Metadata Manager (music) incoherent/incomplete structure

[CharleyVarrick 283]

Once in a while when browsing my music collection on Emby Server, I find loose ends like 2 identical artists, or 2 of the same artist spelled differently.

When I go to dashboard and metadata manager, and select my music library, it looks chaotic.

I see mostly (not all) artists names, along with some album names.

 

1) Am I even supposed to see artists and albums mixed together? Common sense dictates I should see only artists, and then if I select one (develop it with the small arrow), then only see their albums.

Why are they mixed together like this (see 3 first capture)? I wish I would only see artists, what can I do to fix it?

 

 

2) Why don't I see all artists?

eg: I was trying to fix an artist for which I see both Yoko and Yoko Ono when I browse the regular Emby music/artists page (see 4th capture), but metadata mgr doesn't list either (see 5th capture)

Edited April 26, 2017 by jlr19

[Luke 42079]

You see your folder structure in the metadata manager. If you want those metadata driven views, just use the main UI.

[CharleyVarrick 283]

Huh?

 

If by folder structure you mean my windows directories, its nothing like metadata mgr.

I have a very standard structure eg: music/artist name/album/songs

 

BTW: I am guessing it is normal I don't see neither "Yoko" or "Yoko Ono" in metadata mgr, as I dont even have an artist folder for her in windows, she's Lennon spouse appearing on some of his albums/tracks. John Lennon being the "album artist" while Yoko is just an "artist" (as in guest or featuring).

Edited April 26, 2017 by jlr19

[Luke 42079]

I would just use the main UI then. Perhaps it will be easier just to not show music in the metadata manager because we're just duplicating what we already have in the main browsing areas.

[CharleyVarrick 283]

I don't use Metadata mgr to browse my music collection. I use main UI of course.

I was trying to fix collection issues with Metadata Mgr (like the Yoko issue), when I spotted those album names mixed in with artist names.

Edited April 26, 2017 by jlr19

[Happy2Play 9781]

I don't use Metadata mgr to browse my music collection. I use main UI of course.

I was trying to fix collection issues with Metadata Mgr (like the Yoko issue), when I spotted those album names mixed in with artist names.

 

The key issues is you can not change any artists names in metadata as it creates a data mismatch and just disappears in the interface.  So if any names are changed you have to ensure they get changed everywhere.  Just like changing a artists metadata name does not change that artists folder name.

[CharleyVarrick 283]

HI Happy,

those duplicate artists issues are a PitA to fix, I'm wondering if someone came up with a tried-and-true way to fix them.

 

I'm also still wondering why metadata mgr list albums among artists in what looks like a random pattern. Something's wrong and I'd like to fix it.

Edited April 26, 2017 by jlr19

[Happy2Play 9781]

I really can't tell anything from your screen shots.  All I know is Metadata Manager lists everything like my folder structure.  Music/Artist/Album/Track

 

[CharleyVarrick 283]

Yes, that's what I would expect on my end too.

I noticed my French music folder is even worse.

9 albums before the first actual 4 artists, +2 more albums after

That's 11 albums within 4 artists.

Edited April 26, 2017 by jlr19

[CharleyVarrick 283]

Here's a normal looking metadata mgr entry, followed by a wrong one.

Why does the 2nd entry list the album name (Angstlos) instead of artist (Nina Hagen)?

[Happy2Play 9781]

You would have to show file system screen shots.

 

Do you have tracks in your parent music folders or only in album folders?

[CharleyVarrick 283]

Do you have tracks in your parent music folders or only in album folders?

The only thing that's not an artist folder in the parent folder is a musicdb.xml file (guessing it belongs to emby (?)

 

Some artist folders (far and few) hold both album folder(s) and "loose" file(s), like for Nina Hagen (coincidence?)

Although in this case, the loose song is unrelated to the Angstlos album metadata mgr entry

You might have noticed by now my windows is set in French (my native tongue)

 

Edited April 26, 2017 by jlr19

[CharleyVarrick 283]

Out of curiosity, I scrolled down metadata mgr and don't see a Nina Hagen entry.

That is no coincidence.

Yet when I browse the server UI, she's listed allright

 

Now I am really at a lost as how Emby handles music.

[Happy2Play 9781]

The only thing that's not an artist folder in the parent folder is a musicdb.xml file (guessing it belongs to emby (?)

 

Some artist folders (far and few) hold both album folder(s) and "loose" file(s), like for Nina Hagen (coincidence?)

Although in this case, the loose song is unrelated to the Angstlos album metadata mgr entry

You might have noticed by now my windows is set in French (my native tongue)

 

 

What image is that folder.jpg?  And a album.nfo in a Artist folder always means issues.

