iTunes "grouping"

[KLP]

I listen to mostly classical music and the grouping field in iTunes is a convenient way to play back multi movement pieces as complete works.

I've switched to ripping with dbpoweramp.

Can I get dbpoweramp to create a tag that itunes will recognize as the Grouping field?

Conversely, can I get batch converter (using the "arrange audio" processor) to see the grouping field created in itunes and use it to create sub folders?

(foobar player sees the itunes grouping in a tag it calls <CONTENTGROUP>. But if I create a tag called CONTENTGROUP using dbpoweramp, iTunes doesn't see it. As noted in other posts, sometimes dbpoweramp deposits "style" information from AMG into this CONTENTGROUP tag.)

[Spoon]

Re: iTunes &quot;grouping&quot;

For which audio format? m4a?

[KLP]

Re: iTunes &quot;grouping&quot;

I am using apple lossless with itunes

[Spoon]

Re: iTunes &quot;grouping&quot;

Style is mapped automatically to the @grp tag.

[KLP]

Re: iTunes &quot;grouping&quot;

Interesting -- I searched this forum and looked at the help files, I didn't see other reference to the "@grp" tag. Is there more complete documentation that I could review that would help me grasp the intricacies of this?

Getting back to my original question, is there a way to get dbpoweramp to create a tag that itunes will recognize as its "grouping"? (Itunes allows shuffle by grouping allowing random play of complete multi-movement works.)

BTW, I am using multi-encoder if this matters. Generally following the ripping strategy advice of Chris at Computer Audiophile simultaneously creating a master FLAC library and a playback library in apple lossless.

[Spoon]

Re: iTunes &quot;grouping&quot;

@grp is Grouping (it is the actual stored value)

[garym]

Re: iTunes &quot;grouping&quot;

Use the field CONTENTGROUP
this will show up as GROUPING in itunes

edit: well, I can say that I use this field in mp3 files and it shows up in itunes.

[KLP]

Re: iTunes &quot;grouping&quot;

Thanks for responding.

CONTENTGROUP created by dbpoweramp is not seen by itunes as the grouping tag. Same result with tag called "@grp" .

In case it is of interest, here is the behavior I observe.

I am ripping using dbpoweramp multiencoder to apple lossless and FLAC, both on local discs. (I later copy to network storage.) I playback primarily with itunes, but also with foobar for hi-def material. I use itunes on a dedicated pc connected from USB to a DAC. I also drive multiple stereos around the house using airport express units.

I can create a CONTENTGROUP tag in dbpoweramp. Sometimes, AMG style information is added to this tag together with information I typed in dbpoweramp separated by a semicolon.

If the style information is added automatically from AMG, itunes can see the style information but cannot see the content information I typed in. (I confirm this by looking at the meta data using foobar.)

Coming at it from the other direction, if I edit information in itunes and create a grouping then this creates a tag called CONTENTGROUP visible from foobar.

Thanks for your help -- I enjoy the dbpoweramp program. Big improvement on ripping from itunes in every respect.

[Spoon]

Re: iTunes &quot;grouping&quot;

Add a grouping tag in iTunes, then look at it in dBpoweramp (right click file >> Edit ID Tag), what is shown?

[KLP]

Re: iTunes &quot;grouping&quot;

I think we got to the bottom of it.

The itunes grouping appears in a tag called "style" when in edit-id tag.

For whatever reason, "contentgroup" in foobar is a concatenation of "style" and "contentgroup"

If I edit a file with no "style" tag and add one, it appears as "grouping" in itunes.


Thanks!!

[briankb]

Re: iTunes &quot;grouping&quot;

So iTunes uses the "Style" metadata tag to store "Grouping" info. foobar2000 aliases "Style" to "CONTENTGROUP." So does mp3tag.de. It's only a one way fix though: If you write a tag called "CONTENTGROUP" in any tag editor besides it, iTunes will show "Grouping" as just blank. If you want to write your tags in anything besides iTunes, you'll have to duplicate "CONTENTGROUP" to an additional "Style" tag.

Interestingly, when I converted flac to aac/m4a in foobar2000 (using qtaaenc), the contentgroup tag is changed to "Style." Most of my classical library is FLAC, with grouping metadata set in the "contentgroup" tag. So when I convert using the dBpoweramp trial, grouping metadata did not show up in iTunes. I guess fb2k was taking care of all that behind the scenes for me in the past.