Set-Up for Ripping

[mville]

Re: Set-Up for Ripping

1) Somewhere in my Forum reading I recall learning that there was a place I could click that would show all the tags that had been written for a given CD. I don't recall where I was to click (unless it was a reference to the green menu icon.)

In Windows File Explorer, you can use the Edit ID-Tag context menu option.

2) Does the use of "various" in the Track Listings for Artist or Composer result in the "elimination" of those tags from being written and therefore available to the Player to search and find that track?

You would not use "various" in artist or composer. However, you might use "various" in Album Artist.

3) I find that when I load in a disk previously ripped (even when the disc/folder has been removed from File Explorer) the Main page is populated with the customized info from the original rip. How can that be? Where was this info being stored?

The CD metadata is written to the CDRipperCache file. See post no. 2 here: Problem with Perfect Meta

4) Is there a way add or edit the pull-down genre list to customize it to my desired set of genre, thereby eliminating my need to type in the genre (and risk typing errors)?

You can edit the genres.txt file. Found here (along with the CDRipperCache file):
%userprofile%\AppData\Roaming\dBpoweramp

5) What are your thoughts on combining Disc no. with Album in a compound album name, vs. having Disc no. stores as a next-level folder? Pros/Cons?

This is down to personal preference. Personally, I don't use Disc in the Album title or to create sub-folders, but I do use it in the filename.

6) Under green Menu icon>Tags & Filename>Options I did NOT check "Disc no. w/o disc count, (i.e., 1 not 1/3)" yet I got Disc no. without disc count. (I also tried it with "Disc no. w/o disc count CHECKED but the result was the same.

Where are you viewing the Disc no. without disc count. Please post a screenshot.

7) I'm partial to having my classical music organized first my Composer (not artist). Some time back we straightened out the issue of alphabetizing Composers (I believe by checking Composer sort), and getting Composers to list by Last Name, First Name, so they would alphabetize by Last name. Two questions:

a) I did reverse First/Last name, but I did not check Composer sort, however, they DID alphabetize. Why would that be?

b) Is there a better way to get alphabetized and last-name-first, without having to type in the composer's name in reverse? The less I have to type the easier it is to avoid mistakes.

a) What do you mean by they DID alphabetize, where is the sort you refer to, occurring (in which software)?

b) populate both Composer and ComposerSort

9) What are the "To All" buttons in lower left pane

What "To All" buttons? Please post a screenshot showing the buttons.

Lastly, many of the questions you ask here, have been already been asked and answered in these forums. Search the forums, and read the help, before posting long, drawn-out posts.

[dbarnby]

Re: Set-Up for Ripping

1) Somewhere in my Forum reading I recall learning that there was a place I could click that would show all the tags that had been written for a given CD. I don't recall where I was to click (unless it was a reference to the green menu icon.)

2) Does the use of "various" in the Track Listings for Artist or Composer result in the "elimination" of those tags from being written and therefore available to the Player to search and find that track?

3) I find that when I load in a disk previously ripped (even when the disc/folder has been removed from File Explorer) the Main page is populated with the customized info from the original rip. How can that be? Where was this info being stored?

4) Is there a way add or edit the pull-down genre list to customize it to my desired set of genre, thereby eliminating my need to type in the genre (and risk typing errors)?

5) What are your thoughts on combining Disc no. with Album in a compound album name, vs. having Disc no. stored as a subordinate level folder? Pros/Cons?

6) Under green Menu icon>Tags & Filename>Options I did NOT check "Disc no. w/o disc count, (i.e., 1 not 1/3)" yet I got Disc no. without disc count. (I also tried it with "Disc no. w/o disc count CHECKED but the result was the same.

7) I'm partial to having my classical music organized first my Composer (not artist). Some time back we straightened out the issue of alphabetizing Composers (I believe by checking Composer sort), and getting Composers to list by Last Name, First Name, so they would alphabetize by Last name. Two questions:

a) I did reverse First/Last name, but I did not check Composer sort, however they DID alphabetize. Why would that be?

b) Is there a better way to get alphabetized and last-name-first, without having to type in the composer's name in reverse? The less I have to type the easier it is to avoid mistakes.

9) What are the "To All" buttons in lower left pane

Lastly, I'm still pondering the issues relating to Compilation CD's and what is the best way to name classical and non-classical. Since this is a bigger topic I'll put it in a separate post as suggested by mville.

