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[okvaal]

I just switched from PC to Mac, and I had some thousand files where I had added "Work" info. In a custom made column, I suppose. Now, is there a way to regain/import these tags from PC to Mac, or do I have to copy from "Custom" to "Work" on my PC and then go through the rather bothersome process of importing it all to Mac again? (In that case, I most likely won't bother, though.)
Anyway, thank you for taking the needs of collectors of classical music seriously! 

[Fitzcaraldo215]

I think maybe all you might need to do is to define that same additional custom field, Work, in the empty library on the PC.  Then copy the media files from Mac to PC, and do an import to the JR library on the PC.  You might want to test the move with one or two album folders before the big move, making sure the Work field is there.

This assumes that the Work field on the Mac used the option Save in file tags (when possible) in its definition in order to make sure the tags are in the media files, not just in the library.  Make sure that field on the PC has the same option selected before the move.

I have a very large classical library, and adding one similar custom field, which I called Composition, is about all I needed to get a satisfactory library for organization and playback selection in JR.

[okvaal]

Do I get you wrong, but are you talking of moving from PC to Mac here? (My custom-made field "Verk" is already on my PC, so is now the empty "Work" column. Is this what you mean as well?)

[Fitzcaraldo215]

What I described should function on moving JRiver media and libraries with tags from any computer to any other, Mac, PC or Linux.

Each tag field has a name, and most field names are already standardized by JRiver.  But, Custom field naming is arbitrary and entirely up to you.  And,  obviously a Verk field on a Mac will not map directly to a Work field on a PC.  The custom field names should be identical on both machines for simple direct transfer.  Are you attempting not just a PC to Mac move, but also a renaming of the field?  If so, then it gets a bit more complicated. 

[okvaal]

Thanks for your replies. I should, of course, have thought of this before starting the moving process. Maybe I’ll just deal with it later, filling in the Work field manually. The reason why I’m a bit reluctant, is that my transfer method was uploading to Dropbox, then downloading to Mac. It was a bit time-consuming, to say the least. (I could not find my EHD on the network of some reason).
BTW, I guess you have been using the new Custom field for something? That can only be done within the Advanced window, right? I’d like to store a few more things within «Classical» myself. But anyway, I’m very happy to see that MC has taken this rather giant step. :-)

[Fitzcaraldo215]

Sorry, but I am a bit lost and confused.  I thought your opening post clear enough, but now I am scratching my head.

All I was trying to say is that in my classical library, many, but not all, of JRiver's standard default fields contain tags.  Some comes directly from the rips, some fields require editing or filling in by me, such as the Composer field.  For adequate hierarchical distinction,  I needed an additional custom field which I called Composition, which seems to fill the same function as your Work or Verk field. My Composition field contains the title of the work, Symphony No. 4, for example. But, the name could have been anything.

[okvaal]

No, I see now that you understood me perfectly. :-) And yes, Work, Verk, Composistion all fill the same function. And I was trying to find a work-around to avoid copying my MC Library from PC to Mac all over again.
BTW: could you suggest an easier way of doing this than by using Dropbox, which is far too slow? Of some reason I am not able to find both my PC and the Mac on the network. Would a network cable between PC and Mac do?

[ferday]

A hard drive or even a USB stick would be fastest

[okvaal]

You mean an external HD? Wouldn't there be any format issues?

[Awesome Donkey]

Depends on the file system used. I'd recommend exFAT (not FAT32, since exFAT supports files over 4GB in size) for Windows and Mac. You *can* use NTFS and Mac can read those partitions, but by default Mac won't write to NTFS partitions (unless you either enable the buggy built-in NTFS write support or use a third-party driver/software like Tuxera).

[okvaal]

Thanks a lot. So I could transfer my music to FAT32 formatted HD and Mac would be able to read from there?
And, if so, should I delete the music files that I have already imported to Mac, or will I simply be asked to skip the files already there?

[Fitzcaraldo215]

No, I see now that you understood me perfectly. :-) And yes, Work, Verk, Composistion all fill the same function. And I was trying to find a work-around to avoid copying my MC Library from PC to Mac all over again.
BTW: could you suggest an easier way of doing this than by using Dropbox, which is far too slow? Of some reason I am not able to find both my PC and the Mac on the network. Would a network cable between PC and Mac do?

If you have already transferred the media files from the Mac to PC, you might not have to do it again.  As long as your custom field, Work or Verk, is already contained in those files, just define the same field with an identical name in an empty JR library on the PC.  Then import one album folder to make sure that the value for that field has transferred correctly into your new library.  If so, import the rest of the media files, and that should be it.

If not, then, likely, the custom field was not written from the library to the media files on the Mac.  You would have to retrace the instructions in my original post, update the Mac media files and recopy the media files to the PC.  But, let us know. More help on specifics can be provided.

 

[okvaal]

I see now that my original post must have been a bit confusing. It even confuses me now.
I’ll run through it step-by-step (also to myself):
On my PC, I had custom-made a field called «Verk» (=«Work»). This was years befor Work was included in MC.
Then I got a Mac, installed MR for Mac, and copied my music files from PC to Mac. I was simply unaware that the latest version of MR had a «Work» field, so I didn’t do any «Copy field»-operation. And here I am . . :-)

This way, maybe the suggestion of recopying the files from Mac to PC does not apply?Wouldn’t it be simpler to use «Copy form Verk to Work» in the PC library, and then copy the library to the Mac?  (Sorry if I still may seem a bit confusing.)

[Awesome Donkey]

Mac supports FAT32 just fine. But if you have files above 4GB in size, you'll want to use exFAT instead. In fact, if you're using a brand new external hard drive with no data on it, I'd highly advise reformatting the drive in Mac's Disk Utility to exFAT instead of FAT32.

[okvaal]

Thanks. The disk is fairly old, but on the other hand, the files aren't that big. I'll give it a try, and if it won't work, I'll reformat the disk.

[Fitzcaraldo215]

No, I see now that you understood me perfectly. :-) And yes, Work, Verk, Composistion all fill the same function. And I was trying to find a work-around to avoid copying my MC Library from PC to Mac all over again.
BTW: could you suggest an easier way of doing this than by using Dropbox, which is far too slow? Of some reason I am not able to find both my PC and the Mac on the network. Would a network cable between PC and Mac do?

It appears that I was unaware of the now standard JR field for Work.  I believe that has appeared in Version 23, but was not there in previous versions, which is when most of my tagging was done using the custom field Composition instead.  I have no plans to change. 

[okvaal]

I was unaware of this change myself. I’ m none the less happy to see it though, and as it works fine with me (the Work field, that is), I’ll leave it like that.
Thanks a lot for your helpfulness and patience. Hope your classical music collection will work fine in MC.
(But what DO you do with the Artist and Album Artist issue???  )

[MikeO]

Maybe a bit off subject but it would cure your ills...

Have a look at the MusiCHI suite!the Tagger has. Lookup for Composition which will import straight into MC . I have populated ALL 35000 classical tracks with it

Oops it’s PC only

Mike

[okvaal]

Will do! Thanks!