JRiver tips and techniques: user experiences repository

[ted_b]

I thought it might be a good idea, for us JRIver  users, to have a go-to-place where we can show (or ask about) the tips, shortcuts and techniques used to get the most out of this hugely flexible and powerful tool. I'm a newbie, so if others have better tips I'm all ears (and eyes).

 

Tagging tips

Best practices for setting up views

Options setups for various DACS, etc

 

I'll start

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

The ability to create views, then use them in jremote, is a huge deal with me. Here is a small primer I've started.

 

I've circled, in red, anything appropriate

 

 

Create view

* First click on Audio tree, then go to view_>add view->add library view, and pick empty one

* give it a name (mine is "24 bit hirez")

* change "view as" to categories (so you can see album art)..it's a pull-down pick

* add sorted fields. the sort order is the view order (i.e mine shows artists, then you pick albums, then if albums are available in multiple sample rates, you pick them). Experiment.

* add any rules under "set rules for file display" (my only rule was bit depth. My DSD view differs simply in that my only rule was "file type is DSF", and I had no sample rate field).

* add "show alphabet" if you have large lists to browse

Done!

 

Then import to jremote: To make this view available to JRemote, you'll want to simply customize the WebGizmo views (Tools > Options > Media Network > Advanced > Customize views for Gizmo & WebGizmo...). You just add a new section under Audio, selecting this "Library Item from Standard View".

 

If you want the longer, more detailed version, this post over on the JRIver forum, is a great one

Customise Current View v17 Expounded

 

__________________________________________________________________

 

Some advanced (for me) bulk tagging techniques:

 

1) the expression language. things like =fixcase([field-name]) will remove all caps that often come from DSD rips, etc. So highlighting an album, or set of albums, whose song names are all caps, and putting =fixcase([name]) in the tag area for name takes on the default capitalization rule (Capitalize first letter of important words).

 

Media Center expression language - JRiverWiki

 

 

2) shortcuts for adding or appending to field names, like album names. That way searches are so much easier, especially if you have albums that are available in a variety of versions.

Example:

=[Album] /(DSD/) puts (DSD) after the album name. So, when I import several albums i simply highlight them all and put that command in the tag area for album. As long as you start with the equals sign it will not over-write the album name. If you mess up, just go up to edit and "undo". The forward slashes escape using the parentheses (cuz parentheses, by themselves, are metacharacters and mean something in the expression language). So this changes Sea Change to Sea Change (DSD), and allows me to see my Sea Change, Sea Change (24/88) and Sea Change (DSD). It's great for huge bulk appends.

[ted_b]

j River expert glynor put together a really nice (and detailed) thread with basic "organizing your library" tips and techniques. It's for newbies, but detailed.

 

Organizing My Media

[ted_b]

Thought I'd add some more detail to fixing ALL CAPS that typically come across in many SACD ISo rips.

 

When I put these in JRiver I add (DSD) and things like (MFSL) and (SHM) after the album name, as I showed above:

=[album] /(DSD/) for example

 

However, when I want to then go back later and fix the ALL CAPS for those fields affected (name, artists and album) the problem arises in album. I don't want my appendixes to be changed. So, I could have done the cap fixes first...but I didn't. So the guys on JRIver forum helped me with a wild but effective expression string.

 

So, to summarize:

Name fix: =fixcase([Name])

Artist fix: =fixcase([Artist])

Album fix: =Regex([Album],/#^(.+?)(\(.*)$#/,-1)FixCase([R1])[R2]

 

These can all be done with any number of files or albums highlighted. Remember, undo is your friend.

[ted_b]

Does anyone know how to remove a missing location from the library of MC18?

I attached an external HDD with music files to my computer for half an hour, MC18 scanned it and now these files appear in the library although the HDD is no longer there.

 

When you delete files that show up as missing (or any files for that matter) you are asked whether to simply delete from the Media center library, or to delete from disk.

[ted_b]

They have been imported into the database so they will display. You could look at a way to filter them but I'm not sure it's possible ...actually, you simply add something like "Filename (path) does not contain x" - x being the highest level folder with the files you were trying to exclude.

 

As per Jim's link, the way to deal with removed hdd's is to make sure "remove broken links" is checked in library options, then rerun manual import. It's simple...but I'm afraid he will respond to helpful suggestions with "I know that."

 

[ted_b]

Hi guys,

 

How do you get JRiver to both rip and display compilation albums as a single entity, rather than as a bunch of shards indexed by the individual artists? I'm sure his has been asked and answered before, so I apologize for my ignorance.

