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[sjames_chimera]

Hi guys.

The most annoying thing I'm finding about Media Center is that changes I make to info - i.e. tagging - does not change how things are in the actual Windows folders etc. Coming from iTunes I am used to the simplicity of editing stuff there and expecting to see any changes I make reflected where my files and folders are stored. This is creating real problems as, despite said editing, the albums are all over the place in my media folder - as per how they are ripped which often needs looking at!

Am I just missing some settings that will solve this?

[glynor]

MC does NOT (ever) automatically move your files on disk, which makes it much friendlier than, for example, iTunes to use alongside other database-driven players.

However, it does include a very powerful system you can use to organize your files on disk however you'd like, and (unlike iTunes) you can actually design a system specific to your needs (and use different systems depending on the files in question):
https://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Rename,_Move,_and_Copy_Files

[sjames_chimera]

Many thanks for the info but this is a little beyond me. Could you explain how to use that system just to achieve what I'm after - just reflecting all of my editing in Media Center?

[timwtheov]

Glynor's link is the one to look at and experiment with. Maybe create a separate library via File>Library>Library Manager>Add New Library and just add a few albums/files into it and try some different ways of Renaming, Moving, and Copying files, to get a feel for how the tool works. I remember being a bit intimated by it when I first used it myself, but now I use it quite a bit for classical music, mostly to shorten long file names. It's really just a matter of starting simply--say moving an album into a new directory without doing any renaming or whatnot; maybe do this with some backed up or copied files to be on the safe side, and then try a Copy and then a Rename, and so forth.

The main thing to realize, however, is that MC doesn't operate like iTunes, and as a consequence, it's much more customizable. The main difference is that MC's views aren't file-based but tag-based. Therefore, it doesn't matter how your files are organized on disk.

Regarding your original post, however, since it sounds like you're constantly going back to your media folder on disk to look at files, do you know about the right click>Locate>On disk (external) after you've highlighted any tracks in MC? That's a really handy function that lets you quickly find a file wherever it is.

Edit: Here's a screenshot of the function I ended with: https://pix01.jriver.com/gallery/134ECAA6-6ED4-4647-81D9-0F261024D80F/Locate/

[sjames_chimera]

Many thanks again. But I guess I'm trying to say that I DO want things filed-based - however MC does this - as I certainly don't want to have to edit things in two places! I'll have to play around with it all but I'm just after a simple solution . . .

[glynor]

You don't have to edit them in two places, you just have to apply the changes to your files on disk if you want MC to move or rename the files on disk.

Many tag changes won't have any impact on how the files are stored on disk, of course. And how you want them stored on disk may vary depending on the file types and your preferences.

[glynor]

If you explain exactly how you'd like the files to be stored on disk (in what kinds of folders, etc) then I'm sure someone can tell you how to set up a RMCF Preset to make applying the changes painless.

[sjames_chimera]

So basically . . . all too often when I rip CDs they come in with pretty crappy info on everything from album title to individual track names - bad spelling etc. - and I edit these to my liking. I'd like that editing reflected in my folders etc. but instead it stays the way it came in from the ripping - which can then very annoyingly put things all over the place! Apart from that it's basic stuff - artist / album / mp3 files.

[glynor]

Right. HOW exactly do you want your folders named? And where are they on disk?

If you want guidance, we'd need specifics.

[BillT]

If you do the ripping in JRiver you can edit the album/track titles and choose the folder name that you want to use before you rip the cd. Those changes will be used for the file system names. I always do that as the scraped data is often inadequate or wrong, especially with classical music.

I prefer to get the file names more or less right to start with and then leave them alone.

Doing it afterwards is likely to be tricky, although no doubt Glynor will come up with a clever way of doing it.

[sjames_chimera]

Ah . . . is it THAT simple? Just edit the info before ripping the CD? I was thinking it was that easy but ripping seems to happen automatically so I'm left needing to edit afterwards! What do I need to do to stop auto-ripping? Forgive me, I've come from iTunes where editing anything after ripping gave me what I wanted.

[glynor]

It isn’t tricky to move them afterwards, you just need to explain where you want them to go and what folders you want them to be in.

[BillT]

Go to Tools>Options>Autoplay>Audio CD and you will find options there - mine is set to "Ask every time". There's also an Auto Rip CD Database Lookup option which might have some bearing. It's a long time since I ripped a CD, but I think it shows the track list and you can edit basic information in that list.

You will probably also want to set up the folder under Tools>Options>File Location. As well as location you can set up folder naming rules and file naming rules there.

[wer]

sjames, everything about where the files go when they are ripped is under your control.

There's a default location, as Bill pointed out, under Tools>Options>File Location>Audio
The first option sets a base directory, and the folder rule controls the directory underneath the base directory that the file ends up in according to its metadata.

Then, if you fix the metadata before you do the rip, the file will end up exactly where you intend it to be, without a need to move it later.

It sounds like the glitch in this for you was that you had MC configured to automatically rip when you insert the CD.  This just accepts the default metadata that is retrieved from an online lookup (which may be wrong or missing) and gives you no opportunity to correct it. That's why the files go places you don't expect.

Change that option as Bill described, and you'll have the opportunity to correct metadata before the rip.

[glynor]

Yes. And fixing them after the fact is as simple as:

One Time: Make a new Rename, Move, and Copy Preset. If you describe how you'd like your folders to be organized, we can explain how to do this. By "how you want them organized" I basically just mean:

* Start at c:\media\music (or m:\music\ or where-ever you want them to go)
* Music Folders Rule: [Artist]\[Album]\[Disc #]
* Music File Name: [Track #] - [Name]
* Do you want to include the above fields in the file name even if they don't exist (for example, if [Disc #] is blank) or omit them?

If you answer those questions, one of us can show you how to set up the Rename, Move, and Copy Files tool with a preset, and then using it (if you change any of those details about your files) will be:

1. Select the files in question.
2. Right-click > Library Tools > Rename, Move, and Copy Files
3. Click Presets > Choose the preset you saved.
4. Click OK.
5. Confirm you want to move them if you don't turn that reminder off.

Done.