Tags vs folders: a side view
During the discussion of the previous topic about the curvature of the developers of a well-known company, the dispute somehow went smoothly towards the holivar “why play files in a folder in a row when tags were invented a long time ago”, which I quite epically zafeili. Gathering my strength, I will try now to clarify my position.
What is the profit of using metatags? In three main points:
(a) the ability to quietly move your files without fear of losing them - the media library will allow you to find the track in any of the most enchanting file heap;
(b) ready-made databases (CDDB, for example), which allow you to automatically run tracks;
(c) a unified track display format in the player - against the background of the zoo and the discord in the file names, the player will always show a clean line Artist - Track name. (Well, or Artist - Album name - Track number. Track name. To whom it is more convenient.)
The only problem is that all this works only at the level of the standard “artist - album - track” scheme, and absolutely refuses to work in another subject area (I'm talking about classical music). Now I will try to explain why.
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The idea of ​​meta tags is initially based on the following principle: we can link meta information directly to the file itself. The track is an independent independent unit that can be easily pulled out of the “context” (album, compilation) and it will not lose its value. Then it is logical to link all the necessary information directly to the track, and not to the context.
In the case of classical music, this is absolutely not the case.
1. Most classic works consist of several parts. Many also have a hierarchy of divisions within a single work (for operas, for example, the act - the action - the number). Pulling a separate track from the recording is NOT available. It is simply meaningless.
2. The same work is recorded repeatedly. For example, I have more than 50 complete sets of Beethoven's symphonies. Many records were made by the same performer in different years and in different places. There are records made by the same artist on the same day!
3. One entry may have more than one performer. In the case of operas, for example, these are 5-10 main actors, choir, conductor of the choir, orchestra and conductor of the orchestra. Sometimes several orchestras or several choirs.
4. And finally, in classical music, OTHER PATTERN OF USE. This is (a) another selection pattern - by the composer and by the performer - and (b) another playback pattern - the classical work, as a rule, has a noticeable length of time (half an hour or more), so there is no case to “see what is playing now”; There is a case "skip the track / jump to the desired fragment."
So why does all of the above make the tags unusable?
1. In the classic recording of the THREE level of meta-information: the work itself, the recording, the track inside the recording. This information must be provided in a hierarchical form:
Meta-information is not tied to a specific file! It is simply redundant there. Yes, and the file still can not just take and move somewhere.
But, let's say, for the purity of the experiment, we will make violence on ourselves and put all the information in the final track. We get in our hypothetical playlist something like this:
In the heap-male of the information of data on the track itself - 10%. All the rest is meta information of a higher level, which is duplicated n times simply in order to correctly identify the track in the media library. I already leave behind the question of who will write these crazy metadata and how.
But, as before, let's say. We came up with custom fields for storing all the metadata in the track, prescribed this metadata and set up the media library so that it showed information about the track in that form.
Can we now use all the advantages of the metatags that I described above?
(a) Move files - we can. But only it is meaningless: there is no case to tear one part away from the work. You still have to move them at least as part of the whole record.
(b) We cannot use ready bases. We ourselves have just figured out how to stuff all this information into tags. Do you think any of the existing databases support this format? Hell no. I will tell you more - there is not a single database, where all the necessary meta-information is present at least in some form. A typical description of a classic album in bases looks like this: www.freedb.org/freedb/classical/45115f06
(c) Unify the display format in the player - yes! Unified. Yes, that's just the description of the track was slurred porridge in a few lines with a minimum of useful information.
And have we decided any cases from the pattern of use?
(a) Searching for any part of the metadata is probably possible, as I am assured in the previous topic. But only in the desktop library. 90% of players, including all mobile ones, will not allow to search normally for meta information, as it does not fit.
(b) The pattern of reproduction ... everything became generally bad. The case “open the necessary record” has become complicated - it can only be found by searching for custom fields; a huge mess of meta-information in the player is absolutely useless, since this information is needed ONLY at the moment of selecting the work; The “skip a couple of tracks” case is over complicated - it’s very difficult to find the right track if 90% of the track name is useless information.