Thanks,
Don

[mville]

Re: Set-Up for Ripping

Re. post no. 332, why post these questions again (see post no. 330), when I have tried to answer your concerns in post no. 331?

[GaryG45]

Re: Set-Up for Ripping

Don,
6) This may be due to the caching that causes your 3). It also may be that it only works with multiple disc albums. I did see a 1/1 in the Manual Meta Review window, which may be a way to force the 1/1 on single CD albums.

7a) If I understand this correctly, as an example, you entered Young, Neil for Composer instead of Neil Young. Without using Composer Sort, your player is probably using Young for the composer's first name, and it will list it with the "Y' named composers.

9) I think you are seeing this when you click on the red tag icon, which presents the Manual Meta Review Window. I see "To All" by Artist, Album Artist, and Composer. If you click "To All" for Artist, it will apply that artist to all of the tracks for the album.

Gary

[Oggy]

Re: Set-Up for Ripping

Don,

5) As has been said, this is purely personal preference. I personally don't use disc number in the album name, but do put each disc in it's own folder. I decided on this after a couple of false starts, and found editing easier. Each folder has it's own disc and Folder.jpg, so single, multi disc and compilations are all treated the same way.

7a) Mahler, Gustav is the name you have given the composer, so Mahler, Gustav will be displayed under Ms: isn't this your preference as you wouldn't need Composer Sort?

7b) Depends if you want the composer name as Gustav Mahler or Mahler, Gustav - your library and you are the Librarian.

Very true the less you type the easier to avoid mistakes, but with Classical, you will probably have to do a fair amount of typing or editing, so decide on your preference and use a logical routine.

[dbarnby]

Re: Set-Up for Ripping

Sorry about that, mville (your post *333); I thought my earlier post had not "gone" so I did it again.
It's obvious that this was a mistake; my mistake.
Don

[dbarnby]

Re: Set-Up for Ripping

1) You said, "In Windows File Explorer, you can use the Edit ID-Tag context menu option." I don't find "Edit ID-Tag context menu option." Would you please clarify?

2) I understand from you answer that putting "various" in a Track Listing artist or composer columns is not recommended.

The trust of my question, however is to learn/confirm whether putting "various" in the Track Listing for Artist or Composer results in the elimination of the artist/composer names from the Player's search in seeking to find such track. I suspect it does.

In other words, does putting "various" into these track value mean that such track could only be found by the player by searching for "various" rather than artist or composer name?

3) You refer to instruction in Forum thread: CDRipperCache file, post no. 2, which says: If you wish to re-retrieve metadata from the 4 internet databases, as if you have inserted a CD for the first time, do the following: CDRipper >> Meta dropdown menu >> Clear Metadata, then click the Meta button.

In find that when I open Meta drowdown menu I find no "Clear Metadata" option. (By Meta dropdown menu I a assume you mean the red tag-shaped icon at top left.)

Futther in Forum thread CDRipperCache, Spoon's post *6 which reads

(Close CD Ripper then open explorer and type:%appdata%\dBpoweramp.
Delete the file CDRipperCache Binary File, then it cannot load from cache.) those instructions don't seem to work. Would you be able to add some orienting detail to what he said?

I see no place in ecplorer to type: %appdata% \dBposeramp. When I type it in Search I find no DCRipperCache Binary File to delete. Somehow these instructions are incomplete or don't apply to the Windows 10 that I have.

How do you recommend I solve this matter?

4) Thank you for your suggestion. Apparently that suggestion depends on being able to accomplish item 3) above. Help!

5) I do understand that this is a personal preference. It seems like having the disc no. show up in File Explorer in some manner is a good idea and it seems to me there are two ways to do that:

a) append the disc no to the Album name making a compound tag

album name &*8211; disc1/2
album name &*8211; disc 2/2

or else put the disc numbers for each in the next lower level folders such as:

album name
disc 1
album name
disc 2

You say you include it in the filename; do you include filename in your naming string? I don't understand the purpose of having the filename in the naming string in the first place. Why isn't it more natural to attach disc no. to the CD's album name?

6) See attachement.

7a) The software I am using is dbpa on Windows 10 PC. The sort I am referring to is the alphabetization that is evident in the File Explorer.

