Editing the genre pull-down menu

[schmidj]

I now see I failed to answer a couple of your questions:

By organizing, we mean setting it up the way you want it to appear in Windows/File Explorer (or its equivalent on your NAS, it might be different) How many sub directories/folders do you have to drill down through to see (or select) the name of the song file and what is in each directory.

When you rip a CD you get a different file for each track you rip, each of those files is complete by itself. How those files are arranged in directories/folders is determined by the naming string There is no overall file or tag information contained in the string of directories leading to the actual file. There is no tag at least generally used for "Album Composer" like there is for "Album Artist" When you see the box near the top of the dBpoweramp metadata page that says "Composer" it is only for display and convenience in data entry. It will say (multiple composers) whenever the data entered below for composer is different in any of the tracks. If you type something in the box, it will change all the composers for the tracks (or the selected tracks if you have selected one or more tracks) to whatever you type in the box. Play with it and use the question mark help entry to see how it works.

Checking the compilation box enters a "1" or "Y" (I think it is a "!" but displays as a "Y" in the dBpa tag editor but would have to try it) in a tag called compilation. Absent some code in your naming string it does nothing else. Some naming strings have a bit of code with an if statement to make the Album Artist tag say "Various Artists" or something similar if there is nothing typed in the box on the dBpa metadata entry page and the compilation tag is set to 1, but it isn't automatic without the code in the string. And I don't think it appears on the page, even with the code, only in the tags in the files when you actually rip the CD, because the naming string does nothing until you start the rip.

You should be able to set the printer scale to less than 100% to see everything, or try landscape instead of portrait, but that is a problem between your computer and your printer, nothing with this forum.

I'm pretty sure I answered everything else above.

[garym]

All good info from schmidj. I didn't go back to read from the beginning, so you may have mentioned this, but what PLAYER and MUSIC SERVER are you using. For example, I use Lyrion Music Server (LMS) to catalog my library of digital music files, 'serve' them to my music players around the house (these are squeezebox hardware players, which are just an older brand of network music players that play music files 'served' by my LMS music server. In LMS program, I can browse my library (by artist, by album artist, by album, by song, by genre, etc.). I can also simply search for anything within my music files. There are many, many programs that can do the function of LMS. I just happen to use LMS. There is Roon (nice but not free), ASSET as mentioned by schmidj (which is a product of illustrate/dbpoweramp).

And as pointed out, but worth mentioning again, there is a big difference between FILENAME and the metadata tags within your digital music files. Most good music servers (libraries!) use the file metadata for browsing, searching, etc. The filename itself is not relevant. For example, I could have the following file with metadata:

TITLE: Come Together
TRACK: 01
ARTIST: The Beatles
ALBUMARTIST: The Beatles
GENRE: Rock
ALBUM: Abbey Road
YEAR: 1969

In my case, this file is organized (artist directory with album subdirectory) and named "01 - Come Together" (filename)

/music/The Beatles/Abbey Road/01 - Come Together.flac

But I could have named this file any old random name:
/music/any random name/nonsensename.flac

But this crazy name unrelated to The Beatles would NOT affect my LMS music server ability to see this music file as The Beatles, Abbey Road album, first track, Come Together. That's because LMS is using the metadata tags and NOT the filename. Of course I do NOT use random, crazy filenames, because if I'm simply looking at my music files on my computer using file explorer, I prefer to see something logical. And for me, logical is a music parent directory, with separate ARTIST folders underneath, and then under each ARTIST directory is a separate directory for each ALBUM of that artist. And within the ALBUM subdirectory there is a listing of each track of the album.

For example, using FILE EXPLORER, I browse to my MUSIC folder, and see a listing of my ARTIST subfolders:



I then click on "The Beatles" folder and I see a listing of all the ALBUM folders inside:



Then I click on Abbey Road and see all the album tracks:

[dbarnby]

Thank you all for the very thorough answers and for the time and effort you have given. What I’d like to do now is replay for you what I think I’ve learned and ask you to confirm that I have it right (or wrong). (TO RECAP: Here’s my setup: Windows 11 PC > Synology NAS > BluSound Node 2 player all connected by Ethernet wire, and remotely controlled by iPhone.. My primary listening mode is to find Akums I want to listen to rather than songs or individual tracks.)

1) The Naming String serves only one function and that is to automatically create AND ORGANIZE the info that populates the FE (beyond the root folder, Music). If there is nothing in the naming string there will be no corresponding entry in the FE; it will be empty. The Naming String is manifest nowhere else in the system. There is no need to make manual entries into the FE.