So, why should I use meta tags? It turns out, there is no need. I cannot take advantage of any metatags, and they complicate typical patterns of using a media library.
And there are two ways. Simple and complicated.
Simple : scatter everything on the file system and score on meta tags. It is necessary here, however, to complicate one of two cases: search for a piece or search by a performer. I chose the second one, my file system looks like this:
I can easily choose the piece I need, and then choose an interesting performance for me of this piece. This, in general, covers 80% of the cases of my use of the media library.
Most importantly, I can easily use this pattern in any player and on any device that supports the “open folder and play all files in a row” function.
Difficult :
1. Create your own metatags format compatible with mp3, ape, flac, vw, cue, mp4 and ogg;
2. Protegirovat all 600 GB of their music;
3. Write your player (in the comments, the truth is not to write the player entirely, but to screw the cay and cue support to mplayer), who can read my meta tag format and group the tracks into hierarchical trees according to tags; port this player to the main platforms (Win, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, WP7);
4. Create your own database of classic tracks and maintain it.
And if I do all this, they will thank me for about a dozen geeks who are fond of classical music. At the same time, I will not improve myself a single case and a single pattern, except for a quick search by artist.
What would you choose,% USERNAME%?
What is the profit of using metatags? In three main points:
(a) the ability to quietly move your files without fear of losing them - the media library will allow you to find the track in any of the most enchanting file heap;
(b) ready-made databases (CDDB, for example), which allow you to automatically run tracks;
(c) a unified track display format in the player - against the background of the zoo and the discord in the file names, the player will always show a clean line Artist - Track name. (Well, or Artist - Album name - Track number. Track name. To whom it is more convenient.)
The only problem is that all this works only at the level of the standard “artist - album - track” scheme, and absolutely refuses to work in another subject area (I'm talking about classical music). Now I will try to explain why.
')
The idea of ​​meta tags is initially based on the following principle: we can link meta information directly to the file itself. The track is an independent independent unit that can be easily pulled out of the “context” (album, compilation) and it will not lose its value. Then it is logical to link all the necessary information directly to the track, and not to the context.
In the case of classical music, this is absolutely not the case.
1. Most classic works consist of several parts. Many also have a hierarchy of divisions within a single work (for operas, for example, the act - the action - the number). Pulling a separate track from the recording is NOT available. It is simply meaningless.
2. The same work is recorded repeatedly. For example, I have more than 50 complete sets of Beethoven's symphonies. Many records were made by the same performer in different years and in different places. There are records made by the same artist on the same day!
3. One entry may have more than one performer. In the case of operas, for example, these are 5-10 main actors, choir, conductor of the choir, orchestra and conductor of the orchestra. Sometimes several orchestras or several choirs.
4. And finally, in classical music, OTHER PATTERN OF USE. This is (a) another selection pattern - by the composer and by the performer - and (b) another playback pattern - the classical work, as a rule, has a noticeable length of time (half an hour or more), so there is no case to “see what is playing now”; There is a case "skip the track / jump to the desired fragment."
So why does all of the above make the tags unusable?
1. In the classic recording of the THREE level of meta-information: the work itself, the recording, the track inside the recording. This information must be provided in a hierarchical form:
Composer: Beethoven
Composition: Symphony No. 6, Pastoral
Record 1: Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by Fritz Reiner, 1961
Part 1. The awakening of joyful feelings from the arrival in the village. Allegro ma non troppo
Part 2. Scene at the stream. Andante molto mosso
Part 3. A fun bunch of peasants. Allegro
Part 4. Thunderstorm. Storm. Allegro
Part 5. Shepherd's Hymn. Allegretto
Record 2: Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Eugene Ormandy, 01/26/1966
Part 1. The awakening of joyful feelings from the arrival in the village. Allegro ma non troppo
Part 2. Scene at the stream. Andante molto mosso
Part 3. A fun bunch of peasants. Allegro - Thunderstorm. Storm. Allegro - Shepherd's Hymn. Allegretto
Record 3: ...
