INTERACT FORUM

Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Advanced search  
Pages: [1] 2   Go Down

Author Topic: Guide for newbies who came from iTunes  (Read 45247 times)

sluizer

  • World Citizen
  • ***
  • Posts: 113
Guide for newbies who came from iTunes
« on: August 17, 2010, 05:51:28 pm »

Hi,

I've looked around and haven't found any documentation that helps to guide iTunes users in using MC. Is there any such documentation? I ask because a lot of my questions are of the form: this is how I do something in iTunes, how do I accomplish the same thing in MC? I imagine that there are ways to do what I want, but I'm having trouble finding them on the wiki. I can see that MC is much nicer than iTunes in many ways, but there are things that I do in iTunes that really work for me.

Thanks.
Logged

fitbrit

  • MC Beta Team
  • Citizen of the Universe
  • *****
  • Posts: 4889
Re: Guide for newbies who came from iTunes
« Reply #1 on: August 17, 2010, 06:29:08 pm »

GO ahead and ask in here. I can more or less assure you that someone will find a way for you to do everything you did in iTunes and more in MC.
Logged

sluizer

  • World Citizen
  • ***
  • Posts: 113
Re: Guide for newbies who came from iTunes
« Reply #2 on: August 17, 2010, 06:37:40 pm »

When I'm playing a track from a playlist and I start looking through the playlist, how do I return to my current track? That is, I want to make the track be visible in the portion of the list of files that is visible on screen.  This is comparable to control-L in iTunes.

Thanks.
Logged

WinoOutWest

  • Regular Member
  • Galactic Citizen
  • ****
  • Posts: 358
Re: Guide for newbies who came from iTunes
« Reply #3 on: August 17, 2010, 07:10:10 pm »

it would be great thing to have.  I barely touched iTunes in the few months I wasted farting around with an iPhone (very happy with my Android tho) but I am constantly trying to convert and help other iTuners to see the JRiver light.  I remember MS Word had the olde "Help for Wordperfect Users" accessible within the install.  Great idea.
Logged

bunglemebaby

  • Galactic Citizen
  • ****
  • Posts: 469
Re: Guide for newbies who came from iTunes
« Reply #4 on: August 17, 2010, 08:01:42 pm »

From what I remember about my switch from iTunes, there is no such feature in MC. At least not exactly as in iTunes. That said, I can't say I miss the feature a ton either... I wouldn't mind seeing it, but the navigation is so much superior to iTunes that once you get used to it you don't much need the ctrl+L thing anymore. That's how it worked for me anyway.

One thing you can do is right-click on the top info bar (between the two dancing EQ bars) and choose Locate > Name. This won't keep you in the current playlist however. If you're looking to modify the current playing track you can also choose "Tag" from the same right-click menu, but it won't select the file in the playlist.
Another similar option is to select any file in the playlist by clicking on the file, in the name column, then start typing the name of the currently playing song. Ctrl+Q also brings up the Quick Find feature, which will work similarly.

These methods may or may not work well for your needs...there are probably some other tricks for navigating that I can't think of.

-JB

Logged

Frobozz

  • Citizen of the Universe
  • *****
  • Posts: 643
  • There is a small mailbox here.
Re: Guide for newbies who came from iTunes
« Reply #5 on: August 18, 2010, 01:44:02 am »

Part of the difference is a difference in mindset in how you operate.  In iTunes you're always thinking playlists.  Want to select songs in iTunes?  Make a playlist.  Want to do anything in iTunes?  Make a playlist.  The playlist is about the only tool iTunes has for filtering.  Since it is the only tool in the toolbox it gets used for everything.

In Media Center my mindset is more on custom views and database selections rather than playlists.  If I want to only see a certain type of music I make a new view or alter an existing view rather than make a new playlist.  So in Media Center think more in terms of views rather than playlists.  Media Center still has powerful playlist functions including dynamic Smartlists type playlists.  The difference is that in Media Center the playlists get used for making actual lists rather than doing double-duty as database queries.

