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[TheGame]

I would like to see a feature added to MC21 to be able to consolidate all of your audio files into a single directory such as a JRiver folder where the music is organized. And within that folder it could have sub-folders such as artwork etc. This would be extremely useful if one has audio or other files scattered across their disk(s) or SSD(s) and it would be very convenient to be able to change a directory if all of the JRiver files were organized in a single folder with sub-directories as noted above. This would also make it extremely useful to backup your JRiver Media library to a backup drive in case one or more of your drives fail - it would be simple to just place the JRiver organized folder that was backed up onto a new drive without having to search all over your disk(s) for all of your media files (if some of the media files were not lost if a disk or disks were damaged). A great example of a player that does this is iTunes. Although I am not a fan of iTunes, the ability to consolidate files neatly and organized into a single folder/directory is an extremely useful feature. I would really like to see the feature added in MC21.

Thanks and I appreciate all of the hard work on MC21! I am looking forward to it! Thank you JRiver!

[JimH]

MC has some Library Tools that can be used to move files.  The wiki has a topic on Moving Files and another on Rename, Move, or Copy (one of the tools).

[astromo]

MC has some Library Tools that can be used to move files.  The wiki has a topic on Moving Files and another on Rename, Move, or Copy (one of the tools).

The Wiki is a wonderful resource that is often overlooked. Here's the specific entry that Jim's referring to:
http://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Moving_Files
Some entries are a little behind the times but even the old entries offer good background info.

Take a look at Jim's signature line and head to "FAQ" to get the main index of entries. Your other option is to look at the bottom of each Interact page and there's a hot link to the Wiki marked "Wiki". Take a look around and take particular note of the "Library Tools" entry. MC really provides the user a lot of power when it comes to library management.

[mwillems]

Additionally, the rename, move, copy wiki entry was recently exhaustively re-written and has much more info including very detailed instructions: http://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Rename,_Move,_and_Copy_Files

[TheGame]

Thank you for the replies. I have read basically the entire wiki, including the one that is linked. Thank you for the replies. I guess what I am saying is, when you have 8,000 + music files alone, and scattered across multiple discs, using the method in the wiki would mean one would still have to search through your main library files to find the path to each music file (or other file) and then manually change it with the Library tool to have all of the files in the same directory. For example, say I have 6,000 + songs in a folder for JRiver in a single directory, with the other 2,000 scattered across 5 different disks. Would I manually have to go down through all 8,000 files, check their file path and make sure they all match? Or could one simply use the "select all" function, then right-click a file and select library tools and change all the files to a specified directory at once? Will this organize each artist, and album into it's own sub folder or simply put all the files into a single folder?

Say for example, I have an artist that has 8 albums with a total of say 80 songs (10 per album). With the Library Tool, will JRiver organize each album from the same artist into it's own folder within the same directory or just put all of the files into a single folder (example D:\JRiver)? Or can the Library Tool organize and consolidate the files with the example above like this:

D:\JRiver\Artist\Album Name\Album Songs - and even possible have the saved artwork within each album's folder such as D:\JRiver\Artist\Album Name\Album Songs\Artwork

So let me make up a fake artist, album and song:

Can JRiver do this like iTunes:

D:\JRiver\The Game(artist)\Computer Love(Album)\Summer Days(Song)\Computer Love(Album Artwork) where each individual track from that particular artist's album is in that specific album's folder with the artwork?

 This is what I am referring to when I mean consolidate and organize files, like the way iTunes does. iTunes, in my opinion, is inferior by a long shot to JRiver, but the way it organizes and consolidates all of your files with one command/click is very nice.

Thank you to all who have responded so far and for the links to the Wiki, but I have used the Library Tools method before as well as read pretty much the entire JRiver Wiki (more than a few times). I made sure that I did research before posting this feature request - or if perhaps I just did not understand how to make the Library Tool Feature in JRiver accomplish what I am requesting.

Thank you again to all who have read, responded, and attempted to help, I sincerely appreciate it and appreciate any further suggestions, feedback, or method to do what I am requesting above.

