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Author Topic: Albums with same name  (Read 918 times)

Ignoramus

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Albums with same name
« on: December 20, 2019, 06:57:53 am »

I have 3.5TB of WAV files, on a single SSD (4TB)...about 70% are compilation CDs. So, the album artist is 'Various Artists', and in a number of cases…the albums have the same name as another in that directory. Of course, if the albums are in the same folder in their own sub-directory, but in the same directory, I have to add a different number to the end of the folders name, but in the tags, the album is just the album name's with nothing added.
When I import a single directory, with numerous sub-directories in…if there is more than one album, with the same name, the program combines the files into one album. Not something I want. Is there a way of keeping albums with the same name (and in a different sub-directory, but same directory) separate, without resorting to adding numbers to the end of album names in the tags?
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MikeO

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Re: Albums with same name
« Reply #1 on: December 20, 2019, 07:24:38 am »

Maybe add a Custom Tag Album Version

In your album view make the Album = [album] - [Album Version] ie an Expression

This works for me where I have CD, hi res , MFSL versions of albums
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Dawgincontrol

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Re: Albums with same name
« Reply #2 on: December 20, 2019, 12:13:37 pm »

I name my "album artists" after the genre or subject matter to differentiate.  It helps.  And if the Album is called "Greatest Hits" or "Essential Collection", etc., I add the Artist to the album title.
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Ignoramus

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Re: Albums with same name
« Reply #3 on: December 28, 2019, 06:52:11 am »

The problem is, although I change the physical name of the folder to permit keeping albums apart (Windows requirement) as I use the 'genre' to keep albums together in one folder, but different sub-folders, I don't change the tags. So (for example) the album sub-folders could be called 'Various Artists: The Best Album Ever" & "Various Artists: The Best Album Ever II" (but in reality the album tag is "Various Artist" & "The Best Album Ever", in both cases). Because the program uses the tags, and not the location, both albums get 'lumped together'. To keep them apart I have to add superfluous info into the tag, which really isn't desirable & imperfect. What I wanted was a way for the program to use location only for importing, that way both albums could have the same tag info, and be kept separate. Giving an album a title, it really isn't, just so the program will keep them apart, seems flawed.
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thecrow

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Re: Albums with same name
« Reply #4 on: December 28, 2019, 09:30:51 am »

How your music is presented is dependent on the view you use to explorer it.
So to stop those albums with the same name appearing as a single album you need to edit the view you are using.
If you right click on a view, e.g. "Albums" and select "Customize View..." you will see how that view is currently configured.
Under "Show Categories In This Order" you should see a single instance of "Albums", click this and press "Edit"
Now use the radio buttons to select Expression instead of Library field.
Then under Name type "Albums" or whatever you like to call the new view.
Then under Expression to group by enter "Filename(path)" and save as a new view.
This will group your files by folder path so if all your albums are arranged in a sensible folder structure this will give you the separation you are asking for, but you will notice the labels under the cover art have now changed, which I assume you do not want.
So now at the top of the view window use the drop down next to the word Albums (or whatever you called it) to select Thumbnails>Thumbnail Text... and in the expression window type [Album] instead of [Name], this will change the Thumbnail Text back to the Album title.
You can use the same dropdown to alter the Sort Order to that you prefer to see.

As you explore this further you will see you can make all sorts of changes to present your music in anyway you wish.

Personally I do something very similar to what MikeO is suggesting, it involves more tagging but does allow much greater control.

Hope this helps
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