In Media Center I have playlists for things like road songs, favorite songs, what gets synced to the iPod and things like that.  Things that are actual lists.  I don't use playlists to make a list of all rock songs or all jazz songs.  I have views that let me select things like jazz or rock instead.
Logged

Alex B

  • MC Beta Team
  • Citizen of the Universe
  • *****
  • Posts: 10121
  • The Cosmic Bird
Re: Guide for newbies who came from iTunes
« Reply #6 on: August 18, 2010, 03:13:16 am »

iTunes doesn't have a separate "playing now" list, which is a fundamental difference to MC. When I use iTunes I am always a bit lost because I can't simply play a track and then add any new tracks from other playlists to the playback queue without creating a dedicated playlist for that.

In MC you have various ways to view, search and filter your media database, various ways to create static playlists or rule based automatic playlists, and in addition at least one Playing Now list that is the actual playback queue. (You can have more than one active PN list if you use the Zones feature. For example, one zone can play to the internal sound card, one can play to a USB sound device, one can play to another computer or device through network, etc.)

Here is a screenshot of Playing Now (it's from MC14 and some things may have changed since I created it):


Click to enlarge.


In the active tab I have Playing Now that shows the queued songs and in the background tab I have a library view. I can quickly switch between the tabs to switch from my media library to the playback queue and back. I have also added several shortcut buttons to the top toolbar. The Back, Forward and Playing Now buttons are very useful for navigation. (Right-click the toolbar area to access its options.)

The skin in this screenshot is Mr ChriZ's "Second Stage": http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=46922



If you have further "iTunes vs MC" questions please post them in this thread so that others can find the questions and answers easily.

It would be good to merge this thread with your "guides for newbies who are used to iTunes" thread: http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=59208

Perhaps an administrator could combine the threads.

EDIT

The threads are combined now.
Logged
The Cosmic Bird - a triple merger of galaxies: http://eso.org/public/news/eso0755

dcwebman

  • Citizen of the Universe
  • *****
  • Posts: 2154
Re: Guide for newbies who came from iTunes
« Reply #7 on: August 18, 2010, 07:11:56 am »

I really wish there was a guide for iTunes newbies who are used to MC. I regret every time I have to start iTunes for my iPhone because I'm always trying to figure out how to do different things that I know it must be able to do, but it is so confusing. I know many other people who are not MC users who say the same thing so I know it's not just me.  ::)
Logged
Jeff

sluizer

  • World Citizen
  • ***
  • Posts: 113
Re: Guide for newbies who came from iTunes
« Reply #8 on: August 18, 2010, 10:33:15 am »

Thanks for all the suggestions.

Frobozz is right ... in iTunes I'm always thinking playlists.  However, I am careful about how I "label" things and playlists are not my only tool for organizing my database.  I don't have to create a playlist of all rock songs, for example, since I can use genre to create what is, in essence, a view for that.

Alex B, I use a playlist to create the same functionality as MC's "playing now".  I just create a new, empty playlist and drop the things into it that I want to play.  To me, this is pretty much the same functionality as MC's "playing now", although it does require the extra step of creating the new playlist.  This does not seem like a fundamental difference between the two programs ... so I may be missing something.

One of the things that excites me the most about MC is the ability to create additional fields, instead of having to cram everything into the comment field.  I use the comment field to hold a lot of information.

Anyway, thanks again everybody who responded.  I know I'll have more questions as time goes on.  The beginning can be frustrating because I know what I want to do, but can't figure out how to do it.
Logged

sluizer

  • World Citizen
  • ***
  • Posts: 113
Re: Guide for newbies who came from iTunes
« Reply #9 on: August 18, 2010, 03:26:33 pm »

One thing I really dislike is that all of my audio files now show a type of media center instead of mp3 or whatever. Is there some way to undo that?

Thanks.
Logged

JimH

  • Administrator
  • Citizen of the Universe
  • *****
  • Posts: 72538
  • Where did I put my teeth?
Re: Guide for newbies who came from iTunes
« Reply #10 on: August 18, 2010, 03:28:56 pm »

In MC Options, set the filetypes you want MC to own.

Set any that you want another player to own in the other player.
Logged

sluizer

  • World Citizen
  • ***
  • Posts: 113
Re: Guide for newbies who came from iTunes
« Reply #11 on: August 18, 2010, 04:43:43 pm »

Thanks, JimH, the file type problem was easy to fix.

