Hi everyone

Im new user of Foobar 2000 and confused a lot about it. Actually don't know how to use it in the way I want to. I was looking on some youtube video tutorials but the owners of those videos explain totally different subjects inside this software and not the ones that I search for. As many other people, with this software, Im trying to save time sorting and checking my music collection. I know not many of you will belive me but I sort and check my collection in averange 5 hours per day, every single day and Im really tired and fed up of correcting other people's mistakes and those mistakes I have never done. However I still care very much what do I have. While reading this forum, some people already used to ask much more similar subjects (comparing to youtube video tutorials) to what I want to know but still different. I have seen few screenshots of the software where the user can search from the software, the release in discogs database and automatically compare what he / she has on the hard drive to correct information on discogs (inside the software). Unfortunately, I belive, almost no time is saved in that way. Why? Because the software requires (correct me if im wrong) from the user to TYPE the name of the release (or artist's name) inside the search bar. We can do this on discogs web site too. Where is the time saved then? Nowhere. Why? Because if we need to check many (for example 500+) releases that we want to add to our music collection then we would have to type 500+ names of releases (or 500+ artist's name) and do a search, inside the software, 500+ time. The time that is wasted is the same as doing it on the discogs site. It would be much better if we used to scan the main folder which contains subfolders (the releases) and then the program would automatically compare and find all the subfolders into discogs database. As I said, Im total beginner in this software, there is a lot of chances that my thinking is wrong. A lot of people know about this program much much more than I do, so again – if Im wrong, please correct me.

What I have written so far isn't really a purpose of my message. I decided to make this message, if I could please someone to take a look at my own steps that I do before I save something to my music collection. I described it well, to every detail. However Im patient and more than willing to wait for reply. If someone could please take a time to read my steps that are below. My main question and the purpose of adding this message is, if I may please you if someone could tell me; Can any of the following steps be done automatically by Foobar 2000? I would also appreciate if someone could at least point me to the correct manual (tutorial) for doing this.

The steps (process that needs to be done after I get some new mp3s and before I can save them) are the following:

1. open each new folder, which i want to save, all of them one by one to move the mouse cursor on the mp3's icon. Purpose of this is to see if the yellow window which appears has the data ''Duration''. In the 99% it does, in 1% it doesn't which means the file is corrupted. In the same step, I make sure that inside the folder are only mp3s. The folders that contain at least one corrupted file are deleted. Also in the same step, I make sure that the files (mp3s) name does NOT contain the catID of the label's release. That must be removed.

2. I open discogs, google, .doc file (sometimes if necessary .cat file too). In the .doc file i have collection of music that is NOT on the pc but it is on external hard drive. I check if I already have the specific release with copying (from discogs) and pasting the label's name inside the .doc file (ctrl + f function). If I have it, i delete the folder on the pc. If I don't have it then I also check current music collection on my PC. If the exsactly the same release is also not there then i keep it. How I name the folder (label's name) depends on if I already have anything from the same label (on pc or on external hard drive – EHD). If I don't then I simple name the folder with label's name and move the release inside this, just named, folder. If I do (no matter on the EHD or PC) then I also name the folder with label's name BUT i add the symbol ''(!!!!)'' which gives me a warning, when moving huge amounts (80gb+) of mp3s to EHD, that i need to open the folder and move what folder name contains (releases in the subfolder/s) and not directly the folder with the name of the label (with mentoined symbol). To which location on EHD I move the subfolders is obvious. In case if I cannot figure out from specific subfolder if I already have the release or not, I use .cat file.

3. Now when i keep the release, I can be 100% sure that I don't already have it. So I open the folder with label's name and check to the discogs database if the amount of the files are correct (a1, a2,…). If not, I delete the the release. If yes, I check if the order (list of tracks) is exsactly the same. If not (for example b2 on the location, on pc, where should be a2) then i look if the track's duration are added on the discogs. If yes, I compare it and if the names are the same to duration, I correct the positions on my PC. In case if on discogs are no datas about duration (length) then I delete the release from my pc. Due to amount of files and time that Im doing this, I cannot afford for searching to correct durations somewhere else. If the order (list of tracks) in release on pc are the same as they are on discogs then this means I can feel free to save the release. So I copy the cat id (line ''Catalogue#'') and add '' [ '' and '' ] '' on the most left part of the release name, also add one space between '' ] '' and the first letter the folder's name and then I finally paste the id between [ and ]. Sometimes I notice that the symbol '' – '' is exsactly after the '' ] ''. In this case, this needs to be removed.

