External file managers work with KJams?

[devwatch]

I have been reading about Karaoke library management programs like KJ File Manager (http://www.latshawsystems.com/ProductDe ... nager.aspx). This sounds like just the type of solution I need. Question: How will using programs like this affect my KJams library? Would I have to delete it all and rebuild it, or will the links be dynamic?

[dave]

you would need to rebuild.

but aren't you aware that kJams can do those things?

or: what feature does THAT have that you think kjams does NOT have?

[devwatch]

OK, I see that there are some library management functions in the Advanced menu and that they operate on multiple files. These include:
- Swap Name <-> Artist
- Swap Artist <-> Album
- Swap Name <-> Album
- Title Case
- Capital Case
- Album Name All Caps
- Artist Name: Swap First <-> Last
- Reinterpret names

So, to compare apples to apples, here is the feature list for KJ File Manager:
- Rename and make corrections on multiple files at once
- Automatically corrects for capitalization, underscores, and excess spacing errors
- Export and convert to different naming formats
- Easily convert between Zipped and Unzipped formats
- Writes MP3 ID tags (both version 1 and version 2.1 tags, even for zipped MP3+G files)
- Powerful "Find / Replace" tool for correcting common mistakes across multiple files
- Search Filter for narrowing down viewable tracks to specific artist, title, disc, or keyword/phrase
- Duplicate finder for locating song duplicates by same artist or by same artist and disc manufacturer.

So I have used KJams Pro to reinterpret names and culled/removed the duplicates from the library. I still have a ton of variations: First Last; Last, First, FIRST LAST, This & That, This And That, this and that, etc. These variations are preventing me from creating a song list where duplicates are minimized. Excel just doesn't have the chops to swap first and last names, much less to tell what names are not first and last (for example: Twisted Sister, not Sister, Twisted). So I need the names in the KJams library to be as correct as possible.

Question: If I highlight all items in the library and iterate through all the advanced KJams functions, will it know not to change "ELO" to "Elo"? Will it know that "Twisted Sister" is not "Sister, Twisted"? Is there a best way to do this? Because I don't want to create problems and then have to hunt them all down.

Thanks!

[dave]

- Rename and make corrections on multiple files at once

kjams does this

- Automatically corrects for capitalization, underscores, and excess spacing errors

kjams does this (capitalization you have to tell it to do that)

- Export and convert to different naming formats

kjams does this

- Easily convert between Zipped and Unzipped formats

kjams kinda does this as a side effect but not easily.

- Writes MP3 ID tags (both version 1 and version 2.1 tags, even for zipped MP3+G files)

kjams does this

- Powerful "Find / Replace" tool for correcting common mistakes across multiple files

you got me there, but kjams let's you select all your tracks, copy, then paste into a spreadsheet, do your search/replace, then select all in the spreadsheet, copy, and paste back into kjams

- Search Filter for narrowing down viewable tracks to specific artist, title, disc, or keyword/phrase

kjams does this

- Duplicate finder for locating song duplicates by same artist or by same artist and disc manufacturer.

kjams does this

will it know not to change "ELO" to "Elo"?

no, does the other program do that?

Will it know that "Twisted Sister" is not "Sister, Twisted"?

no, does the other program do that?

[devwatch]

From what I see in the screenshots, the other program has more specific tools (like "Force ALL CAPS in Artist" to turn "acdc" into "ACDC"), but, as with KJams, you are required to identify each problem and select the files properly. I wish there was a "smart" quick fix, but it looks like the old adage about how to eat an elephant: one bite at a time.

[dave]

the problem is that it takes a human to ID each problem. We don't quite have AI up to that point yet, but we're actually getting there. have you seen Watson?

[devwatch]

Watson is out of town. I'll have to settle for Mac. What I suppose would have to happen is for the function to compare all the meta data to one of the available song databases and come up with a magic percentage match, and then conform the meta data to that of the "best match". What I'd like to see is a find/replace all feature like Dreamweaver has (HTML editor) where you get to review a log of all of the changes when it's done; you can click on any of the changes and modify/reverse it if you need to. That would be the best of both worlds to me.

[dave]

compare all the meta data to one of the available song databases and come up with a magic percentage match, and then conform the meta data to that of the "best match".

heh, great idea but probably not going to happen any time soon.

I'd like to see is a find/replace all feature

that will likely happen after 1.0, since i want that too.

[DeusExMachina]

will it know not to change "ELO" to "Elo"?

no, does the other program do that?

Um, it would if it was added to the exclusion list in Title Case.

[dave]

I have now added "ELO" now to the internal list (so it'll be in the next release) but the user still can't edit the list, cuz making it user-editable is a feature i haven't done (yet)

[DeusExMachina]

Well, when you do get around to making it a text editable list, it will be far more powerful than what is described above.
(IMHO, it would be even cooler if it just popped up in an editable windoid, instead of having to launch a text editor.)

[dave]

some things are not always as simple as they seem.

[DeusExMachina]

Thus the "when you get around to it" (which was a reference to your "yet". )

[dave]