Now, is it possible to open multiple MC windows?  This question comes because of the way that I DJ using iTunes. I often open multiple playlists and search through them to choose what to play next, rather than having to troll through the tens of thousands of songs that I have.  (Then I drop my choice into the playlist that I'm using as "Playing Now".)  The question would apply regardless of whether I'm using playlists or views.

Thanks.
Logged

JimH

  • Administrator
  • Citizen of the Universe
  • *****
  • Posts: 72538
  • Where did I put my teeth?
Re: Guide for newbies who came from iTunes
« Reply #12 on: August 18, 2010, 04:49:58 pm »

You might explore zones.  MC can play media in several zones at once.  The Wiki has an article.  Or just go to Player/Zones/Add Zone. 

Each zone has its own Playing Now.  Use Ctrl-T to toggle.
Logged

Alex B

  • MC Beta Team
  • Citizen of the Universe
  • *****
  • Posts: 10121
  • The Cosmic Bird
Re: Guide for newbies who came from iTunes
« Reply #13 on: August 18, 2010, 05:21:42 pm »

Now, is it possible to open multiple MC windows?  This question comes because of the way that I DJ using iTunes. I often open multiple playlists and search through them to choose what to play next, rather than having to troll through the tens of thousands of songs that I have.  (Then I drop my choice into the playlist that I'm using as "Playing Now".)  The question would apply regardless of whether I'm using playlists or views.

From my reply in the "foobar" thread:
... In MC the currently playing media file is indicated also in the library views but the actual handling of the playback queue happens in Playing Now.

Personally I am happy with MC's style. I use the library views separately from the playback queue (or queues if more than one is configured) that runs elsewhere.

A quick forum search found some my of old related replies:
http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=55700.msg378468#msg378468
http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=50037.msg342274#msg342274
http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=57197.msg388097#msg388097
http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=49381.msg338160#msg338160

...and an example of a "DJ" setup that uses two Playing Now & MC instances:
http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=50518.msg345477#msg345477

EDIT

+ http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=50518.msg345373#msg345373
Logged
The Cosmic Bird - a triple merger of galaxies: http://eso.org/public/news/eso0755

bunglemebaby

  • Galactic Citizen
  • ****
  • Posts: 469
Re: Guide for newbies who came from iTunes
« Reply #14 on: August 19, 2010, 08:17:14 am »

Quote
Now, is it possible to open multiple MC windows?  This question comes because of the way that I DJ using iTunes. I often open multiple playlists and search through them to choose what to play next, rather than having to troll through the tens of thousands of songs that I have.  (Then I drop my choice into the playlist that I'm using as "Playing Now".)  The question would apply regardless of whether I'm using playlists or views.
Split Views might also help you here. View > Split View > Show 2 Views (or show 3 views if you like).
You can also lock one of the views, so that you can't change it accidentally, View > Split Views > Lock View #
I would think using these features (possibly along with a second zone for headphone previewing/queing) would work as an ideal DJ setup. There have been some other threads around with other DJ setups and tricks that people use...give the forum a search for "DJ" and I'd guess you'll stumble upon some useful bits.

-JB
Logged

Alex B

  • MC Beta Team
  • Citizen of the Universe
  • *****
  • Posts: 10121
  • The Cosmic Bird
Re: Guide for newbies who came from iTunes
« Reply #15 on: August 19, 2010, 08:31:33 am »

...and an example of a "DJ" setup that uses two Playing Now & MC instances:
http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=50518

I used the Split View, Zones (speakers/headphones), and "multiple instances" features in the setup.
Logged
The Cosmic Bird - a triple merger of galaxies: http://eso.org/public/news/eso0755

sluizer

  • World Citizen
  • ***
  • Posts: 113
Re: Guide for newbies who came from iTunes
« Reply #16 on: August 19, 2010, 11:18:31 am »

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'll spend some time this weekend trying things and seeing how they go for me.
Logged

sluizer

  • World Citizen
  • ***
  • Posts: 113
Re: Guide for newbies who came from iTunes
« Reply #17 on: August 19, 2010, 12:18:32 pm »

How do I remove a field from being used to sort the pane view? I have clicked on a field header by mistake and I cannot find a way to remove it.

