How to better manage music libraries

[HITMAN]

I have Windows XP Media Center Edition, have been using Replay Music
(RM)to record from Pandora and Napster. I used their Trial Pay feature to sign up for a trial of eMusic, and got 25 free downloads, which I used to download three new jazz albums. So far so good.

I am having problems accessing and managing all of my various music files, using the 4 available tools I have: My Music, Media Center, Windows Media Player (WMP), and iTunes.

By clicking on My Music, I can browse through the Replay Music program files folder, and see all my recorded tracks. If I click on a track, iTunes comes up, and plays the song. I can move a track into WMP, but not into a new album, and not into iTunes.

In Media Center, I can't import tracks from anywhere --- RM, WPM, iTunes, or eMusic. I also can't create a new Album folder without ripping the album from a CD.

In WMP, I can use F3 to import all the RM tracks, but I can't create a folder for a new Album. If the RM tracks are not tagged correctly (many or not) I haven't been able to move them into another Album folder. As a result, I have a giant Album folder for Unknown Artist, even though the artist name is shown in the list of tracks. I also have not had any luck importing Album art into an Artist folder --- WPM can find the Album art and information, but it won't load it into the folder.

WPM also has a problem burning a CD with eMusic content --- puts about 15 seconds of dead air at the end of each track.

I have completely given up on iTunes, as it will not import any of my music from Media Center, WPM, or My Music. I finally deleted all the music libraries.

What a mess.....

Originally Posted by HITMAN

By clicking on My Music, I can browse through the Replay Music program files folder, and see all my recorded tracks. If I click on a track, iTunes comes up, and plays the song. I can move a track into WMP, but not into a new album, and not into iTunes.

Try to right click on a track. You will have several other options besides opening with iTunes.

Originally Posted by HITMAN

In WMP, I can use F3 to import all the RM tracks, but I can't create a folder for a new Album. If the RM tracks are not tagged correctly (many or not) I haven't been able to move them into another Album folder. As a result, I have a giant Album folder for Unknown Artist, even though the artist name is shown in the list of tracks. I also have not had any luck importing Album art into an Artist folder --- WPM can find the Album art and information, but it won't load it into the folder.

Correct the tags either manually or automatically. See the following thread for more:
What is the best utility for tagging media files

WPM also has a problem burning a CD with eMusic content --- puts about 15 seconds of dead air at the end of each track.

Originally Posted by HITMAN

I have completely given up on iTunes, as it will not import any of my music from Media Center, WPM, or My Music. I finally deleted all the music libraries.

You can allows Replay Music to add songs to iTunes. Or you can just select your MP3 files and drag and drop them into iTunes.

[HITMAN]

After hours of trial and error experimentation, I have learned some things, but still have gaps.

In Windows Media Player, if you use the F3 function to transfer RM tracks from the Replay Music Programs folder, WMP will recognize them in its library. However, it apparently just establishes a link to the Programs folder. If you subsequently delete any tracks from the RM Programs folder, they will also be deleted from the WMP library. I tried moving the files from the RM Programs file over to the WMP library, but the move function is in My Music, and My Music doesn't recognize many of the tracks in the WMP library. Even when it does, sometimes the tracks get "moved" to cyberspace somewhere, never to be seen (or heard) again. Guess I have to keep all of my RM folders around forever, if I want them to remain in the WMP library.

I still haven't figured out how to strip off the dead air at the end of a music track downloaded from eMusic. I also haven't figured out how to burn a CD with all of the same tracks at the same volume.

Adventure in progress.......

Originally Posted by HITMAN

After hours of trial and error experimentation, I have learned some things, but still have gaps.

In Windows Media Player, if you use the F3 function to transfer RM tracks from the Replay Music Programs folder, WMP will recognize them in its library. However, it apparently just establishes a link to the Programs folder. If you subsequently delete any tracks from the RM Programs folder, they will also be deleted from the WMP library. I tried moving the files from the RM Programs file over to the WMP library, but the move function is in My Music, and My Music doesn't recognize many of the tracks in the WMP library. Even when it does, sometimes the tracks get "moved" to cyberspace somewhere, never to be seen (or heard) again. Guess I have to keep all of my RM folders around forever, if I want them to remain in the WMP library.

I still haven't figured out how to strip off the dead air at the end of a music track downloaded from eMusic. I also haven't figured out how to burn a CD with all of the same tracks at the same volume.

I've never experienced problems like that... because I've never liked Windows Media Player (as well Internet Explorer, Windows Media Center,...).

I prefer to play music with Winamp or Aimp. I don't really allows any players to organize my music and it makes my life easier - no matter what OS I use and what player I use, I know it which folder I can find what music tracks. It was much easier for me to switch from Windows to Linux because of that.

Winamp and Aimp are much faster than WMP. Winamp can even tag your songs automatically. So my suggestion is to try an alternative player.

And I never burn any music to an Audio CD with WMP as well, since there are lots of nice free programs that can do it.