 

Thanks.

 

Make sure the album-artist field is set to multiple artists while each artists might be listed as a separate artist. Here is the Blue Coast ESE Collection Vol 1 (DSF) example.

 

[ted_b]

Hi Ted,

 

Right-click a file and Choose Locate>On Disk External.

 

Most likely they are in a separate folders, but more likely is that the Album Artist field is reading (Multiple Artists) because at least one Artist field says something like BB King & JJ Cale.

 

Add the Album Artist field and I'll bet that's what it shows.

 

The Artist field is great for preserving the "duets", but also various incarnations or misspelling that often occur on records.

 

I'll write a post about how I use a Custom Artist field to collate certain performers out of the Multiple Artists tile and in a cleaner Artist view (as you all know a default Artist tile scheme will look CRAZY).

 

Not sure why you are telling me this. My post was a solution to a compilation question directly above my post, not a problem I needed solving. ??

[ted_b]

File - Library -Import gives you three choices:

Import a single folder (could be a large parent folder of albums underneath it)

Configure auto-import (this is what most of us use, and allows you to select the directories/folders that JRiver will then continue to monitor/synchronize for any changes)

Run auto-import (runs last settings)

[ted_b]

The view called files will show location and file type, but you can show anything (like folder name next to location). Clicking on location (say "D drive") will explode out to your two major folders. Or show us what you mean by means of a screen capture from LMS. I can probably mimic it. Any view can be saved and shown in JRemote, too (as stated above).

[ted_b]

Last night, from the urging of several forum members here and on Audio Circle, I did a 26 minute screencast video on JRiver for Beginners. It's here:

 

JRiver Beginner - Ted_B's library

 

For those of you well versed it will not be enlightening, but for beginners I go over:

Converting trials and registration

Auto-importing your music files

Tagging techniques, including Tag Pasting

How to create custom views, and then import them to JRemote (and where you link JRemote)

Setting up audio drivers and a few audio functions

Where to set up down/upsampling and on-the-fly conversion

How to do offline PCM-to-DSD conversions

 

Be nice, it's my first. Let me know what I missed. I forgot to show this pic, a sample of custom views showing up in JRemote.

 

[ted_b]

Edit: I am learning (that nothing is free). Screencast.com (the software's own hosting site) said 2 GB of files were free, and I never noticed that it now says 2Gb of "bandwidth" is free too. I am going to belly up for a month's worth of extra bandwidth (I reached my 2GB already cuz a 300mb file only gets to be dl'd 7 times!!!) and then re-host a much smaller file (I was unaware of the details..this file, when brought to full size, is too huge anyway).

 

The video should be back up in an hour or so. I will edit here when it is......Argh!

[ted_b]

Damn, I am finding that the audio is out of synch. Stay tuned. I will re-edit.

[ted_b]

David,

You need to use filename (path) I just tried it and it works.

[ted_b]

When I add a view in jriver I them go and add it to jremote. However, I am not seeing the new view in jremote. I tried closing jremote and reopening it mid there something else I need to do?

 

Also, is there a way to copy a custom view so that you can "paste" and edit it under a different name?

 

As long as you add it with "Library from standard view" and make sure it is added under audio, it will show up on jremote.

Try truly closing jremote in the ipad (i.e double clicking home button, stop process on bottom of screen by holding down icon then hitting it while red slash is visible)?

 

I'll answer the duplicate custom view question once I confirm something on the JRIver wiki, which is down right now.

[ted_b]

David, get on the JRiver Interact forum. Lots of these kinds of things discussed. And send Jremote a note. He reads these forums. My access key has worked in every install...weird. He goes by LEsPaul here, but hasn't posted in a year. Better to contact him through info at jremote dot net

 

Are you sure you fully closed the app on the ipad?

[ted_b]

Ok thanks. Sorry, had to ask.

 

By the way..to copy a custom view, simply open it (right click -> customize view) then in settings window scroll to bottom and save. When you go to create a new custom view the saved one will be one of your choices to use as a template (same as empty view, etc)

[ted_b]

Library Refresh Question

 

Now that I am accessing my music through jriver I am cleaning up album tags. What do I need to do or what settings should I set so the views will be updated with the new tags? After I made a bunch of changes I noticed that the updated tags did change the view. The view showed the old ones.

 

To make sure your tags are in the library pick the files, right click, then Library tools -> Update library (from tags). What views? JRemote might require restart on ipad.