In a similar vein, is it possible to set up a default set and ordering of "attributes" for listing of playlists? or views? or whatever? For example, I like them to appear in the order name, artist, bpm, duration, ...

Thanks.

Logged

sluizer

  • World Citizen
  • ***
  • Posts: 113
Re: Guide for newbies who came from iTunes
« Reply #18 on: August 19, 2010, 12:21:34 pm »

Is there any way to replace "never played" (in the last played field) with an empty string.  I just tried and it didn't seem to let me.  I find it much easier to see that nothing has been played when that field is empty.

In addition, is there any way to make that value the default so that new, unplayed tracks have an empty string value for the last played field.

Thanks.
Logged

marko

  • MC Beta Team
  • Citizen of the Universe
  • *****
  • Posts: 9165
Re: Guide for newbies who came from iTunes
« Reply #19 on: August 19, 2010, 12:40:36 pm »

Is there any way to replace "never played" (in the last played field) with an empty string.  I just tried and it didn't seem to let me.  I find it much easier to see that nothing has been played when that field is empty.

In addition, is there any way to make that value the default so that new, unplayed tracks have an empty string value for the last played field.

Thanks.
Right click on the column header for "Number Plays" and you should see it at the top of the list with a tick in it... click on it to remove it.

Now right click on the column header to the right of where you want your number plays column to be, and choose "Add expression column" from the menu. Give the column a name (Number Plays is fine) and paste the blue text below into the expression field:
if(isequal([number plays],never,8),,[number plays])

You can read more about expressions here (page is currently being re-written, but what's there now should be enough if you're interested.

regards,
-marko

sluizer

  • World Citizen
  • ***
  • Posts: 113
Re: Guide for newbies who came from iTunes
« Reply #20 on: August 19, 2010, 12:49:14 pm »

Marko,

The expression you gave me is not creating the date properly.  Instead it is creating a field that has nothing in it or the number of plays.  I wanted nothing in it if it hadn't been played or the date that it was last played if it had been.

So I'm guessing that I should replace [number plays] with [last played] in your expression.
Logged

sluizer

  • World Citizen
  • ***
  • Posts: 113
Re: Guide for newbies who came from iTunes
« Reply #21 on: August 19, 2010, 12:53:02 pm »

I tried making the change I thought of, but it didn't really work.  Sometimes a last played date shows up, but most of the time it doesn't, at least when I look at the value that exists in iTunes.
Logged

sluizer

  • World Citizen
  • ***
  • Posts: 113
Re: Guide for newbies who came from iTunes
« Reply #22 on: August 19, 2010, 12:55:18 pm »

OK, I can see that part of the problem is that the last played date was not imported into MC from iTunes for much of my library. Can that be fixed?
Logged

marko

  • MC Beta Team
  • Citizen of the Universe
  • *****
  • Posts: 9165
Re: Guide for newbies who came from iTunes
« Reply #23 on: August 19, 2010, 01:02:42 pm »

How do I remove a field from being used to sort the pane view? I have clicked on a field header by mistake and I cannot find a way to remove it.

In a similar vein, is it possible to set up a default set and ordering of "attributes" for listing of playlists? or views? or whatever? For example, I like them to appear in the order name, artist, bpm, duration, ...

Thanks.

Open options (press Ctrl + O) and type sort into the search field in the top right of the options dialogue. You should see an option there called "Save changes on list header clicks", untick that option and press OK to save it. Now you can click column headers to sort temporarily, and use refresh to return a list to it's default (saved) sorting.

In the "View Header" (just beneath the player display bar) you will see the view title with a little black triangle 'arrow' pointing downwards. Hover your mouse over that to access the view menu and from there you can set your desired sort rules. If you look under custom, you will find a presets button that allows you to save a custom sort as a preset for quick access later on.

Something else that you might find easier could be:

Before disabling the "Save changes on list header clicks" option, select a view, make sure that all the fields you want to sort by are visible, then hold down the shift key and click on each column header in turn. You should see the columns take a number beside their name, this number indicates the sort order. Once done, disable the "save list header clicks" option to preserve your choices.

