[ID Tag Update] - New multi artist conversion option

[Bacchus]

I'd love to see a new "Multiple Artist To Single Artist plus Features"" option, or something similar that would support converting a tag with multiple Artist values to a single Artist (the first one listed) plus a new tag such as "Features", or whatever, that stores the rest of the Artist tags. Possibly even allowing the user to specify the new tag name for the other artists. After all, just because I like Features doesn't mean everyone or even anyone else would.

The point here is to avoid itunes and other situations using mp3 where the Artist becomes:

The Chieftains
The Chieftains/Willie Nelson
The Chieftains/Ricky Skaggs
<and so on ... >

Since itunes (and others) don't use the Album Artist tag and you end up with a whole bunch of different artists listed that makes browsing more complicated. As it happens, the Chieftains usually have several songs on almost every album where they had other performers join them, so it becomes a real pain.

Alternatively, is there a way to specify during MP3 conversion to use Album Artist and not the list of Artist tags for the TPE1 frame? Or even to specify only using the first Artist tag and not combining all of them into a single TPE1? Since this is only showing up in the mp3 tags currently, handling this during conversion would solve the problem. I just can't figure out how to do that.

Also, if you could suggest someway I could code that in the Rule Based Manipulation option, I'd be open to that as well. But it seems to complex for that.

I know that MPS ID3 tags don't support custom tags, so maybe for MP3 the second, third and so on artists could be put in the TIPL frame (Involved People) instead of a new custom tag.

In any case, thanks in advance for listening.

[Dat Ei]

Re: [ID Tag Update] - New multi artist conversion option

Hey Bacchus,

The point here is to avoid itunes and other situations using mp3 where the Artist becomes:

The Chieftains
The Chieftains/Willie Nelson
The Chieftains/Ricky Skaggs
<and so on ... >

Since itunes (and others) don't use the Album Artist tag and you end up with a whole bunch of different artists listed that makes browsing more complicated. As it happens, the Chieftains usually have several songs on almost every album where they had other performers join them, so it becomes a real pain.

I can't confirm that for iTunes. As long as you let iTunes manage your library and the album artist is simply "The Chieftains", the album will be placed in the directory named "The Chieftains", no matter if other musicians are listed in the artist tag.


Dat Ei

[mville]

Re: [ID Tag Update] - New multi artist conversion option

I haven't found a way around these sort of problems in dBpoweramp, especially where iTunes is concerned. However, after ripping to mp3, I use actions in MP3Tag for this.

For the Features tag, in MP3Tag, using a combination of the Format Value action and the Mid string function, you could put the Artist tag into the Comment tag (assuming it is already empty), removing the first artist (equally you can create your own tag e.g. FeaturedArtist for this, though iTunes won't read this).

For the single Artist tag, I have an action in MP3Tag using a combination of the Replace and Split Field By Separator actions, which converts the artist from (as in your example):

The Chieftains/Willie Nelson to The Chieftains\\Willie Nelson

When added to my iTunes library, iTunes only reads the first multivalue tag e.g. The Chieftains. This results in the less cluttered artist lists you desire.

Just out of interest, what is the target device for your mp3 library?

[Bacchus]

Re: [ID Tag Update] - New multi artist conversion option

I don't actually play using itunes. Though I do play them via my iphone.

It's really more of an issue with the MP3 tag having Artist (TPE1) as: The Chieftains/Willie Nelson.

This mostly shows up when I plug my phone into my car's audio (Acura MDX, both iphone 4s and now iphone 6).

The artist list is not album artist based but artist based. So I need for my mp3 files to have artist as only the primary artist in the tag. Truthfully, for my Mp3 tags, preserving the other artists is not an actual priority, but just a nice to have. FLAC is my reference audio format, I always rip to that then convert to mp3's for use on my iPhone. But when working at my desk, I'm playing the FLAC files, so it's not an issue there, though it might be if I start streaming to other devices in my house.

In any case, I'd just like to have more control of how to handle multiple artists for a given song. Primarily in mp3 conversions, but I'd appreciate the option even in FLAC. And in a way that doesn't require a lot of up front or after the fact manual editing.

I'll take a look at mp3 tag. If I can automate stripping of the extra values, whether or not I can stuff them somewhere else, that will help a lot.

