1 Topic by SoberWarlock (edited by SoberWarlock 2012-05-07 15:39:25)

  • Registered: 2012-03-27

Topic: MusicBrainz Media Tag

Since I found out about this I have implemented this tag into most of my music files by now. Although I would prefer it to be set up as this:

Media > Media Type
%MEDIA% > %MEDIATYPE%
Vinyl > 12"
Vinyl > 7"
Digital Media > MP3; 320 kbps
Digital Media > FLAC
etc.....

I write these tags using the most powerful MP3Tag software. I can't but notice that if I use MusicBrainz to automatically tag my files I get the media and media type tag mixed up. Some content goes into Media and some goes into Media Type. I can't have both show up in Foobar for some strange reason, it's one or the other, even those both have different content.

**NOTE** I do have the tags saved and it's still not appearing through Foobar properties.

http://i.imgur.com/9YgFM.jpg

  • From: Singapore
  • Registered: 2007-02-13

Re: MusicBrainz Media Tag

I'm not sure what question you're actually asking, but if you're using 3+ pieces of software to manage your tags, the answer to all your questions probably lies in the documentation for each of these pieces of software and what underlying tags they use.

This is Picard's mapping. http://wiki.musicbrainz.org/Picard_Tag_Mapping

Media == media type == TMED in ID3. There's no standardised distinction between the two, so mp3tag or foobar or whatever must be making one of them up and using a custom field or a comment; or reusing a different field. I imagine this is why you see it getting "mixed up" - the programs don't agree on there being a distinction. If you're actually talking about FLAC files rather than ID3 then you can write any field you want into the vorbis comment; doesn't mean other apps have to display it.

If you have a requirement to edit and view non-core tags in multiple different programs, I suggest you try and gain an understanding of the standards underneath them and what they do and do not agree upon.

According to mp3tag docs it has no such thing as %MEDIA%, and what you're writing to as %MEDIATYPE% goes to TMED in ID3. This is what Picard calls %releaseformat% and will be written here as your media. I'm not sure where %MEDIA% is going to, but it's unlikely to have standardised behaviour if it does not map to a standard ID3 field....

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  • Registered: 2012-03-27

Re: MusicBrainz Media Tag

voiceinsideyou wrote:

This is what Picard calls %releaseformat% and will be written here as your media. I'm not sure where %MEDIA% is going to

I have checked MusicBrainz tag mapping and it is listed specifically under "Release Format" that the internal name for that is "media" so therefore %MEDIA% right? I am getting really confused now. I think i'll stick to %MEDIATYPE% then. I really do want to establish other stuff within Media Type especially for Digital Media releases.

Where did you get %RELEASEFORMAT% from?

4 Reply by ym

  • ym
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  • From: Istanbul, Turkey
  • Registered: 2008-10-08

Re: MusicBrainz Media Tag

Since I had same confusions before I want to comment on this.
I think this is your problem:

http://wiki.hydrogenaudio.org/index.php?title=Foobar2000:ID3_Tag_Mapping wrote:

Notes:

    All non-native supported field names will be stored in the TXXX (User defined text information) frame except for field names starting with "WWW" which will be stored in WXXX (User defined URL link frame) frames.
    foobar2000 1.1.6 and later stores ALBUM ARTIST fields name values in the TPE2 frame by default for compatibility with other players. Before 1.1.6 the BAND fields name was mapped to the TPE2 frame instead, in accordance to the ID3 specifications. In 1.1.6 and later specification compliance can be regained through an advanced preferences option.
    Field is unofficial. Usage of those fields breaks the standard but should be tolerated by most applications.

Since Foobar2000 does not write TMED (but can read) fields to mp3s, acoording to "Note 1", it writes it to TXXX field.
And this makes a confusion.

  • Registered: 2012-03-27

Re: MusicBrainz Media Tag

I never realized it before that different programs read tags diferently. Sometimes they are read the same but set up as different titles, for example:

%ORIGINAL RELEASE DATE% may be the same as %ORIGINALDATE%

This can be very confusing at times and really, I just want to have all my tags appear consistently (while trying to stay completely future proof). I will depend on MP3Tag's tag mapping over Foobar's, but follow the guildines of MusicBrainz.

voiceinsideyou wrote:

According to mp3tag docs

I was reading that long list and I found "FILETYPE" I think it would make more sense to write my setup like this:

%MEDIATYPE% > %FILETYPE%
Digital Media > MP3; 320 kbps
Digital Media > FLAC
Digital Media > WAV

Or is "FILETYPE" meant for some other usage besides what i'm talking about?

6 Reply by ym (edited by ym 2012-05-07 23:35:14)

  • ym
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  • Registered: 2008-10-08

Re: MusicBrainz Media Tag

SoberWarlock wrote:

I never realized it before that different programs read tags diferently.