OK, I can see that part of the problem is that the last played date was not imported into MC from iTunes for much of my library. Can that be fixed?
Sorry about that, and you're right, substituting [last played] will work just fine. I'm not sure about porting the [last played] info from iTunes to Media Center though, perhaps someone else knows for sure?

-marko.

Alex B

  • MC Beta Team
  • Citizen of the Universe
  • *****
  • Posts: 10121
  • The Cosmic Bird
Re: Guide for newbies who came from iTunes
« Reply #24 on: August 19, 2010, 01:57:19 pm »

In addition to what marko said,

Sorting

See the first attached screenshot.

Never played

See the second screenshot. If you want to easily add the new column to any view or playlist you can create a rule based (= calculated) custom library field. Tools > Options > Library > Manage Library Fields > Add New Field...

I used this rule: Replace([Last Played], never played) . It removes the "never played" values.

iTunes database

Did you actually import the iTunes database file to MC? I don't know if MC can import all included fields, but I do know that iTunes does not store the Last Played values in the file tags. The option to import an iTunes xml file is in File > Import Playlist...


Log in to the forum if you can't see the attachments.
Logged
The Cosmic Bird - a triple merger of galaxies: http://eso.org/public/news/eso0755

sluizer

  • World Citizen
  • ***
  • Posts: 113
Re: Guide for newbies who came from iTunes
« Reply #25 on: August 19, 2010, 02:24:04 pm »


iTunes database

Did you actually import the iTunes database file to MC? I don't know if MC can import all included fields, but I do know that iTunes does not store the Last Played values in the file tags. The option to import an iTunes xml file is in File > Import Playlist...


Yes, I actually exported from iTunes and then imported into MC. I also, as a test, imported a single playlist. I have not done an exhaustive search to verify this, but it appears that all of the tracks that are on the playlist have their last played field set appropriately, but the rest of the database does not.

Thanks for the other information.
Logged

sluizer

  • World Citizen
  • ***
  • Posts: 113
Re: Guide for newbies who came from iTunes
« Reply #26 on: August 19, 2010, 02:34:27 pm »

Yes, I actually exported from iTunes and then imported into MC. I also, as a test, imported a single playlist. I have not done an exhaustive search to verify this, but it appears that all of the tracks that are on the playlist have their last played field set appropriately, but the rest of the database does not.

Thanks for the other information.

I have just regenerated the files that iTunes created and it appears that the playlist file includes a "last played" field, but the library does not. Short of creating a playlist that has every track in my library and importing it into MC, is there any way to get that information from iTunes into MC?
Logged

sluizer

  • World Citizen
  • ***
  • Posts: 113
Re: Guide for newbies who came from iTunes
« Reply #27 on: August 20, 2010, 10:48:39 am »

How do I figure out which fields are part of a track file and which features are kept in the iTunes library? And, for those that are in the iTunes library, how do I get them imported into MC?

Thanks.
Logged

Alex B

  • MC Beta Team
  • Citizen of the Universe
  • *****
  • Posts: 10121
  • The Cosmic Bird
Re: Guide for newbies who came from iTunes
« Reply #28 on: August 20, 2010, 05:13:12 pm »

I have just regenerated the files that iTunes created and it appears that the playlist file includes a "last played" field, but the library does not. Short of creating a playlist that has every track in my library and importing it into MC, is there any way to get that information from iTunes into MC?

I just tested the behavior. First I updated iTunes to the latest (my installed version was quite old). Then I exported the iTunes library to a new xml file (File > Library > Export Library).

In MC I imported the xml file to a new empty MC library by using the File > Import Playlist... tool. MC imported the files including the Last Played and Number Plays values correctly.

Then I played some files with iTunes and exported the changed library to a new xml file.

Back in MC I used the file File > Import Playlist... tool again and imported the new xml file. The Last Played and Number Plays values were updated correctly.
Logged
The Cosmic Bird - a triple merger of galaxies: http://eso.org/public/news/eso0755

sluizer

  • World Citizen
  • ***
  • Posts: 113
Re: Guide for newbies who came from iTunes
« Reply #29 on: August 20, 2010, 07:26:27 pm »

I just tested the behavior. First I updated iTunes to the latest (my installed version was quite old). Then I exported the iTunes library to a new xml file (File > Library > Export Library).

