I would like to see Focus/Inspector/Storage Locations one directory deeper, but otherwise oppose folder browsing in Roon. Not because it concerns me how others interact with their libraries, but because every development decision in Roon defers other possibilities… I would rather see many other things instead, such as a mobile solution.
1 Like
I would like to see Focus/Inspector/Storage Locations one directory deeper, but otherwise oppose folder browsing in Roon.
Why just one directory deeper? Why is two or three more difficult than one? Personally, I would need 4 or 5 levels, so adding one more is not all that useful. But if you are opposed to the concept, and don’t want to spend any development time on it, why bother even adding one more directory? That seems like a token gesture that benefits nobody.
One directory deeper would permit easy tagging of the major directory categories. In my library this is Artist, which is pointless because Roon permits sorting by Artist and I can bookmark any Artist view I want. But there are some users who have thematic, gig or other idiosyncratic data structures at the root of their libraries, after that however, the Focus tools usually allow filtering to views that you can bookmark or select/tag.
Rather than a token gesture I think it would make a practical difference in the few cases (eg. completist gig archivists) where the Focus tools can’t replicate an initial large scale classification. These are edge cases.
I don’t know what increasing the depth of Storage Location filtering would require in terms of software development. Certainly limiting to one further level would be simpler than supporting an arbitrary number of levels.
I believe that managing file systems across Windows, MacOS, Linux, iOS and Android would require some resources. Not many other programs do that.
If you felt like it I’d be pleased to hear more about your folder structure and why the Focus tools are inadequate to create appropriate bookmarks or tags
In this case, do you think that it is a good idea to indicate to roon as storage the different level 1 directories instead of the only level 0 directory ?
This is pretty much handled transparently in most programming languages these days. A directory tree is a directory tree is a directory tree…
Sorry, I’m not going to do that. As I said earlier, I have seen many others try to explain why they need folder browsing each of the many times this has come up. In each case they were met with derision and condescension, as people patiently and patronisingly explained that what they wanted could already be easily done in Roon without folder browsing. And maybe it could. Of course, it would take lots of work to re-edit their metadata, add tags to several terabytes of music files and build playlists to replicate their folders. But of course that’s what they signed up for … lots of work. *
Really, it’s of no relevance to anyone but me why I would like folder browsing. I buy expensive software because it makes my life easier, not harder. Maybe if folder browsing was an option, I would eventually move over to the Roon system as I got used to it. Maybe not.
I’m not suggesting that Roon change its philosophy or build an alternative browser with flashing lights and an arrow saying “this way to the boring old world of folder browsing and plain lists of music like everyone else”. But if Focus allowed me to zoom in on a particular folder - and at a level that I have selected, not one that Roon generously allows me to look at - it would make life easier and I would be perfectly happy to use Roon exclusively, even if Tidal does disappear - despite the comforting assurances of Techradar.
- Edit: And as I wrote that, another example of exactly this phenomenon was posted: Browser local files to organize them in library playlists - really it's a thing. Someone gave a perfectly valid reason for requesting folder browsing. They were told that this could already be achieved in Roon in a complex process of many steps - ie doing lots of work - which frankly I could not follow.
3 Likes
In a perfect world with perfectly tagged albums and a 100% hitrate of Roon’s databse a file browser is not needed. Unfortunalty we do not live in a perfect world and Roon ain’t perfect either.
Today I have tried to group 28 tracks into one album. All the tracks are in one directory. and all have the same album name tag but somehow Roon does not recognize it as an album because it is not an official album (happens a lot)
I have recognized in the album browser that Roon did not recognize these tracks as being an album but as 28 albums with the same album title so I wanted to correct that.
Now there is no way to multiple select these “albums” here in the album browser so we have to go somewhere else. Open one of the albums to go to the album page. From there we can rightclick on the single track to select view file info. Then copy the file path to clipboard. Then I have to go to the trackbowser, paste the filepath into the filepath section, manually delete the trackname from it so only the directory name is left. Check if it was done right, check if it has really only selected this directory (many times there are also other directories selcted because it does only a search on keywords) Doublecheck, sometimes even triplecheck (yes, really needed, mistakes are very easy because Roon can not select just the directory content in any way. Then multiselect all the tracks, go to goup tracks into one album. From there things get even more confusing because it is not always clear what’s being asked of me. All this takes a lot of steps. In each step mistakes are possible, you have to manually check everything everytime again and again. It takes about 3 to 10 minutes per album this way. (times hundreds in my case) With a directory viewer it would take me one tenth of this time to do all this, really. I’m not asking for a directory browser. I’m asking for an easy way to edit tracks/albums and viewing directory content is a very important part in that process.
