1 Album Per Compilation Track Appearing in Library Mode?
#1
I tried searching for the solution, but have come up dry. Hopefully it's an easy answer from one of you gurus. Smile

iTunes is managing the folder structure of my music directory which is then scanned/indexed by XBMC and played by XBMC.

The problem is that in Library Mode, compilation albums appear as separate folders/albums with one track within each. I assumed (falsely) that tracks with identical album title tags would be grouped into a single album in Library Mode.

Ideas and suggestions most welcome.

TIA
Reply
#2
Ah iTunes Smile

You need to set the "Compilation" tag if you use iTunes to manage your music, as it stores each track in a different folder (artist/album/tracks, thus compilations are scattered).

Alternatively, you can set the "Album Artist" tag to "Various Artists".

Cheers,
Jonathan
Always read the XBMC online-manual, FAQ and search the forum before posting.
Do not e-mail XBMC-Team members directly asking for support. Read/follow the forum rules.
For troubleshooting and bug reporting please make sure you read this first.


Image
Reply
#3
Thanks, Jonathan!

I've gone into iTunes and tagged a group of songs as "Compliation" as you suggest. Then I went back to XBMC and did a "Scan Item to Library." It skimmed over everthing quickly, but processed a bit on the folder I had just tagged. I then went back into Library Mode and still see the same album name repeated with songs grouped by the same artist within each.

Am I missing a step? Do I need to blow out the entire index and re-scan the entire library to fix this?

(While I appreciate the "Various Artists" tag alternative, I'd rather keep the actual artist tagged and just bunch them together in a compilation.)
Reply
#4
Do the songs have a track number in the tag? I had a compilation where the track numbers were missing and that compilation was not correctly recognized as a compilation until I added the track numbers.
Reply
#5
DarkHelmet Wrote:Do the songs have a track number in the tag? I had a compilation where the track numbers were missing and that compilation was not correctly recognized as a compilation until I added the track numbers.

Great suggestion! I found an app called Ultra Tag Editor which has an "Autotrack" tool that re-numbered all the tracks for me (there were 134!).

I'm not sure what fixed it, but after this, I went and Scanned Items to Library for this compilation and then did a "Clean Library" under Music/Library settings...and it's now listed all under one Album in Library Mode!!

Trying this again on another compilation has not been as successful.

Can someone please list the proper order of operations required to get a compilation to show up in Library Mode as a single Album?

1.) Ensure "Compilation" tag is set on all files
2.) Ensure Album name is identical on all files
3.) Ensure all tracks have track numbers
4.) Perform a "Clean Library"
5.) Perform a "Scan item to Library" on compilation folder
6.) Perform "Update Library"

Is this correct?

Also, does XBMC use ID3v1 or ID3v2...or both?

Thanks again for the very helpful suggestions.
Reply
#6
Scott B Wrote:Great suggestion! I found an app called Ultra Tag Editor which has an "Autotrack" tool that re-numbered all the tracks for me (there were 134!).

I'm not sure what fixed it, but after this, I went and Scanned Items to Library for this compilation and then did a "Clean Library" under Music/Library settings...and it's now listed all under one Album in Library Mode!!

Trying this again on another compilation has not been as successful.

Can someone please list the proper order of operations required to get a compilation to show up in Library Mode as a single Album?

1.) Ensure "Compilation" tag is set on all files
2.) Ensure Album name is identical on all files
3.) Ensure all tracks have track numbers
4.) Perform a "Clean Library"
5.) Perform a "Scan item to Library" on compilation folder
6.) Perform "Update Library"

Is this correct?

Also, does XBMC use ID3v1 or ID3v2...or both?

Thanks again for the very helpful suggestions.

FIXED the problem!!

The difference between the compilation that indexed and stacked correctly in Library Mode and the one that did not was that **the tag called "Album Artist" must be BLANK.** This tag is different from the "Artist" tag. If the "Album Artist" tag is not left blank, XBMC will make a separate album for each artist and you'll have a ton of listings for your compilation album in Library Mode.

Hope this saves someone some time in the future!
Reply
#7
Quick note to help anyone with the same problem I had:

The default skin on iOS, re-Touched, doesn't let you access the "advanced" part of the Music Library settings, which is where "clean library" is located (not sure why this is considered advanced, but whatever). To be able to clean your library, you have to switch your skin to Confluence first.
Reply

Logout Mark Read Team Forum Stats Members Help
1 Album Per Compilation Track Appearing in Library Mode?0