EDIT: I read the Wiki again, and have a better understanding of using the Library tools, just a little confused about the rules field. So would I use the Rules in the Library tools function like the one pictured in the Wiki to accomplish this or would I have to use different rules? This is why I was simply requesting a simple one-click solution to consolidate files, instead of having rules. Perhaps just a consolidate all files option, a prompt that asks for your base path, and JRiver processes them, consolidates them, and organizes them for you with one click without all of the rules.

[mwillems]

Thank you for the replies. I have read basically the entire wiki, including the one that is linked. Thank you for the replies. I guess what I am saying is, when you have 8,000 + music files alone, and scattered across multiple discs, using the method in the wiki would mean one would still have to search through your main library files to find the path to each music file (or other file) and then manually change it with the Library tool to have all of the files in the same directory. FOr example, say I have 6,000 + songs in a folder for JRiver in a single directory, with the other 2,000 scattered across 5 different disks. Would I manually have to go down through all 8,000 files, check their file path and make sure they all match? Or could one simply use the "select all" function, then right-click a file and select library tools and change all the files to a specified directory at once? WIll this organize each artist, and album into it's own sub folder or simply put all the files into a single folder?

You can just select all the files and do them all using the same rule (test a few before you do very many, of course).

Say for example, I have an artist that has 8 albums with a total of say 80 songs (10 per album). With the Library Tool, will JRiver organize each album from the same artist into it's own folder within the same directory or just put all of the files into a single folder (example D:\JRiver)? Or can the Library Tool organize and consolidate the files with the example above like this:

D:\JRiver\Artist\Album Name\Album Songs - and even possible have the saved artwork within each album's folder such as D:\JRiver\Artist\Album Name\Album Songs\Artwork

So let me make up a fake artist, album and song:

Can JRiver do this like iTunes:

D:\JRiver\The Game(artist)\Computer Love(Album)\Summer Days(Song)\Computer Love(Album Artwork) where each individual track from that particular artist's album is in that specific album's folder with the artwork?

 This is what I am referring to when I mean consolidate and organize files, like the way iTunes does. iTunes, in my opinion, is inferior by a long shot to JRiver, but the way it organizes and consolidates all of your files with one command/click is very nice.

You can easily do more or less this.  I'm a little confused why you have each song setup as a separate directory in your example?  Or did you mean to put the cover art in the same directory as the songs (rather than in a subdirectory of each song)? I'll provide an example that will put all the files from a single album in a single subdirectory, grouped under each artist, and you can see how to extend it for your use case (I think this is what you want though):

1) You would use the rename, move, copy tool in the rename mode : http://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Rename,_Move,_and_Copy_Files#Modes
2) You would then set the directory field so it read

Code: [Select]

D:\JRiver\[Album Artist (auto)]\[Album]\3) You would then set the filename field so it read

Code: [Select]

[Name]4) Check the preview to make sure it's right, then click ok.

Again, do a few files before you do all of them (with select all), and be sure to re-read this wiki page just to make sure you understand the necessary precautions: http://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Rename,_Move,_and_Copy_Files#Cautions.  I know you said you read the wiki, but this page was recently changed very significantly, so I wanted to make sure you saw the changes.  

Once you do the select all version, that will bring all of your files to the same directory and directory structure.

To do the cover art, you'll need to look in JRiver's cover art options for a check box that says to put cover art in the same directory as the album; then JRiver will put the cover art alongside the tracks in the directory.  A better solution for most filetypes, though, is to write the cover art into the file tags, so the files cannot be separated from the cover art by accident. You'll find that option directly above the checkbox (I'm not in front of JRiver, so I can't recall which exact options sub-menu it's in).

[TheGame]

Thank you so much for the extremely quick reply, I sincerely appreciate it, and I appreciate your in-depth explanation, your post is extremely helpful! I apologize if my request is a bit confusing or sounds unreasonable, I suppose I just do not fully understand the rules in the Library Tools, however after reading your post I have a much better understanding of what I need to do, and I will take your advice and do a few files at a time.