I'd like Composer's name to show up reversed, and then alphabetized by the first letter of his last name (which will then be the first letter of the pair). Is there a way to have dbpa reverse the name automatically and also then alphabetize by last name so that the result in File Explorer looks like this?

Beethoven , Ludwig von.
Chopin, Fredrich
Wagner, Richard

And, if possible, I'd like both the name reversal and the alphabetization to be handled as automatically without my having to type their names in reverse order.

It was my understanding that one way to get the desired result was to:

1. Enable the composer sort tax lto accomplish alphabetization, and
2. type the composer's name into the Main composer text box in reverse order.

However, that entails typing the Composers name (which is not only work than accepting the name supplied by the metadata, but also error prone).

The reason I asked this question to begin with is that I did an experiment where I did NOT enable composer sort, yet find that the composer names ARE alphabetized in File Explorer. Why would that be (It cannot be accidental because they are not in alphabetical order on the disk tracks)?

7b) The other reason I asked this question is to learn if there is a better way to have dbpa automatically reverse First name and Last name, so that I need not type them in reverse order?

When you suggest that I "populate both Composer and ComposerSort" do you mean:
1. Composer in Main text box?
2. Composer sort in the Tags tab (lower left panel)?
3. Type the name in reverse order, or in natural order?

[dbarnby]

Re: Set-Up for Ripping

5) One concert I have is that if I put disc no. in its own folder the structure would then be:

album name
disc 1
album name
disc 2

If I then wanted further dimensions beyond album name (say composer name or artist name) then all of that additional stuff would have to be bumped down another level

album name
disc 1
Composer
album name
disc 2
Composer

Wouldn't this be getting a bit much?

7a) and 7b) I fully appreciate that the choice is mine. What I'm trying to do if find the easiest way to do it, and the way that is least error prone. Please take a look at my comment regarding 7a) and 7b) in my post *337. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the points I've discussed there.

Don

[dbarnby]

Re: Set-Up for Ripping

Mville,

I neglected to attach screenshot as you asked re 6). I'm not sure I know how to do that but I can tell you the location, Under green Menu icon>Tags & Filename>Options I did NOT check the box next to:

"Disc no. w/o disc count, (i.e., 1 not 1/3)"

yet even though this was not checked I DID get disc numbers in the form 1/3.

Do you see what concerns me? dbpa is not responding to the signal that I did give.

Don

[mville]

Re: Set-Up for Ripping

1) You said, "In Windows File Explorer, you can use the Edit ID-Tag context menu option." I don't find "Edit ID-Tag context menu option." Would you please clarify?

It's there in the help, if you can be bothered to read the help that is: dBpoweramp Windows Integration

2) I understand from you answer that putting "various" in a Track Listing artist or composer columns is not recommended.

The trust of my question, however is to learn/confirm whether putting "various" in the Track Listing for Artist or Composer results in the elimination of the artist/composer names from the Player's search in seeking to find such track. I suspect it does.

In other words, does putting "various" into these track value mean that such track could only be found by the player by searching for "various" rather than artist or composer name?

I'm simply saying I would not put "various" in the artist or composer tag. I would put the track artist in the artist tag and the track composer in the composert tag, so my player displays the artist and composer I enter and can search for them.

If you really want to, you can put "various" in the artist and composer tags, but your tags would then not contain the artist or the composer, so player software would only be able to display/search for "various".

3) You refer to instruction in Forum thread: CDRipperCache file, post no. 2, which says: If you wish to re-retrieve metadata from the 4 internet databases, as if you have inserted a CD for the first time, do the following: CDRipper >> Meta dropdown menu >> Clear Metadata, then click the Meta button.

In dBpoweramp R16.4, this is now:
CDRipper >> Menu >> Clear Track Metadata, then click the Re-scan CD & re-read metadata from Internet button.

Futther in Forum thread CDRipperCache, Spoon's post *6 which reads

(Close CD Ripper then open explorer and type:%appdata%\dBpoweramp.
Delete the file CDRipperCache Binary File, then it cannot load from cache.) those instructions don't seem to work. Would you be able to add some orienting detail to what he said?

I see no place in ecplorer to type: %appdata% \dBposeramp. When I type it in Search I find no DCRipperCache Binary File to delete. Somehow these instructions are incomplete or don't apply to the Windows 10 that I have.

