Article: Editing File Tags The Easy Way With Mp3tag for Mac

[The Computer Audiophile]

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[ted_b]

Yes, I do tagging for a living (well, not living, but it's my volunteer job at Native) and wouldn't live without MP3tag; as you say, an invaluable tool.  One of the favorite things I do, when almost done with an album, is to go to tag-> filename and have MP3tag rename my files themselves according to a format string (and you can have multiple in pulldown) I created.  This gives consistency to your filenames, and helps just in case one goes rogue and wants to be an orphan.  Easy to identify.

 

 

 

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

6 minutes ago, ted_b said:

Yes, I do tagging for a living (well, not living, but it's my volunteer job at Native) and wouldn't live without MP3tag; as you say, an invaluable tool.  One of the favorite things I do, when almost done with an album, is to go to tag-> filename and have MP3tag rename my files themselves according to a format string (and you can have multiple in pulldown) I created.  This gives consistency to your filenames, and helps just in case one goes rogue and wants to be an orphan.  Easy to identify.

 

 

 

 

This is genius Ted!

[Rcanoe]

I have a library of about 4000 songs accumulated over ten years.   Some were ripped using 2007 iTunes,  dbpoweramp, and vinyl studio.   I remember typing in all the tag data in iTunes for about 100 cds!!   ie a million typos.   dbpoweramp rips at the time didn't have the benefit of musicbrainz either early on.....more manual entires.    I have such a mish mash of tags and incorrect filenames that I didn't really dare to move outside a simple file directory structure in my music server.  

 

I only recently found a tag editor.   I saw mp3tag editor but was turned off by "mp3" unknowingly.  So I purchased meta from apple store which seems very similar.    I couldn't believe how many errors I had to correct in file names before I could start moving to fixing genre tags.  Example: Simon and Garfunkel vrs Simon & Garfunkel.   Beatles vrs The Beatles.   After that you can tailor genres to your liking.   To me ACDC is "loud rock"  and so I edited a new genre!   Now I'm hijacking the "album artist" tag to make my own groupings.   Anything you want.   I use it to create a genre subset.  An example is ROCK-HR, ROCK-CD and ROCK-P.    This allows me to drill down to resolution formats for each genre.   And its so easy and fast!

 

Best thing since sliced bread!

Cheers! 

[LoryWiv]

Thank you for this article. I have used MP3Tag  for years on Windows and it is both simple to use and powerful. Although I initially used it as freeware, I have donated to the developer after several upgrades and will do so in the future, as his work is exemplary. Easily worth $20. Glad to hear it is expanding to other platforms.

[JoshM]

12 hours ago, Rcanoe said:

I have a library of about 4000 songs accumulated over ten years.   Some were ripped using 2007 iTunes,  dbpoweramp, and vinyl studio.   I remember typing in all the tag data in iTunes for about 100 cds!!   ie a million typos.   dbpoweramp rips at the time didn't have the benefit of musicbrainz either early on.....more manual entires.    I have such a mish mash of tags and incorrect filenames that I didn't really dare to move outside a simple file directory structure in my music server.  

 

I only recently found a tag editor.   I saw mp3tag editor but was turned off by "mp3" unknowingly.  So I purchased meta from apple store which seems very similar.    I couldn't believe how many errors I had to correct in file names before I could start moving to fixing genre tags.  Example: Simon and Garfunkel vrs Simon & Garfunkel.   Beatles vrs The Beatles.   After that you can tailor genres to your liking.   To me ACDC is "loud rock"  and so I edited a new genre!   Now I'm hijacking the "album artist" tag to make my own groupings.   Anything you want.   I use it to create a genre subset.  An example is ROCK-HR, ROCK-CD and ROCK-P.    This allows me to drill down to resolution formats for each genre.   And its so easy and fast!

 

Best thing since sliced bread!

Cheers! 

I recently bought Meta, too, and couldn’t be happier with it. 

[delprado]

Thanks for this, very useful to know. May I ask how it compares to Metadatics?

 

What software do you use to rip on the Mac?

 

Thanks!

[JR_Audio]

Hi Chris.

Ah, thanks for this information. This was under MS Windows my most favorite program for tagging for years. And now, I can bring it back home to MacOS.
Juergen

[The Computer Audiophile]

4 hours ago, delprado said:

Thanks for this, very useful to know. May I ask how it compares to Metadatics?

 

What software do you use to rip on the Mac?

 

Thanks!

To rip on Mac I use dbpoweramp 

[hopkins]

I'm an MP3Tag user for Windows and it is nice to see that a Mac version is finally available. The metadata retrieval from Discogs works well (within the limits of Discogs - sub-tracks are a pain...). I also use it to automate a few tasks:

- rename files based on tags

- auto-numbering

- automate text removal (for ex: Qobuz downloads often have unnecessary text added in the track titles).

 

Overall, really user-friendly and powerful software.

[mesonto]

Used to use MP3Tag, but switched over to "Tagscanner", and found it just a far, far better tool. Of course switched to Windows as well to use it and other programs for my audio/video library needs. (there are just so many more programs to be had) If anyone is interested and on the PC, (there may be a MAC version, I don't know) but it is well worth checking out. You won't go back to MP3Tag as it is too limiting. But as they say "to each their own".

[WAM]

7 hours ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

What software do you use to rip on the Mac?

 

+1 for dBpoweramp. JRiver also has a feature for ripping discs.

[Steve7]

Nice review! How does it compare to Mate'?

