Rebuilding a music library

[maxamoto]

Okay, this one might be a bit off the beaten path, and then again it might not. I would even settle for the quintessential "Search the !@#$ forums!" reply, because that would mean the solution has been covered already. Unfortunately, I have not been able to locate the solution, and thus I am asking you, dear reader. My question is, "Is it possible to rebuild the WMP 10 library so that music is sorted by folders of artists, said folders containing the album folders, said album folders containing the actual music files?". As it stands now, I've just dumped all my songs into one big Music folder, but now the amount of songs is making many operations very, very slow and unstable. Even opening the Music folder itself can take half a minute.

Basically, my desired solution is to end up with what WMP10 does OOB, i.e. sort all ripped music by artist folder, then album folder, then songs. I would even resort to using a 3rd party utility if it would accomplish my goal. Thanks in advance =]

[ripken204]

well i could suggest another program, winamp.

[Hatefulsorrow]

I do this every day.

1. Open WMP

2. Open the options Via Tools>Options

3. Goto the Rip Music Tab

4. In the section that states where to rip you music Click change

5. Change the location to where you music collection is.

6. Click the Liberary Tab

7. Click Monitor Folders

8. Set a Monitor on the same folder that your music is located in.

9. In the Automatic Media Information Update Section check the "Retrieve Additional Media Information from the Internet" And set the radio buttion to Overwrite all existing Media Information

10. Check "Rename music files using rip music settings"

11. Check "Rearrange music in rip music folder, using rip music settings."

12. Goto the Privacy Tab

13. Make sure all the check boxes on this tab are checked

14. Click the Player Tab

15. Check "Connect to the Internet (Overrides other commands)"

16. Click Apply and OK

17. Now goto your media Liberary.

18. Click Add to Liberary.

19. Click "By Searching Computer..."

20. Browse for you Media and select the topmost folder

21. Click the radio buttion that says "New Files and existing files in liberary without media information

22. Under advanced options, Make sure the box for "Add files previously deleted from liberary" is checked.

23. Click search and allow the process to finish

24. After information is added click Tools>Process Media Information

25. Let run until the progress window's cansel buttion states close

26. Right click the file type bar and click Media Info

27. Arrange media by clicking on Media Info.

Now all the files that don't have media information need to be found by hand. This can be done by right clicking the file and selecting "Find Album Info". It take some time to get used to the media information updater but that is all you'll need to know. It may at times take two passes on some media to arrange the file. (i.e. Checking the media info twice.) But you'll have things organized nicely and neatly. Hope this helps.

Hatefulsorrow

P.s. It is very time comsuming to find media info by hand. But stick to it. I have a 1.2 Terabit media collection foldered and organized. Roughly 980,000 songs all at 192 kbps. I've been organizing for about a year and a half and just recentally saw the light of the end.

P.s.s. All instuctions are made using Windows Media Player 10

[maxamoto]

I do this every day.

Hatefulsorrow, you are the BOMB! Thanks for your help with this. I imagine you spend a lot of time just waiting for your machine to do it's thing... But seriously, thanks again =] Guess I've got some collectin' to do. Though I was hot poo with 4800 songs. That's what I get fer thinkin...

And ripken204, this is the Microsoft Software Forum Network. Last I heard, Winamp was being butchered by AOL. I figured you would know that, what with that pile of shiny stars by your name and all.

Edited October 10, 2005 by maxamoto

[ringfinger]

Roughly 980,000 songs

GOOD GOD MAN!!! How many **** songs do you need?? Thats like 7 straight years of music w/o repeats, lol. Thats insane. I thought i was doing good with 8,500... hahaha

[ripken204]

And ripken204, this is the Microsoft Software Forum Network. Last I heard, Winamp was being butchered by AOL. I figured you would know that, what with that pile of shiny stars by your name and all.

winamp is way better than wmp10 tho, much better inteface and easy to organize. i was just giving an alternate suggestion since he was having problems with wmp10

[Hatefulsorrow]

Any time I can help. NP.

Oh and about the music, My goal is to have every song in every language in every mix ever recorded. I have 4 separate, dedicated machines just ripping music and auto searching the web for any and all new songs by any artist. This information is then loaded into an XML which is in-turn loaded by a home-made program that loads the file names into file sharing search engines to look for the song. It also spits out a spreadsheet with the names and information of all the songs downloaded over the corse of a week. I then upload them into my liberary. It's an obsesion realy.

Lol. If anyone has any more questions or ideas let me know and I'll see if I can help.

Laterz

Hatefulsorrow