A little advice needed

Hi, Name is Phil, not Snaffu....

I am a newbie on this site. I am also a newbie to Hoster but I am finding it real pleasant to play and learn with.

I would like to just mention my progress at loading songs and maybe someone will tell me if I am on the right track. So far it seems so simple that I must be doing it all wrong... Loading the songs is long and tiring though. I am working on a desktop Unit. Later I am going to get a lap-top.

Here we go..on the Hoster screen I went to the Import track pull down and selected import CD tracks.
This took me to the import track screen and I selected the brand and then the disc ID.
Then I selected "Add tracks using DataBase".
farther down I clicked the "select all" button followed by "next" for the "book ID" Then I clicked on "import selected tracks"

Then I waited as it read the tracks into this directory:
C:\program files\Micro technology unlimited\hoster\songs\

Looking into this directory, I find all my songs. In Hoster, I am able to select them and play them. Wow, what a program...

What I want to do now is get an external drive and put all these songs on it. Is this the right thing to do. Then later, when I get a Lap-top, I want to load all the songs from the external hard drive to the laptop.

How about a database? I am not computer savvy. what is the purpose of the data -base? Is it for the songbook? I can play the songs from the system as I have it now. They are all in their numerical orders. Will I destroy anything or should I ask what precautions should I be taking at this point when I start working with the database?

So from Central Illinois, I say thank you,
Phil

[bryant]

You should be naming the songs and authors if you are not at this point before you "import selected tracks".

Yes I have been doing that. Actually when I select them from the database, they get named automatically. If I do the "Custom Assembly" thing, then I have to manually enter names of them.

Was wondering, I have a couple of discs, that have Brand names but no numbers on them anywhere. They can't be found in the database. An example is Top Hits Monthly by Panorama Records. There is no number on this disc anywhere. So I guess I will just enter it in the "Custom Assembly" and manually type in the song names and artist names.

Thanks for reply.

Phil

[bobcox- with the Lord]

Just Copy And paste songs folder to external hard drive. then when you get laptop with hoster hook it up build songs database and youre ready to go.
always good to have a backup of your KMA files. Bob

tnx Bob.

Phil

[ddouglass]

Originally Posted by SNAFU

How about a database? I am not computer savvy. what is the purpose of the data -base? Is it for the songbook? I can play the songs from the system as I have it now. They are all in their numerical orders. Will I destroy anything or should I ask what precautions should I be taking at this point when I start working with the database?

The database referred to as the song database and file name song.mdb is use for two perposes. It is there to create the songbook and is the source for Hoster to look up the song file location when you add the song to the playlist or look it up in the search window. You do not need to do anything to/with the database outside of Hoster. If a song has something wrong with the information stored about it, then you can use the Edit tool to correct the error.

Thanks so much Dale,

here is something you may be able to help me with.

I am going through the listings and playing the duplicate songs from different brands. I am picking out the version which I think is the best. I want to keep them and get rid of the bad ones. Some are really not very good, while others sound identical to the original recording.

When attempt to delete some of the poorer versions I occasionally get a message refusing to delete them.
It says:

unable to delete c:\program files\Micro Technolgy Unlimited\Hoster\songs\SGBTB1004-11.kMA status=32

This does not happen all the time. This particular one was a Sweet Georgia Brown. I also had a Pioneer version of the same song which I wanted to dump and it also would not let me.

I think I can go into the songs file on the hard drive and get rid of them, but I was hoping Hoster would let me do it here, just to save some time.

Any ideas?

thanks,
Phil

[ddouglass]

You cannot delete a song file if it is in the playlist or has been in the playlist for that session. That is what the error message is telling you. So write down the numbers of the ones you want to delete, close Hoster and re-open it, then go to edit to delete them.

[bobcox- with the Lord]

if that song is in your playlist on main Hoster screen it wont let you delete.
remove it from playlist first. Bob