Importing New Mp3+g Files

[kiwisinger]

Hi All,
I'm trying to understand the process of Importing New MP3+G files.
After purchasing Karaoke "zip files" online, I "unzip" them, then rename them to: "Disk # - Song title - Artist title" (only so they make more sense without all the numbers & letters etc).
I then use: Import Songs / Index Song Files.

Please correct me if I'm wrong. By doing the above, this creates .KMA files? Is this correct or not?

For some reason, when I want to add "NEW FILES", it now creates .KMH files in the folder of the MP3+G file. So now I have 3x files in the folder:
1. MP3 file
2. CDG file
3. KMH file.
It never use to do this?

Also, it's not adding the new .KMA files into the ".KMA" Folder with the rest of the .KMA files.

Q.1. Why does it create KMH files?
Q.2. Do I need these KMH files?
Q.3. If not, how do I stop it from creating them?
Q.4. Why isn't it creating NEW .KMA files? If it is,
Q.5. Where is it putting the NEW .KMA files?

I know I must be doing something wrong. Please help.

Thanking you in advance

Lani.

[Roy Dennis]

Which version of Hoster ?

When you view the import the import hard drive files dialog the top row shows "As" with two choices KMH or KMA, have you got the KMA choice selected ?
When you select KMA another window appears On the right side of that dialog you should see "Save To" box, use that to set the destination. You wont see that option appear unless you selected KMA option.

Hope that helps.

[WaltR]

If you import as a kma file it rewrites the file using much more disk space. In other words you will have your original cdg/mp3 files plus a new kma file which also contains a graphic and audio file. So now you have used approximately double the hard drive space. If you select kmh you only add a small file that recognizes your original cdg/mp3 files and uses very little additional hard drive space.

[kiwisinger]

Hi Roy,
thank you so much for your reply.

* The version I'm using is 5.10.
* Thank you for helping me locate my .KMA files

I have another question.

After I Import new files, I go to:

Import Songs/Build Database

This opens the "Build Songs Database" window, that shows the Folder containing my ".KMA files".

Q. What does the "Build Database" actually do?

Again, thank you in advance

Lani.

[kiwisinger]

Originally Posted by WaltR

If you import as a kma file it rewrites the file using much more disk space. In other words you will have your original cdg/mp3 files plus a new kma file which also contains a graphic and audio file. So now you have used approximately double the hard drive space. If you select kmh you only add a small file that recognizes your original cdg/mp3 files and uses very little additional hard drive space.

Hi Walt,

thank you for your reply and explaining the kma/kmh files. From day dot, I've always just used kma files. I can only say that's how I've always done it, and certainly not because I decided to do it that particular way haha it just happened that way.

Q.1. Does Hoster use the kma files or the cgd+g files to play the song?
Q.2. If I was to delete all my kma files, will Hoster still work?
Q.3. How does Hoster work with kmh files?

At the moment, I now have kma files(in a sperate folder), & kmh files with all my cdg files.
Q.4. Whats your advise?
* Do I delete one lot and just use the other?
* If so, which one would you advise me to use? kma or kmh?

Thank you again Walt for your help, I really appreciate what you guys do

Lani

[WaltR]

Originally Posted by kiwisinger

Hi Walt,

thank you for your reply and explaining the kma/kmh files. From day dot, I've always just used kma files. I can only say that's how I've always done it, and certainly not because I decided to do it that particular way haha it just happened that way.

Q.1. Does Hoster use the kma files or the cgd+g files to play the song?
Q.2. If I was to delete all my kma files, will Hoster still work?
Q.3. How does Hoster work with kmh files?

At the moment, I now have kma files(in a sperate folder), & kmh files with all my cdg files.
Q.4. Whats your advise?
* Do I delete one lot and just use the other?
* If so, which one would you advise me to use? kma or kmh?

Thank you again Walt for your help, I really appreciate what you guys do

Lani

The kma files are stand alone. They do not need anything else for them to play. They contain the audio and video files.

As far as deleting what you have, I don't know what to tell you based on the info you provided. The cdg files are just the video (lyrics) portion of the song. They need an audio file to go with them such as mp3. Unless you are running out of disk space, I don't see the need to delete your kma files since they are already part of Hoster and have been indexed into your database as such. The KMH file stores with the CDG and MP3 for example, as a reference to these files for Hoster to recognize them and use very little disk space. If you have zipped files they contain the CDG and MP3 files and if used with KMH they are referenced by the KMH as well.

