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[AoXoMoXoA]

I am seeking an easy way to merge my different libraries together so as not to lose tags and play statistics that are stored in the library but not within the file's tags. This involves several terabytes of files so I do not wish to re-write the tags to include this ever-changing data.

Up until now I have had several different libraries I use with MC; one for my flac files and one for mp3 files, as well as one 'portable' library. With the availability of large portable drive arrays I find it now better suits my needs to combine these into one larger library.

I would like to use Stacks to allow easy management of the files while having both a Flac and an mp3 copy of each file available, and would like to set up MC to maintain this mp3 collection in the background as I import Flac files.

I will also be leaving drives off-line at times when they are not expected to see use, and have MC use the available copy from the on-line drives to play what is selected.

Is there an easy way to 'merge' two or more libraries?
Besides the obvious, is there anything I should know about using stacks, generating the mp3 clones of my flacs, or managing a library if drives may not be on-line all the time?

[Lasse_Lus]

the easy part is the files, you just export to .mpl and then import the .mpl (import playlist)

if you need to merge views and playlists you have to save them and then import them one per one.

[MrC]

I posted a script to merge two exported MPL libraries, adding the play stats and updating things like modified time, etc.

   http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=78899.0

[glynor]

or managing a library if drives may not be on-line all the time?

There are some implications to this part.

Search for my posts on external drives, removable, X:, and similar terms.  I've whined incessantly.

The rub:
If you have drives that you take offline and they share a drive letter (say, drive X:\ in my case), or might ever accidentally share a letter (say D:\) you have to turn off the Fix Broken Links feature of Auto-Import.

[AoXoMoXoA]

Thank you both!

MrC, I will give your script a try, certainly looks like the way to go.

glynor, I have meticulously named and numbered all my drives to avoid redundancy in drive names so this should not be an issue for me, but glad you brought it up as I never considered this.

[glynor]

If you just want to completely merge the Libraries, preserving the metadata from "both sides" then MrC's script-of-awesomesauce is definitely the way to go.

However...

If the goal is to preserve metadata from "one side" and clone this metadata to "stacks" or "copies" of files from the "other side" (or something like that), then there might be a better way.  Check out the MCFileIngester processor I made for the MCAutoQueue tool.

Basically, it can take a "source file" and clone the metadata over to a "new file" via a variety of handy means.  It can use Playlists as the source (and destination) and work through them progressively, so if you have a bunch to do, you could just add them all to a list and let it run on them.  So, as an example, if you have FLAC versions in one Library, and MP3 "handheld" versions in another, and you just want to merge the two while preserving the metadata on the FLAC copies, you could just import the ones with the "junk" metadata, and then run this against them to clone the metadata from one copy to the other (or replace one with the other, or other handy options).  It can create stacks, and even has a nifty "stack swap" mode that lets you pick which files' metadata to "keep and replace" via MC itself.

Worth checking out.  Might come in handy, even after you merge the two Libraries.

[AoXoMoXoA]

hmmm, lot's to consider here.

Ideally I'd like to merge 3 libraries maintaining the most recent metadata (possibly adding play back stats), then create Stacks of the existing mp3's already cloned from my FLAC files, and finally proceed to clone the remaining FLAC files so all have mp3 clones stacked under them.

All drives will 'live' in my CineRAID unit which will travel with me and where only the drives in use will be powered at any time. This will be the main library, and my home server will be a backup of this drive and library.
I will travel for months using the CineRAID, then upon returning home will backup to my server and it will become the main library and the CineRAID will become the backup until next trip.

I intend to use the FLAC files mostly at home, the mp3's on the go or to stream, and I'd like to maintain one main library with all the metadata.

Hopefully this will eliminate the use of multiple libraries and consolidate and sync the metadata.

[AoXoMoXoA]

However...

If the goal is to preserve metadata from "one side" and clone this metadata to "stacks" or "copies" of files from the "other side" (or something like that), then there might be a better way.  Check out the MCFileIngester processor I made for the MCAutoQueue tool.

WOW Glynor, hell of a project there. Looks like I have some studying to do.