In MC I imported the xml file to a new empty MC library by using the File > Import Playlist... tool. MC imported the files including the Last Played and Number Plays values correctly.

Then I played some files with in iTunes and exported the changed library to a new xml file.

Back in MC I used the file File > Import Playlist... tool again and imported the new xml file. The Last Played and Number Plays values were updated correctly.

Well, I'll try again.

My iTunes isn't the latest (it's 8.2.0.23), not 9.02.  I don't want to upgrade because every time I do, it takes hours to finish because the database structure has changed and my database isn't small.

However, I did everything else that you described:  I exported the iTunes library to an xml file; in MC I imported the xml file to a new empty MC library by using the File > Import Playlist... tool.  However, the last played and number played values were not correct.  Most of the last played values were "never played" and the corresponding number plays values were empty (i.e., 0).

So, I will blow away my MC database and do the export from iTunes and the import again.

Thanks for the information.  I wish I understood why it worked for you and not for me.  It would be a pain to have
to upgrade iTunes in order to be able to correctly import my library into MC.

Thanks again.
Logged

sluizer

  • World Citizen
  • ***
  • Posts: 113
Re: Guide for newbies who came from iTunes
« Reply #30 on: August 23, 2010, 06:48:06 pm »

Well, I'll try again.

My iTunes isn't the latest (it's 8.2.0.23), not 9.02.  I don't want to upgrade because every time I do, it takes hours to finish because the database structure has changed and my database isn't small.

However, I did everything else that you described:  I exported the iTunes library to an xml file; in MC I imported the xml file to a new empty MC library by using the File > Import Playlist... tool.  However, the last played and number played values were not correct.  Most of the last played values were "never played" and the corresponding number plays values were empty (i.e., 0).

So, I will blow away my MC database and do the export from iTunes and the import again.

Thanks for the information.  I wish I understood why it worked for you and not for me.  It would be a pain to have
to upgrade iTunes in order to be able to correctly import my library into MC.

Thanks again.

OK, I figured it out.  I forgot that I initially used Tools > Import Directory to import each directory that I wanted.  I didn't understand that I could import the library directly.  So that's why all the last played values weren't there ... it was because they are not tags in the files.

BTW, I'm curious as to why there isn't a Tools > Import File.  Yes, I have figured out that I can reimport a directory and it will only import the new files.  However, it wasn't initially obvious to me.  (I often edit music, creating a new file that I want to import.)
Logged

sluizer

  • World Citizen
  • ***
  • Posts: 113
Re: Guide for newbies who came from iTunes
« Reply #31 on: August 23, 2010, 06:55:38 pm »

Here's something that came up for me over the weekend when I was trying stuff out.

I created an expression column for Panes (under Audio).  Then I wanted to use that same expression column under Imported Playlists, but it didn't show up for me.  Why isn't that expression column available to me when I'm looking
at Playlists?
Logged

sluizer

  • World Citizen
  • ***
  • Posts: 113
Re: Guide for newbies who came from iTunes
« Reply #32 on: August 23, 2010, 06:57:39 pm »

And here's another question that came up over the weekend.

Say I'm looking at the Files or Panes audio view and import a file.  The behavior that I saw was the MC closes that view and opens recently imported.  How can I stop it from doing that and staying where I've put it?  (This is one of my absolute pet peeves -- I've put myself where I want to be and the program decides that it knows better.)

Thanks.
Logged

JimH

  • Administrator
  • Citizen of the Universe
  • *****
  • Posts: 72538
  • Where did I put my teeth?
Re: Guide for newbies who came from iTunes
« Reply #33 on: August 23, 2010, 07:08:46 pm »

And here's another question that came up over the weekend.

Say I'm looking at the Files or Panes audio view and import a file.  The behavior that I saw was the MC closes that view and opens recently imported.  How can I stop it from doing that and staying where I've put it?  (This is one of my absolute pet peeves -- I've put myself where I want to be and the program decides that it knows better.)
You can't stop that, but you can use the little back arrow in the upper left corner of that view to back up to your previous location.
Logged

trhunnicutt

  • Regular Member
  • Recent member
  • *
  • Posts: 46
Re: Guide for newbies who came from iTunes
« Reply #34 on: August 23, 2010, 08:08:36 pm »

Jim,

Any way to make that behavior user configurable?

