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[Wildcat]

I recently lost some FLAC files due to a bug, somewhere around 11.1.146.
I have figured what files needed to be replaced and ripped them in MC. I had never ripped inside of MC until now. All previous were done with external program.
What I don't understand, and this may be a lack of tagging knowledge altogether, is this:

After ripping, when I view the tag info under "File Type Info" in the Action window

All I see is this:

Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC)
  44.1 kHz Sample Rate
  16 Bits Per Sample
  2 Channels

  Min Block Size = 4608
  Max Block Size = 4608
  Min Frame Size = 14
  Max Frame Size = 15110
  Padding Block = 4096 bytes

Vorbis Comment Block (40 bytes):
  Vendor String = reference libFLAC 1.1.2 20050205
 

 Where before it would show this:

Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC)
  44.1 kHz Sample Rate
  16 Bits Per Sample
  2 Channels

  Min Block Size = 4608
  Max Block Size = 4608
  Min Frame Size = 14
  Max Frame Size = 12972
  Padding Block = 4096 bytes

SeekTable Block (234 bytes):
  # of points = 13

Vorbis Comment Block (4032 bytes):
  Vendor String = reference libFLAC 1.1.2 20050205
  TRACKNUMBER = 1
  ARTIST = Mike Oldfield
  ALBUM = Guitars
  TITLE = Muse
  DATE = 1999/01/01
  GENRE = Acoustic
  TOOL NAME = Media Center
  TOOL VERSION = 11.1.113
  NOTES = DVD35-N/A
  COMMENT = <Too Long To Display>
  BIOS = <Too Long To Display>
  RATING = 5


I tried to Add tag info manually with no change to "File Type Info"
I tried to "update tags from library" with no change to this info
It seems like I can't write anything to the file tag itself. If there is even one there!

Also if I take a file that I had ripped long ago, "Remove Tags" with library tools, I have same problem. Nothing will write to file tag after that.
Seems like there isn't a tag to update anymore.

Do I have to add a Vorbis tag outside of MC?
Is this normal?
What I'm I doing wrong?

Grrrrrr! It snowed all day!

P.S.
MC ver. 11.1.161
Scot Thompson's FLAC Encoder 1.6.0
Scot Thompson's FLAC input 1.6.3
All library Fileds set to "Store in File tags (When Possible)"
File Associations: FLAC is checked
Encoder Options: Add 4k Padding Block, Add Seek Table(If Possible) Are Checked.

[scthom]

There was a problem with 146 which caused MC to delete files (no change in the plugins, it was inside MC).  It's the only version that bug was in.

However, to address your problem (which is definitely atypical)...try a few things for me.

Try closing File Type Info and opening it again to reload the format string.  The string needs to be regenerated.

Try uninstalling and reinstalling the decoder (input) plugin.  Restart MC in between and after install.  In some later versions, MC needs to restart after installing plugins to be fully registered correctly.

If you view the file in an external editer (such as metaflac), do the tags show up there?

When you try to add a tag, does MC give you an error window saying there were file failures, or does it seem to think everything was OK?

[Wildcat]

There was a problem with 146 which caused MC to delete files (no change in the plugins, it was inside MC).  It's the only version that bug was in.

Yes agreed. I'm not blaming that or this on your plug-in. Just wasn't sure where to post, or when my problem started 

Try closing File Type Info and opening it again to reload the format string.  The string needs to be regenerated.

Tried this with no change.

Try uninstalling and reinstalling the decoder (input) plugin.  Restart MC in between and after install.  In some later versions, MC needs to restart after installing plugins to be fully registered correctly.

Still same problem. 

If you view the file in an external editer (such as metaflac), do the tags show up there?

When viewing in external program (The Godfather) tags are not there. If I add tags there, then import
Information shows up in FIle Type Info window and changes made in Tag Info window are reflected there.

When you try to add a tag, does MC give you an error window saying there were file failures, or does it seem to think everything was OK?

It thinks everything is OK.

Once again my lack of knowledge on tagging could be somewhat of a problem.
There is allot of information in the "Tag Info" window after ripping.
Could you help me understand... if there are no tags....where does this info come from? Is it info it keeps from Online CD Look Up?
Could it just be I have something set wrong?
I'm happy to try any other suggestions.
TIA

[scthom]

When viewing in external program (The Godfather) tags are not there. If I add tags there, then import
Information shows up in FIle Type Info window and changes made in Tag Info window are reflected there.

Hmm.  If this works, then the plugin ought to be working.  If the reference string is there, then the vorbis block should be OK.  Maybe there is something I misunderstood from your explanation.  You say you did a Update Tags from Library?

I've done literally hundreds of files from my own computer in the past, that all worked OK (could be something in the latest build, though).

Try a flac test ("flac -t") on the file and see what it reports.  If nothing unusual comes up, can you post a file somewhere I can pick it up and see what's going on?

Thanks!

[Wildcat]

Correct, I have done an "Update Tags (From Library)" with no change. I guess if there are no tags to update then nothing would change.
I also reinstalled MC with latest version 11.1.167 and reinstalled FLAC plug-in's. Still have no tags after ripping disc.