[Spoon]

Re: [ID Tag Update] - New multi artist conversion option

You could use the ID Tag Processing DSP when converting to mp3 or ID Tag update for existing mp3 files that had a rule based manipulation:

IF Album Artist=[anyvalue]
SET Artist=[album artist]

Which would set the artist to album artist if it is present.

[mville]

Re: [ID Tag Update] - New multi artist conversion option

I don't actually play using itunes. Though I do play them via my iphone.

It's really more of an issue with the MP3 tag having Artist (TPE1) as: The Chieftains/Willie Nelson.

This mostly shows up when I plug my phone into my car's audio (Acura MDX, both iphone 4s and now iphone 6).

Yes, I have exactly the same issue with my iPod Classic and I also only use iTunes to sync my mp3 files to the iPod. Hence my solution (described previously) for the artist tag:



In MP3Tag, this custom action uses a combination of the Replace and Split Field By Separator actions, which converts the artist from:

The Chieftains/Willie Nelson to The Chieftains\\Willie Nelson

and if you use ArtistSort:

Chieftains, The/Nelson, Willie to Chieftains, The\\Nelson, Willie

A very simple solution, that keeps the other featured artists (data) within the tag, but iTunes and any iDevices never see them (because iTunes is stupid and does not read the subsequent multivalue tags).

The advantage of this solution is that it is undoable, as no data is lost or overwritten.

[Bacchus]

Re: [ID Tag Update] - New multi artist conversion option

I appreciate the thought re the action script. But What I really want to do is remove the extra Artists, so that only one is listed.

I've already managed to preserve the extra info with a combination of mp3tag and id tag update. With mp3 tag I was able to more easily identify all those with multiple artist values using this as a column: $if($eql(%albumartist%,$meta_sep(artist,; )),2,1). Then after backing up those files, I used the map function in id tag update to copy the Artist tags to a new one called Performer.

Now I just need to figure out how to remove all but the first artist tag. Either that or I can just copy the Album Artist. though in some cases my Album Artist is "Verious Artist", such as collections or musicals, and I'm of two minds whether or not I want to show that as Artist, or just preserve the first artist.

In any case, I'd still like to see a id tag update manipulation that would allow converting from multiple artist to a single one. Even knowing that's what I want, if I'm doing a lot of ripping of such albums, manaully editing each song's metadata before ripping is not as appealing as being able to accept the standard setup and then automatically customize after that.

Either way though, thanks again for listening.

[mville]

Re: [ID Tag Update] - New multi artist conversion option

I appreciate the thought re the action script. But What I really want to do is remove the extra Artists, so that only one is listed.

Listed where? In iTunes/iDevices?

[NCM 333]

Re: [ID Tag Update] - New multi artist conversion option

Hi I know this is rumbling on but has anyone given a definitive solution to this issue? I am having the exact multiple artist pain with my new car (Volvo). In one example I know I will probably have to manually change the album artist as the actual album artist is listed inconsistently on 1 particular album but if we could deal with bulk "various artist" issue that would be great. Its a particular problem with the compilations like Now and the like.

[mville]

Re: [ID Tag Update] - New multi artist conversion option

Hi I know this is rumbling on but has anyone given a definitive solution to this issue? I am having the exact multiple artist pain with my new car (Volvo). In one example I know I will probably have to manually change the album artist as the actual album artist is listed inconsistently on 1 particular album but if we could deal with bulk "various artist" issue that would be great. Its a particular problem with the compilations like Now and the like.

In the case of some older Apple iDevices (and maybe your Volvo car player), the problem is down to the poor way that the firmware/software only reads the Artist tag and not the Album Artist tag and in the Artist listing, Artists appear numerous times in the Artist listing and this is compounded by the Various Artists albums.

Personally, I never use the Artist listing on my iPod Classic because of this poor implementation, but I have a managed to get a clean Cover flow (1 cover picture per album), based on the ideas expressed in this thread.

There is no definitive solution, as these problems appear in different ways on different devices. What may work on your Volvo car player, may not work on an iDevice. For a definitive solution it would require Apple (or in your case, Volvo) to re-write their firmware/software. In the case of Apple, this isn't going to happen and it is extremely annoying and frustrating, given Apple's position in the industry.

As you have eluded to, sadly, you may have to experiment with the tags until you get a satisfactory result for you.