That's another one of my pet peeves about MC, which otherwise is a superb product.

Tom
Logged

rick.ca

  • Citizen of the Universe
  • *****
  • Posts: 3729
Re: Guide for newbies who came from iTunes
« Reply #35 on: August 23, 2010, 09:29:07 pm »

This is one of my absolute pet peeves -- I've put myself where I want to be and the program decides that it knows better.)

Mine too. I suppose it makes a little sense if Auto-Import has just added a bunch of varied media. But it produces a dialog which could ask me if I want to view the results in Recently Imported. Or I could just add the Recently Imported button to my toolbar and use that—when I choose.

Most of the time, I use the simple Import—where I specify the folder to import. If I've specified the folder, I already have a clear expectation of what is to be imported. I'm normally waiting in the view I want to use for tagging the results, so being taken elsewhere is particularly annoying. Occasionally, the import doesn't go as expected or the files are already tagged in an unexpected manner. Then I need to go to Recently Imported to see what happened. But, again, I can do this very easily—in those rare cases where it's necessary. Ironically, I'm doing this anyway. I'm trying so hard to ignore Recently Imported and hit the back button, there's no chance I'd notice an import didn't go as expected.
Logged

sluizer

  • World Citizen
  • ***
  • Posts: 113
Re: Guide for newbies who came from iTunes
« Reply #36 on: August 24, 2010, 10:17:59 am »

Here's something that came up for me over the weekend when I was trying stuff out.

I created an expression column for Panes (under Audio).  Then I wanted to use that same expression column under Imported Playlists, but it didn't show up for me.  Why isn't that expression column available to me when I'm looking
at Playlists?

Can anyone help me on this?
Logged

Alex B

  • MC Beta Team
  • Citizen of the Universe
  • *****
  • Posts: 10121
  • The Cosmic Bird
Re: Guide for newbies who came from iTunes
« Reply #37 on: August 24, 2010, 11:39:20 am »

Actually, I have already helped in a reply in this thread:

... Never played

See the second screenshot. If you want to easily add the new column to any view or playlist you can create a rule based (= calculated) custom library field. Tools > Options > Library > Manage Library Fields > Add New Field...

I used this rule: Replace([Last Played], never played) . It removes the "never played" values. ...

A calculated library field is the traditional way to use an expression in file metadata. A calculated field can be added to any view and to "Action Window > Tag". It is also usable in other expression rules everywhere inside MC.

The expression column feature was added much later as a quick way to create a more or less temporary rule based column to a single view. It can be easily removed when it is not needed anymore. It cannot be directly copied to other views. You can only copy the rule string to clipboard and paste it to a new expression column. (edited this a bit)
Logged
The Cosmic Bird - a triple merger of galaxies: http://eso.org/public/news/eso0755

sluizer

  • World Citizen
  • ***
  • Posts: 113
Re: Guide for newbies who came from iTunes
« Reply #38 on: August 24, 2010, 04:39:13 pm »

Thanks Alex.

I read your earlier stuff, but didn't realize that what I was doing was different.
Logged

sluizer

  • World Citizen
  • ***
  • Posts: 113
Re: Guide for newbies who came from iTunes
« Reply #39 on: August 24, 2010, 04:46:59 pm »

BTW, I'm curious as to why there isn't a Tools > Import File.  Yes, I have figured out that I can reimport a directory and it will only import the new files.  However, it wasn't initially obvious to me.  (I often edit music, creating a new file that I want to import.)

I'm still wondering on this.  I would like to be able to import a single file from a directory and ignore any other files that haven't been imported.  I haven't figured out a way to do this.
Logged

Alex B

  • MC Beta Team
  • Citizen of the Universe
  • *****
  • Posts: 10121
  • The Cosmic Bird
Re: Guide for newbies who came from iTunes
« Reply #40 on: August 24, 2010, 05:07:36 pm »

I have done my mass importing years ago and I don't normally run Auto-Import in the background. Currently I mostly just drag & drop new files into MC.

You can drop files into the library views or into the audio section in the tree and they will be imported directly _or_ drop files into Playing Now, select them and do "right-click > Import".