I only use KMH now because as mentioned earlier, they save so much disk space. At one time when importing cdg disk, KMA was the only option. With later versions of Hoster you have options as to what type of file you want these imports to be. When I import CDG disks now I import them as mp3+g which are audio and graphics files and they are associated by KMH files instead of the KMA. I hope I have answered your questions and explained things clearly.

[Roy Dennis]

Originally Posted by kiwisinger

Hi Roy,
thank you so much for your reply.

* The version I'm using is 5.10.
* Thank you for helping me locate my .KMA files

I have another question.

After I Import new files, I go to:

Import Songs/Build Database

This opens the "Build Songs Database" window, that shows the Folder containing my ".KMA files".

Q. What does the "Build Database" actually do?

Again, thank you in advance

Lani.

You basically only ever need to use that if your existing database gets corrupted, or starting from scratch.

It actually stores all the songs data and path for Hoster to quickly find the song. If you list a song in the edit dialog you will see multiple columns of data apart from just title and artist.

The Extra KMH file you see accompanying the other files contains all that data for the individual track. A KMA file contains all that data as well but its hidden inside that one folder.
When you rebuild the database it reads all those files and just compiles them all in a list for Hoster to easily find and list.

[kiwisinger]

[You basically only ever need to use that if your existing database gets corrupted, or starting from scratch.]

Oh I see. I thought I had to "Rebuild the Database" every time I imported a new song haha Ok, I got it now

So, and correct me if I'm wrong, every time I import a new song, Hoster update my "Database" automatically?

Thank you Roy, much appreciated

[kiwisinger]

Originally Posted by WaltR

The kma files are stand alone. They do not need anything else for them to play. They contain the audio and video files.

As far as deleting what you have, I don't know what to tell you based on the info you provided.....Unless you are running out of disk space, I don't see the need to delete your kma files since they are already part of Hoster and have been indexed into your database as such.

The KMH file stores with the CDG and MP3 for example, as a reference to these files for Hoster to recognize them and use very little disk space. If you have zipped files they contain the CDG and MP3 files and if used with KMH they are referenced by the KMH as well.

I only use KMH now because as mentioned earlier, they save so much disk space.....

Ah, thank you Walt for explaining that.

I just checked my HD and I've got heaps of space left, so I wont delete my kma files.

Q.1. Now that I've got all those kmh files in my cdg folders, is there any way of deleting them all in one go, without having to go in there and delete them 1x1? There's a few thousand! :(

Q.2. Is there a difference in the performance between kma & kmh? Is one format better than the other?

Thanx Walt

[Roy Dennis]

Originally Posted by kiwisinger

[
So, and correct me if I'm wrong, every time I import a new song, Hoster update my "Database" automatically?

Thank you Roy, much appreciated

Yes.

[WaltR]

Originally Posted by kiwisinger

Ah, thank you Walt for explaining that.

I just checked my HD and I've got heaps of space left, so I wont delete my kma files.

Q.1. Now that I've got all those kmh files in my cdg folders, is there any way of deleting them all in one go, without having to go in there and delete them 1x1? There's a few thousand! :(

Q.2. Is there a difference in the performance between kma & kmh? Is one format better than the other?

Thanx Walt

Q.1. If you are sure these are duplications of songs done as KMA, here is the fastest way to get rid of them. On the main hoster page go to the top and click on "import songs"; click on "build database"; highlight the folders you want to remove from Hoster; click on remove folders. CAUTION: MAKE SURE YOU ONLY HIGHLIGHT THE FOLDERS YOU WANT TO REMOVE. ONCE YOU REMOVE THEM YOU CAN'T GET THEM BACK WITHOUT RE-INDEXING THEM! After clicking on remove folders you should get 2 pop up windows one after another. Click "yes" to both of them.

Q.2. I don't believe there is any performance difference unless they were imported at different compression ratios, i.e. 128k compared to 320k.

[kiwisinger]

[quote=WaltR;129464]Q.1. If you are sure these are duplications of songs done as KMA, here is the fastest way to get rid of them. On the main hoster page go to the top and click on "import songs"; click on "build database"; highlight the folders you want to remove from Hoster; click on remove folders. CAUTION: MAKE SURE YOU ONLY HIGHLIGHT THE FOLDERS YOU WANT TO REMOVE. ONCE YOU REMOVE THEM YOU CAN'T GET THEM BACK WITHOUT RE-INDEXING THEM! After clicking on remove folders you should get 2 pop up windows one after another. Click "yes" to both of them.

Hi WaltR,

I hope I can explain this properly.

