What is your 'working area'?

terrypin · Post by **terrypin** » Mon Oct 24, 2005 11:50 am

I'd be interested in learning how other MM users go about the process of editing and tagging tracks before filing them in their music library.

At present, I download/burn/edit outside the MM library, and only when I've done the basic pruning and editing do I move them in. Always seemed sort of tidier and safer. But recently I've got to wondering if it wouldn't be better to extend the MM File Monitor area to this 'work area' too. Then I'd get the benefit of MM's powerful Search feature for those tracks, as it only works on the monitored area (the Library).

Any feedback would be appreciated.

--
Terry, West Sussex, UK

STabs · Post by **STabs** » Mon Oct 24, 2005 12:55 pm

I have different processes for downloaded and ripped audio.

For download:
I use a download folder (used only for Audio downloads)
I run the files through MP3shield
I use Tag&Rename (supports lots of formats) to play them and check quality bitrates etc, update and clean tags (I remove ID3v1 and use only v2 for MP3 files)
I use MM disk node to update the tags and then move them into my directory structure fully tagged
I then make a copy of the files in an "MP3 to Archive" directory
Once I have archived to CD or DVD I remove from archive dir

For Ripped:
I use EAC to rip and convert to Flac to a directory (only for ripped audio)
I use MM disk node to update the tags and then move them into my directory structure fully tagged
I then make a copy of the files in a "FLAC to Archive" directory
Once I have archived to CD or DVD I remove from archive dir

I do the same for Music videos but MMs lack of Video support means I have a few other tools to manage the files.

This works for me...

terrypin · Post by **terrypin** » Mon Oct 24, 2005 2:02 pm

STabs: Thanks, very useful.

Can you clarify just one point for me please. You say:
"I use MM disk node to update the tags and then move them into my directory structure fully tagged."

Is that Location or My Computer node? I assume the latter?

As I understand it, for a folder to appear under Location, it needs to be specified in File Monitor, yes? So, all the time you're working in that folder, MM would be including all those tracks in its library and playlists. Which you presumably don't want, until you've finished your work (especially your tagging)?

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Terry, West Sussex, UK

STabs · Post by **STabs** » Mon Oct 24, 2005 2:19 pm

Yep your assumption is correct, I use the My computer node to make sure none of the files are in the MM db.

I think your correct on the appearing under the location node bit, but I also think that if you move or copy files to a location not in the monitor list they will appear under location also.

Cheers

terrypin · Post by **terrypin** » Mon Oct 24, 2005 3:25 pm

OK, gotcha, thanks.

Re your assumption about Location node: I just tried testing that, as it could have explained the puzzle I was discussing with psyxonova in another thread, 'Auto Playlist includes files outside scan locations'. But it seems that it's not the case.

I copied a file from an area in my MM libary, J:\My Music, to a working folder in D: But Location > HD Data > All remains empty.
(BTW, do you understand why D: appears at all? Why not C:, E:, F: as well - they are all HD partitions!)

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Terry, West Sussex, UK

terrypin · Post by **terrypin** » Mon Oct 24, 2005 3:28 pm

Typo: that should of course have been:

Location > HD Data (D) > All

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Terry, West Sussex, UK

STabs · Post by **STabs** » Mon Oct 24, 2005 4:58 pm

No idea !! on my MM It only lists the drives I store my audio abd video files. Maybe you have a file somewhere in the library on D: ??

Did you copy or move it with MM or outside of MM ??

You can remove the drive node from the library if you want to without losing files.. Be careful and read any messages.

pah68 · Post by **pah68** » Tue Oct 25, 2005 1:47 am

I use MM for everything except cutting up or triming MP3's. For that I use MP3DirectCut.

I rip into c:\music\new

I download into c:\music download

I use MM (auto)playlists for all files that need editing. ie. trimming, reviewing, re-classifying, volume leveling, album art missing, archiving, deleting duplicates etc etc etc.

I have about 15 playlists that have files that need editing.

This way works for me as I have about 140GB of files of which I have properlly edited and rated about 1/4.

terrypin · Post by **terrypin** » Tue Oct 25, 2005 2:51 am

STabs: I guess you didn't see that earlier thread. No files from D in the MM library. And every time I delete the (empty) D Location entry, it returns on next restarting MM.

Any suggestions from developers please?

pah68: Thanks, that's interesting. Only discovered auto playlists a week ago, and hadn't got around to using them to manage editing - neat!

Can you clarify the specification of your MM library (File Monitor) please? Is it outside both of those 'new working areas'? Or does it include them? That's one of the issues I'm pondering over. As far as I can see, there are several advantages of keeping them separate - primarily minimising confusion in my case

- but the disadvantage that you can't use MM's Search on your new tracks. But I'd welcome other views please.

--
Terry, West Sussex, UK

trixmoto · Post by **trixmoto** » Tue Oct 25, 2005 5:05 am

I use MM for everything. I rip using MM (freedb tags) straight into my F:\Music\ folder (which is monitored). I download into F:\Downloads (which is also monitored) and use MM (amazon) to clean the tags before auto-organising into my music folder. I also burn CDs from MM ready for use in my car.

I occassionally use MusicBrainz tagger with tracks that aren't on Amazon, although this was mainly for random singles that were already in my collection before the wonders of MM. Amazon is very good with complete albums.

psyXonova · Post by **psyXonova** » Tue Oct 25, 2005 5:26 am

MM is the best but for batch trimming (including removing silence) and normalizing i am using mp3trim pro....
great tool, also corrects tagsand bbad mp3 headers. If you do that MM never shows the wrong duration for VBR files (otherwise it does sometimes, which is actually a problem of the spesific files)

trixmoto · Post by **trixmoto** » Tue Oct 25, 2005 6:40 am

I have used MM to convert all my mp3s to CBR now so this is not a problem. I use mp3joiner sometimes but this was only with audio book files.

Post by **Lowlander** » Tue Oct 25, 2005 9:54 pm

I use MM for ripping/tagging and listening. Only use MixMeister sometimes to calculate bpm.

I'd like to use the meedio application for TV usage, but it doesn't support the MM ratings and of course I miss the MM autoplaylists.

rovingcowboy · Post by **rovingcowboy** » Tue Oct 25, 2005 11:20 pm

i do them all by hand typing.

the way the lyrics are messed up online there is no way i am trusting the tags to some young kid that don't even know the song was recorded in the 20's by jimmy duranty or glen miller.

let alone the fact they might not even know who those artists are.

or they might think the artist from the inter net named Joe Toto, is a band member to the group toto, both play different styles of music and are not related, atleast as far as i could get joe to tell me that is?

pah68 · Post by **pah68** » Wed Oct 26, 2005 2:28 am

terrypin wrote:Can you clarify the specification of your MM library (File Monitor) please? Is it outside both of those 'new working areas'? Or does it include them? That's one of the issues I'm pondering over. As far as I can see, there are several advantages of keeping them separate - primarily minimising confusion in my case - but the disadvantage that you can't use MM's Search on your new tracks. But I'd welcome other views please.

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Terry, West Sussex, UK

I only file monitor my new and download directories. I don't scan the rest of my files because I don't auto sync my tags and my library currently a little over 150GB.