2) It is unwise for me to think I can create a Naming String myself, but instead should rely on one of you dbpa experts to do that for me. (Thank you).

3) “Compilation” refers to Artists (not Composers).

4) If I’m not mistaken, there are two ways to view/address my music library, 1) By FE, 2) By way of my music player (iPhone). The FE is written and organized as directed by the Naming String. The player, on the other hand, simply sees one huge (unorganized) pile of songs/tracks and it uses a relational data base to dig into that pile in whatever sequence the user wants (Genre, Album, Composer, etc.).

5) Garym, I take it that LMS is your NAS. Correct?

So, That’s what I think I know. Following are still gaps in my understanding:
a) If I have more than one naming string, do I then have more than one logic “trees” in FE? In my NAS?
b) Are the compilation check boxes (one at the top of screen, the other in the lower-left screen under Naming>Set) linked? Are these both checked automatically by dbpa as it senses the disc being ripped?
c) I understand that Downloads is not a dbpa issue, however, it’s important for me to know how such integrates with what I rip in both my FE and player. How does downloaded music dovetail?
d) Where do elimination of the leading “The?”
e) SchmidJ, isn’t the sorting software a part of the Player, not the NAS? In your Library answer you have stated : “There is software that you fun on your NAS to index all your music (or other media) to allow you to find it. That is the library software and interfaces with or may be a part of your player to display a catalog of your music.” You go on to speak of “library software.” I am unaware of having any “library software” and assume all sorting and indexing takes place under direction of my Player (BlueSound Node2), and that the only thing on my NAS is the information ripped from my CDs (Which constitutes my “Library”). Perhaps I still don’t understand and need to learn more.
f) Does the process of indexing create a new (indexed) set of files on my NAS (called a Catalog) alongside the original set of ripped files? Does it simply attach indexing info to the ripped files? What?

g) The idea of “player software that includes its own library catalog” is a new concept to me. I don’t know what it means.

h) I note the suggestion to not put Genre in the Naming String, except for, possibly, a second naming string for classical music. How do two naming string work together in FE since those are what is creating FE?
Further, I’d like to be able to see my music by Genre in my FE (both classical and non-classical) as I’ve indicated in item 6) in previous post (C – classical type; N – non-classical type). But doing this would require putting Genre in the Naming String. I need more understanding of the plusses and minuses of doing this. I’d like the listing in my FE to look like that and also the “Folders” listing on my iPhone (BluOS provides for such). I know there seems to be considerable resistance to using Genera but I don’t understand what the issues are.

[schmidj]

OK, I took the time to look at the webpages for your Bluesound player. The player is a renderer, it selects the IP digitized music (from your library, any number of subscription streaming music sources and apparently also Internet radio stations and has outputs to connect to your audio equipment. The BluOS software also can (and in your case would) serve as a library and indexing system. There are quite detailed instructions on their web page for setting it up, both the hardware connections and configuring the software to be able to find your music on your NAS. It supposedly will automatically index the music or may be manually triggered to (re) index the music. It works with the tags it is programmed to read and apparently also makes a readable index of the filenames to allow you (I'm sure inconveniently) to select untagged music to play. There is a lot of detail there. They also have a community forum similar to this one where you should be able to get answers to specific questions about how their player integrates with their library system, for instance what tags it reads.

Current versions of dBpa have a default naming string, and I'd assume it is pre-loaded into the software. If you erase it so there is no naming string, the program can't rip and save tracks, as it doesn't know how to construct the filenames.

The only reasons you would be making your own entries into the library using the file explorer would be to correct (or more commonly to delete) screwed up entries and to store music that was not ripped by dBpa, such as downloaded tracks, (an important reason to keep your naming plan simple, because then you are going to have to manually type in a filename that follows the same rules the naming string would do automatically if you were ripping the track instead of downloading it.

You can use the default naming string provided by dBpa with the software, or use one provided by some one of us here on the forum (I'll pass to Gary on that, he has a deeper feel for the coding than I. I've done it, but end up fighting it every time. After a few tries I usually get what I want, or decide to simplify what I'm looking for. I end up having to come up with naming strings now when I'm doing file conversions of tracks (like FLAC to mp3 for a friend). As those TV programs say, when it comes to coding your own naming string, "don't try this at home". At least unless you are well on your way to a degree in CS. You want to be listening to music soon, not spending forever swearing at the software because it isn't arranging the files the way you want, or won't run at all. Just to give you an idea, look at the default naming string and see if you can understand what every thing in the code does. Until you can, there is no way you could even begin to cook your own.

