How does SS create its library ?

[liffy99]

Sory for what may well be a dumb question. I'm happily ripping my CDs (EAC / FLAC) to my hard drive and have set the filename parameters to give artist \ album \ track number \ title.

When I look in Windows explorer this is indeed what I get. Yet when I'm browsing my Squeezebox, there are many instances where this format is not followed. For example, I may get artists where albums should be and vice versa, or I simply get a track title repeated at different directory levels.

Are the two results both driven from the filename parameters of is SS deriving its information from metadata tags. If the latter how do I control these - as the moment they are simply "delivered" by FreeCDDB.

Thanks

[snarlydwarf]

There is a setting in the server settings for "guess tags"... we'll skip what tags are for the moment, though. What it does is show slimserver just what sort of layout you keep your files in, so if files don't have tags (again, skipping that for now) Slimserver will just guess.

So what is a tag? A tag is a way of labelling things within the file itself. For MP3 tags, these are "id3", for FLAC these are Vorbis comments. You can insert into a file (with no change in audio at all) text like album name, artist, track number, genre, composer, disc number, and tons less useful stuff.

Slimserver is able to use those tags and they have the benefit that you dont have the "guess" part of Guess Tags and you can be a lot more flexible in your layout of files on your system.

See http://wiki.slimdevices.com/index.cg...GuideToTagging for more info on tagging and feel free to ask more questions here. Some parts of tagging will certainly be religious (how you handle Classical music, for example), but most is straightforward.

[Phil Leigh]

I think I'm right in saying that if you don't have any tags inside your files, the Windows directory/filename structure will be used to construct the database. However, if tags are present they override the Windows structure.
So, basically you need to get the tags right or get rid of all of them. Since the latter is rather tough, you will need to get to grips with the fact that a lot of the tags that are autopopulated from freedb etc are garbage. What I did (probably not the cleverest thing) was to rip everything with EAC and just accept the tags as they came down from Freedb...and then I spent many a happy evening manually tweaking/correcting them until I was happy. At least you only have to do this once...
Now when I get a new CD to rip, I study the tags from freedb very carefully and manually change them as necessary before the rip.
Regards
Phil

[gerph]

I think I'm right in saying that if you don't have any tags inside your files, the Windows directory/filename structure will be used to construct the database. However, if tags are present they override the Windows structure.
So, basically you need to get the tags right or get rid of all of them. Since the latter is rather tough, you will need to get to grips with the fact that a lot of the tags that are autopopulated from freedb etc are garbage. What I did (probably not the cleverest thing) was to rip everything with EAC and just accept the tags as they came down from Freedb...and then I spent many a happy evening manually tweaking/correcting them until I was happy. At least you only have to do this once...
Now when I get a new CD to rip, I study the tags from freedb very carefully and manually change them as necessary before the rip.
Regards
Phil

There is an alternative to this for those who already have a large, untagged collection - use the MusicBrainz tool to automatically tag everything. The 'Picard' tool they provide will, I believe, process your files and decide what they are from based on their 'signature' (think of it like an audio fingerprint). From this all the information can be filled in. I actually don't know that much about it, but if your tracks are untagged - or poorly tagged - then it can fill in a lot of the blanks with reasonably accurate information.

My brother uses it a lot and whilst I personally don't like it, it has meant that the things that he has are (generally) tagged properly. I'm not saying I recommend it, but it's certainly an option.

http://musicbrainz.org/doc/PicardTagger

[jeffluckett]

There is an alternative to this for those who already have a large, untagged collection - use the MusicBrainz tool to automatically tag everything. The 'Picard' tool they provide will, I believe, process your files and decide what they are from based on their 'signature' (think of it like an audio fingerprint). From this all the information can be filled in. I actually don't know that much about it, but if your tracks are untagged - or poorly tagged - then it can fill in a lot of the blanks with reasonably accurate information.

My brother uses it a lot and whilst I personally don't like it, it has meant that the things that he has are (generally) tagged properly. I'm not saying I recommend it, but it's certainly an option.

http://musicbrainz.org/doc/PicardTagger

I am another advocate of the MusicBrainz tagger (Picard version). While the software and online database are both great, they do have their limitations and should be closely supervised. However, once you and the software have properly identified the album/tracks you're working on, the tags in the MusicBrainz site are very good and usually very accurate.

One caveat, they DON'T provide genre tags. They say that genre tagging is sticky business, as music basically refuses to be pigeon-holed in neat little genres. I agree with them ... you can argue for or against virtually any genre assigned to an artist ... and really they might vary even within a given album.

So, once you've gotten the bulk of your information from MusicBrainz, then use an application like mp3tagger to assign genre to your tastes. I'd recommend assigning multiple genres where appropriate, as it is often difficult to assign only one. Separate genres with a semi-colon. An example from one track in my library (MFSL; Rock; Hard Rock; Rockabilly) Meaning that the track is a MFSL recording, and has aspects of the three genres I mentioned. Makes it easy when trying to put together playlists.

Finally, you can use an application like foobar2000 to calculate track and album replay gain.

[slimpy]

I also agree with that.


========================
video applications,
there're people who say
they can see visions
with tarot reading

https://www.tarotreadinglive.com

i would like to stream that

Can someone please remove/block this account?
We're not interested in tarot reading and the like. Thank you.
Not convinced this is spam? Have a look at yelena66's previous posts.

