Author Topic: Want to print artist/album list of ogg/mp3 files (Read 49460 times)

longrun · « **on:** May 06, 2009, 02:41 PM »

One of the ways in which I'm a dinosaur is that I listen almost exclusively to entire albums, not individual songs, and I play ogg/mp3 files almost exclusively on my beloved Rio Karma, not on the PC. Which, if any, of the mp3/ogg player/cataloging programs would enable me to print a list by artist/album without printing song titles?

Thanks.

mouser · « **Reply #1 on:** May 07, 2009, 12:46 AM »

it might be nice to hear people's recommendations in general for programs to print playlists/songfile lists, in various ways using mp3/ogg tags.

lanux128 · « **Reply #2 on:** May 07, 2009, 06:48 AM »

i haven't had much use for this function but i think WhereIsIt has an option to print a report with user-selected fields.

skwire · « **Reply #3 on:** May 07, 2009, 07:05 AM »

If you can't find anything, I can write you a small app (Coding Snack) that would do this. I assume your files are well-tagged? As an aside, I listen to whole albums as well. =]

fenixproductions · « **Reply #4 on:** May 07, 2009, 07:37 AM »

I am almost sure that some "music libraries" can do such work but I've used Total Commander for it

It might sound complicated but, for me, it takes no more than 3 minutes:
1. go to main music folder,
2. switch to branch view,
3. apply custom filter to see mp3 files only,
4. switch view to custom column view which uses anytag.wdx plugin,
5. select all files and use cm_CopyFileDetailsToClip function,
6. paste it in TedNPad,
7. select whole text and use "Tools -> Lines -> Columns&numbers" feature to cut out not needed data (like songs names),
8. use "Tools -> Lines -> Unique" feature,
9. use Print,
10. done

After whole this work the output is something like:

Ozzy Osbourne   Bark At The Moon
Ozzy Osbourne   The Ozzman Cometh
Ozzy Osbourne   The Essential Ozzy Osbourne CD 2
Ozzy Osbourne   The Essential Ozzy Osbourne CD 1
Ozzy Osbourne   DownTo Earth
Ozzy Osbourne   Live At Budokan
Ozzy Osbourne   Randy Rhoads Tribute
Ozzy Osbourne   Blizzard Of Ozz
Ozzy Osbourne   Live & Loud CD 1
Ozzy Osbourne   Just Say Ozzy
Ozzy Osbourne   No Rest For The Wicked
Ozzy Osbourne   No More Tears
Ozzy Osbourne   Diary Of A Madman
Ozzy Osbourne   Ozzmosis
Ozzy Osbourne   Live & Loud CD 2
Ozzy Osbourne   Speak Of The Devil
Ozzy Osbourne   The Ultimate Sin
Black Sabbath   Technical Ecstasy
Black Sabbath   Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath   We Sold Our Soul For Rock 'n' Roll
Black Sabbath   Past Lives
Black Sabbath   Sabotage
Black Sabbath   Never Say Die!
Black Sabbath   Black Mass
Black Sabbath   Reunion
Black Sabbath   Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
Black Sabbath   Master Of Reality
Black Sabbath   Paranoid
Black Sabbath   Vol.4
lion scream   no title
Ozzy Osbourne, Dmx & ODB

Of course, there is also "Tools -> Sort" option

widgewunner · « **Reply #5 on:** May 07, 2009, 10:43 AM »

MP3Tag is my favorite (freeware) tool for working with MP3 tags. It doesn't "print" per-se, but rather exports tag data to a text file according to a programmed script/template that you can create (or download). Typically, I'll export the data to an HTML file where it can be viewed and/or printed (or sorted via javascript). Here is a link to a (somewhat old) forum thread that lists some user created export scripts. Click on the "Preview" for each export script to see examples of the various ways that the tag data can be displayed. In fact, there is an entire subforum dedicated to MP3Tag's export function.

As you can see, this method is quite powerful for displaying/printing precisely what you want.

skwire · « **Reply #6 on:** May 07, 2009, 11:25 AM »

Give this a try and see if it's something like what you had in mind.

Want to print artist/album list of ogg/mp3 files

Album Printer download

skwire · « **Reply #7 on:** May 08, 2009, 05:05 AM »

I fleshed this app out a bit by adding a toolbar for the program's main functions. You can also simply drag-n-drop files and folders to the listview if that is more convenient. Also...the app doesn't handle "various artist" albums very well so I'd need your input on that. Are your VA albums tagged with the proper "Album Artist" tag? If so, I can easily match that and handle VA albums.

Please see above post for screenshots and download link.

mouser · « **Reply #8 on:** May 08, 2009, 09:21 AM »

maybe better if you host the actually download on a web page instead of an attachment, so the link doesn't change when you update?

skwire · « **Reply #9 on:** May 08, 2009, 11:27 AM »

Yeah, I was going to move it to my DC space. =] I'll do that now.

Edit: Done.

longrun · « **Reply #10 on:** May 10, 2009, 03:28 PM »

Thanks for all the useful and diverse replies. Sorry for not replying earlier but my phone and Internet access went down Friday; they're still down so I finally drove somewhere with Internet access.

skwire, Album Printer is great. You've already addressed the issue of printing directly from the program. Would it be possible to print in columns? I can't use a comma as a delimiter and then import as a .csv file because some of my artist names already contain commas (e.g., Beatles, The). This is trivial, but ideally I'd like just the first instance of an artist name to print or have some other means of making the list more legible, perhaps a blank line between artists.

As to Various Artist albums I don't think this is a big issue for me. I do, however, have a bunch of classical albums and have never been sure of the ideal way of tagging composer/performer. What's the recommended way of tagging these and VA sets?