I'll repeat a suggestion again I made before: Take like 20 CDs, including a mix, a few "best of" or other compilation CDs, a couple of classical CDs if you have, a multi-CD "box set" if you have. Rip them onto your NAS using the default naming stream. Set up the Blue and phone to find them. Play with the user interface to become used to what it can do and see if you are at least reasonably happy with it. Just so you'll get a better idea of what the naming string is doing, use File Explorer to scroll through the saved directories and files. Then if you have issues, see whether they are with dBpa or more likely with the BluOS and how it is configured.

Compilation, as most of us use it refers to artists, but it, and what you enter for Album Artist are just tags. You could use them for something different (although your player/library software may be pre-programmed to use them in some manner, and I'm pretty sure the default naming string uses the compilation tag as part of its logic in deciding how to arrange the directories for multi-artist CDs.

Regarding the library which the player is looking at, yes the library indexing software is looking at one or possibly more large collections of tracks, for your own sanity hopefully stored in some simple logical manner that you understand, and providing indexed easily searchable tables of things like artists, genres, album titles or combinations of them for you to select from Your library software will probably be perfectly happy if the files are truly random, it will index the tags just fine and play the track(s) you select, but if they are really random, the day you go to delete a bad file or directory, you will wish there was some simple order to them. The default naming string and the variations that I or Gary have will do that. Very simple but work well. And yes, while most of the library software people don't tell you how they work, you'd probably find one or another version of a SQL server database at the heart of them.

To have more than one naming strings, you would have to save them in different profiles in dBPA. And while there is nothing to stop them from dumping the files into the same "tree", you'd regret that. Again, your player probably doesn't care, but the day you go to find one of those files manually (again possibly to delete it or some other reason) you will have fun finding it. Presumably you'll have different paths with the different naming strings in the different profiles.

Downloads: First, try to get good quality ones if possible, FLAC or WAV. In my case I have a whole separate directory tree for lossy (mp3 and m4a) files. Why, because I use the batch converter that comes with dBpa to make a m4a copy of my collection, which, from time to time I load onto a 1 TB micro SD card that lives in my phone, to listen to in my car etc. If the mp3s and m4as in my main library were in the same directory tree as the FLAC files, they would be converted again when copied onto the SD card (my real setup is a little more complicated but this is the reason for the different paths.) This way, instead of converting them, I just copy the directory to the SD card, no further quality lost.

But because my experience has been that the metadata on downloads is usually completely missing or only partly there, I download each album in its own directory, open the directory in mp3tag (the tag editing program I mentioned earlier which works well with batches of files), enter/correct the all the tags, add the artwork, and save. Somewhere along the line (usually using a special feature in mp3tag) I generate directory and filenames that comply with my naming scheme. Note: I've done all this in its own directory of "new music" not indexed by the player library software. Then once I'm happy with all that I copy or move the file directory into my main music library directory If all works as it should, the library software sees the new files and indexes them so they show up on my player screen it I search for them.

This is more work by far than ripping a CD but that is where the industry has gone. The other way is don't download it at all but pay for a streaming subscription and have your own directory there for what new stuff you like. Simpler but it costs for the subscription and possibly for the data you are using every time you play the songs.

Regarding "The", I try to manually fix the metadata when ripping. But there are two other ways. There is a special tag supported by some players and library software called "artist sort" (in a couple of variations...) with matching "album artist sort" and "composer sort", which is supposed to allow your main artist name to be "The Beatles", where the sort version automatically or manually says "Beatles, The" This also solves all the artist name issues, Paul MccCartney under P or M? The artist tag would then say Paul McCartney and the sort tag would sat McCartney, Paul. But support for the sort tags is not always there, so absent using it, if the artist is Paul McCartney, you'll find it under P and if it is McCartney, Paul you'll find under M. Some indexing software attempts to deal with this by sensing the comma or blank space in the middle and listing the entry twice, both ways.

Now, the player and the library software: Technically I guess when you (or I) talk of the library per say, we are talking about the directory holding all the music (or other media) fies, in your and my case on the NAS (except the m4a duplicate on the SD card in my phone when I'm listening via my phone) But when we talk about the library, we often are really talking about the librarian, the software that indexes it, lets you search it, and provides it to the player to display. Where that lives depends on what you use.

