Exact Audio Copy - Settings Question

[BillTheCat]

I use EAC to rip my discs to FLAC.

Up to now, for multi-disc sets, I have been placing the tracks in separate folders - manually editing by adding the disc number - such as: "Frank Sinatra - CD1... CD2..." and so on. However, on more modern discs, EAC will tag the individual track with the disc number it was taken from on its own.

So, I'm wondering if any of you guys have an opinion on whether or not it makes sense to put all tracks in a single folder, or if you guys would keep the practice of creating separate folders corresponding to the original source disk numbering.

Thanks!

 

[KrisM]

I roll the same as botrytis.
My worry is that some playback program/scheme down the road(or even the one I use now) would playback the tracks based on number. So, a three disc set would playback track one from each of the three discs, and then the same with track two, etc.
I've never tested this out, so I have no idea if it would actually be a thing or not.

 

[BillTheCat]

Roger that, guys. Thanks. Separate folders it is.

 

[KrisM]

It should not be a big deal as it is setup in the metadata.

Separate folders makes it easier to see what you have, in case of accidental erasure.

I know people who have one big folder but I cannot see that

So that thing near the bottom that says something like, "Disc 1 of 3" would be recognized by any player? I'd assume so.

I use FileBrowser for a lot of my FLAC playback, and it's pretty bare bones. Just for giggles the next box set I rip I might try out the single folder method and see what happens.

 

[dodog]

I the whole album as on FLAC, with embedded cue sheet. With multi-album sets, all discs are in one folder. Zero problems with playback (Foobar). I can't speak for every player but if one can't actually read the cue and metadata, it would be worthless as a player. No reason to get all superstitious about what *might* happen.

 

[KrisM]

I the whole album as on FLAC, with embedded cue sheet. With multi-album sets, all discs are in one folder. Zero problems with playback (Foobar). I can't speak for every player but if one can't actually read the cue and metadata, it would be worthless as a player. No reason to get all superstitious about what *might* happen.

I don't think I'm being superstitious myself, just keeping my eyes open.

The player I use a lot right now(FileBrowser) is bare bones, and I'm pretty sure it won't do cue files. I don't care at the moment, I prefer to see the folder(s), press play on track one, and then let it carry on. I also have the big brother, 'proper' music player on my devices(MusicStreamer) that does all that cue stuff and such, but I rarely seem to reach for it.
That may change in the future, but for now FB does what I need. If there's another ios app that can access the FLAC music on my network and play it back I'm all ears.

 

[Mitkraft]

Disc number is only meaningful to the medium it was on. As far as I'm concerned a multi disk album once ripped is "one album" therefore I have it taged/number as such and all in one folder. Although I do have the entire set number sequentially (not starting over at 1 on each disk) I do indicate disc number in the tags.

 

[dodog]

That may change in the future, but for now FB does what I need. If there's another ios app that can access the FLAC music on my network and play it back I'm all ears.

I'm not a Mac man, sorry. That will have to be your journey.

 

[KrisM]

I'm not a Mac man, sorry. That will have to be your journey.

No doubt.
I'm not a Mac man either, but I have a bunch of idevices and a boatload of FLAC files that need playin'.
At some point I'll move onto a different player(or players), though.

 

[dodog]

I hear you. The only reason I keep a Windows machine around is to run EAC and Foobar. I use Linux more often than not and do the majority of my web-browsing on a tablet. If I had to port my files (with CUE sheets) to a new OS or different player, I'd be cranky.

 

[JoeESP9]

I've got 16K+ FLAC files in one large directory. I don't do playlists so cue files don't matter to me. Every player application that I've tried has used the meta data that's part of each file for file management. So all those separate folders for every artist/recording are really not necessary.

 

[KrisM]

I've got 16K+ FLAC files in one large directory. I don't do playlists so cue files don't matter to me. Every player application that I've tried has used the meta data that's part of each file for file management. So all those separate folders for every artist/recording are really not necessary.

What does it look like when you go into that folder/directory? Is it just 16k+ songs in one place?

 

[JoeESP9]

If I look in the directory using File Explorer it just a listing of all the files with no separate folders. Any and all file management in that directory including adding and removing files I leave to the player application. Every player I have tried uses the metadata attached to the file and doesn't care how the files show up under File Explorer. For those who believe that a bunch of separate folders are in any way necessary or better, try this. Take any file or several files move/copy them to a folder titled "unnecessary". Open your player program and you'll find those files listed exactly as they were before they were moved/copied.

