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Author Topic: Audio Convert Directory Question  (Read 1521 times)

blafarm

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Audio Convert Directory Question
« on: July 03, 2005, 01:51:05 pm »

I have been using MC's Audio Convert feature to make MP3s of my music library (which is in Wav format) so I can download my tunes to my MP3 player using just a Windows interface .
 
I have used the convert feature several times with great success but every time I use it - it creates a directory structure that puts all of the albums from a particular artist in the same directory. 

Of course, this makes some complete sense from an organizational point of view - but having to "step-into" multiple artist folders in order to browse and select albums or songs to download to my MP3 player is very cumbersome and time consuming (just want to mention again that I need to move the files using Windows).

My question is - is there any way to convert my Wavs - or process my MP3s - so that the resulting files end up in an Artist/Album directory structure? 

For example, the directory structure I have now is a Beatles folder with all of the albums in it:

The Beatles
- White Album
- Revolver
- Help

The directory structure I really want is individual Beatles folders for each album:

The Beatles - White Album
The Beatles - Revolver
The Beatles - Help
 
Anyone know how to do this - other than manually (which for 1000 albums would take an enormous amount of time)?

For the record I'm using MC 10.x - but I'd be happy to use any other application that could automate this.

Thanks for your help.
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modelmaker

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Re: Audio Convert Directory Question
« Reply #1 on: July 03, 2005, 02:09:16 pm »

You can set your directory rules and filename rules in: Tools>Options>File Location>Output File Location. It only says ripping and recording, but it also for converting.
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Jay.

"Life is what happens when you're making other plans"     John Lennon.

blafarm

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Re: Audio Convert Directory Question
« Reply #2 on: July 04, 2005, 10:30:42 am »

modelmaker,

Thanks for your reply - but I don't think you understand my problem.

When using the Convert Format utility, you only have the choice of selecting or deselecting "Create Artist/Album subdirectories here" using the "Options" button.  If you deselect that button - all of your tracks end up in your destination folder together - with no subdirectories.  If you select that option - all the albums from a particular artist are pathed to a folder with that artists name - which means you have to enter the artist folder to find the albums that are available.

What I want is a conversion process that creates a discrete folder for each album.  In other words, instead of 1-Beatles folder with three albums in it    -    I want 3-Beatles folders that are named for both the artist and album titile.  Like this:

The Beatles - White Album
The Beatles - Revolver
The Beatles - Help

As best as I can tell, the "Output File Location" option you have referenced has no effect on this process. 

Am I missing something?
Is there any way to do this?
If MC can't do this - is there a file utility that can?

Thanks
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jgreen

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Re: Audio Convert Directory Question
« Reply #3 on: July 04, 2005, 10:47:57 am »

Blafarm--
I think the missing link here is that most jriver users have said goodbye to navigating their file tree, in favor of using the superb MC views.  This makes the actual file location a trivial detail.

My suggestion is that you continue converting using the default directory structure, locate and select all the converted files in your "recently imported" smartlist, and then use "library tools / rename files from properties" to make your Bill Gates-imposed windows file structure more faithfully reflect the MC views. Under the option "rule" you would add both "artist" and "album", along with the dash delimiter.
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blafarm

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Re: Audio Convert Directory Question
« Reply #4 on: July 04, 2005, 11:02:13 am »

Thanks jgreen,

The reasons behind my "Windows-orientation" are two-fold:

1.  In many cases, I will need to download my converted MP3s to my portable device on Windows-based machines that do not have MC loaded on them.

2.  I have other family members that need to download MP3s onto their portable devices that will not want to interact with MC - they just want to drag and drop albums from one place to the other.

If I am understanding your suggestion - it will create a Windows-type view within MC.  While I appreciate that idea -I don't think it will solve my need to have a Windows directory structure that has individual folders for each album in my collection (1000 albums) - using an Album-Artist naming convention that allows the user to fully grasp the available albums while browsing at one level.

Any ideas?

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jgreen

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Re: Audio Convert Directory Question
« Reply #5 on: July 04, 2005, 11:06:59 am »

That's not my suggestion.  I'm saying that once you're done letting MC convert your tracks (creating actual files within windows), you should let MC move your files and create new directories (once again within the windows file system).  MC is the dashboard and stearing wheel for moving/creating/renaming windows things.  You're just going to set it up and approve it within MC.  No one else suggested this because everyone assumed you're already doing that.
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blafarm

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Re: Audio Convert Directory Question
« Reply #6 on: July 04, 2005, 11:18:46 am »

jgreen,

Thank you so much for that suggestion!

Sorry I did not understand you the first time.

It worked like a charm and I appreciate you taking the time to tell me how to do it.

Thanks again

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