How do you recommend I solve this matter?

This is not the place to give instructions on using Windows, however Spoon is correct.

You can type %appdata%\dBpoweramp in the windows File Explorer address bar.

It seems like having the disc no. show up in File Explorer in some manner is a good idea and it seems to me there are two ways to do that...

You say you include it in the filename; do you include filename in your naming string? I don't understand the purpose of having the filename in the naming string in the first place.

What!! Naming is exactly where CD Ripper determines the filename. I repeat, read the help: dBpoweramp Naming

6) See attachement.

What attachment?

7a) The software I am using is dbpa on Windows 10 PC. The sort I am referring to is the alphabetization that is evident in the File Explorer.

I'd like Composer's name to show up reversed, and then alphabetized by the first letter of his last name (which will then be the first letter of the pair). Is there a way to have dbpa reverse the name automatically and also then alphabetize by last name so that the result in File Explorer looks like this?

Beethoven , Ludwig von.
Chopin, Fredrich
Wagner, Richard

And, if possible, I'd like both the name reversal and the alphabetization to be handled as automatically without my having to type their names in reverse order.

It was my understanding that one way to get the desired result was to:

1. Enable the composer sort tax lto accomplish alphabetization, and
2. type the composer's name into the Main composer text box in reverse order.

However, that entails typing the Composers name (which is not only work than accepting the name supplied by the metadata, but also error prone).

The only automated tag process in CD Ripper is the online metadata retrieval. If the data retrieved is not what you want, you have to edit manually. So, when you say: if possible, I'd like both the name reversal and the alphabetization to be handled as automatically without my having to type their names in reverse order, this is not possible.

Regarding manual editing, yes this is work and is time consuming and yes, it is prone to error so you need to be extra careful.

The reason I asked this question to begin with is that I did an experiment where I did NOT enable composer sort, yet find that the composer names ARE alphabetized in File Explorer. Why would that be (It cannot be accidental because they are not in alphabetical order on the disk tracks)?

Because as you stated, you populated Composer with:
Beethoven , Ludwig von.
Chopin, Fredrich
Wagner, Richard

When you suggest that I "populate both Composer and ComposerSort" do you mean:
1. Composer in Main text box?
2. Composer sort in the Tags tab (lower left panel)?
3. Type the name in reverse order, or in natural order?

1. I mean add/edit the Composer and ComposerSort tag, in which ever part of CD Ripper you prefer to do your editing. Personally, I do the majority of my editing in the Tags panel.
2. see 1. above.
3. I put natural order in Composer and reverse order in Composer Sort:
Composer = Frédéric Chopin
ComposerSort = Chopin, Frédéric

[mville]

Re: Set-Up for Ripping

5) One concert I have is that if I put disc no. in its own folder the structure would then be:

album name
disc 1
album name
disc 2

If I then wanted further dimensions beyond album name (say composer name or artist name) then all of that additional stuff would have to be bumped down another level

album name
disc 1
Composer
album name
disc 2
Composer

Wouldn't this be getting a bit much?

IMO yes. Which is why I don't have disc sub-folders.

[mville]

Re: Set-Up for Ripping

I neglected to attach screenshot as you asked re 6). I'm not sure I know how to do that but I can tell you the location, Under green Menu icon>Tags & Filename>Options I did NOT check the box next to:

"Disc no. w/o disc count, (i.e., 1 not 1/3)"

yet even though this was not checked I DID get disc numbers in the form 1/3.

Do you see what concerns me? dbpa is not responding to the signal that I did give.

No, I don't see what concerns you.

This is correct. If you DO NOT check the Disc number without disc count (ie 1 not 1/3) option, you will get disc with disc count i.e. 1/3, which is what you are getting.

[dbarnby]

Re: Set-Up for Ripping

To mville,
cc: Oggy, garym, garyG45, Shmidj, and others:

Mville, when you write (post 340) "&*8230; if you can be bothered to read the help that is." [emphasis mine] it sounds as if you are scolding me. I believe we're both in this for fun, and music with which to soothe the soul; let us be soothed.

The very reason I write questions is because I don't know the answers, or where to find them. Some answers, indeed, may have been told to me before (by you or others), and some I may have, indeed, already read in dbpa help material, but have forgotten. Indeed, as the years go by my memory does suffer.

