JRiver tips and techniques: user experiences repository

[AudGuy]

JRMC Libraries

 

When JRMC is first setup it will by default, create a Library called Main Library. It will put this library in a place of it's choosing that may not be where the user might prefer.

 

This is the default behavior to auto import everything into one large Library ... but we can do better than this.

 

The Library file is a database of information fields pertaining to the collection of music that the user has, regardless of where that music might be located.

 

The Library file has nothing to do with your collection of music other than to collect and store file information and to direct the player to play a file from a certain location.

 

The users collection of music files can be located anywhere that provides persistent availability. It is better that the user understands where the music files are located choosing to build a collection that the user controls. Letting applications utilize default locations may be easier, but will lead to confusion about where everything actually is.

 

In JRMC using the Library Manager one can do many chores associated with maintaining the various Libraries a user may wish to have. I keep 6 different Libraries current on my music player PC. We can also assert that we want our Libraries located in a particular place, I use a folder in the root of the music files drive called JRMC_LIBRARY. In that folder I make more folders, one for each of the Libraries that I wish to use.

 

When establishing a Library, in JRMC select Library/Library Manager/Add Library ... give it a nice name, like LOCAL_CLASSICAL or something that you like. Then browse to the folder that you previously created that will have the same name as the Library being made and select it, then say OK. Now again select Library then Import and browse to the folders where the music for this library is located. JRMC will find all the files under say \CLASSICAL in your music files folder and import them into your LOCAL_CLASSICAL Library.

 

Some forethought in arranging and naming the folder structure for your music files will aid in this process.

 

You can make as many Libraries as you like be they based on Artists, or Music Types or whatever seems appropriate.

 

As a PC user I use dbPowerAmp and find it to be excellent at ripping, editing and converting files. Tag editing can be done on groups, I choose to remove all the extra tagging information that I don't want. I keep it simple and this has helped me get all my files displaying correctly in JRMC. Control over the default ripping/tagging of files helps.

 

After several Libraries exist, it is easy to switch from Library to Library quickly electing a genre change, or whatever.

 

When I need to edit a group of files from a new ripped disk, I do all the editing and when I am finished and the files are where they will live, I load JRMC and the Library where these tunes will be accessed from. Then I simply import those new files (information) into the Library and that's about it.

 

If need be, a Library can be loaded, then cleared of information, then reloaded(imported) to form a newer Library list. This is useful if a number of disks are added at the same time.

 

If you are trying JRMC19 but already have JRMC18 Libraries, version 19 can use those libraries also. Setup as mentioned above then point at your Library folders and 19 will simply look like they do in 18.

 

There are numerous other Library management tools, but these are the ones needed to get setup.