Re: [flac] Fields "Orig. Artist" and "URL"

[richard lucassen <mailinglists lucassen org>]

On Mon, 17 Dec 2012 12:22:04 +0000
Julian Hughes <julianhughes gmail com> wrote:

> > That's the problem we keep running into...
> 
> True.  However perfect the metadata it still will never be displayed
> by 99% of the hardware players, and hardly even by many software
> players/apps.

The players are the main problem. In fact it's not an Easytag issue.
 
> Vorbis and flac tags are already versatile enough for classical music
> and EasyTag allows editing of enough appropriately named fields to do
> the task well.  The challenge is to have your player display the tags
> that are resolutely ignored by the pop music listeners who wrote much 
> playback software.  On BSD or GNU/Linux MPD has several clients which
> allow full use of all tags.  On Windows foobar2k is at least as
> versatile.  Portable players are more difficult but if your player can
> run Rockbox firmware then that is easily customised to display
> whichever fields you like, how you like.

I agree. I use Ario, which is quite configurable, but not 100%
customizable. That's for MPD (which is great btw).

> I don't see any need for complex schemes where artist no longer means
> artist, composer no longer means composer and so on.  There is a
> famous acronym KISS: Keep It Simple Stupid.  How about:
> 
> Composer = composer
> Artist = the principle performer
> Album = the name of the album as written on the CD case
> Title = the title, as denoted in the CD booklet/cover/tray
> Comment = whatever you like (secondary performers, location, notable
> instruments etc.)

Yep. You're starting more or less an RFC now :)

[examples]

> If a work is entitled Piano Concerto # then there's no real need for a
> "Type of work" metadata field to state for a second time that it's a
> Piano Concerto.  Not all works are self descriptive but most are, and
> one can always use the comment field if there is something important
> but non-obvious that should always be presented. 

If an RFC is started a "type of work" tag would be nice but not
necessary...

> So that's how I use EasyTag to arrange my tags, and my players display
> it nicely. Inevitably some works will have much more info, far more
> than fits comfortably in a small display even with scrolling lines and
> alternating fields being displayed, but at that point maybe one is
> trying to do things with metadata which is better done by making a
> simple text or html file.  Some record companies "solve" this by
> creating a Lyrics field and basically dump an essay into it; I have
> Hyperion downloads which have Lyrics fields of over 2000 words, and
> it's pretty pointless because which player is ever going to do
> anything useful with that (I dump it into a plain text file)?  My
> point is that because it might be possible to create a Byzantine
> tagging standard doesn't make it useful or even truly useable.  I
> have about 850 albums of Classical/Baroque/Early music and there
> really aren't many that can't be accurately described and organised
> just by using a sensible directory structure and tagging scheme, but
> you do need to choose your playback software and devices carefully
> (or luckily).

You're right, it *is* very difficult to find a well working basic
structure to organize classical music, but if an RFC were started, many
people would be able bring in clever (read: simple) ideas. And if,
within 10 years or so, the portable players would comply to this RFC,
the world will be a better place to live :)

However, I think I'll have to shine a new light over the whole tagging
thing. What I can do is tag the flac files in a flexible way and use a
"tag conversion" script when creating mp3 files for a portable player.

R.

-- 
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| Richard Lucassen, Utrecht                                        |
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