Feature requests: "Persistent" metadata +++

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Macoustics
Posts: 14
Joined: Sat Oct 20, 2007 12:06 am

Feature requests: "Persistent" metadata +++

Post by Macoustics »

I record an LP side, I set markers, and I copy the different segments to new documents, saving them as "## Songname.aif".

Why don't I just choose "Save Selection As..."?
Because I want to set the metadata.

The path I'm going is like this:

AIF (24/96) -> separate tracks AIF (24/96) -> another version of the tracks in ALAC (16/48) -> iTunes.

What would have been perfect, is if the metadata was actually copied with the sound data. That way I could set artist, record title, year and album art for the first file, and that info would "come along for the ride" when I copied to a blank document.

Let's take this a step further, shall we?

Let's say I set the aforementioned info - which is complete except for the song names and their number.

What's the only thing missing from a TRULY smooth experience?

A menu item that says: "Save songs to disk". It would do the following:

1) Use the markers to separate the songs.
2) Use the marker names as song titles, adding a two-digit number first: "01 Back in the USSR.aif". The song number would be given by the position in the file, and any metadata already entered for the file would be used. In order for this to work, there had to be a marker at the very beginning of the file as well - to name the first song.
3) Save these songs to individual files of a given file format.
4) A sweet option would be to allow saving to several formats in one go - I imagine an expandable list, where the format of the original file is automatically entered, with the option to add more. That way, I could save to individual 24/96 AIF-files as well as 16/48 ALAC-files IN ONE GO!

The details of whether to put digits first or not, would be a preference thing - preferably a very flexible one, so that one could enter something like "## <MARKERNAME>.<TYPE>". "### <ARTIST> - <MARKERNAME>.<TYPE>" would then result in "001 The Beatles - Back in the USSR.aif". The preferences could contain a setting for subfolders - saving finished songs in subfolders named after the file type, or something like "2496" or "1648".

"## <MARKERNAME>.<TYPE>" is consistent with iTunes way of organizing files, and is really all that's needed in the filename - the rest is in the metadata.

This would be a brilliant addition to Amadeus Pro.
Already it's way more userfriendly than most other audio applications.

I realize that the "Split According to Markers" does some of this - but not all.

Macoustics
Posts: 14
Joined: Sat Oct 20, 2007 12:06 am

Post by Macoustics »

Correction: It seems like almost everything I mentioned above already exists in Amadeus Pro...

That's what happens when you're impatient...

So, with a few tweaks in the naming of saved tracks (the track number), and a possibility for multiple file formats in one go - it would be perfect.

Macoustics
Posts: 14
Joined: Sat Oct 20, 2007 12:06 am

Suggested adjustments

Post by Macoustics »

Now that I've actually... ahem... USED the aforementioned "Split According to Markers..." function, I must admit it's ALMOST perfect.

A few things are missing, though:

1) In addition to saving the files using the marker names as filenames, the marker name should really, really be entered into the "Title" tag in the metadata. Really.
2) In addition to the markername, the filname should start with a double digit number. This is essential for sorting the tracks in order, and in line with the way iTunes names the files. The seed for this enumeration should be entered by the user in the save dialog - because when you're on side C of a 4-sided LP recording, we're maybe talking about tracks 16-20 instead of 1-5. NB! If the number of markers by any chance exceeds 99, the track names should of course start with a TRIPLE digit number, and so forth (imagine 15000 markers, anyone?)
3) The numbers from "2)" should also be saved to the metatag "Track" - "16" to "20" in the aforementioned example.

As long as the title is not set to the marker names, you're forced to open the files for a SECOND edit - because doing it afterwords in iTunes (flipping between panes to reveal the filename before entering text in the name-tag) is really annoying.

An option to save as multiple filetypes would be nice, but not essential.

I hope my suggestions will be implemented - it should be easy-piecy-lemonsqueezy to do, and would improve an already useful function.

(I've editied this entry a couple of times - because I didn't consider the fact that enumerating the tracks directly after the markers positions wouldn't necessarily be correct/desired. Letting the user set the "seed number" when saving would make this a fully functioning feature.)

Macoustics
Posts: 14
Joined: Sat Oct 20, 2007 12:06 am

Other's got great suggestions too

Post by Macoustics »

I agree fully with the post "Feature requests for recording from vinyl"
(http://www.hairersoft.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=475), which I failed to discover before I posted my own post.

The combined suggestions of my own ramblings and mirv2/Mark would make for a killer "Servicepack"!

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