I prefer the latter because usually I want to see a list of the new files inside MC and do something with them (tag, analyze, apply cover art, rename, etc). I often use a second Playing Now in one of my other zones so that my currently playing PN list stays intact.
Logged
The Cosmic Bird - a triple merger of galaxies: http://eso.org/public/news/eso0755

sluizer

  • World Citizen
  • ***
  • Posts: 113
Re: Guide for newbies who came from iTunes
« Reply #41 on: August 24, 2010, 05:17:39 pm »

You can drop files into the library views or into the audio section in the tree and they will be imported directly _or_ drop files into Playing Now, select them and do "right-click > Import".

Thanks Alex.
Logged

sluizer

  • World Citizen
  • ***
  • Posts: 113
Re: Guide for newbies who came from iTunes
« Reply #42 on: August 26, 2010, 01:38:01 pm »

Is there a way for me to find out what playlists a track is in?

Thanks.
Logged

rick.ca

  • Citizen of the Universe
  • *****
  • Posts: 3729
Re: Guide for newbies who came from iTunes
« Reply #43 on: August 26, 2010, 07:13:14 pm »

Yes. You can display the internal Playlists reference in the Tag window. Click on the tools icon (top left) and select it from the "also show" menu. You may find it helpful to then click on Playlists to open a list of your playlists. It will show a checkmark beside the lists the track is member of. Bear in mind this is an internal reference and not a field. This means, unfortunately, Playlists cannot be displayed in a view.
Logged

sluizer

  • World Citizen
  • ***
  • Posts: 113
Re: Guide for newbies who came from iTunes
« Reply #44 on: August 27, 2010, 10:09:30 am »

Yes. You can display the internal Playlists reference in the Tag window. Click on the tools icon (top left) and select it from the "also show" menu. You may find it helpful to then click on Playlists to open a list of your playlists. It will show a checkmark beside the lists the track is member of. Bear in mind this is an internal reference and not a field. This means, unfortunately, Playlists cannot be displayed in a view.

Thanks.
Logged

gappie

  • MC Beta Team
  • Citizen of the Universe
  • *****
  • Posts: 4583
Re: Guide for newbies who came from iTunes
« Reply #45 on: August 27, 2010, 10:12:54 am »

besides what rick said: you can also find it in the tooltip when pointing at an individual

 :)
gab
Logged

sluizer

  • World Citizen
  • ***
  • Posts: 113
Re: Guide for newbies who came from iTunes
« Reply #46 on: August 27, 2010, 10:23:31 am »

Yes. You can display the internal Playlists reference in the Tag window. Click on the tools icon (top left) and select it from the "also show" menu. You may find it helpful to then click on Playlists to open a list of your playlists. It will show a checkmark beside the lists the track is member of. Bear in mind this is an internal reference and not a field. This means, unfortunately, Playlists cannot be displayed in a view.

I'm not finding a tools icon at the top left. I looked on the tools menu and didn't find it there.
Logged

sluizer

  • World Citizen
  • ***
  • Posts: 113
Re: Guide for newbies who came from iTunes
« Reply #47 on: August 27, 2010, 10:24:08 am »

besides what rick said: you can also find it in the tooltip when pointing at an individual

 :)
gab

Thanks. This was I able to accomplish. :-)
Logged

gappie

  • MC Beta Team
  • Citizen of the Universe
  • *****
  • Posts: 4583
Re: Guide for newbies who came from iTunes
« Reply #48 on: August 27, 2010, 10:43:17 am »

I'm not finding a tools icon at the top left. I looked on the tools menu and didn't find it there.

you can find it here: (see attachment)
Logged

Alex B

  • MC Beta Team
  • Citizen of the Universe
  • *****
  • Posts: 10121
  • The Cosmic Bird
Re: Guide for newbies who came from iTunes
« Reply #49 on: August 27, 2010, 10:47:39 am »

I.e. it is in the top left corner of the "Action Window > Tag" window.

You can also just right-click inside "Action Window > Tag" to open the menu.
Logged
The Cosmic Bird - a triple merger of galaxies: http://eso.org/public/news/eso0755
Pages: [1] 2   Go Up