I Need Artist & Title Info In File Name

[Joe Nieves]

Question 1

Is there a way to get Hoster 4.6a to write not just the Disc. ID Number but the Artist & Title Information to file name?

It Only writes Disc. ID in directory.

Question 2

I'm Importing a lot of Sing It Now Country, Pop Rock Karaoke CD's and I'm Having a very hard time with the numbering in the Hoster database and if i'm Lucky to find the Disc. Info Most of the title and Artist information is missing and have to enter it manually which takes a long time.


Joe....

[ddouglass]

Question 1 - No there isn't any way for the KMA file to be written with Title and Artist.
Question 2 - To look these up are you using the On-line database (FreeDB) or the local database (Bucket.mdb)?
If it is the On-line database MTU has no control over that. That is a database that is free to everyone and unfortunately they don't have a whole lot of Karaoke CDs in it. What is there a lot of it is incorrect.
If it is the Local database you may be the first to have added that CD. The way this is updated is from us entering the information and this is sent to MTU. They check it and then add it. Currently the only way we get an update is when a new release is sent out. MTU is talking about making updates for that database available on a periodic basis (monthly maybe) for a fee. This is still in the works and has not been completely set up yet.

[Joe Nieves]

Originally Posted by ddouglass

Question 1 - No there isn't any way for the KMA file to be written with Title and Artist..

Hi Dale

Didn't we use to have an option to include the Artist Title information in the file name?

Why was it taken out?

Why then does songverter also write the name back to the file when converted.

I like to see the file names in a directory folder to see what I have and to spot any mistakes or maybe do a Brand/Label inventory or generate a list without opening the program like so many other programs do.

Why the secrecy to something you already own?


Joe.....

[marklwood]

Originally Posted by Joe Nieves

Hi Dale

Didn't we use to have an option to include the Artist Title information in the file name?

Why was it taken out?

Why then does songverter also write the name back to the file when converted.

I like to see the file names in a directory folder to see what I have and to spot any mistakes or maybe do a Brand/Label inventory or generate a list without opening the program like so many other programs do.

Why the secrecy to something you already own?


Joe.....

Off the top of my head, The first issue I could see is the length of the name. MTU would have no control over the file name length, or the separators used. That combined with the file header format could cause possible fits for Hoster. I don't know for sure if this is the right answer, I could just see this as an issue from a logical standpoint.

[Roy Dennis]

Originally Posted by Joe Nieves

Hi Dale
I like to see the file names in a directory folder to see what I have and to spot any mistakes or maybe do a Brand/Label inventory or generate a list without opening the program like so many other programs do.

Why the secrecy to something you already own?


Joe.....

Joe. You probably know this anyway, if you need a brand / label inventory why not use the tools/ edit facility in Hoster.
If you Highlight Title and Artist and put a * in the search box it will list all the files then click the brand column it will list all the brands in order, click any other column header to list any other info in order. From hear you can see which file it will be in.

If you have the full Hoster you can print the info from the songbook printing option by selecting what you need by altering the drop down boxes.

Roy

[ddouglass]

Originally Posted by Joe Nieves

Didn't we use to have an option to include the Artist Title information in the file name?
Why was it taken out?

It never was in Hoster. They have always used the short name. For one it makes the path name shorter meaning less characters to be included in the Songs.mdb and and playlist you create and save.

Originally Posted by Joe Nieves

Why then does songverter also write the name back to the file when converted.

Songverter uses the original file name of the file you are converting regardless of what it is, converts it to whatever file type and changes the extension to match that type. That is all it does. Converting files to KMA in Songverter really isn't a good idea because it doesn't go to Hoster and get a BookID to add that in as well.

Originally Posted by Joe Nieves

I like to see the file names in a directory folder to see what I have and to spot any mistakes or maybe do a Brand/Label inventory or generate a list without opening the program like so many other programs do.

Why the secrecy to something you already own?


Joe.....

It isn't secrecy it just isn't something that is needed. If you correctly do all your deleting/changing with the Editor then you don't need to see the information in the files name. Not to mention correcting any information outside of Hoster will not be recognized by Hoster. Before someone pipes in with it, yes you can correct the Songs.mdb through Access, but if you Rebuild those corrections are lost.
MTU may "own" KMA files but there are some other programs that have figured out how to use them. MTU isn't going to make it easy for them.
As Roy said you can build a Songbook with any of the fields included to make you a list by Brand with any other information you need included.
If you look at the DiskID/file names you can pick out the brands just by the letters used, such as CB for Chartbuster, AH for All Hits, etc. In fact in the Songbooks I have created through Access I have included the letter codes in a column so I can tell which brand someone is choosing and recommend a better choice if they are picking one I know is bad,hard to read, to fast or the wrong version of the song.

[Joe Nieves]

There's something wrong here???*X=0

It seems that to mush attension is being payed to the Them's instead of the Us's.

So let's make it Difficult for Them at the Expense/Convenience of the paying customers. Hmm

[ddouglass]

Joe I don't understand you. This has never been a problem to anyone else but you. I told you how you can get a list of all of them with Brand and any other field you want to see right from the Songbook Creator. As well you can do the same thing in Access if you know how to build a query. Why do you have to be able to look at the files themselves to get this information when it is already available.
If MTU used all of the information in the file name as is done in MP3+G and other original formats, then your Path would have to be very limited as the is a limitation (Windows not MTU) to the total length of the Path. Bury a file too deep in a series of sub-folders and none of the programs can get to them. I realize not everyone buries their files that far down but there are some who do and have found out the limitation prevents access.
It wasn't competitors who made MTU set it up this way. It has been set this way since the beginning with thoughts of competitors using the files. So if you want to see it change then post it in the New Features and good luck.