[One and a half]

3 hours ago, mesonto said:

Used to use MP3Tag, but switched over to "Tagscanner", and found it just a far, far better tool. Of course switched to Windows as well to use it and other programs for my audio/video library needs. (there are just so many more programs to be had) If anyone is interested and on the PC, (there may be a MAC version, I don't know) but it is well worth checking out. You won't go back to MP3Tag as it is too limiting. But as they say "to each their own".

Agree here totally. Came across Tagscanner when looking for a solution to remove the '01-' from '01-Tubular Bells' (example) in the metadata. I could, in the past,  run an expression in MP3Tag, but something changed (me?) couldn't work no matter which combo. Tagscanner already had a template for just that situation, modified the template a little and it worked a treat.

 

I still use MP3Tag, for the odd errors found, usually from Explorer, with the quick right click context window, and it's done. With Tagscanner have to open then select, it's just a few mouse clicks more, but leave Tagscanner's default folder in the Downloads ready to check and process. Like MP3Tag, Tagscanner edits metadata from just about any format. Only have two anyway, FLAC and DSD. Tagscanner took a while to while to load initially, but that's worked itself through a couple of software revisions, now the loading is instantaneous.

 

Online resources have a metadata preview inside the app which is convenient, MP3Tag needs to open a web page like Discogs to obtain the r number for the release, copy and process. I found the search not bad, but produced some weird and irrelevant results, like most search results s'pose'.

 

Screenshots of Tagscanner

[Steve7]

Nice review! How does it compare to Yate'?

[EuroChamp]

Thanks for that hint!

Even though I have never regretted the switch after Win7 to MacOS, the tagging was never solved. Will definitely start using mp3tag on the Mac now. One function, I am still missing is a lookup in the own database while typing. Let's say, I want to add the composer, and I want to always use "Beethoven, Ludwig van (1770 - 1827)". To my knowledge, mp3tag not really offer a nice solution, or I missed it. Any suggestions?

 

(OT: f2k does support it in an excellent way, but has disadvantages also)

[delprado]

On 2/19/2021 at 1:24 PM, The Computer Audiophile said:

To rip on Mac I use dbpoweramp 

Thanks! Do you worry about it not being able to produce a log to confirm a bit perfect rip? How do we know?

[The Computer Audiophile]

3 minutes ago, delprado said:

Thanks! Do you worry about it not being able to produce a log to confirm a bit perfect rip? How do we know?

You can write to a log file for every rip if you wish. 

 

[Anonamemouse]

I use Tag&Rename, AFAIK only for Mickey$oft. In the end it's probably a personal preference thing, I never liked mp3tag...

[DavidL]

A useful review. Not sure if this is the right place to ask but here we go........

 

When I started ripping CDs and storing them on a NAS about 10 years ago I was faced with a huge variety of tagging. In particularly classical CDs were particularly bad as they often have works br a range of composers and artists. My solution was to re-purpose 'Album' to 'Work'. This has resulted in my library being very easy to search and play classical music. My question is what would mp3tag come up with when faced with all these albums that now contain a single work?

[semente]

I tag all my music manually and I’ve been happy using iTunes together with Doug’s “Search and Replace” action to tag my rips and downloads for many years.

 

Every once in a while I wish I had a few more tools, maybe this programme will do the trick...

[paul_riordan]

On 2/18/2021 at 2:41 PM, The Computer Audiophile said:

This is genius Ted!

The other useful things that file renaming does is stop you getting filepath/filename length issues - especially if you have a structured way of storing your music files and you move the files around different machines at home.

 

[SirAtilla]

On 2/18/2021 at 9:34 AM, ted_b said:

Yes, I do tagging for a living (well, not living, but it's my volunteer job at Native) and wouldn't live without MP3tag; as you say, an invaluable tool.  One of the favorite things I do, when almost done with an album, is to go to tag-> filename and have MP3tag rename my files themselves according to a format string (and you can have multiple in pulldown) I created.  This gives consistency to your filenames, and helps just in case one goes rogue and wants to be an orphan.  Easy to identify.

 

 

 

 

 

Good to know and I plan to take a look at this product now that it is on macOS.

 

btw dBpoweramp does this as well both for individual albums but can also do this in bulk.  I attached screen shots of Arrange Audio "Codec" which is file rename function if you don't add any DSP effects.  

 

I also included the screen shot of the naming logic I use to name files the way I want.  What is nice you can use same string in the CD Ripper so rips are named similar during ripping.

 

 

 

 

[SirAtilla]

On 2/19/2021 at 10:00 PM, Steve7 said:

Nice review! How does it compare to Yate'?

 

I wanted to ask the same as that will be what I compare this product too.  Yate is the most sophisticated editor I have ever used.  However, I will say to be able to use it to its potential takes a commitment to learning the nuances of the tool.  

 

You can script virtually anything in this tool for batch processing and the developers of the tool are incredibly helpful if you run into issues on how to code something.

 

 

[danadam]

On 2/18/2021 at 3:34 PM, ted_b said:

Yes, I do tagging for a living (well, not living, but it's my volunteer job at Native)

Ah, so it's you who is to blame for including "tracktotal" value in "tracknumber" tag! 😉

]$ kid3-cli -c 'get tracknumber' 3_The-Dreams-and-Prayers-of-Isaac-the-Blind-Prelude_stereo.dsf
3/8

]$ kid3-cli -c 'get tracknumber' 8_Pavane_64fs-2ch.dsf
8/12

Madness! Pure madness!