They all read the same tag, but they name it differently.
Actually, IMO it is the correct way of doing it, otherwise it might only limited with English texts.
However, I also think that they should have given "suggested words" for those field names.

edit: btw here is a list of media types in id3v2.4:

http://www.id3.org/id3v2.4.0-frames wrote:

TMED
   The 'Media type' frame describes from which media the sound
   originated. This may be a text string or a reference to the
   predefined media types found in the list below. Example:
   "VID/PAL/VHS" $00.

    DIG    Other digital media
      /A    Analogue transfer from media

    ANA    Other analogue media
      /WAC  Wax cylinder
      /8CA  8-track tape cassette

    CD     CD
      /A    Analogue transfer from media
      /DD   DDD
      /AD   ADD
      /AA   AAD

    LD     Laserdisc

    TT     Turntable records
      /33    33.33 rpm
      /45    45 rpm
      /71    71.29 rpm
      /76    76.59 rpm
      /78    78.26 rpm
      /80    80 rpm

    MD     MiniDisc
      /A    Analogue transfer from media

    DAT    DAT
      /A    Analogue transfer from media
      /1    standard, 48 kHz/16 bits, linear
      /2    mode 2, 32 kHz/16 bits, linear
      /3    mode 3, 32 kHz/12 bits, non-linear, low speed
      /4    mode 4, 32 kHz/12 bits, 4 channels
      /5    mode 5, 44.1 kHz/16 bits, linear
      /6    mode 6, 44.1 kHz/16 bits, 'wide track' play

    DCC    DCC
      /A    Analogue transfer from media

    DVD    DVD
      /A    Analogue transfer from media

    TV     Television
      /PAL    PAL
      /NTSC   NTSC
      /SECAM  SECAM

    VID    Video
      /PAL    PAL
      /NTSC   NTSC
      /SECAM  SECAM
      /VHS    VHS
      /SVHS   S-VHS
      /BETA   BETAMAX

    RAD    Radio
      /FM   FM
      /AM   AM
      /LW   LW
      /MW   MW

    TEL    Telephone
      /I    ISDN

    MC     MC (normal cassette)
      /4    4.75 cm/s (normal speed for a two sided cassette)
      /9    9.5 cm/s
      /I    Type I cassette (ferric/normal)
      /II   Type II cassette (chrome)
      /III  Type III cassette (ferric chrome)
      /IV   Type IV cassette (metal)

    REE    Reel
      /9    9.5 cm/s
      /19   19 cm/s
      /38   38 cm/s
      /76   76 cm/s
      /I    Type I cassette (ferric/normal)
      /II   Type II cassette (chrome)
      /III  Type III cassette (ferric chrome)
      /IV   Type IV cassette (metal)

7 Reply by ym

  • ym
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Re: MusicBrainz Media Tag

SoberWarlock wrote:

I was reading that long list and I found "FILETYPE" I think it would make more sense to write my setup like this:

%MEDIATYPE% > %FILETYPE%
Digital Media > MP3; 320 kbps
Digital Media > FLAC
Digital Media > WAV

Or is "FILETYPE" meant for some other usage besides what i'm talking about?

that is for your own file type not the media type it is copied from.

http://www.id3.org/id3v2.4.0-frames wrote:

TFLT
   The 'File type' frame indicates which type of audio this tag defines.
   The following types and refinements are defined:

     MIME   MIME type follows
     MPG    MPEG Audio
       /1     MPEG 1/2 layer I
       /2     MPEG 1/2 layer II
       /3     MPEG 1/2 layer III
       /2.5   MPEG 2.5
       /AAC   Advanced audio compression
     VQF    Transform-domain Weighted Interleave Vector Quantisation
     PCM    Pulse Code Modulated audio

   but other types may be used, but not for these types though. This is
   used in a similar way to the predefined types in the "TMED" frame,
   but without parentheses. If this frame is not present audio type is
   assumed to be "MPG".

  • From: Singapore
  • Registered: 2007-02-13

Re: MusicBrainz Media Tag

SoberWarlock wrote:

Where did you get %RELEASEFORMAT% from?

My bad; you're right, it is %media% in Picard. I think this was changed in the Picard release after NGS was released, or something.

But my point still stands. I think you're confused between what applications call various tags; what syntax that use in scripting; and how that is encoded into various metadata standards. If you want interoperability you need to ignore the %BLAH% syntax various programs use, and understand how that relates to ID3 or Vorbis comments or whatever. Saying "I'll stick to %MEDIATYPE%" only means something in the context of a particular application or metadata format. More specific would be to say "I want my CD/Cassette/Vinyl tag etc to go into TMED for ID3 and MEDIATYPE for FLAC/Vorbis comment".

If you then want help to make Picard behave in that way rather than its default behaviour, that's a question that can be answered. :)

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