I’ve been playing with mAirList for a little while now, getting use to the software, and generally learning the ropes.
I’m now at a stage where I would like to clean out the database and file system, including tags, cue and fader marks (metadata) of each track, so I can re-import the files I’ll be using and start to set up the music database.
How do I go about doing this?
Also is there an option to normalise (is it a good idea to normalise music?), and re-calculate track length as well as cue points on file import?
Hi Matt,
Which ‘flavour’ of mAirList are you using? Home Edition or Professional?
I don’t know about the Home Edition, but in Pro you can create a new database and start all over again. During import, you can set a checkbox in the Configuration to normalise the files during import and the cue points are set automatically during import, at least at the start and the end of the music. You can also set the triggers for the detection of the beginning and the end of the music.
And yes, I think it is a good idea to normalise the music during import. That way it will be easier for your sound processing afterwards to process the audio and your station will sound better.
I’m currently using Home Edition with a database. I read somewhere that the cue, fader, and meta tag info is stored in files on the file system, but I’m not sure how true that is with the latest version (5.1) as I’m using a database.
I could do with getting some basic training on this, to fill in the gaps in my knowledge.
For all files managed through mAirListDB, the metadata is only stored in the database (that is, your *.mldb file, or SQL server for networked DB) - not in the file system. I mean, that’s what the database is all about, having all metadata stored in a single location.
To migrate all or some files into a new database, keeping all cue points etc.:
Open the DB app, mark the items in the library (using the mouse or Ctrl+A), then right-click and open the Mass Edit dialog. In that dialog, there is a button to export all metadata as MMD. An MMD file is a small text/XML file that is saved along with the actual audio file, in the same folder, or a separate folder set in the config.
Now create a new database, and import/sync the files again. mAirList will discover the MMD files and read all metadata from there.
Ok, but if I delete items from the database, such as in my case the music, does that then remove cue point, fader points, and meta data?
So if I imported the file again, for example, it would generate that data again?
Oh and whilst I’m on that note (sorry, sidetracking a bit here), I’ve noticed not all meta information is retrieved from audio files (MP3’s AIFF) on import. Is there a reason why?
Fields like Comment, Label, Year (also release date), and Copyright are very useful ID3 tags not just for cataloging, but also for show prep for the on air talent (host) to refer to or announce.
Yes, when you delete it from the DB, the metadata is deleted from the DB obviously. That’s why I said create an MMD first, so you have a copy of the metadata on the file system.
mAirList imports the “most important” ID3 fields. If you feel that something is missing, just let me know, and send me a sample file.
Due to the way ID3 tags are structured (not a simple key/value list, but a pretty complicated binary structure), you cannot just import “all” possible fields in a loop, but the code for each field must be added separately.
Thanks Torben, that’s what I needed to know. I’m clearing out the database of all music so I can begin again, importing only the songs I’ll be using.
The current music database was there as a test, to allow me to get use to mAirList.
I’ll email you over an AIFF lossless file. They use the same ID3 tagging as MP3’s, but are a much much higher quality that MP3, which is why I’ve switched to the format.
It seems like for AIFF, the ID3v2 tag is located at the end of the file, not at the beginning of the file, as with MP3. So the ID3 library I’m using does not detect the tag at all
Just a question about normalizing files @ import (I never used it, so it can be a dumb question):
Does mAirList normalizes it by scanning the file and changes the number of dB in the database OR does it open the file, change it physically and write the file back as new? When the last thing is the case, specially with MP3, it can screw the quality (compression over compression).