In your case I read in the BluOS website that the Blu device you have includes the library software, so technically the library of tracks is on your NAS but what we generally call the library, the indexing , sorting and searching software is on the BLU device, built in. That way, you have one copy of the music, but if you have more than one BlueSound Node2, you can search and play different music from each, at the same time, from the one copy of the files on your NAS.

My setup is a little different. My files live on my QNAP NAS. But I also have, on the NAS an app, software from Illustrate called Asset which is library software, indexing all the metadata. That connects to my different players, copies of Foobar2000 on several computers which play through different audio systems and in my Kitchen a Raspberry Pi with VLC Player (and soon something better) as a player feeding a smart TV with an add on sound bar. They all connect to Asset using a protocol called DLNA. I even have an old chromecast audio module connected to an old stereo which played music via DLNA from the NAS. But Chromecast audio is long discontinued so I have no idea if there is any way to control it?

for (f) The indexing happens in your library software. You tell it what directory your music files are in, and it builds its database wherever the software lives, not where the music files are. The music files are not changed or duplicated. One of the tables in the indexing database is a table of "pointers" that have the locations of each track and what player (FLAC, mp3, m4a, etc. is needed to play them and any additional steps that must happen to play the file (some players might only be able to play 16 bit 44.1K files and your file you want to play might be 24 bit 48K. So the library program would sample rate convert the file as it plays so you can listen to it. In your case, this would happen automatically in the BluOS software in your player if necessary.

File Explorer or its equivalent just looks at what is on the drive (in your case the NAS). It displays everything in the directory you have selected in alphanumeric order. Other than the Windows File Explorer feature of sometimes displaying some tags from inside the files, based on the file extension, it knows nothing other than the name about what the contents of the file/directory is. So if you have different paths for different genres, if you select the directory/folder at the head of the classical you'll see that. If for all the rest.you'll see that. If you really want to keep the genres separate, instead of spending your life trying to make a naming string that will do what you want, you could set up a different profile with a different path for each genre, a different top directory, but probably identical naming strings except possibly the Classical.

But there may be a catch. How many different directories can the Bluos library indexing software look at? If you can only enter one directory path, then you can only have one library directory. You.d have to investigate that with the BluOS people or website.

Frankly, again, you're overthinking this without ever apparently played with the software or hardware. Play with it and see how it was intended to work before looking to customize it.

If you are still looking to try to grow your own naming string, perhaps you want to take a couple of CS courses on alphanumeric string editing. Or hire someone (not me!) and be willing to pay them probably a large sum to find out if it is even possible to make a naming string that does what you want. I certainly wouldn't even think of attempting to make a naming string of the complexity you want. I'm not sure how long the string can be and whether there is any chance of doing what you want in the number of characters allowed.

[dbarnby]

Spoon, Thank you so much for your most thorough explanations. I’ve given it a lot of careful study. Slowly I’m getting it. I must admit, however, some of the information you provide goes beyond what I probably need (or understand) but I’m sure is useful to others. My needs and system are simple: Windows 11 PC, Synology NAS, Blue Sound (BluOS) player, NAD amplifier, good speakers. That’s it; no TV, no porting to my car or my phone, no converting to MP3, I will use FLAC only, no multi-room music
I very much endorse your recommendation for experimenting, and I will do that. My way of working is like planning a cross-country trip. First, I study and understand the map and wrap my head around it, then I drive out of the garage. That second stage is coming soon, I think. But before I do, I’d like to really nail down some elements. This may be redundant I some cases, so I apologize for that but I’m looking be sure I’ve got it. (I thrive on redundancy and my declining memory requires it.)
Given the “simplicity” of my set-up and needs, can you confirm that my mental image of the system and the process is correct?

1) The naming string creates what shows up in my C: drive under the root folder “Music” (and is then copied to my NAS). This entry into FE will be several sub-folders deep. The naming string does nothing else. (True or False?)

2) In selection mode (not Folder mode) the music selection that is accomplished by my Blue Sound Node (BluOS) sees what’s on my NAS to be just a (disorganized) pile of songs (with Tags), and then uses its relational database capabilities to make selections (sequential selections really) to arrive at the music of my choosing and direction. (True or False?)

3) If I understand correctly, doing the above (item 2) has nothing to do with the Naming String, but everything to do with the sequence in which I click on the tag dimensions (Genera, Composer, Artist, etc.) into the BluOS app on my iPhone. Is this right (True or False?)

4) Also, the above (selecting music using the BluOS selection mode) has to do with the choice of Genera I use when tagging my music (but NOT the Naming String). (True or False?)

