Sorting for Multiple Artists

[vilsen]

so you'd typically use it as a client and put one of the OpenSubsonic servers on a NAS/SBC.

Yes that's what I meant, using a combo of an OpenSubsonic server and Symfonium.

I've just had a quick look at MusicBee and it seems DISPLAY ARTIST is at the track level, is that correct? Is there an albumartist version?

I haven't had time to check in MusicBee and don't know if DISPLAY ARTIST has track- and albumartist versions. Before you asked I would have assumed it's only artist level, since it should be shown separately for each track, both in an album's track listing and in the now playing screen. So I think an albumartist version would be pretty redundant if there is a track artist version? I'm away from home, but I'll try to find some time tomorrow to download MusicBee and test.

Before I discuss with the Lightweight Music Server dev, would it be possible for you to test how it performs in your setup? I don't want him to implement this change, only for there to be a number of other blockers (it looks like it's possible to use a lot of custom tags in MusicBee).

Yes I could test Lightweight Music Server but not until I get home next week, I need my usual gear for that and some time. But does it support DISPLAY ARTIST as of right now?

What do you mean by other blockers? Something that would make DISPLAY ARTIST function or malfunction and if so how?

There is a UPnP server that allows you to use your DISPLAY ARTIST tag in track listings and now playing screen. I won't mention it here as it's a direct competitor to AssetUPnP

Asset already kind of supports DISPLAY ARTIST if you index it and use a little trick in the rename list. It's quirky but it works.

preformat:=track artist:=%artist%
preformat:=artist:=[IFVALUE]displayartist,[tag]displayartist[],[multitag]artist[][]

Then delete "Artist" in the tree and add "Track Artist" as a browse item instead. Optionally you could rename "Track Artist" to "Artist" in the rename list if you prefer:

display:=Track Artist:=Artist​

if you're interested send me a message

Actually I intended to PM you about the Symfonium request instead of asking you here in the thread - but I couldn't find a way to do it. Maybe the forum software has disallowed it? If you can find a way to PM me please do.

[Starrcade]

First, I wanted to say that was a great summary by simbun that you wrote a few days ago. I appreciate it, along with the input from everyone else. THANK YOU!


I did some testing last night. Below are my results based on the chart:



The first 3 are the tracks I ripped, and the last 3 are some test FLAC files from simbun (so I could compare with his screenshots). The 1st track is my old rip and the 2nd track is a new rip that is using the "standard" way that was previously mentioned.


In MusicBee on my computer:

When I play a song in the player, what you see in the Artist field is what shows in the player. Example, when I play the 2nd song, the player shows "INXS; Chrissie Hynde" as the artist. When I play the 4th song, "Elton John & Dua Lipa" show in the player.

When MusicBee shows the list of Artists, it looks like this:
Chrissie Hynde
The Cure
Elton John & Dua Lipa
Elton John, Young Thug, & Nicki Minaj
INXS
INXS feat. Ray Charles
Surfaces feat. Elton John

Note that:
- Elton isn't listed by himself
- Chrissie Hynde is sorted as C instead of H.
- INXS shows both songs. The other 6 "artists" show only their 1 song when you click on them.
- It seems that when the Artist is "Artist 1; Artist 2" it will split into 2 separate artists correctly, but it doesn't look pretty when playing in the player display. And when the Artist is "Artist 1 & Artist 2" or "Artist 1 feat. Artist 2" then the names won't split into 2 separate artists (but it looks nicer in the player display when the song is played).

When MusicBee shows the list of Album Artist, it looks like this (which looks correct to me):
The Cure (1 track)
Elton John (3 tracks)
INXS (2 tracks)


In Windows Media Player on my computer:

when I play the 2nd song, the player only shows "INXS" as the artist (Chrissie Hynde doesn't appear). When I play the other songs, what you see in the Artist field shows up in the player. I am guessing "Artist 1; Artist 2" will only use "Artist 1" in the Windows Media Player display.


I really thank everyone again for all your knowledge and your time helping me (and anyone else who reads this thread) understand tagging/sorting better. I also wanted to say that I am only using MusicBee to test how a player works and see what songs look like and how they sort. I am not a big fan of the MusicBee player and probably won't use it after I finish ripping CDs.

[vilsen]

I've just had a quick look at MusicBee and it seems DISPLAY ARTIST is at the track level, is that correct? Is there an albumartist version?

I did a clean portable install of MusicBee and let it scan a small test library.

I changed only one setting after install: Preferences > Library > on startup check for updated or missing files

Then I tagged DISPLAY ARTIST on some tracks, and MusicBee picked them up on startup. They displayed as expected, i.e. in the album listings and when playing, but not when browsing. You could also search for them.

In other words, exactly as I would prefer.

Just for testing I also tried an album version, but it didn't work. What would be the purpose of having an album version? Wouldn't you always want to see DISPLAY ARTIST, regardless of playing albums or a mix of tracks?

[vilsen]

Spoon are PM's disabled? I don't seem able to send one and when I go to Message Center I get this chopped message:

You are not logged in or you do not have permission to access this page. This could be due to one of several reasons: