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[johnnywayne]

Hi. I am using iTunes' $10/month get any song you want thing right now after a company deleted my pretty large collection of high quality files. It's actually pretty cool, but
I wonder what happens when I stop i.e. you can download songs for offline playing, I wonder if I can just download everything I can, convert the files offline and then get back online. A whole collection for 10 bucks. But that's not my question.

When these songs are downloaded to my computer they are put into artist folder\album folder\filename.
MC can't read this too well, but it can 'fill properties from file name' very easily.

That fixes pretty much everything, except the songs are titled like 1-01 song name, 2-02 song name, etc.. How can I remove those numbers before the song name?
I keep trying to be clever in renaming them but nothing is working. Seems like it would be easy for y'all that know the program better.

Also, I just switched to a new computer,  so a couple of things:
there are play buttons before the track name, before the album name, before the track number, etc. How do I stop this? I've used MC for a few years,  I don't remember doing this but I must've.

Is there an easy way to get duplicate tracks out of MC other than deleting the file, sometimes even that doesn't work.

and finally.
How do  I get the changes I apply to one album apply globally e.g. the width of columns and which columns show mainly.

Thanks a bunch,
-jw

[ferday]

When the numbers are consistent (like 1-01 track name) you can type into the name field

=removeleft([name],5)

Then you can fill properties from library

Or use the Rename,Move,copy tool and do the same thing (without the =) in the file name box

Try a couple first to see what it does and then you can do them all at once.  Personally I would do it in the tags first (select all files, type the above into the [name] field) then use the RMC tool to rename the files (uncheck the directory boxes and just rename the filename).  This is so I can preview the changes before they are made in case I accidentally selected some that had different numbering or whatever.

As for the duplicates, it's best to just search "duplicates" on the forum, there are a few ways to skin that cat and it's been written out in depth by others...

[blgentry]

This is too many questions for me to tackle at once, so I'll just address the big one...

When these songs are downloaded to my computer they are put into artist folder\album folder\filename.
MC can't read this too well, but it can 'fill properties from file name' very easily.

Ok, stop right there.  Are you saying MC can't read the metadata from your downloaded files?  Downloaded from the Itunes Music Store?  All songs from there should have nearly flawless metadata: Album, Artist, Song Name, etc should all be there.  The "fill properties from file name" feature is intended to be used on music that has no metadata.  Just about any modern source of digital music should have full metadata.  Fill properties from file name is a last resort.  ...or nearly last. 

In terms of the file and directory layout, MC can read any layout that is possible in the file system.  So it shouldn't be a problem with the directory layout.  What exactly are you seeing happen?

Brian.

[KingSparta]

I wonder if I can just download everything I can, convert the files offline and then get back online. A whole collection for 10 bucks.

don't those files have DRM? so you could not convert them easily.

[johnnywayne]

half a point to KingSparta. They are DRM'ed. So much so that I can't play them in MC. Sorry there was a half reduction because it's incredibly easy to break, so the answer is yes, if you are a thief you can steal all the songs on iTunes.
I don't recommend it.

Brian. I am truly sorry my screen is so long. I didn't realize this would take thjis long or that the document would be so long.
You'll probably have to zoom in unless you are on a huge screen too. I hope it answers all your questions.

[blgentry]

I tried to read that crazy screen shot you posted and I think I got most of it, but it was pretty hard to understand. PLEASE, just type your responses here.  Doing it in a screen shot doesn't help unless you're trying to show something very specific with a few words to help explain the picture.

It seems like your big problem is that MC won't play your itunes files at all because of the DRM.  I'm sorry that I can't really help you with that as I have no experience with it.  It's really a fundamental problem with how you are getting your music.  I'll have to leave it to you to figure out a different source for your music that is "regular" and doesn't use DRM and has a bit rate that you think sounds good.  Or figure out some way to integrate DRM files with MC.

Good luck to you.

Brian.

[johnnywayne]

I WAS trying to show something specific. I understand that it was confusing and I understand that you don't know how to do this.

The problem is that MC used to play the few iTunes files I had. I got it to the point where it says I don't have permission to play the files and I just need to authorize the computer; that doesn't work.

I was trying to specifically show how the music can get to MC in an offline mode i.e. I, at least temporarily own the songs, I don't know what happens when I cancel the service, so the same method for playing iTunes files should work in my mind.
I was showing this because I am 'sure' this will be the 'regular' way to get music relatively soon. Windows includes basically the same idea in Windows 10 under the Groove Music app, there's Pogo and quite a few others. Some offer very high resolution, namely Pogo.

Regardless, this had nothing to do with my main question (I also understand that a few questions at once can be daunting, I will open new threads for all questions in the future), which was how to remove the '1-01' and the serial following numbers.
The screenshot also showed that it was not importing metadata regardless of the normal file structure as you suggested. I guess I could have just written that like I just did, but I suspect someone would say I was doing something wrong and it wasn't, in fact, the proper file structure.

None of this changes that you don't know the answer to the question that mostly you posed and I'll take that under advisement. I just know MC has played iTunes files before and the screenshot was to illustrate that these files didn't seem, on their face, to be different than those. I hold that getting music files from iTunes is not irregular and has always used DRM. The bit rate is mostly subjective and of little importance to my question, my comment was merely an aside.

I guess your answer that iTunes is not regular, you don't know how to do that (I don't mean for that to sound like a fault, but it sort of is like an Amazon review when someone asks a question and people answer, 'I don't know, I don't use that device, etc.'. It's rather pointless) will have to stand and it will be up to me. Should I start a new thread that is solely the one question 'Does anyone know how to re-title files in X format without using 'fill properties from filename'?' and another with my now new question 'Does anyone know how to play iTunes files in Media Center?'. Maybe ferday's answer to the former works and I know the latter is possible, you and I just don't know how to do it.

[blgentry]

I'm just trying to help you.  I don't work for JRiver.  I'm just another user.  I'm sorry I don't know much about integration with itunes.  It's just not something I've worked with as I prefer not to.  This from someone who uses a Mac as his primary computer. 

I think the root of your problem is deeper, but I'll answer your how to remove leading numbers question.

There are several ways to do it.  Let's pretend that ALL of the Name fields look like this:

1-01 Song Name Here

If that's true, you would just want to remove the first 4 characters from the [Name] field.  To do so, you can use an expression like:

=removeleft([Name],4)

I would try this as an expression column first:

Go to a view where you can see the [Name] field for a bunch of files.
Right click on the header and select Add Expression Column.
In the expression editor, paste in the expression above.
Look at the Expression Column and make sure that it has the correct song name in it now.

If that works for all of your files, then you can paste the expression into the Tagging Pane like this:

Select some files.
Right click and choose "Tag".
In the Tagging Pane on the left that pops up, go find the Name field.  It should be near the top.  Since you have several files selected, it should say [Varies].
Click in the field and paste in the expression.
Now all of the Name fields should change, removing the first 4 characters.
If it doesn't work properly, press control-Z, or Edit > Undo .

If your Name fields have more complicated issues, they can probably be fixed with more advanced expressions.

I hope this helps.

Brian.