Hi all. I’ve compiled a list of 17 albums with metadata issues. Should I put them all in a big long post,
one at a time, or cut them into bite-size chunks of say, 5 issues?
Can I fix my metadata issues by editing them in Roon, or setting file tags in the appropriate way? Can I tell
Roon to only look at my file for the meta info for a given album, and not globally?
This metadata stuff is complicated for classical music. And the term “classical” is even ambiguous, since
it’s both a genre and and generic term. Grr. I prefer “Western Art Music” to “Classical”, but I guess that
ship has long since sailed…
Thanks for any info, and keep up the good work!
-Jan
As you appear to be just beginning with sorting out identification and metadata I would suggest you post them one by one, starting with the most mysterious. The answer in each case is likely to be slightly different. Maybe after a few you’ll find the solutions yourself.
Thanks Ludwig, I appreciate it. OK here’s one that really surprised me.
I can’t get a listing for my Toscanini NBC Symphony recording of Beethoven’s Symphony no. 9. allmusic has listing for it:
but my album is unidentified, and the two possibilities are not even close to right.
It’s not like this is an unknown recording, right? So I must be doing something wrong - maybe my tags?
I’d be glad to supply any info that might help. Thanks!
When you click on “Unidentified” in Roon you should get a list of automatic matches and, depending on your tags, you may get lucky. Sounds like you’re not.
Click on “None of these look right” and then enter Toscanini into the artist field and “Beethoven: Symphony No. 9” into the Album field.
In most cases the right choice becomes obvious, but in yours Toscanini really liked Beethoven’s 9th! I’d be inclined to pick the second option based on the release date and the exact title match with allmusic.
On the next screen you may see that some tracks don’t match in terms of time. If the numbers are close then you’re probably OK. If they’re way off then see if you’re presented with left and right arrows under the artwork to try a different version. Give it a go and see what you come up with. You may need to go back to the previous screen and select a different version.
Some albums are an absolute bear to match up and others (most) are right there when you click on unidentified.
As for artwork, don’t worry if the art in Roon’s database doesn’t match yours. Roon will automatically pick the highest resolution artwork, but you can always edit an album and select the art you want displayed using “Edit Fields.”
Hi Andrew, thanks for the help. I wish my screens looked like yours, but then I wouldn’t be so confused!
Here is what I get if I click the “Unidentified” link on the page you see in the background:
I’ve found that the fewer search terms you use the better. In the case of items which will have multiple spellings / phrasings then it’s best to use exactly what’s in allmusic. This is especially true of classical where there’s no rhyme or reason to the use of “Symphony No. 9” vs “Symphony #9”
OK, I’ve fixed several issues, but now I have one that’s a little strange - this is a Bartok Piano and Violin Concertos 2-CD album with Ashkenazy, Chung, and Solti. There’s a listing on allmusic, but no metadata:
What’s odd is that roon actually finds something with the correct movements, but it says the Piano Concertos are arranged for piano four hands, which it’s not - it’s with the London Philharmonic.
Any ideas on how roon managed to come up with that? And how I can fix it? Thanks!
