Naming convention - why use more than track number and title for file?

[Max Dread]

Hi all

Up until now I've only done sporadic ripping and never taken it too seriously. That's about to change!

I have been having an artist folder and album folders within that. The files I've then been naming: Artist>Album>Track*>Song Title


But because the artist and album is already known because of the two folders, I'm starting to wonder whether it might make more sense to just make the files: Track*>Song Title. Someone has had the same though here:

Hi all

Up until now I've only done sporadic ripping and never taken it too seriously. That's about to change!

I have been having an artist folder and album folders within that. The files I've then been naming: Artist>Album>Track*>Song Title


But because the artist and album is already known because of the two folders, I'm starting to wonder whether it might make more sense to just make the files: Track*>Song Title. Someone has had the same though here:

http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?s=&showtopic=96369&view=findpost&p=804502

I'd be interested to hear from anyone who feels this naming convention would be a bad idea.... (and why).

Cheers

Max

I'd be interested to hear from anyone who feels this naming convention would be a bad idea.... (and why).

Cheers

Max

[BrodyBoy]

Re: Naming convention - why use more than track number and title for file?

It really doesn't make any difference.....it's just a matter of how much information you want displayed in the filename itself. (The only situations in which it might become necessary to consider to such a move would be when there are very long path & file names, as can occasionally happen with classical music in particular.) All of the metadata that you added at ripping or afterward is still in the file whether you put it in the filename or not. That's actually how the artist & album will always be reliably known, not by folder organization (which can get screwed up in a whole variety of ways!:p).

For pop music, I still include artist and album. But for no compelling reason other than habit...I just like seeing all the pertinent info when I look at a list of files.

PS: One application where the "full info" approach would be useful: Some people like to create their own compilations. When copying/moving files around for that kind of purpose, you'd want to see at a glance exactly what they are, rather than having to open Properties to be sure.