Microstudio to Hoster File Names
 

Why does Microstudion name files in this format:

Artist Name_-_Song Title_-_DiscID-Trk.bin

When you try to import them into Hoster you can with a little work but why doesn't Microstudio name them in the Hoster style which is typically in one of the "user define button styles" none of which start off with artist name.

I have been importing my CDG disc into bin files then converting them to zip files since they take up less space. It would be much simpler if I did not have to define the field order.

Agree....

If the purpose was to be compatible with Hoster for importing purposes, then as you say the same field options should exist in Microstudio.

Otherwise it makes no sense.

If you imported them directly from CDG discs the KMA files take even less space than the zipped files and require one step rather than three.

Microstudio to Hoster File Names
 

If you ever need to import them all over agin, it is much faster importing them as batch files from zip files than importing them from each and evey disc. That is the whole purpose of making them zip files in the first place.

That is why you make a backup copy of your KMA files so you don't have to import them again. And as progress is made on making Hoster a better program the import from the discs is getting better, clearer, and cleaner copies even from the likes of Sound Choice with their cheap thin coated discs.
To back up my CDs I use CDClone to create image files of each. Then if something happens to the original or I need a copy to use for a show, I have them.

I don't disagree that Microstudio should either give the oportunity to set the order or at least use one of the standard orders for Hoster just for compatability.

Well, one of the purposes was to allow BIN files to import into Hoster. So, in Hoster 3.314 we'll add a radio button for "Artist-Title-DiscID-Track". Of course, you can very easily change the field order in the "Import hard drive files" screen, not just click the preset radio buttons. So, I don't quite understand that we have a real problem here. We will add the new radio button though. It used to be there and was removed for space reasons. We probably will have to convert one of the other selections to this one. Care to vote which gets changed/removed? :?

I'm sorry, but we won't add more flexibility into Microstudio to allow users to change the stored filename. A large sector of our users already are confused by the flexibility we had in the past versions.

Maybe you're not aware, but converting BIN to MP3 audio is damaging the quality more than WMA would. Then, when you "import/convert" your ZIP files into KMA, we don't uncompress, we retain your MP3 compression. Thus, the quality is what you will get when played back in Hoster. Please understand that for 22 years we supported the most demanding audio studio folks, and so we are accustomed to "QUALITY", and MP3 was NEVER used in that market. If you are OK with MP3, then use it. We'll add the radio button. :c

I'd vote for any sequence that listed Title first, and change Microstudio to match it.

That would not increase the flexibility of Microstudio, but would make finding tracks easier.

I agree with George that changing Microstudio would make more sense, though that may be a while down the road since 3.003 just released.:f But I am not sure if I would want title first or DiscID - Track first. Title would make finding an individual song easier and DiscID would give you a sort order to put all of a disc together in the list.:g

I must be in dense mode.

Hoster can import CDG, BIN, MP3G, and ZIP files from the hard drive.

Microstudio users have no need for anything other than track titles and artist to import and titles to efficiently find imported files. Disc id's are dead weight in Microstudio.

What's the rational in making Microstudio a conduit for Hoster for CDG and BIN files that Hoster can import on its own?

Bin Vs. Zip Files
 

Admin-so what you are saying is sound quality wise, we should only be converting our CDG's to bin files not to zip files.

Are KMA files from the CDG (192 kbs) smaller or larger that BIN files?

Sound quality is very important to me and I only want to convert my CDG's to BIN or ZIP's just in case I ever need to re-install them and yes I do have a backup of all my KMA files but you never know......

BIN files aren't compressed. Look with windows explorer at the sizes and they will be 30 to 40 MB for an average length track. KMA files are compressed and with normal compression (middle number....I forget what it is:t ) will be 1/10th of that or 3 to 4 MB. The way I see it the BIN format in Microstudio is good for making a custom disc with the highest quality, but if I am loading Hoster I want to do it direct from CDG disc to KMA files rather than try to store all those large BIN files and import them.:e

Once you have a good import (no screen noise or glitches and good sound) into Hoster then you should not have to keep any BIN files because with MS you can now add KMA files to the write list and burn them to a Karaoke disc as full uncompressed CDGs. What more could you ask for! The only thing I can think of that Microstudio and Hoster won't do for us is to convert and load those pita SCDG discs.....yet(?):g

I think what he was saying the bin files are higher quality sound than the zip (mp3+g zipped).

also the .kma file is better sound than the mp3+g. I would store my files as .kma files rather tham .bin files, as they are verry much smaller with the same audio quality. But that is my opinion.

George,
I would have to disagree. This would be true of some users. but wont fit all. I prefer to have the disk number and track senario, as I may have several versions of the same song by the same artist, and some customers prefer one over the other. But Then again this is My opinion, and what I prefer. To make a statement that Microstudio users as a group have no need for something, Makes you the spokesperson for all the people here. If you dont need the track, and disk number rename the file. I have a freeware program called "Batchname" that will rename a whole directory of files in a second.

I was simply expressing an opinion.. Sorry if it came across wrong.

Doesn't matter that much to me anyway. Simply putting the title in both the title and artist entry blocks, or reversing the inputs if both are used solves the problem and, case closed.

Much easier than renaming files.

1. BIN files are identical quality and file size to the original CDG disc - no difference.

2. KMA files are significantly smaller than BIN files. At 128Kb, users with 2000 watt systems report they don't hear any quality difference from the CDG disc, so I would recommend you use this ratio selection. At 96Kb, the size is about 1/10th that of the same BIN file, but you can hear some "compression hiss" at 96Kb with 2000 watt systems.

3. BIN is equal to the master disc, while 128Kb KMA is "technically" less quality (not audible to the human ear), while MP3 at 128Kb will have audible hiss (as reported to us, not that my 58yo ears can hear it) and will be inferior to the same KMA file compressed directly from a BIN file or imported direct from the CDG disc. :w

I did some rethinking and I don't believe adding another Tools command will confuse users. It is the FOLDER flexibility that was confusing users. I don't think the file naming order will cause confusion. The prior attached image I was proposing for V3.004 was deleted by me (see my post below). :s

Looks great:g

Looks good Chief

Works for me! :g

Well, it didn't work out. As we started work on this, My Songs List building, renaming, deleting, importing, saving and alphabetizing the list, and somehow identifying the 8 new file naming types... all became a nightmare, so this is CANCELLED. :e :s

We are adding the filename as is into Hoster as a preset radio button.

The My Songs List that is built when you open a Folder will now be saved in that Folder and automatically opened if present. Whenever the list changes FROM WITHIN MICROSTUDIO (rename, delete, import), the list is updated and resaved to the Folder on the HDD. Opening Microstudio will now take seconds, even if there are 20,000 files in the folder... if the list exists.

If the list is not found in a Folder, it is built from all the supported songs in that Folder and saved in that Folder.

A new Rebuild My Songs button in the main screen allows forcing the list to rebuild when you want to. That way, if you import KMA files with Hoster into a Folder, or add MP3G or ZIP files from some other program, you can rebuild to see them in the My Songs window.

Microstudio 3.004 Beta 1 will go out today for testing with this new feature. :c

We also are adding a progress dialog that appears while building the My Songs list, showing how many files are in the Folder and which file is currently being processed. Thus, instead of just seeing the hourglass for sometimes tens of minutes, you will see the actual progress, including the filename currently being processed. And to answer your question, yes the filenames will come and go so fast you won't see them, but we felt it best to show them in case one gets hung up for some reason.