I have all these folders. Each folder represents a Disc and contains the cdg + mp3 files, that I imported into Hoster.

When I started years ago, Hoster created all the kma files. I didn't understand any of this or why, or the difference between the two kma & kmh files until you explained it to me haha I just happen to do it using the kma button.

As I mentioned earlier in my post, I've just recently created all these kmh files. I must have clicked the kmh button instead of the kma button.

That being the case, does that mean that "NO" kma files were created for those particular Discs that Hoster created kmh files for? If so, all I would need to do then to create the kma files for those Discs, is to re-import them as kma. Would that be correct?

Once I've done that, I can then go and delete all the kmh files?
Thank you also on how to do that.

Gee, I hope I've made sense haha

Thank you WaltR for your time and knowledge

[WaltR]

[quote=kiwisinger;129468]

Originally Posted by WaltR

Q.1. If you are sure these are duplications of songs done as KMA, here is the fastest way to get rid of them. On the main hoster page go to the top and click on "import songs"; click on "build database"; highlight the folders you want to remove from Hoster; click on remove folders. CAUTION: MAKE SURE YOU ONLY HIGHLIGHT THE FOLDERS YOU WANT TO REMOVE. ONCE YOU REMOVE THEM YOU CAN'T GET THEM BACK WITHOUT RE-INDEXING THEM! After clicking on remove folders you should get 2 pop up windows one after another. Click "yes" to both of them.

Hi WaltR,

I hope I can explain this properly.

I have all these folders. Each folder represents a Disc and contains the cdg + mp3 files, that I imported into Hoster.

When I started years ago, Hoster created all the kma files. I didn't understand any of this or why, or the difference between the two kma & kmh files until you explained it to me haha I just happen to do it using the kma button.

As I mentioned earlier in my post, I've just recently created all these kmh files. I must have clicked the kmh button instead of the kma button.

That being the case, does that mean that "NO" kma files were created for those particular Discs that Hoster created kmh files for? If so, all I would need to do then to create the kma files for those Discs, is to re-import them as kma. Would that be correct?

Once I've done that, I can then go and delete all the kmh files?
Thank you also on how to do that.

Gee, I hope I've made sense haha

Thank you WaltR for your time and knowledge

Ok, that makes it a little clearer. If I understand you correctly, you imported these files from cdg disks, right?
If so, you imported them using the KMH instead of the KMA. You couldn't have done them both ways because it is either/or per import. Years ago, KMA was the only option. With improvements to Hoster over the years we now have choices.
If I am right so far, I don't know why you would want to delete them and re-import as KMA? I thought by your earlier post you had duplicated the files ending up with both KMA and KMH (same songs). This would result in double entries into Hoster for each song. You would have had to import them twice, once for KMA and once for KMH. I think you originally imported songs as KMA and later imported more songs but this time as KMH. If you want to re-index them as KMA then follow the procedure I posted earlier. After your remove those folders you can re-index them from the hard drive as KMA. Just remember, you will use approximately twice the hard drive space. Also if I am correct that you originally imported this files from CDG disks, whatever compression ratio you used to import them will not change. Originally most users would use the 128k ratio to minimize disk space. Now with the larger drives available some users are using, for example, a compression ratio of 320k. Technically the sound would be better but it uses more disk space. All of my songs are 128K. Most can't hear a drop off of sound quality at that rate. Remember, if you just remove the folders in Hoster as I described, you will not delete the songs from your hard drive. If you want to re-import them from your cdg disks you will have to go to the hard drive and delete them first. I wouldn't go that far but then again, I would keep the KMH as long as you didn't duplicate them. I hope I haven't added confusion.

[kiwisinger]

[quote=WaltR;129469]

Originally Posted by kiwisinger

Ok, that makes it a little clearer. If I understand you correctly, you imported these files from cdg disks, right?

Yes, originally, years ago.
But when CDG Zip files became available to buy online, I would buy them, unzip them, rename the cdg & mp3 files(just for clarity eg. 001 - 01 - Song Title - Artist), then import them into Hoster as KMA.

If so, you imported them using the KMH instead of the KMA

Now when I imported these new KMH files, that was not intentional, I must've pushed the wrong button.
I can't remember doing this, but I must have. I have re-imported all my Discs again (for what reason I don't no haha) but I obviously used the KMH button, giving me all those KMH files in each Disc Folder.
But of course, I still had and still have all the KMA files.

