Conversion Error with CD Writer

[xoas]

In making an mp3 disk with dB CDWriter I tried converting folders of mp3 files and/or ogg files using the (artist)\(artist)-(track) setting so that I could recreate folders by artist. Generally this worked well with some important exceptions. Two of my original folders had files with differing spellings of the artist's name (stemming from the spelling on the tag rather than from the original folder name). Two things happened in this situation only one of which seems to me to be predictable.
The predictable unwanted (but only mildly annoying) result was that instead of having one folder for the artist (e.g. Duke Ellington), I ended up with about 5 different folders reflealecting different spellings in the tags (eg duke ellington, Duke Ellington, Ellington, Duke Ellington-the Great London, and so forth). This I can rationalize for being the type of person who neglects to tidy up discrepencies in his tags.
What really astonished me however was that when I examined each of these folders, three of them contained the same five or ten tracks and some tracks from the original folders ended up not being copied and burned to my mp3 disk at all.
I am writing primarily to report this situation for other users who my not be diligent with standardizing their tag information and to report this as a possible glitch in the program. If any of you have any insight as to what else may be contributing to such a problem or are aware of any procedures to work around this issue (short of changing my ways regarding the tags), I would be glad to hear about them.
best wishes,
bill mikkelsen

[Spoon]

some tracks from the original folders ended up not being copied and burned to my mp3 disk at all.

As a test can you try those files that did not appear once more, create a blank CD (don't write an actual disc, just as though you are creating one, then if you look where the temprory files are held for the CD you should see if the files are there) - if it is repeatable I can track it down.

three of them contained the same five or ten tracks

You must have these different original files on your computer somewhere and they only where pulled together on the tag naming.

[xoas]

I went back and checked the temporary cd files. The temporary cd file contained all of the mp3 tracks I was trying to burn and had no repetition of tracks for instances where an artist's name had different spellings. So...I tried burning the mp3 cd again and had the same result.
I found that I actually ended up with more folders burned than were in the temporary cd file location. For example, in the temporary cd location was a single file Miles Davis with 4 tracks. In the burned mp3 disk were two folders (miles davis and Miles Davis) each of which had only two tracks and the SAME two tracks were in each folder. Likewise, I ended up with more folders for Django Rheinhardt than were in the temporary cd location and two folders had the same 10 tracks and there were many tracks missing.
Finally, although the total compilation for my mp3 disk project did consist of tracks which were stored in different locations in my computer (single hard drive) the errors ocurred with folders from a single location (e.g. the Django Rheinhardt files all came from the same folder and the Miles Davis tracks all came from the same folder).
So my guess would be that the error is occurring somewhere between the temporary cd file creation (which went well) and the actually burning (which is where the errors are really showing up).
Hope this helps.
best wishes,
Bill Mikkelsen

[xoas]

Oh, yes-
specifically I think that this is related to trying to burn the disk in the (artist)\(artist)-(track) mp3 format, if that would help any.
bill mikkelsen

[xoas]

Upon further research it looks like the program is using track file names as well as (or in addition to) tag names when trying to set up folders. This seems to be contributing to the multiplicity of folders in the (artist)\(artist)-(track) mp3 setting. I am still not sure what is special about the files that are repeated in different folders or about those which are left out.
best wishes,
Bill Mikkelsen

[Spoon]

I think it will be how the folders are handled, on a PC the folder 'Madonna' and 'madonna' are the same, but obviously on a CD rom they are different.

Anyhow I have noted it as a bug.

[xoas]

I have done some research and I can tell you more about the nature of this bug.
It arises when trying to create an mp3 disc with the (artist)\(artist)-(track) format so that my mp3 disc will be divided into separate folders for convenience when listening on my auto or portable mp3 player. This error should also occur if trying to make an ogg disc with the same format.
When setting up the files in the tempcd file prior to burning the program will create separate folders for a given artist IF the tag names of the tracks show different spellings of the artist's name. If some of my Django Reinhardt files have artist tag names of Django Reinhardt, Django Reinhard, and Django Reinheart the tempcd file will create separate folders for each alternate spelling which it finds in the id tags. At this level, the program is case insensitive so that tracks whose artist information on their tag is given as django reinhardt, Django Reinhardt, django Reinhardt or Django ReinHardt will all end up in the same folder.
When the program goes to write the cd, however, it is case sensitive in CREATING folders. In this example, the program will create folders on the cd labelled django reinhardt, Django Reinhardt, django Reinhardt and Django ReinHardt even though they show up in a single folder in the tempcd file.
However, when the program decides what to put in the folders on the cd it becomes case insensitive again so that left to its own devices the program will put the same collection of tracks in the django reinhardt, Django Reinhardt, django Reinhardt and Django ReinHardt folders and if it does not run out of space each folder will include every track which has the same spelling but different case attributes in the id tag.
I managed to work this out by replicating the problem on a smaller scale on a cd-rw so that I could verify my hunch that the reason the same tracks were in each of the alternate folders but that the same tracks were missing from each folder was that the program had run out of space on the cd. It might have been nice if the program could have identified this problem prior to the burn (eg, it might have stopped when it realized that it did not have enough space for 5 complete sets of the same 43 tracks). If it would do so it would prevent a wasted cd-r.
Hope this helps.
Best wishes,
Bill Mikkelsen

[Spoon]

It is a bug that needs addressing.