RE: Ripping Level Question (help?)

[Oggy]

Re: Ripping Level Question (help?)

I can load up all my files in mp3tag and create an automatically create an excel file that contains a complete artist/album/track listing for my entire library, using tag info. (I also like the program for advanced tag editing, and it does way more than just mp3)

Then again, I can track the number of albums I have just from info reported by my music server. As of today it is:
7170 albums with 96250 songs by 13629 artists.

I only have 2,086 artists if I count only artists for which I have at least one album. The other 11,053 artists are artists that only show up on a compilation CD (maybe only one song) and do NOT otherwise have an album in my collection.

Yes, the LMS, Library Statistics, are most helpful! I'm showing, 3,476 Total Albums, today.

I also used Mp3tag, to create the Excel, listing.

Does the Audio Info, Utility Codec, work the same way?

[Oggy]

Re: Ripping Level Question (help?)

That's awesome Gary. Why does dBpa always use the generic naming of 'folder.jpeg', please? Can the user change this to (say) the album name (eg. 'thriller.jpeg')? Oggy mentioned he stores all of his artwork. I wonder if he uses such a naming system? Paul

I use Folder.jpg.

[Oggy]

Re: Ripping Level Question (help?)

You're saving only one instance of each image (in a disc folder) rather than an instance in every track in an album. That alone saves a lot of storage space. (I have 14TB of storage in a 5-drive NAS. While that's a ton of space, I still don't see any sense in wasting it.) And it's a lot easier to replace album art if, e.g., you find a much better example.

External art, whatever, you name the folder, is probably the change, that I've seen the most people do. I took a month, to change from embedded, a colleague took a couple of years,

Most players appear to work well with external, so maybe, the time has come, to make this the default setting? Cover.jpg (I used Folder.jpg, but Cover is probably more logical) and not embedded, would probably be a better setting, for the majority of users.

What do others think?

[Oggy]

Re: Ripping Level Question (help?)

I'm tracking my rips in Excel because, once I'm done, I'll finally know exactly how many CD titles I have.

Are you doing this using the, Audio Info, codec?

[Jailhouse]

Re: Ripping Level Question (help?)

Why does dBpa always use the generic naming of 'folder.jpeg'?

Because you didn't change the default. I did...



...although I never use it now.

Can the user change this to (say) the album name (eg. 'thriller.jpeg')?

Yup. Here's my foobar settings for front cover art:



I either added "Cover.jpg" or moved it to the top of the list; I don't recall which. I prefer "Cover.jpg" mainly because I find it to be a better description.

N.B. If you use the album name for your cover art, you'll have to make sure the image file is named exactly as it is in the album title tag. I have a hard time getting "Cover" wrong.

[Jailhouse]

Re: Ripping Level Question (help?)

I can track the number of albums I have just from info reported by my music server. As of today it is 7170 albums with 96250 songs by 13629 artists.

That's a nice little collection you have there!

[Jailhouse]

Re: Ripping Level Question (help?)

Well I have gone for EXTERNAL so I hope I made the right choice.

You're saving only one instance of each image (in a disc folder) rather than an instance in every track in an album. That alone saves a lot of storage space. (I have 14TB of storage in a 5-drive NAS. While that's a ton of space, I still don't see any sense in wasting it.) And it's a lot easier to replace album art if, e.g., you find a much better example.

I don't think I want to spend the time sourcing and applying front & rear artworks for a single CD. It's time consuming enough finding a decent front cover a lot of the time.

I haven't seen very many album back covers online. And since I limit my album art to 500x500 px, any text on them would look like smudges anyway.

I probably take more time overall by processing scans of my CD covers in Photoshop instead of searching online, but I'm nearly always happier with the result. Not only that, I get a lot of practice with PS. So that's a tradeoff I'm glad to make.

[monsterjazzlick]

Re: Ripping Level Question (help?)

See the art options in your ID TAGS and Metadata in Ripper options. You've obviously selected folder.jpg (which is probably the default). There is also cover.jpg or you could use [album].jpg and it would give the artwork the name from the album tag. One's preference might be a function of their player(s) and how they handle art.

