Using MMA to rate songs - sync to MMW

[Jim Kelly]

Hello!
I have really tried to get MMW and MMW connected and must just have some little thing wrong as it mostly all works.
Using latest released versions.

I have an AutoPlaylist that finds tracks with Rating = Unknown.
These ended up on my Samsung NOTE 2 mSD card and played fine and I rated them at the phone.

When I reconnect USB it only syncs briefly, no tracks vanished from MMW playlist (still lists 189 tracks) but now the tracks have no star ratings at the phone either. It is as if the sync did not observe which was newest and the new star ratings were overwritten.

However the process took no time at all . . . I expected that the files might have to be rewritten as I understand that the ratings live inside of FLAC and MP3 files? Is this a clue to what could be wrong?

Anything obvious for me to check please?

Thanks

Jim

[Lowlander]

Which version of MMA and MMW? Do you have the option to sync metadata from device to PC enabled in the Device Profile (Tools > Options > Portable Device Sync in MMW)? Lastly are you doing a USB or wifi sync?

[Jim Kelly]

MMA: 1.1.0.0406 Pro, on Samsung NOTE2 GT-N7105 Android 4.4.2
MMW: 4.1.6.1736 Lifetime Gold, on w8.1 Pro 64
Followed the advice to use USB first, but had various troubles that I have read of here:
* No sign of Card in MMW (although it showed in Windows File Explorer)
* Swapped Phone vs Card entries . .
So I turned on WiFi and got asked the server question then the permissions question and the Card had an odd but familiar name that was picked up from somewhere. Oh well, I just renamed it in the node tree and all seemed perfect.

Turned off WiFi and continued to sync an AutoPlaylist via USB3.

Tested one or two adjustments each way and satisfied myself that all was fine, the changes had synced fine.

At MMW's menu: Tools > Options > (card name) > Configure > Summary: All boxes are ticked.
At TAB Auto-Sync (-->Device) . . . nothing is ticked other than the two in bottom left:
. Delete other files . . . All media files . . . Confirm deletion
At TAB Auto-Sync (-->Library) . . .
. "Auto-sync new files and playlists from the device to the PC" is ticked, but I am not sure why - I am not adding files nor playlists at the phone.
. . . . inside the associated box,
. Android . . . files: is ticked
. Music: is ticked
. Video: is ticked
. "Confirm updates (recommended)" is ticked
. "Auto-sync file metadata from the device to the PC" is ticked

Thanks

[Lowlander]

You can send a debug log after wifi sync to support from About screen in MMA.

As several bugs have been fixed already you may want to try the latest beta.

[Jim Kelly]

Thanks Lowlander, debug JEIPV1IILQ just sent

I'll await it's perusal before deciding to try the BETA version as I expect I'd need to install MMW BETA too?

[Jim Kelly]

I have been racking my brains to think what else I need to add to help, as I have seen this working OK but the initial test music had ended up in my phone memory, not in the 32GB mSD card.

So I followed the advice on resetting MMA (have kept the steps if needed).
After the reinstall of MMA and MMA-Pro I "moved" them "to the Card" from the App Manager (before any syncing). This may have been a mistake?

I hope the ratings are not really lost on my 189 misc files in MMA? Many of them got a 1 star so that they could be deleted via MMW. That system seems to be very useful if I can get it working reliably.

Thanks,

[Lowlander]

You might want to open a Support Ticket with the log ID so you can track what's happening with the problem.

[Jim Kelly]

OK - done
Thanks,

[rusty]

Hi Jim,

We're going to get to the log next week, but for now:
- It sounds like you might have 2 sync profiles configured; one of them being to internal memory--you can verify this in MMW > Tools > Options > Portable device sync. Is that possible? If you have extra profiles for the device just select it and delete it.
- Try Wi-Fi sync and see if that works

Thanks.

-Rusty

[Jim Kelly]

Thanks for helping Rusty,

The phone has always been listed as an "available device" but has not been ticked,
the card one, "NOTE-2-Card", is the only device that has been ticked since I reinstalled MMA.

BUT, when I look at the "GT-N7105 - Phone" via "Configure" it has remnants of a prior connection there (I am sure that I deleted both devices as part of the cleanup prior to the reinstall of MMA, perhaps I did not properly cleanup the phone?