As I have mentioned before I have read all the dbpa help sections at least twice over. When a question arises, however, it's not always clear to me where to go looking for the answer, and the best approach does not seem to be to re-read a huge volume of stuff in hopes of running across it. Trust me, I will not ask questions idly. I hope this explains your concerns.

I enjoy hearing your answers and insights to my questions; I judge from them that you are pretty bright, although sometimes a bit brief. You clearly have a sharp memory, and I thank you for your help, along with garym and Oggy, and garyG45, Schmidj, and others who have hung in there with me. Particularly helpful is the various perspectives that each of you shine on issues. I am so much smarter now than when I started. (I hope you can tell.) I think we're getting much closer to the end of this trail, now, but I will still have a few more questions.

I respect you and all the members of the remarkable dbpa forum from whom I've learned so much.

Don

[mville]

Re: Set-Up for Ripping

Mville, when you write (post 340) "&*8230; if you can be bothered to read the help that is." [emphasis mine] it sounds as if you are scolding me. I believe we're both in this for fun, and music with which to soothe the soul; let us be soothed.

The support on this website i.e. the help/forum pages are self help. You seem reluctant to help yourself and so posts repeat over and over, with the same information, which is not useful for anyone here.

I'm sorry, but I can't help what you think, but I find it odd that although I have advised you to help yourself, several times now, you seem to ignore my advice.

The very reason I write questions is because I don't know the answers, or where to find them. Some answers, indeed, may have been told to me before (by you or others), and some I may have, indeed, already read in dbpa help material, but have forgotten. Indeed, as the years go by my memory does suffer.

This is exactly my point. Because we can't remember everything, it is why I am suggesting you either search/re-read the help or search the forums again. It is what I and every other user has to do. Most of the time, the information and answers are there, you just have to persevere and look for it, using the search facility or google, bing etc. Example, if I enter dbpoweramp windows edit id-tag in google, the relevant web pages are returned immediately.

Imagine if all end users here (these forums have over 56,000 registered users) posted questions, every time we can't remember something about the software. IMO, it would soon render these forums unusable.

[Oggy]

Re: Set-Up for Ripping

Don,

1) Right-click on the track to pull up ID Tags.

2) mville's answer is spot on. Have a look at post number 299, and you will see two screenshots of a Classical compilation. I use Compilations rather than Various Artist, and Artist = Composer, but as you can see each track has a title and Artist, and the tags for Composer, Conductor, Orchestra and Soloist are there. This was the first time I'd tagged a Classical compilation to include all of that information and it took around 30 minutes; 20 minutes of this was adding the Conductor, Orchestra and Soloist tags. I'm sure with repetition, this would become quicker.

As I mentioned in the post, you could use Various as the Artist, and not have it as a compilation, simply having the album and track names.

5) mville and I use different players / software, all have their own quirks, so apart from personal preferences, we are using players that behave differently.

Apart from when I've made a naming error, the naming string is simply a means to an end, and with my player, I never look at the folder tree. I don't use the two higher folder levels of Genre or Composers, but because of the tags can search for Composer or Genre.

So:

Artist
Album
Disc One Disc Two

Compilations
Album
Disc One Disc Two

As for Classical I treat Composer as the Artist, the folder tree is the same, but you are correct, not having disc number in the Album name does add another level, but avoids having the disc in the album name.

(mville uses a different naming string, that works exactly as he wants for his needs and player).

The only time I tend to look at folders, is if I've made a big error with naming and gone ahead and ripped it. Sometimes it is simply quicker and easier to simply delete the single folder, correct the naming and re-rip, rather than editing the errors. In the first weeks I made numerous errors, now there tends to be very few and I'm happy to rip directly to the NAS drive.

7) You are doing it the easiest way for your requirements, as you will not need to enter / use sort tags. Classical CDs by nature require more effort, they are open to so much personal interpretation, and information such as Orchestra, Conductor, Location, Soloist, which is of utmost importance to some, may be totally redundant to another. Only you know how much information you need.

Sometimes for me with Classical music, the album cover gives a lot of information, and I don't feel the need to enter all of this in the tags. If I had multiple recordings, then my naming / tagging would be different, but of course you can always add tags in the future.

There comes a time when you simply want to listen to music!