Thanks Gary, obviously something else to play around with one afternoon. I think mine was set to folder.jpeg partly because my methodology was as to 'export to folder' via EDIT ID TAG.

[garym]

Re: Ripping Level Question (help?)

That's awesome Gary. Why does dBpa always use the generic naming of 'folder.jpeg', please? Can the user change this to (say) the album name (eg. 'thriller.jpeg')? Oggy mentioned he stores all of his artwork. I wonder if he uses such a naming system? Paul

See the art options in your ID TAGS and Metadata in Ripper options. You've obviously selected folder.jpg (which is probably the default). There is also cover.jpg or you could use [album].jpg and it would give the artwork the name from the album tag. One's preference might be a function of their player(s) and how they handle art.

[monsterjazzlick]

Re: Ripping Level Question (help?)

although relatively speaking I may not save that much space (although it is not trivial across 7,000+ albums), it seemed sorta silly to me to have the exact same picture embedded in every track of an album when I could simply have a single picture in the album folder. Plus, if I ever want to change the picture (something better comes along), I can replace just that picture with one simple step.

One day soon I will make a count of all my CDs for you. It will probably only take me two minutes!

[monsterjazzlick]

Re: Ripping Level Question (help?)

Yes, if I have 23 tracks in an album with embedded art, it takes up the disk space of saving the same picture 23 times! And yes, you can drag and drop a replacement of jpeg artwork when using external. I just make sure it is the same name you're using (e.g., folder.jpg)

That's awesome Gary. Why does dBpa always use the generic naming of 'folder.jpeg', please? Can the user change this to (say) the album name (eg. 'thriller.jpeg')? Oggy mentioned he stores all of his artwork. I wonder if he uses such a naming system? Paul

[garym]

Re: Ripping Level Question (help?)

Gary, that's very interesting indeed. So because you have only one JPEG in the album folder, the overall size (of the album) is smaller than if you had art embedded to each track? Which is kinda pointless if you're using a single artwork across the entire album!

Can you just drag and drop a replacement JPEG artwork if using a single external? Paul

Yes, if I have 23 tracks in an album with embedded art, it takes up the disk space of saving the same picture 23 times! And yes, you can drag and drop a replacement of jpeg artwork when using external. I just make sure it is the same name you're using (e.g., folder.jpg)

[monsterjazzlick]

Re: Ripping Level Question (help?)

although relatively speaking I may not save that much space (although it is not trivial across 7,000+ albums), it seemed sorta silly to me to have the exact same picture embedded in every track of an album when I could simply have a single picture in the album folder. Plus, if I ever want to change the picture (something better comes along), I can replace just that picture with one simple step.

EDIT: Do note however that when I create a mirror copy of my library converted from FLAC to mp3 (for use on my portables, iphone, ipad, ipods, etc.), when doing the conversion I embed the art in each track (and also downconvert the size of the art to 300x300). This is because my mp3 library on portable devices may just be a mixture of tracks, etc. and I want to make sure the artwork is always with each track.

Gary, that's very interesting indeed. So because you have only one JPEG in the album folder, the overall size (of the album) is smaller than if you had art embedded to each track? Which is kinda pointless if you're using a single artwork across the entire album!

Can you just drag and drop a replacement JPEG artwork if using a single external file? Paul

[monsterjazzlick]

Re: Ripping Level Question (help?)

If the sony needs embedded art, you can use batch convert, ID TAG PROCESSING, and automatically convert your external art to embedded with only a few clicks of a mouse. No problem.

Oh wow, cheers, you made my day!

[garym]

Re: Ripping Level Question (help?)

Hi, I am just hoping that my Sony Walkman (when it is fixed/returned) will be able to read (display) the external artwork. Maybe I should have waited until I have received it back from them, and tested it out with a couple of CDs first. Anyway, it's too late now! It was 11GB in total (around 35 CDs). It works fine in foobar though (ie. with different artwork beig displayed for each disc in a boxset). Cheers.

If the sony needs embedded art, you can use batch convert, ID TAG PROCESSING, and automatically convert your external art to embedded with only a few clicks of a mouse. No problem.