Thanks again for your efforts.

skwire · « **Reply #11 on:** May 10, 2009, 03:42 PM »

How about an export to CSV option?

longrun · « **Reply #12 on:** May 10, 2009, 04:22 PM »

Thanks for all the useful and diverse replies. Sorry for not replying earlier but my phone and Internet access went down Friday; they're still down so I finally drove somewhere with Internet access.

The Total Commander suggestion looks good but at least superficially seems more complicated than other solutions; I'm sure you're right that it's quick once you've gotten the hang of it. WhereIsIt seems like a useful program in general; I will explore it in detail when I get the chance.

The MP3tag scripts are really interesting. My favorite of the ones I've tried is html_dano_albumlist_js_ex. This script initially produces an artist list. Clicking on an artist yields that artists' albums, and clicking on an album yields a track list. If anyone could modify the script (http://forums.mp3tag...x.php?showtopic=1563) so that the default appearance is artist/album, or could add a button to expand all items one level down, that would be fantastic.

Another script, html_dano_albumlist_js_f, produces an artist/album list in the demo screenshot but doesn't do it that way for me. Apparently my tracks need to be tagged differently.

longrun · « **Reply #13 on:** May 10, 2009, 04:29 PM »

How about an export to CSV option?
-skwire (May 10, 2009, 03:42 PM)

Since some of my artist names already have commas this wouldn't work properly for me. Some items would be fine and others would have three columns, for example:
Beatles The Abbey Road
Beethoven Sym. #5

skwire · « **Reply #14 on:** May 10, 2009, 04:30 PM »

Added an "Export to CSV" option under the File menu:

Album Printer download

skwire · « **Reply #15 on:** May 10, 2009, 04:32 PM »

Since some of my artist names already have commas this wouldn't work properly for me
-longrun (May 10, 2009, 04:29 PM)

With a properly formatted CSV file, you can have commas in the data bits. Give the above version a try; it should handle commas just fine.

longrun · « **Reply #16 on:** May 10, 2009, 06:11 PM »

With a properly formatted CSV file, you can have commas in the data bits. Give the above version a try; it should handle commas just fine.
-skwire (May 10, 2009, 04:32 PM)

It works great. Shows how little I know.

skwire · « **Reply #17 on:** May 10, 2009, 06:57 PM »

Good to hear.

Would you like anything else added?

longrun · « **Reply #18 on:** May 10, 2009, 07:47 PM »

If I select certain lines and export to .csv the entire list seems to be exported. Would it be possible to export selected items only?

Also, this hadn't occurred to me earlier but it would be useful to me (if no one else) to have a column indicating file format (Ogg, mp3). I don't know how hard this would be since the format is taken from individual tracks. When I got my Rio Karma years ago I thought I was being smart by using Ogg. Now I also have a little Zen Stone Plus that doesn't play Ogg, so it would be nice to see which albums I can load onto the Zen without format conversion.

However, Album Printer as written is extremely useful to me.

skwire · « **Reply #19 on:** May 10, 2009, 09:05 PM »

If I select certain lines and export to .csv the entire list seems to be exported. Would it be possible to export selected items only?
-longrun (May 10, 2009, 07:47 PM)

Sure, download the latest build. If no rows are selected, the app will offer to export all rows. Apologies for the delay.

Also, this hadn't occurred to me earlier but it would be useful to me (if no one else) to have a column indicating file format (Ogg, mp3). I don't know how hard this would be
-longrun (May 10, 2009, 07:47 PM)

Piece of cake...it's in the latest build as well.

Album Printer download

longrun · « **Reply #20 on:** May 11, 2009, 10:00 AM »

Apologies for the delay.
-skwire (May 10, 2009, 09:05 PM)

Well, with the high prices I'm paying I'm shocked that you would take a few minutes off for dinner or something.

This is fantastic. I'm so grateful for your skill and generosity.

skwire · « **Reply #21 on:** May 11, 2009, 10:13 AM »

Well, with the high prices I'm paying I'm shocked that you would take a few minutes off for dinner or something.
This is fantastic. I'm so grateful for your skill and generosity.
-longrun (May 11, 2009, 10:00 AM)

Hehehe...thanks for the kind words; I'm glad you find it useful. So, are we calling this one done for the time being?

Eóin · « **Reply #22 on:** May 11, 2009, 10:47 AM »

One of the ways in which I'm a dinosaur is that I listen almost exclusively to entire albums, not individual songs
-longrun (May 06, 2009, 02:41 PM)

Not exactly a helpful post, but just wanted to add I too tend only to listen to full albums, and almost always on random order too

longrun · « **Reply #23 on:** May 11, 2009, 03:28 PM »

So, are we calling this one done for the time being?
-skwire (May 11, 2009, 10:13 AM)

I think so.

Curt · « **Reply #24 on:** May 11, 2009, 06:23 PM »

It would be a lot easier to use some modern version of PrintDir or PrintFolder!

If I should choose to use (the very fine) albumprinter for my 2100 artist folders I would have to wait two or three days before the list is ready for print. And you never asked for a program to read your tags, did you - it will merely create a mess*. All you asked for was a program to print out what artists and albums you have, right? I will take that you have recorded your music in the same way I have: >%Music%>Artist>Album , or what? If So, the simple answer to your initial request is: PrintDir (anno 2009), setting: 'folders only', and you will have the answer in seconds, rather than in days!

-
"a mess*" = Inside the 10cc album The Very Best, are some tracks from Godley&Creme (former 10cc members), but because albumprinter (merely) is reading the tags it says I have an artist's folder named Godley&Creme. I don't, it is a 10cc album = a mess.
Come to think about it, you know there could many other examples like this.