Again, we are not living in a perfect world so tools like this are still very needed. In trying to make things simple Roon might work fine but when things don’t go the Roon way automatically it is about the most complicated, confusing and frustrating pieces of sofware I have ever encountered. Not being able to simply view and select the content of a directory plays a big part in that. Let me view and select the content via the Focus tool please. It is not in the way for anyone who doesn’t need it, doesn’t want it. But it helps a whole lot for those with less then 100% perfect libraries. Like said many times before, we do not need a full fledged directory browser ala J.river etc, please no no no, absolutely not. Is it really that much to ask?
1 Like
Agree 100%
In the Album browser, right-click/long-press on one of them, click all the others, click the Edit button in the upper right, the first button is Merge Albums.
Did I understand your situation correctly? Did this work?
3 Likes
Thanks, I will give it a try. Will report back later
Tried it with a couple of albums. Seems to skip a few steps this way. However,.whenever I “merge” albums I loose the album art and there is no way I can select a album cover image from the directory of the album while I know it is in there.
Interesting that we both speak passionately about rediscovering our music, but do it so differently.
To me, the most valuable thing is the links. It isn’t about tagging an album so I can find it,when I know what I want. It is the relationships. I pick a Keith Jarrett album, this is some great drumming, oh it’s Paul Motian instead of his usual Jack DeJohnette, what else do I have by Motian, Bill Evans in the 50s to Samuel Blaser in 2011 just before Motian died, that Blaser album has a great bassist, Thomas Morgan, what else do I have with him, Jakob Bro, David Virelles, lots of great music.
If all I have is a way to find albums, the web of relationships has to be in my head. Even when browsing through directories, like leafing through LPs in bins in the record store, why do you suddenly stop on one album and decide to play it? Because you know something about it and think it would fit now. But we can’t remember all the relationships, all the musicians and composers and poets and gigs.
This is the value some of us harp on. And want to share.
1 Like
I have many, many unidentified albums in my Roon DB but don’t recall ever encountering the situation you outline. What do the other tags look like, do all tracks have a common albumartist tag?
I do not often go browsing old work-related client files just to find something i’m in the mood for at the time. I hope you don’t either.
I would find it more curious and slightly worrying if all agreed on one single approach. Nobody is threatening the so beloved link mechanic, we’re just arguing for an additional way of browsing content that would increase the flexibility of Roon. Don’t see why there’s such animosity. As Spock would have put it… ”Fascinating!”.
1 Like
Hmm, wonder why it does that.
But I wonder more why it considered these 28 tracks to be 28 different albums, if the had the same album name in metadata. That has never happened to me.
Another voice for folder access. I’m not arguing the virtues of one approach vs the other. I use both. The Roon approach is wonderful and what I use 80% of the time. The other 20% I have to use a different application, BubbleUPnP on Android tablet. The best on Android if you want folder browsing. The problem is I have to leave Roon to do it (and I do). And then I lose any volume leveling, DSP, etc. that Roon provides to the signal itself. Having access to folders withing Roon takes nothing away from anyone that doesn’t use them, doesn’t care, or think that those who do are ignorant ludites. So far, my primary dissatisfaction with Roon.
I disagree, Roon does not do that without reason.
An example from my own collection, a compilation from a friend, later ripped;
I cannot deny that Roon has ”educated” me in the ways of tagging my files in a few scenarios, but basically everything has been automatic.
1 Like
On closer look the 28 tracks did not have a album name tag.Roon named the album according to the folder name they where in, mistaked by me as an album tag. That’s why they showed up as 28 album with the same album name. But what I have missed is that there where 14 other tracks in the same folder that did have an album name tag. These did not show up in the album browser at the same place as the 28 tracks mentioned before because they did have a different album name. Anyways, it’s to complicated in Roon to be absolutely 100% sure you have covered the whole content of a directory when trying to merge/group the files in them.
Don’t know what you mean by “don’t show up in the same place”.
In the album browser, sorted by date added, you should see the first being 29 albums, the 28 broken ones that need to be merged, plus the good one.
I always look there after an import, just to look at how Roon recognized it, even though my music is almost always commercially acquired and identified. A few times I have gotten individual I tagged tracks from musician friends, and have done what I suggest here: import the folder, select whatever scrambled stuff I got in Roon, merge them into one “album”, and edit its metadata. Once that is done, I can do all normal Roon things with it.