Link Two Songs to Always Play Back-to-Back?

das Monkey · Post by **das Monkey** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 4:35 pm

I tried searching on this, but I don't really know what the right term for the concept is.

I have all my CDs managed in MediaMonkey, but I like to listen to the tracks in random order. However, some CDs contain tracks that should always be played back-to-back, often an instrumental or vocal intro to the song. I have a lot of concert albums where one track is someone talking about the song and the next track is the song itself. On Live's "V" album, Track #1 is just a ramp-up for Track #2. They should always be played consecutively. Some people might want "Speak to Me" to always be followed by "Breathe" on "Dark Side of the Moon" or "We Are the Champions" to follow "We Will Rock You" (these aren't the best examples, but the bands are universal enough to get the idea).

I'd rather not do anything like merging files that would take away from the accurate representation of the disc itself. Is there a way to accomplish this task in MediaMonkey?

Thanks,
das

Teknojnky · Post by **Teknojnky** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 5:24 pm

not really.

tho I suppose a script could be made, I don't think anyone has and it would probly a be a bit complicated to implement in a simple to use manner.

das Monkey · Post by **das Monkey** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 5:52 pm

Thanks for the response. I guess I'll start working on a script to do that. I could probably use the same concept as Auto Album DJ and patch into GenerateNewTrack and read from some external database. The trick would be maintaining the fine-tuning control of Auto-DJ's "Add Tracks From". I have playlists that isolate lyrical music from film scores and classical and would like to easily hop back and forth like I do now.

Then again, maybe it just isn't mean to be.

das

Post by **Lowlander** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 5:43 pm

Wasn't there a script that linked songs together in this way? Please check the Scripts and Components forum to see if a solution exists so you don't have to go through the effort if a script exists.

Just JP · Post by **Just JP** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 6:03 pm

I used a script in MM2 that did exactly what you are looking for. I believe it was called "linked songs". Unfortunately it isn't MM3 compatible.

I hope at some point it will be.

Jim

Scooter · Post by **Scooter** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 1:45 pm

I just used a wave editor and cut and pasted the two songs together as one. By way of example, every CD and concert always has Eric Clapton's Willie and the Hand Jive as separate tracks. Anyone who knows EC knows that these two songs were played as one, so I always cut and paste the two together with a wave editor.

I do the same for many Dead and Beatle songs which should be played as one, but are tracked on the CD's.

Just JP · Post by **Just JP** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 3:29 pm

I finally found the script I was looking for.

As I said I hope this one becomes MM3 compatible.

Jim

rovingcowboy · Post by **rovingcowboy** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 3:35 pm

i'm with scooter there are too many things that the script has to take in consideration.

and the songs more than likely were played as one. but the snot nosed kid that put the cd together never heard them as anything but two seperate songs and more then likely wonders whom the who, the guess who and the grt.dead are.
so they don't know to put them as one song.

boy i split a simmon and garfunkel song up and my sister hit the roof she was mad? still is mad cause i have not put them back together yet? to me though the one song stopped and the next one started so i split it? opps

Dreadlau · Post by **Dreadlau** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 4:29 pm

I understand your frustration das Monkey. I hate when it happens.

But I'm too lazy to begin pasting songs with a wav editor.

hope you find a way to make your auto dj script.

das Monkey · Post by **das Monkey** » Mon Feb 18, 2008 1:14 am

Thanks for the information, everyone. I like having my CD collection organized proper to the discs, with checksums verified through AccurateRip, so I'm not a good candidate for merging wave files.

I'll take a look at that TiedSongsGroups script and see if I can port it to MM3 when I have some spare time. I've only had this software for a few weeks, so it will take me some time to get familiar with the structure, and I have no idea what's different between MM2 and MM3 behind the scenes. A quick glance at that script, though, reveals it's using a Custom field to link the songs. I've thought about doing that with a few script ideas I have running through my head, but it's a bit of hackish solution, since there are only 4 of them, and different scripts may want to use them for different things. Maybe I can come up with a better solution when I have the time to look at it further.

das

rovingcowboy · Post by **rovingcowboy** » Mon Feb 18, 2008 9:53 am

bex has already made the code change to work that script in mm 3.

check the thread out for that script.

but you can merge the wavs and still have them seperate as in the cd's way of doing it.

just make copys of the songs before you merge them. then you have all the split ones for the cdrom's notification and id.

and you have the one long merged file to play like it should play.

then in the playlists only put the one in that you merged.

makes for lots of files in the computer that are not used. but you get what you want with out using a script?

thats how i do it i put the entire cd of the carpenters christmas special in to one long file, and still kept the seperate ones to play in a random playlist. so i get the full concert or just a song from it. but it does take lots of space to make all the files in to wav then merge them.

so its up to the listener's likes now with the new code for the script allowing its use in mm 3.