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[pilotbum]

I'm trying to reorganize my music collection, I want to move files without renaming them so the file is unchanged. Is there a way to do this in MC?

[JimH]

Explore the tool called Rename, Move & Copy.   Try a few before you do very many.  The wiki may be helpful.

[pilotbum]

I've tried that but I'm trying to just move the files in bulk to a new shared folder and a new path but leave the file names unchanged. When I do it still modifies the file which I'm trying to avoid.

[JimH]

Please read the wiki.  It can do what you want.  Check "Directory".

[RoderickGI]

If you can't work it out from the Wiki, provide a few examples of the full path to the source and target locations.

What you want is easy. But if you have extra (non-imported and not Cover Art or Sidecar) files in the directories you want to move, things can get a little more difficult.

[MusicBringer]

But if you have extra... things can get a little more difficult.

Sorry to but in. I have trouble with this too. @  pilotbum Thanks for asking the Q 👍
I can manage to move the music files. It always leaves behind the folder named Art.
This Art folder typically contains the cover jpgs, no pdfs, maybe the odd txt file for the DR.
And yes I tick Move all non-imported files in folder with selected media files.
This Art / Graphics folder gets left behind every time.
I would love to know how to do it all properly, please.
thanks,

[RoderickGI]

There is no proper way unfortunately MusicBringer. Ther are too many different ways that people set up their folders, sub-folders, and store their files to be a one-solution-fits-all software capability.

MC won't move sub-folders. MC won't move imported files, so if Cover Art (folder.jpg) has been imported along with music files, it won't get moved. There have been long discussions on the functionality, and it was improved, but it can't meet everyone's need, as everyone does things a little differently, and wants something a little different to happen when they try to move files.

Basically, that "Move all non-imported files in folder" option works "properly when each Album is stored in its own folder, and when all non-imported files are in the same folder, and not a sub-folder, and they all relate to that Album only. i.e. All non-imported files should actually be moved with the Album.

When people put multiple Albums in one folder, as many do, or have lots of extra files in sub-folders, or allow MC to import Cover Art and other files in the folder (PDFs, Docs, images, etc.), then that setting should be left off and manual intervention is required. Otherwise, all the non-imported files will be moved wit the first Album moved, rather than with their appropriate Albums.

The MC Explorer can be used to move all the associated files together. But that has to be used carefully.


However, none of that may apply to pilotbum, who may just want to move files from D:\Barry's Best Music\Carnivals\*.flac to E:\Music\[Artist]\[Album]\*.flac.  We shall have to wait and see.

[pilotbum]

I won't lose any sleep over any files in the folders that may contain cover art and other metadata as the software will replace it if need be. And I think after doing some practice runs I've figured things out. I just unchecked the "Filename" box in the "Rename, Move, & Copy" (which that comma should not be there after the Move) and the file does not get modified, just moved.

My next monumental task which I've yet to find an easy solution for is deleting duplicate albums... I've concluded that will have to be more manual than I'd like.

[MusicBringer]

Thanks RoderickGI, just as I feared. manual intervention is required.

@pilotbum, take care with deleting duplicate albums.
I found I needed to consider not only the sound quality of tracks but also the alternate versions of the same song.
Disk space is cheaper these days, so I tend to leave the dups alone now.

[pilotbum]

I'm only deleting lesser quality duplicates of entire albums, not duplicate tracks.

[MusicBringer]

sounds like you are clearing out your empty threes, just like me 🙂