[CharleyVarrick 283]

What image is that folder.jpg?  And a album.nfo in a Artist folder always means issues.

folder.jpg's a mugshot of ms Hagen

But yes, you're right, how does an album.nfo belong in an artist folder, unless it relates to the loose "Nina Hagen - African reggae.mp3"

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" standalone="yes"?>
<album>
  <review />
  <outline />
  <lockdata>false</lockdata>
  <dateadded>2014-11-21 18:42:47</dateadded>
  <title>Angstlos</title>
  <year>1983</year>
  <runtime>14</runtime>
  <genre>Rock</genre>
  <studio>CBS</studio>
  <studio>TVT Soundtrax</studio>
  <studio>Columbia</studio>
  <audiodbartistid>114767</audiodbartistid>
  <audiodbalbumid>2133009</audiodbalbumid>
  <musicbrainzalbumid>4e325b4e-7655-4336-af13-c16bed833074</musicbrainzalbumid>
  <musicbrainzalbumartistid>e4d32f51-bc57-42a4-8165-b80f7a86496d</musicbrainzalbumartistid>
  <musicbrainzreleasegroupid>624c39b0-33bc-390f-aae4-59ef52df8ad5</musicbrainzreleasegroupid>
  <artist>Nina Hagen</artist>
  <albumartist>Nina Hagen</albumartist>
  <albumartist>Various Artists</albumartist>
  <track>
    <position>1</position>
    <title>New York / N.Y.</title>
    <duration>05:15</duration>
  </track>
  <track>
    <position>1</position>
    <title>African Reggae (Radio Version)</title>
    <duration>03:56</duration>
  </track>
  <track>
    <position>11</position>
    <title>New York, New York</title>
    <duration>04:25</duration>
  </track>
</album>

Edited April 26, 2017 by jlr19

[CharleyVarrick 283]

If I go into the 1983 - Angstlos folder, here's what I have:

I would have expected an album.nfo in there but no.

I am totally lost with how Emby handles music artist/album

 

Edited April 26, 2017 by jlr19

[CharleyVarrick 283]

I am sorry to say Emby music handling seems like a lost cause to me, I can't seem to figure out what it's trying to do.

[Happy2Play 9781]

If I go into the 1983 - Angstlos folder, here's what I have:

I would have expected an album.nfo in there but no.

I am totally lost with how Emby handles music artist/album

 

 

Are you sure the mp3tags are correct?  As the naming scheme would be unidentifiable.

[CharleyVarrick 283]

While my folder structure is both solid and very standard (universal), my filenaming scheme varies quite a bit.

MediaMonkey doesn't seem to have a problem with it,

[Happy2Play 9781]

 

folder.jpg's a mugshot of ms Hagen

But yes, you're right, how does an album.nfo belong in an artist folder, unless it relates to the loose "Nina Hagen - African reggae.mp3"

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" standalone="yes"?>
<album>
  <review />
  <outline />
  <lockdata>false</lockdata>
  <dateadded>2014-11-21 18:42:47</dateadded>
  <title>Angstlos</title>
  <year>1983</year>
  <runtime>14</runtime>
  <genre>Rock</genre>
  <studio>CBS</studio>
  <studio>TVT Soundtrax</studio>
  <studio>Columbia</studio>
  <audiodbartistid>114767</audiodbartistid>
  <audiodbalbumid>2133009</audiodbalbumid>
  <musicbrainzalbumid>4e325b4e-7655-4336-af13-c16bed833074</musicbrainzalbumid>
  <musicbrainzalbumartistid>e4d32f51-bc57-42a4-8165-b80f7a86496d</musicbrainzalbumartistid>
  <musicbrainzreleasegroupid>624c39b0-33bc-390f-aae4-59ef52df8ad5</musicbrainzreleasegroupid>
  <artist>Nina Hagen</artist>
  <albumartist>Nina Hagen</albumartist>
  <albumartist>Various Artists</albumartist>
  <track>
    <position>1</position>
    <title>New York / N.Y.</title>
    <duration>05:15</duration>
  </track>
  <track>
    <position>1</position>
    <title>African Reggae (Radio Version)</title>
    <duration>03:56</duration>
  </track>
  <track>
    <position>11</position>
    <title>New York, New York</title>
    <duration>04:25</duration>
  </track>
</album>

 

That there alone shows you why you see what you see in post 10.  It thinks that track belongs to Angstlos album?  And that album.nfo represents the Nina Hagen folder.  To me all of your loose files are creating havoc for Emby.

Edited April 26, 2017 by Happy2Play

[Happy2Play 9781]

There will be mismatches with African Reggae also since it belongs to Artist Nina Hagen Band.

[CharleyVarrick 283]

Thanks for looking into it, Happy,

I think I'll just pull the plug on the Emby music library and let Emby shine on handling tv shows and movies.

For my music, MediaMonkey has been doing a tremendous job for me for the last 10 years, plus I can actually figure it out.

[Happy2Play 9781]

Depending on your use the Music interface it is very finicky, it works perfectly with proper structured folders,  Artist/Album/Track, anything else causes anomalies.