 

Also...make sure "update tags when file info changes" is checked in the edit menu pulldown.

 

Final also...usually a restart of JRiver will update the views if all else fails.

[ted_b]

Part One: Intro (20:39)

• Introduction

• Installation

• Importing music

• Setting up DAC/output

• Basic JRemote setup

 

View Part One online: jriver part 1 - intro - Ted_B's library

Download MP4 video: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/3487125/jriver%20part%201%20-%20intro.mp4

 

Part Two: Tagging and Custom Views (21:07)

• Tagging techniques

• Filling tags from file info

• Tag Pasting

• Mass tagging ideas

• Building customized views

• Exporting them to JRemote

 

View Part Two online: Jriver Part Two - Tags and Views - Ted_B's library

Download MP4 video: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/3487125/Jriver%20Part%20Two%20-%20Tags%20and%20Views.mp4

[ted_b]

Ted

 

Will edited tags done in JRiver be recognized when I open iTunes again?

 

Thanks

 

My MAC is on the shelf again (but bringin it out tonight to run another DAC in break-in mode (aka no amp). If the file supports tagging (AIF, Apple Lossless) then yes the tags will carry over because they are file-based (assuming you have "update tags when info changes:. You can tunr that off so the JRiver library only stores the tags, but I see no reason for that, frankly. However, if the files are WAV we might have an issue (nver tried it, JRiver to iTunes that is) cuz WAV inherently does not support imbedded tagging. Could you (or someone on JRiver OSX currently) try one file to test, and report back? I'm assuming you are prepared to dump iTunes when we confirm JRiver OSX will do it all? Managing multiple libraries is PITA.

[ted_b]

I see what the issue is. My view had the field "album artist" but I edited the tag "artist" I just need to edit the custom view to sort by artist and then album.

 

Not sure what the difference is between album artist and artist. I guess the artist can vary by track on each album for a compilation.

 

Use album-artist (auto) field in views, as per my video and our discussions over the phone. It automatically looks at the album and if its a single artist it updates album-artist automatically. Here's more detail:

Album Artist and Album Artist (Auto) - JRiverWiki

[ted_b]

EdmontonCanuck,

I guess I would try this:

* go to the "Files" view and sort by filename

* delete all music that starts with \\Synology\Music (delete in library, not physically)

* configure/edit and/or re-run auto-import, making sure it includes those directories (but only include in the auto-import those that refer to them as M:\\ folders)

 

If you don't have a majority of them then auto-import shouldn't take too long.

[ted_b]

Thx

 

You have 10k files that are wrong (labeled with \\Synology/Music")? I have 60K files (44k lossless and above) and a re-import of all of them takes very little time, since all its doing is an actual re-import of the broken ones.

[ted_b]

Mwheelerk,

Under Media network -> authentication you should get a pop up menu with a username and password request. THAT is where you create them...it's not asking for a previous one, it's asking you to create one. Once you do the username will show in the authentication radio button, and the password will show as all *****.

 

Also I saw you had tag question on Interact. I go over quite a few of them on the part two video. In the tag action window (on the left side of the screen) there is a pulldown asking if you want to view default tags, tags witrh values, current view tags, all tags, etc.

 

Also, to view various fields simple hover over one of them in your playlist window header (Column) and choose what you want viewed.

[ted_b]

Tagging Question

 

For those of you, like me, who have multiple versions of the same album, how to you tag them to distinguish them? For example, I have a number of copies of Sonny Rollins "Way Out West." I was thinking of tagging them with a descriptor such as "Way Out West - SACD" or "Way Out West - OJC" or "Way Out West - Vinyl Rip." Before I spend time doing this I was wondering what others have done.

 

Yes, I do album suffix tags, which I explain in the part two video. I show in the video about tagging them by sample rate, simply cuz it is easy then to filter a massive portion of your library and do the tag once (suffix like Kind Of Blue (24-192) ). I don't do redbook that way, I leave it. Then, within redbook (like having five redbook versions) you could tag them with MFSL or Vinyl rip. That would be a little more work in that there would be no real filter for mass tagging (unless you were lucky enough to have MFSL as a label, for example, then you could sort by label.

[ted_b]

hifitubes,

Good point about cover art sites not finding album names that have suffixes or other non-standard characters. That is why I recommend (and said so in the video) that you do your suffix editing after the album has been established (i.e JRMC has allowed cover art and other internet tags to be found). And a smart playlist can show which albums do not yet have cover art.