NEXT: So I have unticked the entries on the Summary TAB, and the Sync metadata . . .
When I try a WiFi sync, I say NO to the phone's request for access . . .
But it doesn't like NO for an answer. It really wants to sync to the internal phone memory.

So, at MMA > Options > Sync location settings > there are two entries:
GT-N7105 Internal storage, Last synced: never
GT-N7105 External storage, Last synced: (today)
Note that my name "NOTE-2-Card" is not used . . .

If I touch the former it immediately causes the "grant it access" routine . . .
(the cog icon implies that I should be able to see a configuration, not initiate a sync . . .)

If I touch the "External" cog displays a menu . . . and yellow warning that links to the website page re external card limitations (could that be the problem?) . . .
All tick boxes are ticked, but one place has no tickbox to tick;
."Auto-sync server content"
Inside, only my AutoPlaylist is ticked.
I notice that I could tick "Music" and "Classical music", etc. Should I? I don't want to upset the hoped for automatic nature of the AutoPlaylist being in full control.

Does any of this help shed light on things? I hope so.

Thanks,

[Jim Kelly]

. . . further:

Whilst in the MMA "Cog" page for External storage, it offers a "Sync now" link. This clearly initiates TWO syncs, one to "Internal storage", and one to "External storage"!
Of course it also initiates the "grant it access?" prompt naming the "GT-N7015 - Phone", to which I say no as I want to avoid syncing to the internal memory. It complains "Completed with errors . . . verify that WiFi synchronization is enabled on the remote server" but I do not know how to do this (and it does not offer any further explanation nor details of errors.

So we have confusion here for sure, and also: the stars are no longer present for the 189 songs that we rated on the weekend . . .

What do you recommend next?
I have sent log 3B7IG03VOQ

Thanks,

[Jim Kelly]

I have some progress to report.
Although the above was done via WiFi, the USB cable was also attached. I decidedt o remove the cable, turn off WiFi, and rate few songs.

Then I synced with WiFi only (ie no cable) and the new ratings appeared in MMW. If I took focus off then on the playlist, the rated songs vanished from the MMW view as expected. However they are still on the phone!
I noticed that it was asking me for permission but the songs were not preselected, so I selected them and "Yes", but still they persist. Even after another sync, I get asked the same question.

This must be giving enough info to either identify a repeatable bug or to see where I have misunderstood something?

Thanks,

[Jim Kelly]

Perhaps another clue:
I understood that a WiFi sync could be initiated from either MMW or MMA . . . ?
There is no MMW opportunity presented at Tools > Sync device
Just a grayed out "Auto-Synchronize"

[Jim Kelly]

I can confirm that after ticking all rated songs to confirm OK to delete them, a summary page presents:
"External storage"
Deleted 58 track(s)
Downloaded 2 playlist(s)
Updated 1 playlist(s) from server

HOWEVER . . . they can all still be seen and played via the album view.

DECIDE to plug in the USB cable which immediately tries to sync:
"Auto-sync (Confirmation)"
"Please confirm the following changes:"
the many files are listed and ticked
the Auto-Playlist is included twice (why? Should this really be 'updated' at each sync? It has not been changed)

So I allow in to "continue" . . . it takes some time "Removing old content" . . . appears to have hung, the progress line is quite stationary for way too long, but I wait. And wait.
Eventually with a flurry of hard disk noise it (presumably) completes as the progress line vanishes (it would have been good to get a report here . . .) . . .

I check on MMA and YES, the completely rated albums are no longer presented, as expected. Hooray!


I trust that this log of events allows you to see where improvements can be made as if it wasn't for my persistence I would have given up in disgust well before now.

And . . . What happened to cause all of my ratings to be discarded at an earlier point??

[Jim Kelly]

The new version of MMA Pro arrived to my phone in the last day or so . . . v1.1.1.0410

NOTES:
No change to the problems I am having with files not deleting from the card when using a WiFi sync (still ok when doing a USB sync). Added detailed comments to my support ticket.

One thing that I had really hoped to see (I'm sure it must be on your MMA wish list) . . When songs are listed, please use the ample display room to add metadata, starting with the Star Rating!

Another thing desired is to make the finger touch areas more sensible.
EG When you want to skip forward a minute or two in a song, I have difficulty hitting the desired point on the progress line.
And the Next button. (Samsung NOTE-2).
It is fine to keep the line and buttons visually small, just make the landing areas more generous please, wherever it makes sense to.

Thanks