courtesy of RGB.
This tutorial is for renaming files based on their ID3 tags using several applications below, in Windows. Foobar2000, Mp3Tag, MediaMonkey, Flashrenamer, and Tag&Rename.
Foobar2000 0.9.x (freeware)
— Download Link: http://www.foobar2000.org/download.html
Supports almost anything that has ID3 tags (provided you have plugins for APE, ALAC etc).
Step 1 — Installation Process, Next -> I Agree -> Next.
Step 2 — Optional Features, with File Operations checked then hit next -> install.
Or when you download .FLAC make sure they were ripped via EAC and have .log and .cue.
Step 3 — Select ‘Simple Playlist Tabs’ and click OK.
Step 4 — Drag & Drop your files and/or folders(with music in them) you would like to rename.
Step 5 — Select them all (Ctrl A) then right click your selection, navigate to and click…
Step 6 — List of pattern options:
Artist %Artist%, Title %Title%, Album %Album%, Year %date%, Track Number %tracknumber%, Disc# %discnumber% and Album Artist %album artist% or if you use Band %band%
If you need more than these there is a list at /foobar2000/titleformat_help.html (on your harddrive).
$if(%discnumber%,%discnumber%)%track% %title% should be used if you’re converting stuff with and without disc number info.
Step 7 — Choose your pattern and hit Run.
Step 8 — Close and repeat Step 4 if need be.
Folder Structuring using File Operations.
Moves or Copies Renamed folders and files.
Step 1 — Drag & drop your files into the application.
Step 2 — Just like in step 5 above but select the Copy to… instead.
Step 3 — Select your destination folder using the … button or type it manually
Step 4 — Pick/choose your own pattern you would like your folders to look like, I gave 2 examples depending on which tags you use.
<Album Artist>:
\%album artist% ‘['date%']‘ %album%\%filename%
<Band>:
\%band% ‘['date%']‘ %album%\%filename%
‘ (single quotation mark) allows special characters such as %,$,[,] to be inserted eg ‘%’ ‘$’ ‘[' ']‘
Note: test\ was to show how to create folders that did not exist.
Step 5 — Click Run
One Size Fits All string(s) for File Structuring
Please do make sure you have all proper tags especially for Compilation/DJ mix albums, Album Artist/BAND isn’t needed for Single artist albums.
<Album Artist>:
%album artist%\’['date%']‘ %album%\$if(%discnumber%,%discnumber%)%track% %title%
<Band>:
%band%\’['date%']‘ %album%\$if(%discnumber%,%discnumber%)%track% %title%
In Foobar, you can also make your own set of customized strings to build rules, say, for: If ‘album artist’='various artists’:
$ifequal(%album artist%,various artists,%label%\)
For more build rules, check out the Titleformat Reference Guide in the Foobar2000 Wiki at:
http://wiki.hydrogenaudio.org/index.php?title=Foobar2000:Titleformat_Reference
Mp3Tag 3.40
— Download Link - http://www.mp3tag.de/en/download.html
Supports almost anything that has ID3 tags.
Step 1 — Install it
Step 2 — Locate Files (drag&drop a folder) or Directory (File -> Add directory…) you want to add.
Step 3 — Goto Convert at the toolbar and select Tag - Filename.
Step 4 — Format String, we get a list of options if we click the button to the left of the input box
Step 5 — Choose your string, provided my own below.
Step 6 — Notice the preview button, it’ll output a text file with the former name and with the new name underneath it.
Step 7 — Click OK and repeat Step 3 until finished.
Note: Zero padding also happens here, I’ve demonstrated how to bypass that, heres the explanation…
$num(%field%,limiting characters by specified number) so $num(%field%,1) = 1, $num(%field%,2) = 01 and $num(%field%,3) = 001
MediaMonkey 3 (shareware)
— Download Link: http://www.mediamonkey.com/download.htm
Supports almost anything that has ID3 tags.
Step 1 — Install it.
Step 2 — Navigate to the folder(with files in it, using the explorer window on the left) you want to change, or add your library through File->Add/Rescan Tracks to the Library.
Step 3 — Select all (Ctrl A) then right click and Select Auto-Organize Files.
Step 4 — Here we can select from presets by selecting the down arrow.
Step 4.1 — or we can add by using the >> button, which brings up another drop down menu.
Step 5 — Selected the usual pattern by double clicking the options from the drop down menu, when finished click OK.
Note: <Disc#> is zero padded in MediaMonkey by default… How we fix this is <Disc#:1> adding :# will limit how many characters will be in the string, example :3 would turn out 001.
Note: Band tags are required for MediaMonkey and Tag&Rename, Album Artist tag does not seem to be read as such.
Folder Structuring for MediaMonkey.
Renames then Moves folders and files.
Step 1 — Get to the files you want to change.
Step 2 — Right click and Select Auto-Organize Files.
Step 3 — Create your own mask as an example I’ll provide one:
\<album artist> [<year>] <album>\$if(<Disc#>,<Disc#:1>)<Track#> <Title>
Step 3.1 — There is also the Configure button which can have a more pleasing layout/preview:
Note: I don’t know where the [] \ comes from when you click the Configure button, be sure to delete them when you’re finished.
Step 4 — Click OK
One Size Fits All string(s) for File Structuring
Please do make sure you have all proper tags especially for Compilation/DJ mix albums, Album Artist/BAND isn’t needed for Single artist albums.
Album Artist, technically BAND:
FlashRenamer 6.0 (shareware, nagware)
— Download Link: http://www.rlvision.com/downloads.asp
Suports only the mp3 format.
Step 1 — Install it.
Step 2 — Launch the application.
Step 3 — Click the Mp3 Button.
Step 4 — We’ll be using the ‘Free Select’ Tab:
Step 5 — Drag & Drop files you would like to change into the application (it has to be files, looks like folders crashes the application).
Step 6 — Selecting the Custom option and a list of useful options we have available in our naming pattern:
Artist <Artist>, Title <Title>, Album <Album>, Year <Year>, Track Number <Track> Disc# <ID3-DiscNumber> and <BAND> <ID3-Band>
Note: If there is no DiscNumber info you have to get rid of <ID3-DiscNumber>, can’t find script so it works with and without it.
Step 7 — Choose you pattern.
Note: Track Number and Title are choices most often used to reduce clutter, However if you have multi CD release Disc# can help.
Step 8 — Click Rename!
Note: There is an Undo button.
Step 9 — A dialog box will pop up with the status report/log of the files renamed, close the window.
Step 10 — Remove files and repeat Step 5.
Tag&Rename 3.4.5
— Download Link: http://www.softpointer.com/tr.htm (not freeware - but search your favourite BitTorrent site).
Supports almost anything that has ID3 tags.
Step 1 —Install it with all the default settings.
Step 2 — Register it.
Step 3 — Navigate to your files folder or which directory you would like to edit.
Note: If you’re dealing with folders in folders goto View on the toolbar and select Search Sub-Folders.
Step 4 — We’ll be using the Rename Files tab(F4) at the top of the application.
Step 5 — Notice our mask options, All of them are availible through buttons when we click the Mask Editor button.
Step 6 — As usual my pattern (pick/create your own mask).
Step 7 — Click OK, and preview it by clicking the preview button (below the rename variables).
Step 8 — If all is good hit the Rename button and Repeat Step 3 till finished.
Note: Disc# is zero padded by default, no documentation for limitations. You could bypass this by changing Disc# to the actual number, but that requires you know which songs are on which CD.
**Band Tags are required for MediaMonkey and Tag&Rename, Album Artist tag does not seem to be read as such.
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