It's the metadata that makes the difference. Music players ignore all those folders.

 

[KrisM]

If I look in the directory using File Explorer it just a listing of all the files with no separate folders. Any and all file management in that directory including adding and removing files I leave to the player application. Every player I have tried uses the metadata attached to the file and doesn't care how the files show up under File Explorer. For those who believe that a bunch of separate folders are in any way necessary or better, try this. Take any file or several files move/copy them to a folder titled "unnecessary". Open your player program and you'll find those files listed exactly as they were before they were moved/copied.

It's the metadata that makes the difference. Music players ignore all those folders.

Oh, I get the metadata thing. The more there is and the better it's used the happier the music lover will be and all that.
I was just wondering about it from a management perspective. I guess I'm just too old school to want to leave file management to a music player.

 

[JoeESP9]

Try making a CD copy of an one CD form that jumble. It is harder to do. Also, bought files have different tags info than others. In order to have one big directory, ALL the files have to be tagged in the same format system, if not you have one big mess.

I usually don't buy files and every program that I've used for ripping uses the same tagging format. If I want to copy a disk I open Foobar and drag the files to a burner. Easy peasy. If I want to be anal about copying a CD I go direct to the original CD. All my CD's are in alphabetical order library style. So, it's easy to find whatever I want. When I rip LP's I use MP3 tag and the metadata is exactly as if it was a CD rip.

Oh, I get the metadata thing. The more there is and the better it's used the happier the music lover will be and all that.
I was just wondering about it from a management perspective. I guess I'm just too old school to want to leave file management to a music player.

I don't think they come any older than I. I started in the middle 70's writing Cobol and Fortran while in college. I write databases. Making extra work for myself is something I'm not interested in. All the music player programs I've tried do an excellent job of music file management. I any case, what's to manage? You either want a file(s) or not. Music players give the option of removing a file from the library or the disk.

 

[KrisM]

I guess manage might not be the right word. I just like to know what I have and where it is.
No work to do it, really. A folder has the name of the artist followed by the name of the album. Multi disc sets have each disc in it's own folder. It's then filed under genre.
I can find whatever I want in an instant. So can a music player.
It's also tres easy to play back files on my various idevices with FileBrowser.

 

[JoeESP9]

Music players don't need any of those folders. The metadata is all they ever use. I suppose it's all in how you use things. A Netbook with an external HDD/USB DAC does it all for me. The only other device I have is a Sansa ClipZip although a FiiO X-3 is in the very near future. Using Foobar I can drag and drop whatever I want directly to the Sansa.

 

[KrisM]

Music players don't need any of those folders. The metadata is all they ever use. I suppose it's all in how you use things. A Netbook with an external HDD/USB DAC does it all for me. The only other device I have is a Sansa ClipZip although a FiiO X-3 is in the very near future. Using Foobar I can drag and drop whatever I want directly to the Sansa.

Oh, I know that.
I like having my stuff stored that way. And as I mentioned, a ton of music playing around here is via an app that does use those folders.
It's a best of both worlds situation with what I use. FB uses the folders, and music players do their metadata thing with the music in those folders, too.

 

[dodog]

If I look in the directory using File Explorer it just a listing of all the files with no separate folders. Any and all file management in that directory including adding and removing files I leave to the player application. Every player I have tried uses the metadata attached to the file and doesn't care how the files show up under File Explorer. For those who believe that a bunch of separate folders are in any way necessary or better, try this. Take any file or several files move/copy them to a folder titled "unnecessary". Open your player program and you'll find those files listed exactly as they were before they were moved/copied.

It's the metadata that makes the difference. Music players ignore all those folders.

Obviously, there's no right or wrong way to do this, just personal preferences. For myself, I keep my albums in separate folders, along with their CUE sheets, for two reasons:
1) I use the CUE sheet with burrrn to create CD-Rs for the car
2) I label the album cover "folder.jpg," which wouldn't work if all my albums were in one folder.

 

[JoeESP9]

Why do you need a cue sheet for burning CD-R's?
All the rippers I'm aware of attach the cover art to the file as part of the metadata.