Composition: ... Meta-information is not tied to a specific file! It is simply redundant there. Yes, and the file still can not just take and move somewhere.
But, let's say, for the purity of the experiment, we will make violence on ourselves and put all the information in the final track. We get in our hypothetical playlist something like this:
1. Brahms. Concerto for violin and cello with double orchestra - Jacques Thibault, violin; Pablo Casals, cello; Pablo Casals Orchestra conducted by Alfred Corto - Barcelona, ​​05/10/11/1929 - 1. Allegro
2. Brahms. Concerto for violin and cello with double orchestra - Jacques Thibault, violin; Pablo Casals, cello; Pablo Casals Orchestra conducted by Alfred Corto - Barcelona, ​​10-11.05.1929 - 2. Andante
3. Brahms. Concerto for violin and cello with double orchestra - Jacques Thibault, violin; Pablo Casals, cello; Pablo Casals Orchestra conducted by Alfred Corto - Barcelona, ​​10-11.05.1929 - 3. Vivace ma non tanto
In the heap-male of the information of data on the track itself - 10%. All the rest is meta information of a higher level, which is duplicated n times simply in order to correctly identify the track in the media library. I already leave behind the question of who will write these crazy metadata and how.
But, as before, let's say. We came up with custom fields for storing all the metadata in the track, prescribed this metadata and set up the media library so that it showed information about the track in that form.
Can we now use all the advantages of the metatags that I described above?
(a) Move files - we can. But only it is meaningless: there is no case to tear one part away from the work. You still have to move them at least as part of the whole record.
(b) We cannot use ready bases. We ourselves have just figured out how to stuff all this information into tags. Do you think any of the existing databases support this format? Hell no. I will tell you more - there is not a single database, where all the necessary meta-information is present at least in some form. A typical description of a classic album in bases looks like this: www.freedb.org/freedb/classical/45115f06
(c) Unify the display format in the player - yes! Unified. Yes, that's just the description of the track was slurred porridge in a few lines with a minimum of useful information.
And have we decided any cases from the pattern of use?
(a) Searching for any part of the metadata is probably possible, as I am assured in the previous topic. But only in the desktop library. 90% of players, including all mobile ones, will not allow to search normally for meta information, as it does not fit.
(b) The pattern of reproduction ... everything became generally bad. The case “open the necessary record” has become complicated - it can only be found by searching for custom fields; a huge mess of meta-information in the player is absolutely useless, since this information is needed ONLY at the moment of selecting the work; The “skip a couple of tracks” case is over complicated - it’s very difficult to find the right track if 90% of the track name is useless information.
So, why should I use meta tags? It turns out, there is no need. I cannot take advantage of any metatags, and they complicate typical patterns of using a media library.
So what to do?
And there are two ways. Simple and complicated.
Simple : scatter everything on the file system and score on meta tags. It is necessary here, however, to complicate one of two cases: search for a piece or search by a performer. I chose the second one, my file system looks like this:
Beethoven \
Orchestral Music \
Symphonies \
Symphony No. 9, Choral \
Georg Ludwig Jochum, 1961 \ I can easily choose the piece I need, and then choose an interesting performance for me of this piece. This, in general, covers 80% of the cases of my use of the media library.
Most importantly, I can easily use this pattern in any player and on any device that supports the “open folder and play all files in a row” function.
Difficult :
1. Create your own metatags format compatible with mp3, ape, flac, vw, cue, mp4 and ogg;
2. Protegirovat all 600 GB of their music;
3. Write your player (in the comments, the truth is not to write the player entirely, but to screw the cay and cue support to mplayer), who can read my meta tag format and group the tracks into hierarchical trees according to tags; port this player to the main platforms (Win, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, WP7);
4. Create your own database of classic tracks and maintain it.
And if I do all this, they will thank me for about a dozen geeks who are fond of classical music. At the same time, I will not improve myself a single case and a single pattern, except for a quick search by artist.
What would you choose,% USERNAME%?
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/141930/
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