4. It can happen that discogs doesn't find specific release. The reasons why can be two: first is that it isn't in discogs' database and the second is that the folder contains the track which is unreleased. In both cases I go to google and near the keywords (folder's name) that I search for I add another online database such as triple vision, junodownload, web recordz, decks.de, beatport, trackitdown, audiojelly and some more. If the release is found on some of the other database sites then the tracks (inside the folder) are released but the release is not on the discogs' database. If I don't find, I keep searching on some unoffical sites (forums) with added (as search keyword) ''label'' word. The important thing is, everything what is found must have the catID – i never try to just figure it out alone, I always copy and paste it. So if I found, I compare the label's name on discogs (if the label is not there then on some other database). The thing which proves me that the data on ''unoffical site'' is real, is catid. It has to be (to look) at least similar to the ''offical database'' (discogs). If is not (or if I cannot find the catid) then I delete the folder because I don't trust to unoffical sites. If it is, I move back to step 2. If the release is NOT found on some other database sites then its obvious the track/s are unreleased. In this case I search for track duration. If I don't find it, I delete the folder. If I find it, it must be exsactly the same as the track/s' duration on PC, if not then the folder is deleted.

5. So the work for one release is almost done. I made sure that I haven't had already the release and also that is correct (amount of the tracks, positions of them) and correctly named. So now I move the folder's name to my music collection main folder. Of course if I already had, on the pc, some release/s from the same label, i move the correctly named and checked release (instead of folder named by label's name) into the already exsisting label's name.

6. When the release is finally moved, I pick next one but before this, I make sure that the previouns release is on the correct location (in exact folder).

This work is the same for every single release. Of course the time can be saved if I need to save several releases from the same label at the same time because checking and naming is faster.

So again to my question; Can any of the described steps be done automatically by this software? Im almost sure the program that is able to do the step number 4 will never exist :'-( since I cannot even imagine how could the program find correct text (correct part of the page) in the correct, trustworty, site where catID's and label's name are added also – thats not possible I belive.

Thank you for reply and I apologize due to my english grammar – its not perfect.

Have a good day everyone.

Step 4 can be automated with foo_discogs (search its topic on the forum, there's a link to a tutrial in the first post of this topic).
If a release is not in Discogs db, I usually manually submit it on discogs.com, then use the plugin to tag that release.

Wall Of Text critically hits you for 9326 physical damage.
You die.

Hmm I don't understand what you mean with that you usually manually submit it on discogs? Million of releases are NOT added on discogs, its really hard to create a function that would find the release on google instead because the program cannot just ''see'' as a human do, where on the page (forums and so on) are datas that need to be added to the folders' names.
You mentoined the tutorial, did you mean THIS?

Could you also point me to the correct tutorial (there are many) from which I could learn what I want to do (described in 6 different steps)? I searched on youtube but nothing useful is there. For example This youtube video has nothing to do with my topic because the person is typing (!) manually what he wants to check and correct (through foo_discogs).

I have already looked at this topic but I guess people use it in completely other way as I would (my 6 mentoined steps). The manual here only explains the example of checking one release but what if you need to check several houndreds of releases, that you want to save to your music collection, at the same time? If using ''Find Release'' then its the same as doing it manually on discogs site. Is there a function to scan the subfolders (releases) and look for them automatically? It should be i guess.



?????

Though I don't know the reference, I imagine it's related to your question in the form of a novella.
Thus, if you ask someone the time, you do not need to spend 10 minutes telling the person why you need to know the time, or why you don't have a watch.

Well anyway, it made me laugh - whether I understood it properly or not.

C.

ps. Sorry I can't be more helpful but if I'm honest I lost interest about a quarter of the way through.

It means he contributes to the database, rather than just leeching from it.

You could try foo_musicbrainz. It can check your albums against the musicbrainz DB using the TOC (i guess this means in this case the amount of samples). So that would save you from comparing the duration/order of all the tracks. It's very picky though and often doesn't find your album, usually because some weird settings were used during the rip.
Musicbrainz also stores stuff like catalog number etc if you look at a release on their site, but it seems you can't retreive it with this component. Maybe their Picard Tagger can do it.

Alternatively the freeDB tagger can compare the duration and order of the selected titles to freeDB, less accurate but still good enough to check if the tracks have roughly the correct duration.

shakey_snake this wasn't really what I wanted to ask in the topic.

smkk you named too many possible bugs + as the main database, mentoined in my post, was discogs.

Could anyone also assist me please? I know its a long post but, I belive, its still better than opening several topics (due to spam).

Thank you...

It is not clear what you want us to answer.

Perhaps you could describe it in a more precise manner?
Perhaps you could just play around with the software a bit and decide for yourself whether it is useful or not? It is pretty much impossible for us to make that determination for you.