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[Mr ChriZ]

I've just done a rename files from properties on a load of albums which
all had Album Artist and Album Artist Auto set to '(Multiple Artists)'

I used the following to rename them
Directory
J:\Media\Audio\[Artist]\[Album]
The box entitled Use Assorted for [Artist] On multiple Album artists was ticked....
However....
When it had finished the media files remained in the same place as where they were before.
Albums which already happened to be in a folder called Assorted stayed there...
Albums in a folder called Various Artists also stayed there
As did albums in a folder called Multiple Artists. 
Using MC 12.0.100

Screenshot

[Mr ChriZ]

Anyone else confirm this one?

[KingSparta]

never tried it

I also don't see a need

All my albums\files all have the correct artist names on the songs, and don't know why i would want them listed as 'Assorted'

[Alex B]

Mr ChriZ,

I use [Album Artist (auto)] instead of [Artist] everywhere in my rules. This makes "Assorted" unnecessary for me. I have not tried "Assorted" with MC12, but I guess if it is broken for you it is broken for everyone.


KingSparta,

The "Assorted" option is included for a reason.

This is from MC's Help:

Multiple Artist Albums

Media Center comes with a number of tools to help automatically identify compilation albums that include various artists.


Album Artist (auto)

This is a built-in automatic field.  It auto-completes as follows:

- If something is manually typed in the Album Artist field, that content is included in the Album Artist (auto) field as well.
- If the Album Artist field is empty, then the Album Artist (auto) field gets completed as follows:
     - Single-artist name in the case of a single-artist album.
     - (Multiple Artists) in the case of a multiple-artist album*.

* In order for (Multiple Artists) to appear automatically, the album must be in its own exclusive directory (i.e., if there are files from more than one album in a directory, the program will not label it as Multiple Artist).

Here is the logic. A track is a mix if all the files with the same [Album] value in the same directory:

- have more than one [Artist] value among them
- have no other [Album] values used by any other file in the same directory
- are Audio and have a non-empty [Album] value


Automatic Assorted

When you rename files (right click > Library Tools > Rename Files from Properties), the window that appears provides the option to "Use Assorted for [Artist] on multi-artist albums". This is just under the Directories Rule. When selected, the files will be saved in a directory called Assorted if you have included the [Artist] rule in the directory rule.

Example:

Artist: Stackabones, Album: Best of Truck Driving Songs

Directory Rule:
Base path: M:\Music\
Rule: [Artist]\[Album]
"Use Assorted [Artist] on multi-artist albums" is checked.

Result:
M:\Music\Assorted\Best of Truck Driving Songs\Filename rule


Complete Albums

Media Center can automatically display complete and incomplete albums. An album is considered complete if all the files with the same [Album] value in the same directory:

- are sequentially numbered tracks starting at 1
- have at least 2 files or 10 minutes of audio
- are Audio and have a non-empty [Album] value.

View Schemes for Multiple Artist Albums
Create the following scheme to view Multiple Artist Albums:

1. Right click on Audio in the tree.

2. Select Add View Scheme.

3. Click "Add", Standard View Item, and add the following:
- Album Type (shows multiple vs. single artist albums, and whether they are complete or incomplete). Note: you may have to scroll up the list to get Album Type. Press Ok.
- Repeat, and add Album

4. Or display fields for each of the items displayed in #3:  Album Type, Album Artist (auto), Complete Album, Album.

You can now quickly view your Multiple Artist albums, and better yet, you can view all of your complete and/or incomplete albums. Complete albums are indicated by a "1", and "0" displays incomplete albums.

[KingSparta]

KingSparta,

The "Assorted" option is included for a reason.

Maybe, but I still don't see the reason.

[Alex B]

Maybe, but I still don't see the reason.

I guess you handle multiple artists albums differently.


Without the "Assorted" option

[Artist]\[Album]

would split the "multiple artists" album files to separate artist folders. The album would not show up as as a single album and complete anymore.


Though, as I said

[Album Artist (auto)]\[Album]

does not have this problem if the files are correctly tagged.

[Mr ChriZ]

Thats a good idea Alex cheers.
I still see a reason for Assorted however for some albums like say
"Now 1500" or "The Very Worst Music Album ever" there really is no album artist....

Although I guess then thats classed as Multiple Artists and would go
in the Multiple Artists Directory....
So maybe even if this option did work it should be to put them into
the Multiple Artists folder rather than Assorted?

[Alex B]

I couldn't reproduce the problem in a quick test using MC12.0.101.

I had a various artists album in D:\test\

MC moved the files correctly to D:\test2\Assorted\[Album]

I used:
Base Path: d:\test2
Rule: [Artist]\[Album]
Assorted: enabled

[Mr ChriZ]

Peculiar, also running 12.0.101 and it's still not working....
Just tried some tracks which were in "Various Artists"
and rename with same settings just ignored them.

[Mr ChriZ]

Ah I've figured it out....
at some point the tags on these albums have become corrupted
and the algorithm works out the Assorted bit by checking to see
if the Artist fields are different, rather than checking the Album Artist
to see if it's 'Multiple Artists' hence.... it's not moving them.
I guess thats fair enough.

[Alex B]

Thats a good idea Alex cheers.
I still see a reason for Assorted however for some albums like say
"Now 1500" or "The Very Worst Music Album ever" there really is no album artist....

Although I guess then thats classed as Multiple Artists and would go
in the Multiple Artists Directory....
So maybe even if this option did work it should be to put them into
the Multiple Artists folder rather than Assorted?

It would be automatically correct with the [Album Artist (auto)] rule.

The resulting folder name would be (Multiple Artists), but does that really matter?

Peculiar, also running 12.0.101 and it's still not working....
Just tried some tracks which were in "Various Artists"
and rename with same settings just ignored them.

Double-check everything that is mentioned in my Help file quote.


EDIT

Ah I've figured it out....
at some point the tags on these albums have become corrupted
and the algorithm works out the Assorted bit by checking to see
if the Artist fields are different, rather than checking the Album Artist
to see if it's 'Multiple Artists' hence.... it's not moving them.
I guess thats fair enough.

 

[Mr ChriZ]

Cheers Alex.
It seems to me that it would simplify things a bit if they
just made [Album Artist(Auto)] the default there,
and removed the assorted option?

[Alex B]

I wonder if a band named Assorted exists.