-s.

[seanadams]

Can someone please remove/block this account?
We're not interested in tarot reading and the like. Thank you.
Not convinced this is spam? Have a look at yelena66's previous posts.

Ugh... posts deleted and user banned.

[PatPowerMan]

I'm also using Picard, but it is still not a masterpiece of software. Non other SW crashes so much...

I would be happy, if someone could make a Plugin to tag all the blank id3-fields in my songs.

Imagine: such a Plugin could scan the DB for empty fields, make a online-search on MusicBrainz or MusicIP/MusicDNS and fill in the available fields.

Or is this something "out of scope" from SlimServer?

I know the problems about the genre. But IMHO a non-existing Genre is useless too...

[Siduhe]

I find Picard is very picky about having unfettered access to your files - so if you have another application (Windows Explorer) or another tagging program open and pointed at the files you're looking at in Picard, it crashes. Also, you can force a crash very easily if you try and tag / drag files outside the border of the application. Other than that, the latest version (Windows) has been a lot more stable for me.

There was also a really good discussion a while back about whether the automatic insertion of genres from MusicBrainz or anywhere else was of any benefit at all. I'm firmly in the camp that Genres need to mean something to the person using the files, if you're going to do any meaningful browsing or playing by Genre. Also, some of the options they come up with are insane - my favourite was the suggestion that Norah Jones remixes should be under "Industrial-Tech-Pop"...

See also http://forums.slimdevices.com/showth...ighlight=genre for some of the more bizarre "standard" genre tags.

[mherger]

Re: How does SS create its library ?

> Or is this something "out of scope" from SlimServer?

Yes. SlimServer is a streaming server, not a music management tool.

--

Michael

-----------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.herger.net/SlimCD - your SlimServer on a CD
http://www.herger.net/slim - AlbumReview, Biography, MusicInfoSCR

[aubuti]

> Or is this something "out of scope" from SlimServer?

Yes. SlimServer is a streaming server, not a music management tool.

And what's more, this task is exactly what a number of tagging programs (e.g., mp3tag, Tag&Rename, plus ripping programs like EAC) already do, although most use freedb.

[liffy99]

Big Thanks

Thanks Guys (and Gals ?)

Now happily using tag & rename to edit some of my ripped CDs.

It's been an interesting voyage through the waters of streamed music and one that has certainly revolutionised the way in which I access music (I even downloaded my first three music files this month - thanks to AllofMP3).

So, happily continuing to transfer my library to disk, then on the hunt for a NAS (QNAP 201 + a backup ext. hard disk ?). If only we could install Slimserver ourselves . . . . then have a wider choice of NAS.

Thanks again

[aubuti]

Glad to hear things are going well. Since you're new to music downloading, I'll mention that allofmp3 is a very questionnable outfit. Debates rage about the legality, and morality, of the downloads it offers. I'd suggest that if you haven't already researched the controversy over allofmp3, that you do so before downloading more. Then you can make an informed decision.

Re choice of NASs, if you want to install slimserver yourself then don't overlook options like the Kurobox, Synology DiskStation, and Buffalo LinkStation, among others. You're not limited to the boxes where the vendor installs slimserver for you.

[liffy99]

All of MP3

Thanks for the heads up on the NAS - I'll take a look (how easy is it to install SS ? I'm computer literate but no programmer).

As for all of MP3 I know what you mean. I did look into the discussion whizzing around this outfit but came to the conclusions that;

1) If they say there are meeting royalty requirements by law then I have no way of knowing how true that is, any more than I am able to delve into the accounts of the RIAA or BPI. As far as I am concerned, I have looked and they have replied in the affirmative.
2) They are just about the only site I know, with any reasonable catalogue, that allows me to download in lossless format (well, for a significant minority of their catalogue). This is why I've not bothered downloading before.
3) I feel I am paying a reasonable price (about £4-5 per "album"), considering the savings that must be made by the industry without greater distribution costs, packaging, manufacture etc. All of MP3 to me seems to be all that ITunes should have been but isn't. How the industry can justify 99p per track for lossy audio is beyond me.
4) I think all the debate about royalties is just a smokescreen. With a truly global marketplace, outfits like All of MP3 (and I Tunes) are in direct competition and those with the lower overheads must be able to offer lower prices. I feel it is simply a question that the US (and others) want to protect the inflated profit margins of their distributors. Roll on the day when we can really download (and pay a reasonable price for) music direct from artists (in CD or better quaility).

Cheers

[aubuti]

Thanks for the heads up on the NAS - I'll take a look (how easy is it to install SS ? I'm computer literate but no programmer).

You don't need to be a programmer, at least as long as you choose an option where the programmers/hackers have already blazed the trail. I always tell folks that the requirements are (1) ability to follow directions carefully, and (2) a cool head when things go a little wrong. As most NASs run some flavor of linux, it also helps to have some familiarity with working from the linux command prompt, but it's not absolutely necessary.

Check some of the links for installing on a NAS that are in the SlimDevices wiki: http://wiki.slimdevices.com/index.cgi?SlimServer. For Kurobox, check out www.kurobox.com. The Kurobox is simply a bare-bones Buffalo LinkStation, and you install your own hard drive, so you can sidestep all the issues of getting telnet access as root and so on. Post back here or in the 3rd Party Hardware forum if a specific NAS catches your eye.