The reason I requested a simple one-click solution to organize files is because recently I had the unfortunate issue of where my Computer's power supply fried 4 of my 6 Hard Drives (2 HDD's and 2 SSD's) and as a result I lost a lot of music files that I have spent over 10 years ripping from my own CD's and purchasing from online music stores, as well as my own professional studio recordings (sorry, for contractual obligations, I cannot reveal who I really am per the label). Anyway, I believe I have a better understanding of what you have so nicely explained and I sincerely appreciate it. I hope my request didn't seem unreasonable or too complicated, that was not my intention at all. For the past few years since I have discovered JRiver, I will never go back to any other music/media player, it is simply the best. And I would like to sincerely thank all of the men, women, employees of JRiver, and fellow JRiver users for the great and hard work everyone has put into making the best program out there.

Thank you everyone, and thank you again mwillems for the quick reply, and for taking the time to respond and explain what I need to do.

As of right now, I recently acquired a high-volume SSD for the only purpose of putting my JRiver Music and Media files on. so in the picture below, to change directories from my HDD to my SSD, do I need to use the option highlighted in the pic below? Thank you again, and thank you to everyone's hard work and excellent work on such an incredibly great program.

[mwillems]

Thank you everyone, and thank you again mwillems for the quick reply, and for taking the time to respond and explain what I need to do.

You're very welcome.

As of right now, I recently acquired a high-volume SSD for the only purpose of putting my JRiver Music and Media files on. so in the picture below, to change directories from my HDD to my SSD, do I need to use the option highlighted in the pic below? Thank you again, and thank you to everyone's hard work and excellent work on such an incredibly great program.

You shouldn't need to use the find and replace options (you don't need to check that box, it's for a different use case).  

A good guide is to look at the "New" column on the right hand side.  That shows an exact preview of what the new directory structure will look like on a file by file basis.  What you see is what you get, so if it looks correct in the "New" column, you have the options you need.  

One thing to note: If you have cover art in a separate file beside the tracks in their existing directories, you might want to check the box that says "Move all files in folder (including non-imported files)."  That will make sure any existing cover art follows your files.  Again, try a few and see if it works as expected before you do them all.  

[blgentry]

The reason I requested a simple one-click solution to organize files is because recently I had the unfortunate issue of where my Computer's power supply fried 4 of my 6 Hard Drives (2 HDD's and 2 SSD's) and as a result I lost a lot of music files that I have spent over 10 years ripping from my own CD's and purchasing from online music stores, as well as my own professional studio recordings (sorry, for contractual obligations, I cannot reveal who I really am per the label).

Mwilliems is giving you good guidance.  I just wanted to interject a point or two.

You mention having at least 3 sources of music:  ripped CDs, downloaded tracks, and recordings.  Some people would like to keep those separate, even when doing a consolidation.  For example, something like this:

M:\music\RIPS\CD\Artist Name\Album Name\1_song_title
M:\music\downloaded_from\hdtracks\Artist\Album\1_song
M:\music\downloaded_from\7digital\Album\Artist\1_song
M:\music\Recordings\Artist\Album\Session_with_date\Song

The advantage of JRiver having a tool that allows *you* to specify the rules is, you can do this!  If you know where your recordings all are, you can do a rule for recordings like my example above.  Or any other directory path you want.  JRiver can put the Album and Artist tags anywhere in the file and path name that you want it to be.  ...and of course you can prefix it with directory names to indicate the source of the song; again, see my examples above.

This of course means that you would have to do your moves in several steps:  At least one step per music source, so that you can include the correct parent directory name for each type (like recordings, or a specific download site for example).  Just highlight the songs from one of these groups and use the appropriate rule.  This is a good time to mention that the move, copy, and rename tool has Presets that you can save.  So you could make a preset for RIPS, a preset for downloads, etc.  This would be helpful if you are going to do this again, or if you are going to do it in multiple steps and you want to be consistent with your rules.  The Presets store all of the rules and check boxes in the tool.

If you don't care about segregating your music based on where it came from, you can ignore this of course.  Just know that all the power to do this is available in JRiver.  This is one of the many reasons it's the most powerful, most capable player around.  YOU get to decide how to organize things.  In as granular a fashion as you choose.  Or less granular.  I think you get the idea.

Good luck!

Brian.