Usage Enhancement Request:
I use MC with basically two different libraries. One is a 'main' libray (we'll call it MAIN_LIB...) that contains the full repository on my home file server. The other is a library that I use when listening to my IPOD (we'll call it IPOD_LIB...). It would be great to have the facility to create/manage playlists (normal and smart) on one library but be able to port those to the other library in a very easy fashion.
Right now, if I'm at work and I create a playlist on IPOD_LIB and I would like that playlist to become part of my MAIN_LIB, I have to select the songs on the playlist and I paste that into my text editor were I parse the song list into a smart playlist. Example (realize any word-wrap):
I copy the list which looks like:
Artist Album Track # Name Rating Genre Duration Bitrate File Type Date (year) File Size Replay Gain Intensity BPM Filename
Godspeed You Black Emperor! Slow Riot for New Zero Kanada [EP] 1 Moya ? Ambient Alternative 10:51 192 mp3 1999 14.9 MB -13.21 dB 2 108 E:\iPod_Control\Music\F07\4471.mp3
Godspeed You Black Emperor! Slow Riot for New Zero Kanada [EP] 2 Blaise Bailey Finnegan III ? Ambient Alternative 4:42 96 mp3 1999 3.2 MB -7.09 dB 1 96 E:\iPod_Control\Music\F07\5193.mp3
I then run a macro I wrote in my test editor to turn this into:
~nodup==[artist],[name] ~sort=[Artist],[Album],[Track #],[Name] [Artist]="Godspeed You Black Emperor!" [Name]="Moya" OR [Artist]="Godspeed You Black Emperor!" [Name]="Blaise Bailey Finnegan III"
Which I can then past into a new smart playlist in MAIN_LIB and voila! I now can maintain playlists across libraries. However, my concerns are:
- Are there limitations to the number/size of items that can be placed into a smart playlist 'search'?
- The 'lenght' could be made more simple by rolling up like items. By grouping Artists and having a sub-group for the songs would shorten the list text.
I thought about writting something that would use a database to do this job but it would be nice if MC did this (better tool for the job). MC is a sensational application but if there is one area that is not functionally exhausted is playlists. The current capability is far and above all others but the ability to 'smartly' import playlists, move them from library to library, retain any created on a handheld (i.e. reverse synch playlists created on an IPOD), etc...
Thanks - Tim