renaming music files using genre
I've been trying to sort music files by the <Genre> in the file properties.
The program does this just fine with mp3 and flac files but it is inconsistent with m4a files - for some of those it seems to pick it up, but not so with others - mostly not, in fact.
Any idea why this is so or how to do this better?
Thanks Richard
The program does this just fine with mp3 and flac files but it is inconsistent with m4a files - for some of those it seems to pick it up, but not so with others - mostly not, in fact.
Any idea why this is so or how to do this better?
Thanks Richard
Reply to #1:
Hi Richard,
Not enough info. Compare *all* of the tags for both a "good" file and a "bad" one.
You can do this most easily by clicking in the "i" icon (Item Details) in the left-hand vertical menu.
Is the Genre actually stored the same way (or at all?)
~~~
If nothing leaps out, use exiftool.exe to compare all of the tags.
Exiftool is bundled with Advanced Renamer (Aren). You can typically find it in:
C:\Program Files\Advanced Renamer
~~~
Also, what version of Aren are you using?
Regards,
Randy
Hi Richard,
Not enough info. Compare *all* of the tags for both a "good" file and a "bad" one.
You can do this most easily by clicking in the "i" icon (Item Details) in the left-hand vertical menu.
Is the Genre actually stored the same way (or at all?)
~~~
If nothing leaps out, use exiftool.exe to compare all of the tags.
Exiftool is bundled with Advanced Renamer (Aren). You can typically find it in:
C:\Program Files\Advanced Renamer
~~~
Also, what version of Aren are you using?
Regards,
Randy
Reply to #1:
Hi Richard,
Since .m4a files are mpeg4 audio files they in theory at least can contain whatever audio metadata is available in mp4. I don't have any m4a files on my system, so I downloaded some sample files and found I could edit tags and add a Genre to the m4a files using a couple of readily-available media players; after that ARen "saw" it just fine. So *probably* your problem files just don't have genre data and you should be able to add it using available software.
Another possibility: There's some discussion on the interwebs about compound or multiple genre tags. It's possible that m4a files store those in non-standard locations and many programs can't handle that. I don't even know what that means; just passing along some questionable-at-best information. :)
As always, don't take any advice from me too seriously. Kim may be able to clarify...
Best,
DF
Hi Richard,
Since .m4a files are mpeg4 audio files they in theory at least can contain whatever audio metadata is available in mp4. I don't have any m4a files on my system, so I downloaded some sample files and found I could edit tags and add a Genre to the m4a files using a couple of readily-available media players; after that ARen "saw" it just fine. So *probably* your problem files just don't have genre data and you should be able to add it using available software.
Another possibility: There's some discussion on the interwebs about compound or multiple genre tags. It's possible that m4a files store those in non-standard locations and many programs can't handle that. I don't even know what that means; just passing along some questionable-at-best information. :)
As always, don't take any advice from me too seriously. Kim may be able to clarify...
Best,
DF
Reply to #2:
Thanks Randy.
I'm using version 4.19
Exiftool - checked on a few files - shows only one field that it calls "Genre". On the flac file it has picked up that field and used it in the rename process. Similarly for the mp3 file. However the m4a has an apparently identical field which has not been used for the rename I cannot tell any difference between the genre fields with this program.
Interesting though that the other Renamer program - ReNamer Lite by den4b - it it's dialogues has separate 'fields'... (":WMA_Genre:-:MP3_Genre:-:FLAC_Genre:-") which suggests to me there might actually be some difference in the way the field is coded in the file information. But I'm not knowledgeable enough to know that.
I'm not sure what comparing all the tags would do. There certainly are different tags in m4a and flac files but the 'genre' field looks identical to the uninitiated...
Thanks
Thanks Randy.
I'm using version 4.19
Exiftool - checked on a few files - shows only one field that it calls "Genre". On the flac file it has picked up that field and used it in the rename process. Similarly for the mp3 file. However the m4a has an apparently identical field which has not been used for the rename I cannot tell any difference between the genre fields with this program.
Interesting though that the other Renamer program - ReNamer Lite by den4b - it it's dialogues has separate 'fields'... (":WMA_Genre:-:MP3_Genre:-:FLAC_Genre:-") which suggests to me there might actually be some difference in the way the field is coded in the file information. But I'm not knowledgeable enough to know that.
I'm not sure what comparing all the tags would do. There certainly are different tags in m4a and flac files but the 'genre' field looks identical to the uninitiated...
Thanks
Reply to #3:
Thanks DF.
All the files appear to have 'Genre' fields. Most of them I've checked using MP3Tag at one time or another. But as I noted they are not consistently being picked up...
Whether there are other 'genre' tags that are interfering I don't know. Too complex for me.
Richard
Thanks DF.
All the files appear to have 'Genre' fields. Most of them I've checked using MP3Tag at one time or another. But as I noted they are not consistently being picked up...
Whether there are other 'genre' tags that are interfering I don't know. Too complex for me.
Richard
Reply to #5:
Just on the off-chance it was something to do with MP3Tag, I tried changing the file Genre attribute using a file management program (Xplorer2).
I was able to successfully change the genre, confirmed by looking at the file properties.
However the program still does not recognize that Genre attribute...
Richard
Just on the off-chance it was something to do with MP3Tag, I tried changing the file Genre attribute using a file management program (Xplorer2).
I was able to successfully change the genre, confirmed by looking at the file properties.
However the program still does not recognize that Genre attribute...
Richard
Reply to #5:
Using Aren, I am able to see the Genre -- and rename using <Genre> -- for every *.flac and *.m4a I tried. (And I tried several each)
I don't know what to say. Do the other tags show up in the bad files? Or is it just Genre that's glitching?
At this point, I think we need to see samples of the "bad" files. Either share them somewhere or contact Kim for email support.
Using Aren, I am able to see the Genre -- and rename using <Genre> -- for every *.flac and *.m4a I tried. (And I tried several each)
I don't know what to say. Do the other tags show up in the bad files? Or is it just Genre that's glitching?
At this point, I think we need to see samples of the "bad" files. Either share them somewhere or contact Kim for email support.
Reply to #1:
The m4a file format is a container format, meaning the files can have multiple audio streams and multiple sets of metadata. That can be the cause of the field not being recognized.
If you have a sample you can share, you are welcome to send it to me through the email listed in the Support section of this site. Then I can take a look at the content and see if there are fields not being extracted automatically.
The m4a file format is a container format, meaning the files can have multiple audio streams and multiple sets of metadata. That can be the cause of the field not being recognized.
If you have a sample you can share, you are welcome to send it to me through the email listed in the Support section of this site. Then I can take a look at the content and see if there are fields not being extracted automatically.