Importing files from CAVS hard drive-based system

[El Ramos]

I'm prepping some files that originated on a CAVS hard-drive based system for use with kJams. I've done the necessary .MCG -> .CDG file conversion; now I'm just wondering how I can get kJams to automatically assign the proper artist, title, disc, and track information to each of the incoming songs.

The CAVS system stores info this way:

Code: Select all

SC08\  <- Folder with "Disc/Album" Name

SC09\

SC10\
  00001.MCG <- Files with "Track" Names
  00001.MP3
  00002.MCG
  00002.MP3
  ...
  list.txt <- Text file containing Song and Artist info for each track, formatted like so:

00001|My Best Friend's Girl|The Cars
00002|These Boots Are Made For Walking|Nancy Sinatra

As I understand it, kJams expects to get this info from one of only two places: meta tags in the MP3s, or the names of the files themselves. If that's true, I guess I should go the filename route, perhaps by turning each of those list.txt files into a script or batch file that inserts the title, artist, and disc information into each track filename.

What do you-all think? Is that the best approach, or is there an easier way?

[dave]

is this text file thing a standard of some kind?
are you sure the tags did not get into the MP3 files?
if it is a standard then i'll have you send me a folder of your conversion and i'll write a meta scanner for that text file.

[El Ramos]

is this text file thing a standard of some kind?

Yes, it's how those standalone CAVS SCDG units expect files to be arranged on any hard drive you connect to them.

are you sure the tags did not get into the MP3 files?

Yes, I'm sure. None of the MP3s contain any meta data.

if it is a standard then i'll have you send me a folder of your conversion and i'll write a meta scanner for that text file.

Whoo! Anything that helps people move *away* from that system is all right with me.

I think everything is pretty much covered by the first post in the thread, actually. (UPDATE: artist names are spelled out first name-last name, not flipped. I fixed my post accordingly.)

The only additional info I can think of: the text file is in MS-DOS format, so each line will end with that funky $0D $0A character pair for CR/LF.

[dave]

please zip and send me a folder with just a few songs in it (to keep it small)

use my file server rather than email, it's easier:

afp://kjams:[email protected]/ftp/

to use: copy the above text, go to finder, command-K, paste, enter.
a new volume will mount. drag your zipped thing to there. then dismount the volume.

[El Ramos]

please zip and send me a folder with just a few songs in it (to keep it small)

Done, and I've emailed you the password to decrypt its contents.

[dave]

thanks.

[El Ramos]

Any progress on this? I can probably turn my list.txt files into shell scripts and rename my files manually, but I'd prefer to use whatever import feature you add to kJams, if it's coming soon. Thanks!

[dave]

sorry i misplaced this! okay it's back on my list.
i'll look at it this week!

-dave