&*65279;Non-Compilation Album with Multiple Artists

[Alepsis]

Asset R4.3, Win 7

Problem: If an album, which is not a compilation, has tracks performed by different artists, Asset does not display it as a single album (even if the Album tag is identical for all tracks), but as separate albums.

Example: I have an album ("Couperin: Concerts Royaux", Archiv 427 119-2), ripped into FLAC tracks. It is not a compilation album. It comprises 25 tracks, grouped into 4 concerts. Each of the 4 concerts is performed by a different combination of artists. Consequently, the Genre, Year, Album, and Composer tags are identical for all tracks, but the Track Title and Artist tags vary.

For instance, the Artist tag for tracks 1 to 6 is "Heinz Holliger, Josef Ulsamer, Manfred Sax, Christiane Jaccottet"; for tracks 7 to 11, "Aurèle Nicolet, Josef Ulsamer, Christiane Jaccottet"; and so on.

The result is that Asset displays the album as 4 different albums with the same title but different artists, rather than as a single album. I assume that this happens by design (to prevent albums with the same name but by different artists to show up as a single entry).

Is it possible to change this behaviour?

Thanks.

[mville]

Re: &*65279;Non-Compilation Album with Multiple Artists

Asset R4.3, Win 7

Problem: If an album, which is not a compilation, has tracks performed by different artists, Asset does not display it as a single album (even if the Album tag is identical for all tracks), but as separate albums.

What do you have in the Album Artist and Album Artist Sort tags?

... and if you are expecting this album to appear once in Asset, under which artist are you expecting it to appear, as there is more than 1 artist?

This is a classic example of the difficulty in tagging classical music. You could make Album Artist = François Couperin and Album Artist Sort = Couperin, François i.e. the composer.

[Spoon]

Re: &*65279;Non-Compilation Album with Multiple Artists

For albums with different artists, you either have to:

Set compilation to 1
or have a single Album Artist

To group together as a single album.

[Alepsis]

Re: &*65279;Non-Compilation Album with Multiple Artists

What do you have in the Album Artist and Album Artist Sort tags?

As a rule, I don't use those tags.

... and if you are expecting this album to appear once in Asset, under which artist are you expecting it to appear, as there is more than 1 artist?

Good question; I should've thought of it myself. I didn't, because I navigate to this album by composer. Now that you point it out, I suppose the answer is to aggregate the Artists tags. Which still leaves the problem of albums with the same name by different artists.

This is a classic example of the difficulty in tagging classical music. You could make Album Artist = François Couperin and Album Artist Sort = Couperin, François i.e. the composer.

...Or make a playlist, or navigate in Files & Folders...

[Alepsis]

Re: &*65279;Non-Compilation Album with Multiple Artists

For albums with different artists, you either have to:

Set compilation to 1

OK, I have a similar album with the compilation tag set to 1, and that one does show as a single album.

or have a single Album Artist

I added the Album Artist tag to the album mentioned above and set it to the same value for all tracks, but nothing changed.

Do I need to rebuild the database?

Or perhaps just delete the files and copy them again, with the tag added, from backup?

[mville]

Re: &*65279;Non-Compilation Album with Multiple Artists

OK, I have a similar album with the compilation tag set to 1, and that one does show as a single album.

I added the Album Artist tag to the album mentioned above and set it to the same value for all tracks, but nothing changed.

Do I need to rebuild the database?

Or perhaps just delete the files and copy them again, with the tag added, from backup?

Try:
Asset UPnP configuration >> Refresh All

[mville]

Re: &*65279;Non-Compilation Album with Multiple Artists

Good question; I should've thought of it myself. I didn't, because I navigate to this album by composer. Now that you point it out, I suppose the answer is to aggregate the Artists tags. Which still leaves the problem of albums with the same name by different artists.

This is what Compilation and Album Artist is for. Setting Compilation and/or Album Artist allows different Track Artists and only 1 album listed.

