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Hydrogenaudio Forum => General Audio => Topic started by: Curley on 2012-09-10 05:54:08

Title: iTunes Tagging | File Names
Post by: Curley on 2012-09-10 05:54:08
Again, I'm sorry if this has been answered, or I am posting in the wrong section.
My apologies as I am new to this forum and my research abilities are rather poor.


So, here's the scenario.

-I'll download an entire album from an artist.
-The song files within the folder have poorly written information.
-After importing the song files into iTunes.
-I'll right click on the song, and select "Get Info".
-After doing that I will go to the "Info" tab and fill in what is required.

The only issue here, is that it only applies to the iTunes library.

For example if I were to drag out the song from my library in iTunes, into a folder for my friend to have...
Or I were to open the "My Music\iTunes\iTunes Media\Music" folder and look at the song files, they're still written with the original song information before I imported them into iTunes.

What I want to know, is how can I have the information that I write in the iTunes library apply to the file?
Title: iTunes Tagging | File Names
Post by: db1989 on 2012-09-10 10:47:41
-I'll download an entire album from an artist.
Legally? If not, then you brought any complications on yourself.
Title: iTunes Tagging | File Names
Post by: kornchild2002 on 2012-09-10 11:08:41
Correct.  Additionally, unless Apple has changed iTunes, this is not the way it works.  Some information, such as album artwork downloaded by iTunes, is written to your library file instead of the track tag.  Changes in the track tag information (album, artist, album artist, genre, year, track number, disc number, embedded album art, etc.) are actually stored in the track tags.  I went ahead and tested this with the latest version of iTunes.  I changed the track tag of a song so that the artist went from being the band name to just the letter X.  I then copied that file out of my iTunes library and opened it with VLC.  It too read that the artist name was X.  It is possible that you are copying the wrong files.  Make sure that iTunes is either (or isn't) copying songs to a different directory and that, if it is doing that, you are copying the correct songs for your test.
Title: iTunes Tagging | File Names
Post by: Debby747 on 2012-09-10 11:13:49
@Curley:

The tags you have entered into the iTunes database have to be "synchronised" with the files.
If this is not done automatically (perhaps there's a preference setting that is not enabled)
you'll have to initialise this process yourself somehow.


Should you not depend on iTunes for your iPhone (or other Apple stuff),
may I recommend MusicBee for all your music library needs?
www.getmusicbee.com

Greetings
D.
Title: iTunes Tagging | File Names
Post by: Curley on 2012-09-10 13:14:01
I have just noticed that what I described in m first post is only affected to certain file types. For example if I import a .m4a song with the name "X" into iTunes, it will be "X". If I then change the song name via iTunes to "Z" the file will be "Z" when I drag it out. Though if I do that to a song in the .MP3 format it will remain "X" when I export it. A simple fix will be to convert songs into AAC/ALAC if not otherwise done. Though I have a feeling the information should still be writing to the ID3 tag in the MP3 file.
Title: iTunes Tagging | File Names
Post by: db1989 on 2012-09-10 13:28:16
[It’s only when I change a tag field from X to Y in] a song in the .MP3 format [that] it will remain "X" when I export it.
Right, so your problem is probably related to differing versions of ID3 tags; whatever you are trying to read the tags with is probably reading ID3v1, whereas iTunes is probably writing ID3v2.x… or something like that.

[If] I were to open the "My Music\iTunes\iTunes Media\Music" folder and look at the song files, they're still written with the original song information before I imported them into iTunes.
Now’s the bit where you give us the very pertinent information of where you “look at the song files” after changing their metadata in iTunes.

What are you trying to view the updated fields with? What type of tag are you writing? Right click; there’s an option to change the type; try, for example, ID3v2.3; then re-do the change and view.

A simple fix will be to convert songs into AAC/ALAC if not otherwise done. Though I have a feeling the information should still be writing to the ID3 tag in the MP3 file.
That’s not a simple fix but rather a waste of time, and quality in the case of AAC.