Managing a folder of FLAC files and a folder of MP3?

[windrockwater]

So i am trying to better manage my music folders. eg: If i purchase a new CD, i first rip it using FLAC lossless to a folder called music_FLAC. Then i use batch-convert to transcode it to a folder called music_mp3 for my ipod.

I basically want automate the batch converter to check and only transcode albums from FLAC to mp3 if they have not already been transcoded. Currently i have to scroll through and see if the mp3 folder exists and then manually check the boxes in batch-convert. IT would be nice if this could be automated.

Does this make sense? Basically, it would be great if the software would compare two folders (for naming and structure) and then transcode ONLY the albums that are missing in the mp3 folder. Seems like easy programming but is beyond me! Anyone?

[garym]

Re: Managing a folder of FLAC files and a folder of MP3?

I do exactly this in the following way:

1. Rip CDs to FLAC using the following dynamic naming:

[IFCOMP]Compilations\[album] [IFMULTI] \Disc [disc][]\[track]-[title]-[artist][][IF!COMP][artist]\[album][IFMULTI] \Disc [disc][]\[track]-[title][]

I have this naming scheme setting up folders underneath a top level directory called FLAC. So files end up in:

D:\FLAC\Artist\Album Name\track#-trackname.flac

If there are multiple discs, there is a \Disc 1, \Disc 2, etc. subdirectory underneath the album name subdirectory. If the CD is a compilation, it looks like:

D:\FLAC\Complilations\Album Name\track#-trackname-artist.flac

2. I then use the batch converter. I select the FLAC directory (and include all subdirectories....this is done with a single click at the highest level). I then click on "convert" and have the convert page setup for MP3 (lame) with the following naming dynamic:

[TRIMFIRSTFOLDER][origpath]\[origfilename][]

The toplevel directory for this naming is D:\MP3. The "trimfirstfolder" command strips out the FLAC part of the directory naming. So files end up in exactly the same folder structure, but instead are underneath D:\MP3 instead of D:\FLAC (and the file extension is mp3 not flac).

The key here is that when you select convert, the batch converter will ask you if you want to replace files in your target directory. If I say "no to all" then the converter will only create mp3 files for the new FLAC files. Works very well. Obviously, one caveat is that you must make sure you don't change the names, etc. of the mp3 files that are in your target directory after the original creation of these files. If you do, the batch converter won't know that these mp3 files relate to the original FLAC files with slightly different names. Key is to clean up all naming, tags, etc. in your FLAC files first. The creation of mp3 files then becomes almost completely automatic. This is great, because if you decide later to reencode your FLAC files to a different format (newer codec, etc.) you simply erase the mp3 directory, point at the FLAC directory, say convert and go away for 24 hours....

See related discussion:

http://forum.dbpoweramp.com/showthread.php?t=16389

p.s. I also use the mp3 files in my IPOD (use ITUNES for the library for then syncing with IPOD). One tip: In the conversion phase, I add the DSP effect "ID TAG PROCESSING". In ID TAG PRocessing, I use the mapping command to MAP "compilation" to ITUNESCOMPILATION. By doing this, if the disc is part of a compilation, ITUNES will recognize this without you having to do anything else within ITUNES. ITUNES does NOT recognize the regular compilation field (thus the need for this step).

[windrockwater]

Re: Managing a folder of FLAC files and a folder of MP3?

That sounds like just the ticket. I will try a test with that method. Thanks.

[Kiwi]

Re: Managing a folder of FLAC files and a folder of MP3?

R13 will rip two formats in one pass. Use the multi encode codec.

[robinbowes]

Re: Managing a folder of FLAC files and a folder of MP3?

So i am trying to better manage my music folders. eg: If i purchase a new CD, i first rip it using FLAC lossless to a folder called music_FLAC. Then i use batch-convert to transcode it to a folder called music_mp3 for my ipod.

I basically want automate the batch converter to check and only transcode albums from FLAC to mp3 if they have not already been transcoded. Currently i have to scroll through and see if the mp3 folder exists and then manually check the boxes in batch-convert. IT would be nice if this could be automated.

Does this make sense? Basically, it would be great if the software would compare two folders (for naming and structure) and then transcode ONLY the albums that are missing in the mp3 folder. Seems like easy programming but is beyond me! Anyone?

You might like to look at http://projects.robinbowes.com/trac/flac2mp3.

R.