Sorry, I wasn't clear. That's what I tested with an ASX file that I manually added multiple tracks to - it doesn't work.

The ability to create "virtual albums" that comprise existing tracks but with their separate tag values has has been requested for many years in various forms.
Excuse my lack of imagination but I am just wondering what might be the advantages of creating a 'virtual album' over a playlist?
(I guess one would be the ability to create your own compilations/collections and view them in amongst your 'proper' albums)
Yes, the ability to create compilations where each track has its own tag values, but still uses the original track for playback.
e.g.



In this case, only the third file would contain the audio stream. The first two would just be a reference to that file but appear on separate albums with their own values for album-specific things like Album, Year, Artwork, Album Gain etc. This means the other two copies don't take up unnecessary disk space by duplicating the entire file.

Obviously it's possible to create a playlist for each album and just add the required tracks to it, but as you've noted, that's not the same as having a compilation album that actually appears as any other album.

Years ago I tried using ASX files to achieve this, but gave up when I found MusicBee's support for them to be a bit unintuitive and unpredictable.
There may have been improvements made since I last tried, but can't recall seeing anything specific.
Bee excellent to each other...

SalDiVita

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 29
@tjinc. Playlists created in MB won't necessarily work in other applications (including Windows Explorer), but asx files will. Some apps (e.g., VLC Media Player) can read MB Playlists with some tinkering, but it's not automatic. My understanding is that Playlists will also not necessarily play a grouped set of titles in sequence without some custom sorting, at best.

SalDiVita

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 29
@Zak Thank you for testing the multi-part asx file in MB. Maybe in a future release...