For Pop/Rock Compilation/Various Artists albums I set Compilation = 1, Album Artist = Various Artists and each track has a different Artist.

It gets more complicated for Classical albums. For Classical Compilations, I set Compilation = 1, Album Artist = Various Artists and each track has a different Artist (orchestra and/or chorus and/or soloist) similar to Pop/Rock compilations.

However, I have (as you have here), albums by a single composer (with multiple performers) that I don't want to appear under compliations, so I set Compilation = null/blank, Album Artist = Composer and Artist = the performer (orchestra and/or chorus and/or soloist).

Google classical tagging. There is much discussion on the best way to tag classical music.

[Alepsis]

Re: &*65279;Non-Compilation Album with Multiple Artists

Try:
Asset UPnP configuration >> Refresh All

That rebuilds the database... which takes quite some time. Isn't Asset supposed to monitor the shared directory for changes?

[mville]

Re: &*65279;Non-Compilation Album with Multiple Artists

That rebuilds the database... which takes quite some time. Isn't Asset supposed to monitor the shared directory for changes?

In theory, yes. In Asset R4.3, I found this functionality to behave erratically. It is much improved in the latest Asset R5.1.

[Alepsis]

Re: &*65279;Non-Compilation Album with Multiple Artists

Google classical tagging. There is much discussion on the best way to tag classical music.

Thanks, I've been aware of the issues for a little while (does WTDb ring a bell?).

For this issue, though, the options you chose do not appeal to me. I'd much rather have Asset determine albums by the Album tag alone. This puts the onus on the user to make sure album names are unique, but I don't find that a problem -- I already have to add all or part of the catalogue number to album titles to distinguish between original and remastered releases.

[mville]

Re: &*65279;Non-Compilation Album with Multiple Artists

Thanks, I've been aware of the issues for a little while (does WTDb ring a bell?).

No??

I'd much rather have Asset determine albums by the Album tag alone.

Yes, I know, but it doesn't.

In my opinion, the current design makes a lot of sense and I doubt Asset album grouping will be redesigned just for you.

I suspect there are good reasons for the current design due to the fact that Asset is required to serve a plethora of 3rd party audio clients/players.

Why do you think the Album Artist tag exists in the first place?

[Alepsis]

Re: &*65279;Non-Compilation Album with Multiple Artists

I doubt Asset album grouping will be redesigned just for you.

It won't?! Boo-hoo-hoo... sob... sniff... sniff... I want my mommy!

Why do you think the Album Artist tag exists in the first place?

I went here and I looked and I looked and, for the life of me, I couldn't find "Album Artist". I guess I should book an appointment with my optometrist...

[Alepsis]

Re: &*65279;Non-Compilation Album with Multiple Artists

I doubt Asset album grouping will be redesigned just for you.

Of course not. If my expressing a preference indicated any such an expectation, I assure you it was entirely inadvertently.

I suspect there are good reasons for the current design due to the fact that Asset is required to serve a plethora of 3rd party audio clients/players.

The reasons may be good, but the cause doesn't make sense to me. As I understand it, DLNA clients do not have access to the actual tags, but only to what Asset serves them. Whether Asset presents tracks A and B grouped in the same album, or in separate albums with the same title, it makes no diffference to a DLNA client.

Why do you think the Album Artist tag exists in the first place?

A quick check of the Vorbis comment specs:

http://www.xiph.org/vorbis/doc/v-comment.html

and further:

https://wiki.xiph.org/Field_names

is instructive. No "Album Artist" tag is listed. So I think that, at one point, enough people started using such a custom tag (probably imitating iTunes, because the ID3 standard does not have it either), that it became an informal, or pseudo-, standard. (See also the issue of "ALBUMARTIST" vs "ALBUM ARTIST".)

From my own perspective, "Album Artist" doesn't make much sense, so I don't use it. I'm also an extremely lazy person. I'd rather not have to re-tag my whole library if I update or switch to a different protocol or different software/hardware.