5) I’m still not clear about the issue of using Genera. I guess I’d like two things a) When I look at FE, I’d like to see my music broken down primarily by Genera before being narrowed down in sub-folders. And b) When I search for music on my iPhone (BluOS) I’d like to be able to click on “genera” and see my music grouped in, for example, C – Opera, C – Concertos C – Symphonies, N – Country, N – Boogie Woogie, N – Dixie, N- 40s & 50s, etc. From there I could then search further by Composer if its Classical, or by Artist if it’s Non-classical. Will this approach work OK or does it have major drawbacks?

You write again on this matter of Genera in the last four paragraphs of you post. I really don’t understand. Please tell me where my thought process is going wrong: a) The FE reflects the Naming String. b) I want the first level of the FE to be Genera. c) Therefore (when ripping) I put a chosen genera into dbpa (it could be C – opera, or N – Boogie Woogie, or anything at all. Wouldn’t this do it? Further, when I go to search for my music in BluOS I would first go to and click Genera, then I would select C – opera (or N – Boogie Woogie), then I would search album, and so on. This is what is in my head; It’s pretty simple, really (I don’t mean my head). Have I got this all wrong? Please teach me if I do.

6) Again, I don’t understand the reluctance I sense at elevating Genera or using it in the Naming String, because I think including it would be necessary if I want the FE to show Genera at the first level. What am I missing?

7) I guess when I asked for definitions, I should have also asked to understand better what is meant and encompassed by “Profile.”

Specifically, regarding downloads:

8) Do downloads write information into the FE just as dbpa does?

9) Does the download process present me with an opportunity to tell it a Naming String so that it integrates properly with my ripped CDs? Or do downloads crate and fill out their own “tree” in FE?

10) Does the download process present me with an opportunity to tell it how tags should read (especially Genera)?

11) I hate to admit it but I guess I don’t fully understand what is meant by “filename.” I understand it in terms of Word and Excel, but not in the context of dbpa. What part of all the info that goes into Naming String constitutes the filename?

12) Spoon, am I correct that with regard to downloads you follow a procedure where 1) you do the download from the internet into an mp3tag directory, then 2) Make all your desired edits and settings in mp3tag. Then when your happy with it you copy it to the file directory on your PC (FE) and thence to your NAS. After this you Reindex your player to capture it. Do I understand this correctly or not?

13) I’m still confused by filenames, directories, libraries; Is there a hierarchy here? Where is each found (where do I go to address/access each)? What info does each contain?
Also, you say “Somewhere along the line (usually using a special feature in mp3tag) I generate directory and filenames that comply with my naming schemes.” You’ve lost me here. I don’t know what to do with this. Please tell me again what “my naming scheme” refers to; where have I declared and put it? And how do I generate directory and filenames than comply with it. I guess I’m slow here in picking this up.

14) Spoon, you write “indexing happens in your library software. You tell it what directory your Misic files are in, and it builds its database wherever the software lives, {Node not NAS???} not where the music files are. This suggests that in my case, the BlueSound Node must have storage space perhaps equivalent to my NAS (which is 3 TB). I can question BluSound but I don’t think their device has such internal storage. Have I misunderstood what you’ve told me?

[schmidj]

Please again read the first paragraph of my earlier reply. I AM NOT SPOON! Spoon, who does reply to some posts but has not posted at all in this thread is the person who has developed the dBpoweramp software. I am, here, Schmidj, just a customer and user of dBpoweramp (for over 10 years).

1 mostly false. Please open the dBpoweramp application and read the help file which will open if you click on the question mark with a circle around it at the top right hand side of the screen. Using the path value, you can have the files go to any location that can be accessed by a letter in Windows File Explorer, not just the "Music" folder. And the naming string determines whether the contents are several folders deep or all in one folder, depending on how it is written.

2 Answered before but sort of true, I don't understand why you included the word disorganized, It could be and still work but a reasonable naming string will give you an organized folder, not to help your software find the music, but in the rare event where you have to use Windows Explorer or its equivalent on your NAS to find a file. The most common such reason, as I said before is to delete an erroneous (or duplicate) entry. Basically true though

3 Basically true.

4 True

5 Please, again, play with the software. I'm pretty sure you will see that this is totally unnecessary to do what you will want to select what music to play. And your chances of writing a naming string by yourself that will do this are somewhere between zero and none. I'm not sure it is even really doable at all. If you want more help about this, it will have to come from someone else, not me.