If I am right so far, I don't know why you would want to delete them and re-import as KMA? I thought by your earlier post you had duplicated the files ending up with both KMA and KMH (same songs). This would result in double entries into Hoster for each song. You would have had to import them twice, once for KMA and once for KMH.

Yes, I have currently both KMA & KMH files.

So what I would like to do, is delete all the KMH files in every Disc Folder and just continue to use KMA files.
I tried doing what you suggested but it didn't work.
NB: In the "Songs Build Database" window, I don't have a "REMOVE" Folder button. These are the buttons I have:
ADD FOLDER | ADD FOLDER/SUB-FOLDERS | RESCAN FOLDER | EXCLUDE FOLDER.

I'm guessing the "EXCLUDE FOLDER" button is your 'REMOVE BUTTON?"

The only folder in the space below, is my KMA files Folder.
I tried to ADD into the space below, all the "DISC Folders", using the ADD FOLDER button, but that didn't work. So I tried the ADD FOLDER/SUB-FOLDERS button and that worked. But it didn't delete the KMH files from those Disc Folders.

Q.1. So, am I doing something wrong(wich is very likely haha) or is there another way of deleting the KMH files from each Disc Folder?

Q.2. Just out of curiosity, having both KMA & KMH files, which one is Hoster using?

Whew, I hope my ramblings make sense?

Thank you in advance

[WaltR]

[quote=kiwisinger;129470]

Originally Posted by WaltR

Yes, originally, years ago.
But when CDG Zip files became available to buy online, I would buy them, unzip them, rename the cdg & mp3 files(just for clarity eg. 001 - 01 - Song Title - Artist), then import them into Hoster as KMA.



Now when I imported these new KMH files, that was not intentional, I must've pushed the wrong button.
I can't remember doing this, but I must have. I have re-imported all my Discs again (for what reason I don't no haha) but I obviously used the KMH button, giving me all those KMH files in each Disc Folder.
But of course, I still had and still have all the KMA files.



Yes, I have currently both KMA & KMH files.

So what I would like to do, is delete all the KMH files in every Disc Folder and just continue to use KMA files.
I tried doing what you suggested but it didn't work.
NB: In the "Songs Build Database" window, I don't have a "REMOVE" Folder button. These are the buttons I have:
ADD FOLDER | ADD FOLDER/SUB-FOLDERS | RESCAN FOLDER | EXCLUDE FOLDER.

I'm guessing the "EXCLUDE FOLDER" button is your 'REMOVE BUTTON?"

The only folder in the space below, is my KMA files Folder.
I tried to ADD into the space below, all the "DISC Folders", using the ADD FOLDER button, but that didn't work. So I tried the ADD FOLDER/SUB-FOLDERS button and that worked. But it didn't delete the KMH files from those Disc Folders.

Q.1. So, am I doing something wrong(wich is very likely haha) or is there another way of deleting the KMH files from each Disc Folder?
When you click on "import songs" on the top of the main page of Hoster you should get a pop up window. One of the options is "Build Data Base". When you click on that it should open another window and the "remove folder" button should be right under "merge dupes". I think this was available with Version 5.10. It will be grayed out until you highlight a folder. If not you can go to the folders that you have kmh files in or if you a master folder containing sub-folders, high the folder. Then up in the right hand corner of the page (windows explorer or file finder) do a search for .kmh. It should collect all of them and you just highlight them all and hit delete. You will want to do the same for the .txt files that Hoster places in the folders with the kmh files. Once done, Hoster will no longer recognize those songs until you re-index them.
Q.2. Just out of curiosity, having both KMA & KMH files, which one is Hoster using?
Hoster should be using both of them. If you indexed your songs twice, once by kma and once by kmh you should have duplicated songs in Hoster.
Whew, I hope my ramblings make sense?

Thank you in advance

[kiwisinger]

Hi WaltR,

IT WORKED! hehe Thank you thank you thank you!!

I finally have a better understanding,(well on this particular area anyway haha) but it has given me more confidence now in what I'm doing haha

Thank you so much for your patience and all your knowledge!

A SATISFIED & PROUD USER OF HOSTER!!

God's Blessings to you guys from down'under New Zealand

[WaltR]

Originally Posted by kiwisinger

Hi WaltR,

IT WORKED! hehe Thank you thank you thank you!!

I finally have a better understanding,(well on this particular area anyway haha) but it has given me more confidence now in what I'm doing haha

Thank you so much for your patience and all your knowledge!

A SATISFIED & PROUD USER OF HOSTER!!

God's Blessings to you guys from down'under New Zealand

Glad I could help!