Question: MP3 Organizer with Boolean Searching

Clueless in Seattle

I'm still trying to sort my MP3s by using the columns in Windows Explorer.

The limitation of that is that I'm stuck with the predefined column labels, and (as far as I know) I can only enter a single term into each column.

I'd like to have an MP3 organizer that works like a database, which would allow me to enter multiple terms into a single field, the terms being separated by some character like a backslash, like this:

summer \ bicycling \ dance \ very fast \ upbeat \ pop \ disco \ instrumental \ happy \ 70s \ 1974 \ August \ Richardson's Rooming House \ Greenlake \ My Top 10 summer \ My Top 100 \ My Summer Playlist 2012 \

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Will in Seattle
a.k.a. "Clueless"

Clueless in Seattle

I'm wondering if my original title for my message didn't get across what it is that I'm looking for.

Or if I should request that my post be moved to a more appropriate sub forum.

Or if someone could refer me to a web forum or newsgroup that's focused on MP3 organizing software.

What I'm after is a way to tag my MP3s with multiple key words, in the same way that some web forum software has a field for tagging posts with sets of key words.

Here's the text of my post:

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Will in Seattle
a.k.a. "Clueless"

Kerry56

Will, this is not something I do, or know about, but there are many free tagging programs for music files you might want to look at.

Try some in this list and see if they will do what you want: http://www.techsupportalert.com/best...tag-editor.htm

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AllanDeGroot

The "Columns" in Windows Explorer only display existing information.

If you use a dedicated tag editor, like Tagscanner
(http://www.xdlab.ru/en/download.htm) which is what I use...

you can see the tags in full and edit them along with changing file names to conform to a formula that you designate.

Personally I seperate my music files by folders.
The main folder is "mp3 music library"
Below that are "artist" folders
and within each artist folder are the individual album folders
You can use a "year" (release year) or a sequential numeral to
keep albums in order.

So the AC/DC song "Hells Bells" off of "Back in Black"
winds up with the full file path being:

G:\mp3 playback library\AC-DC\08 Back in Black (2003 RM)\001 Hells Bells.mp3

the fact that I put all my music files on "G:\" is an inside joke that some may get
(But if you want an explanation, learn to live with disappointment)


But you should strongly resist the urge to create long (hyphenated) file names
for each track including the artist and album information, thaqt information should be in the id3tag, so all you really need is the track number and track title.

This is not to say that on idntifying tracks that I don't use a lengthy
"temporary" file name until it's in the folder I want it in... but TagScanner
is also a bulk file renaming tool.. so after organizing them I can change them to short file names again.

But I depend on my folder/subfolder/file structure to keep my music files
organzed.



THE tag field you are going to be most often adding is "Album artist",

This field prevents the typical iTunes balkanization of your music folders

iTunes leaves "album artist" blank and so seperates any track with differing detail information in it's own, often unique, folder.

Greatest hits albums are not only seperated from their artist folder, but individual tracks are placed into seperate folders based on release year.
for amusement you should look what iTunes does to the "40 Licks" greatest hits from the Rolling Stones.

Right this minute I'm just over 2/3 done organizing a customer's music library.
IT was brought to me on a portable drive... all 187gb of it.

25-30% of it was duplicate files.

There were 1147 files with no identification of any kind except some were grouped together in a folder with sequential file numbers.

I've managed to identify, tag, imbed proper album art
(and of course organize them into folders) in all but 19 of those files.
And fourteen of them are an as yet unidentified Bootleg concert

what you have before you is a task that once completed will hopefully be a source of pride.

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cholla

Hi Alan , just reading about that made me wipe the sweat off my forehead.
Would a software named Tunatic possibly help identify the bootleg concerts?
I've found it kind of hit or miss but it's free
http://www.wildbits.com/tunatic/

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AllanDeGroot

He previously tried some freeware that was supposed to identify tracks automatically
but of the first 50-ish files it tried to identify it identified NONE.

And when he tried it's "identify and delete duplicates" function he wound up installing his backup files from his portable drive.

at that point he got "Gun shy" about trusting any automatic processing
and decided to do it "manually" or actually "manually by proxy"
which is why I'm doing it.



The issue is with a collection this large without a robust organization
system in place you can lose files and not even be aware of it.

As things stand he's lost >85% of his collection of the english metal band
"Saxon" because the files are corrupted, and as they were not originally
encoded with CRC data there is no easy way to identify the corrupted files
without listening to them to discover that they are unplayable or full of skips.
For those I will re-rip them from the original (out of print import) CD's

the "unidentified" files weren't that much of a problem, as I said
I dealt with all but 19 of them (currently seventeen, I identified
two as duplicates by looking at a file list that ordered the entire
collection by file size.

The real bitch has been finding cover artwork for indy label releases & bootlegs...

But I've only got 5975 files to go... a little over 25% of the collection.

__________________
If you become annoyed with an electronic device and soothe the animal side of your nature by smashing it with a hammer some will say that you are ruled by that "animal side", However the Cerebral side that "holds the leash" of your animal side understands the basic reality that once smashed that annoying POS will never irritate you again.... it is only serendipity that you also rid yourself of some repressed rage in the process...