[Joe Nieves]

Yes Good Luck Indeed

I know other programs do it, Don't know how but they do.

I'm use to going through my folders to get a different look at my files real quickly in the folder list view.

This is a very ordinary task that can be done with just about every program out their but Hoster.

Anyway thanks for your thoughts.


Joe....

[ddouglass]

Other programs do it because they use MP3+G or zipped MP3+G or some other combined format such as those as their formats and not KMA.

[Joe Nieves]

Originally Posted by ddouglass

Question 2 - To look these up are you using the On-line database (FreeDB) or the local database (Bucket.mdb)?
If it is the On-line database MTU has no control over that. That is a database that is free to everyone and unfortunately they don't have a whole lot of Karaoke CDs in it. What is there a lot of it is incorrect.
If it is the Local database you may be the first to have added that CD. The way this is updated is from us entering the information and this is sent to MTU. They check it and then add it. Currently the only way we get an update is when a new release is sent out. MTU is talking about making updates for that database available on a periodic basis (monthly maybe) for a fee. This is still in the works and has not been completely set up yet.

Hi Dale

I like to use a source that I already subcribe to for many years and have confidence in their accuracy and convenient monthly updates.

Why can't Hoster give us the option of using another more accurate database Like KJ Pro that a lot of your users use and Music Book Dlx amoung others.

They all have the ability to export their database in many different formats even in Access that Hoster uses.

Why can't this be Done?

Thanks

Joe....

[ddouglass]

Because they are not near as accurate as you think and they want too much for the service for MTU to incorporate or they won't agree to it.
This is why MTU went the way they did to use our input to update their own database. In the future they are working on a way for us to update on a periodic basis (monthly maybe?) for a small fee. If you download 4.07 you will get an updated database with it.
You can use their information by cutting and pasting as you can use Hoster's information to add the disk information to your songbook in KJ Pro. I don't see anything about being able to export their database though.

[Joe Nieves]

Before I continue this conversation about song book Database I need to ask you this very important question about Hoster 4.7 before I download.

What does this mean that I got from the 4.7 spec's.

Originally Posted by New 4.7 Spec's RESTORED Prior Video Player - The Tools > Options dialog no longer shows the [B

Video Switch: OLD/NEW[/b] selector. The New video player had too many problems so we removed it. The Old Video player that has worked for years supports MUX and Key change, but doesn't show in the Preview window.

Does this mean I won't see the words in my LapTop screen or preview window only from the 2nd monitor?

I can't see the 2nd monitor from where I am stationed because the 2nd monitor is facing the audience.

I need my LapTop screen to sing and see what's going on with the 2nd monitor.

Joe.....

[goonie227]

I Get KJ Pro updates monthly and when I get my monthly update discs I just copy + Paste them in Hoster saves a lot of typing .

Dick

[ddouglass]

This only effects video (VCD, DAT, MPG, AVI, etc) types and not CDG. In other words it is back to exactly what you got in the earlier 3.0x versions and all previous version. CDGs stilldisplay in the preview.
Many people could not read it or it was out of sync with the main (2nd monitor) display. Additionally it would cause random crashes in both Vista and XP. Every time they would tweak it to get Vista in sync and working right (crashes aside) it would break or go out of sync in XP. That is why they went back to the other player. I don't know exactly what they plan as yet for the future, but that player had too many problems. They may try another or design their own but I expect this will be revisited again.

[Joe Nieves]

Hi Dale

Ok That is good news since I don't use Hoster for Video and only for Karaoke I can live with That.

I never had a sync problem with the preview or monitor screens.

Why couldn't it stay as an option?

I'll continue the database Topic with you tomorrow, I feel this is very important to the (Quality Of Use Issue) that i'm sure a lot of your users are not pleased with myself included.


Joe....

[Joe Nieves]

Originally Posted by goonie227

I Get KJ Pro updates monthly and when I get my monthly update discs I just copy + Paste them in Hoster saves a lot of typing .

Dick

Yah goonie227

That's still a lot of work when your pumping in a lot of disc, it's a little Stone Age don't you think with all the new technology in Todays World.

If you have the right to use it Why can't it be imported some how?


Joe....

[ddouglass]

Originally Posted by Joe Nieves

Hi Dale

Ok That is good news since I don't use Hoster for Video and only for Karaoke I can live with That.

I never had a sync problem with the preview or monitor screens.

Why couldn't it stay as an option?

I'll continue the database Topic with you tomorrow, I feel this is very important to the (Quality Of Use Issue) that i'm sure a lot of your users are not pleased with myself included.


Joe....

Sync was not the only problem with it Joe. It was also causing random crashes. To prevent any further problems it was removed.
As far as the database topic this is all I am going to say. MTU cannot use or all the use of KJ Pro's database directly in there programs without Perscitium's permission. MTU did try and either the price they (Perscitium) wanted was over priced or they refused to allow it. There is nothing more that can be done. Other alternative companies MTU talked to were the same way or the product left a lot to be desired (poor quality). There is nothing else to say about it. Subject is closed as far as I am concerned.