Combining mp3 and FLAC files in one album

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pale_loiterer
Posts: 5
Joined: Sat Jul 14, 2018 8:55 am

Combining mp3 and FLAC files in one album

Post by pale_loiterer »

Hi,
I've been able to put together an album from different sources. Some songs are MP3s and some are FLACs. When I add the album to my library, MM splits the album into two parts - one with the MP3s and one with the FLACs. All tags (including the album name) are correct.
Is there a way to make MM keep them together?
Thanks.
Lowlander
Posts: 56491
Joined: Sat Sep 06, 2003 5:53 pm
Location: MediaMonkey 5

Re: Combining mp3 and FLAC files in one album

Post by Lowlander »

As long as Album and Album Artist are the same for all files they are considered the same Album. It doesn't matter what file type they are.
pale_loiterer
Posts: 5
Joined: Sat Jul 14, 2018 8:55 am

Re: Combining mp3 and FLAC files in one album

Post by pale_loiterer »

Thanks, lowlander.
That's what I thought.
I've just put the album into MP3tag and have confirmed that all Artist tags are identical and all Album Artist tags are identical too. The only difference is in the filename extensions (MP3 or Flac). I had already checked this in MM so this was by way of a cross-check.
So it's a mystery why MM is behaving in this way.
If you can think of anything else to check, I'll be grateful.
Lowlander
Posts: 56491
Joined: Sat Sep 06, 2003 5:53 pm
Location: MediaMonkey 5

Re: Combining mp3 and FLAC files in one album

Post by Lowlander »

How is it splitting apart?
pale_loiterer
Posts: 5
Joined: Sat Jul 14, 2018 8:55 am

Re: Combining mp3 and FLAC files in one album

Post by pale_loiterer »

Under Albums, it is listed twice with eight MP3s in one entry and four Flacs in the other.
Looking back at your original message, I suppose you didn't mean that the artist tags and the Album Artist tags have to be identical to each other because they are not. The artist tags all say "Lee Wiley And Bobby Hackett With Joe Bushkin And His Swinging Strings" whereas the Album Artist tags just read "Lee Wiley".
Lowlander
Posts: 56491
Joined: Sat Sep 06, 2003 5:53 pm
Location: MediaMonkey 5

Re: Combining mp3 and FLAC files in one album

Post by Lowlander »

Artist tag can be anything you want, Album Artist tag has to have the same value for all files on the Album.

When you say under Album, do you mean in the Album node in the Media Tree or in the Filelisting? For the latter, what are you sorting on?

Try this, right click, Find More from Same > Album on one of the files. Does it list both the FLAC and MP3 files on the Album? If so, the files are seen as one Album and it likely is a sorting issue.
yarguy
Posts: 394
Joined: Mon Apr 09, 2012 8:34 am

Re: Combining mp3 and FLAC files in one album

Post by yarguy »

How did you check it in MM? MM has a useful way of seeing if they truly are identical. Highlight all the tracks that should be in the album (both MP3 and FLAC). Right-click and go to Properties. If the Album is not the same then there will be a blank in the Album field and the same with the Album Artist field. If either - or both - are blank, this is your chance to fix it. What is in the Artist field is irrelevent; it can be different for every track in an album.

Just to be sure I created a "mixed" album of MP3 and FLAC and as long as the Album Artist and Album were identical, MM saw all the tracks as being in one album. (Ver. 4.1.21 1875).

I did notice one interesting thing. Thinking that perhaps MM distinguished between The and the, I changed The in one track's Album to lower case. Somewhat to my surprise, MM changed all the The in the Album fields to lower case. And when I changed the one track back to upper case, the album name for all tracks changed to upper case. I did not know MM would do that.
pale_loiterer
Posts: 5
Joined: Sat Jul 14, 2018 8:55 am

Re: Combining mp3 and FLAC files in one album

Post by pale_loiterer »

Thanks lowlander,
When I said Album I meant in the Album node in the Media Tree.
I tried your experiment and all files were correctly listed as one album. So is there a way to alter the sort parameters?
pale_loiterer
Posts: 5
Joined: Sat Jul 14, 2018 8:55 am

Re: Combining mp3 and FLAC files in one album

Post by pale_loiterer »

Thank you yarguy. You have helped me find the solution which is that my eyesight is failing.
The Album name does differ between the MP3s and the Flacs the latter having no less than three ts in Manhattan.
That was a senior moment, if there ever was one, and I'm very sorry to have put you both to so much trouble.
Lowlander
Posts: 56491
Joined: Sat Sep 06, 2003 5:53 pm
Location: MediaMonkey 5

Re: Combining mp3 and FLAC files in one album

Post by Lowlander »

If it's in the Album node and as you indicate it was Album that wasn't the same it may not matter, but you can click on the Album column title to sort on Albums. This should group all files on the Album together.
yarguy
Posts: 394
Joined: Mon Apr 09, 2012 8:34 am

Re: Combining mp3 and FLAC files in one album

Post by yarguy »

You can probably guess why I thought that might be the solution. And it was no trouble.
pale_loiterer wrote: Wed Jul 18, 2018 5:14 am Thank you yarguy. You have helped me find the solution which is that my eyesight is failing.
The Album name does differ between the MP3s and the Flacs the latter having no less than three ts in Manhattan.
That was a senior moment, if there ever was one, and I'm very sorry to have put you both to so much trouble.
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