I ran "flac -t" and got file OK. I also decoded file in FLAC Frontend and it decoded OK. I assumed that would show the file was OK also.

There's just simply  no tags present!

Like I mentioned.... I for the most part have always ripped outside of MC and Tagged with Godfather then imported into MC. So i cant pinpoint if or when or why.

Just to make sure I understand:  After ripping to FLAC in MC, the "File Type Info" window should reflect at least standard fields like Artist and Album etc. right?

I don't have a site to upload file to. 

Can you show me what your "File Type Info" window shows after ripping a cd to FLAC in MC, with out doing anything else to the file?
This is all I see: Also after ripping cd is automatically imported into MC...is this normal?

Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC)
  44.1 kHz Sample Rate
  16 Bits Per Sample
  2 Channels

  Min Block Size = 4608
  Max Block Size = 4608
  Min Frame Size = 3677
  Max Frame Size = 15428
  Padding Block = 4096 bytes

Vorbis Comment Block (40 bytes):
  Vendor String = reference libFLAC 1.1.2 20050205

Thanx for your help. Hate to soak up your time if this problem turns out to be me or MC.

[jgreen]

Wildcat, I believe that you have not checked the option in "tools/options/GENERAL/importing & tagging/Update tags when file info changes.

I tried ripping a CD both ways, and only with that option checked would it give the tag info that you expect.  Without it checked, I got the truncated tag that you cite.

Since I ripped all my CDs to WAV and then converted to FLAC later, I don't know if this is normal, but I know it works with that option checked, I just did it.

If you have that option enables (it is NOT the option under library fields), then I would hazard a guess that there is some write-protection thing going on.

Hope this helps.

[Wildcat]

Yes I have had "UpDate Tags When File Info Changes" checked, it is the one under Options/General/ Importing & Tagging. I even unchecked and rechecked it.

Your comment about "some write protection thing going on" makes sense but I dont see anything as far as my system settings that would cause that.

I tried ripping the same cd in MC to .ape and tags are fine. I would think some kind of write protection problem on my system would cause a problem there too! but it doesn't.

Have you tried ripping cd to .flac? I will try ripping to .wav then convert to .flac and see what happens.

Maybe someone at JRiver doesn't like FLAC! Just kidding!!!   

Thanks for the help

[scthom]

It's got to be something obvious we're missing.

A freshly ripped track with no additional information would look just like you showed.  If you looked it up via YADB (did MC recognize the disc and give you the track, album, and artist names??), then the first thing MC will do is write the tags to the file.  After that, it should look more like the second one you showed.

So either MC doesn't have any tag info to write (from the Action Window, do a File Properties -> Tag Info), or it's being prevented from writing from some reason.  Maybe try unchecking all of the tags to be written in MC->Options->Library, leaving only the most common ones to write (Artist, Album, Name) and see what happens.

Since you can later write tags, I'm trying to figure out how the first might happen.  If we can eliminate that, then maybe we can find out if the 2nd is happening.

Can you post the results of a metaflac dump (metaflac --list), right after it's created?

[Wildcat]

I will also try unchecking all but common fields.



METADATA block #0
  type: 0 (STREAMINFO)
  is last: false
  length: 34
  minumum blocksize: 4608 samples
  maximum blocksize: 4608 samples
  minimum framesize: 3748 bytes
  maximum framesize: 15672 bytes
  sample_rate: 44100 Hz
  channels: 2
  bits-per-sample: 16
  total samples: 16099440
  MD5 signature: 28447a0362d21878d7602e761ab7515a
METADATA block #1
  type: 4 (VORBIS_COMMENT)
  is last: false
  length: 40
  vendor string: reference libFLAC 1.1.2 20050205
  comments: 0
METADATA block #2
  type: 1 (PADDING)
  is last: true
  length: 4096

[scthom]

METADATA block #0
  type: 0 (STREAMINFO)
  is last: false
  length: 34
  minumum blocksize: 4608 samples
  maximum blocksize: 4608 samples
  minimum framesize: 3748 bytes
  maximum framesize: 15672 bytes
  sample_rate: 44100 Hz
  channels: 2
  bits-per-sample: 16
  total samples: 16099440
  MD5 signature: 28447a0362d21878d7602e761ab7515a
METADATA block #1
  type: 4 (VORBIS_COMMENT)
  is last: false
  length: 40
  vendor string: reference libFLAC 1.1.2 20050205
  comments: 0
METADATA block #2
  type: 1 (PADDING)
  is last: true
  length: 4096

This all looks good.  The file has been created correctly.  But there's no seek table.  Did you say you had the seek table enabled in the encoder?  Even so, it wouldn't affect the decoder (input) plugin.

And pulling up the File Properties->Tag Info and then editing one of the tags that's selected to write to file doesn't work?  Check by using File Type Info.

I'll try to rip a few tracks today and see if there is anything I notice.

[scthom]

Well I found a bug in the encoder and a bug in the decoder, so nice catch Wildcat!

New versions of both are posted at the sourceforge link below.

[Wildcat]

Great! I will give it a try!   

Thanx!!

[Wildcat]

Everything seems perfect so far!
I'll be sure to shout if anything comes up.

Thanks again Scot for the timely response and good work!

The flac torch burns bright...... once again!