6 The reluctance is because I'd have to play with naming strings for days to even see if something close to this could be done and as a volunteer trying to help people, that goes way beyond what I'm willing to spend my time doing. Again, perhaps there is some other user who might help you, or you could send an email to Spoon offering to hire someone there to do it for you. Frankly, I'm running out of patience here, please carefully read my suggestions, particularly about playing with the software before posting any more questions. Remember, I'm not employed by the people who write the software, and have already spent far more time trying to be helpful than I probably should have.

7 Profiles allow you to have multiple paths and naming strings stored without having to type them in when you want to change to a different one.

8, 9, 10 In all probability, you've set something in Windows or your browser telling you where your downloads go, And that's where they go. You don't "Write anything into FE", FE is only a way of displaying on your screen what you have stored in some location or folder. This is basic windows, and has nothing to do with this software. Downloading music as I said before has nothing to do with this software. so it has nothing to do with any "naming string" or anything else you see here. It is a function of either the browser you are using or an app you have installed from the company you are purchasing the downloads from.

11, again play with the software and google Filename. It means the same thing with music files as it does with Word. It, together with the string of directories before it define where the file is stored on the drive or whatever media it is on.

Again, I'm not Spoon, and the rest of your questions are best answered by getting a better understanding of how a PC organizes items on a hard drive or whatever media it is on. I've tried to explain it, but perhaps you should either dig deeper with Google or borrow some basic computing books from the library or find someone near where you live to be an in-person tutor who can better demonstrate things and answer questions. Additionally, at least around here various high schools and junior colleges have continuing education courses which teach this and could help you better understand it.

14, No, the index is like the old fashioned card catalog in the library. You have a whole building full of books. You have a cabinet near the entrance with drawers of 3X5 cards in it with information to help you locate the book you want. The index is far smaller than the library. In your case, it looks like it would live on your Blue device, but in fact, since that device is connected to your NAS, it might load an app onto the NAS to store the catalog indexes. I don't know your specifics.

Frankly, I have tried to help, but I really can't spend more time trying to help you. You have to help yourself. For the most part, that is how I learned how my first PC worked and later how this software works. If you don't understand my answers, you need more help than I can provide, and if you don't want to follow my suggestions, without even trying them then I really can't help

You try to equate it to a car trip, but if you had a brand new car, different than you owned before, you might read the owner's manual but you'd probably get in and look for the different controls and try them out before beginning your trip, or before calling the dealership asking them questions about what you'd read in the manual.

[garym]

schmidj has answered your latest questions. You asked me whether LMS is my NAS. No. I do not use a NAS. LMS is a music streaming software program that indexes my music, allows me to browse my library, and play anything in my library to my networked players around the house (all of which are connected to music stereos, etc.). The LMS program is running on a microcomputer that is connected to my network. This microcomputer (an rPi4B to be exact) has a 4TB USB HDD attached to it directly and this HDD holds my music files. LMS reads and indexes those music files.

But I'm afraid you don't fully understand what a NAS is. A NAS is a "Networked Attached Storage" device, connected to your local network and accessible from other things on your network (computers, music streamers, etc.). The NAS can be used for storing files (word documents, photo files, music files, etc.). A NAS is NOT a music streamer/player etc. This said, some NAS units also come with music streaming software installed or allow installing certain music streaming software on the NAS.

I think the advice to play around with dbpoweramp ripping and naming with your own music library software and playback system will be the most useful for you now. You need to get comfortable with how things work and doing and seeing is often the best way to learn. Good luck.

[dbarnby]

Hi Schmidj, my apologies. Without looking more closely I just saw the big “S” icon on your post and took it to be Spoon; my mistake. I appreciate all the work you have done on my behalf, truly,
I’m not trying to be obstinate but rather to make the various pieces fit together in my head. I will, indeed, now run some experiments.
While you may be exasperated with me (particularly when I call you by the wrong name), but I want you to know that you have also increased my understanding significantly. Thank you.
I’m actually pretty good with Windows and the terms it employes, but what I’m not at all good with is the terms related to music, CD ripping and dbpa; but I’m getting there.
Garym, thank you for your clarification.

[Dat Ei]

Don't get me wrong, but I do not think that your problems are related to the terms of music only. You have some misconceptions of some coumpter basics (i.e. what file explorer is and what it does). This in combination with the terms related to music, CD ripping and dBpa makes it very difficult to get you on the right tracks.

Dat Ei

[dbarnby]

Thank you Dat Ei, I'll keep plugging away.