PREAMBLE
After living with a large Classical Library for a while, I think I now know what I want. So I’ve set it out in this thread.
There are many threads with discussions about Classical. I’d like this thread to contain crisp descriptions of the changes users want to see. Please feel free to add your own, with a short description.
At the the risk of abusing my Mod powers, I will be shifting longer discussions or spin offs into separate threads. Not because discussion shouldn’t occur, but simply to assist the devs in reviewing Classical Feature Requests. There will be links to threads about discussions. People will be free to edit their own posts if their opinions should change.
This is not an “official” thread. The devs have not asked me to do it. They will continue to review all Feature Request threads in the usual way. If something is not in this thread, it certainly doesn’t mean it won’t be noticed and considered. But I hope this thread can provide a primer to assist in consideration of Classical Feature Requests.
CONTENT
Classical/Non-Classical/All switch
Provide a toggleable icon in all Browsers for Classical, Non-Classical or All. Classical only switches are currently available in Composers and Compositions (albeit with inconsistent UI) and other Browsers can use Focus to do it. But it is such a common sorting requirement that I would suggest a 3 way toggleable icon common to all Browsers.
Primary Artist/Composer
Albums with Classical genre should have two groups of blue links under the title. The first for Primary Artist. The second for Composer. Composers should only be Primary Artists if they have a Performer or Conductor credit. I know some metadata providers do this differently. They are wrong and the tail should not wag the dog.
Album and Track Browser: Sort by Composer
Whether limited to Classical only or not, “Sort by Composer” is a natural filter for Classical.
Composer/Compositions: Form Focus
The Composer/Compositions screen should have the same Focus tools as the Compositions Browser. Particularly Form. At the moment this screen is very hard to navigate for major Composers.
Prescribed Titles
The metadata for Classical Albums will vary according to Performers etc. but the titles of Compositions, whether Works or Parts, should be standardised and ubiquitous. Roon should, by default, pick a metadata convention winner and apply it, regardless of variation between publishers and metadata providers. Users can always opt out by album or import preference.
Box Sets
The Disk No. reference doesn’t provide sufficient visibility of the content. Users have to peck and hunt, or know where to find something within the box set. Ideally users would be able to see a description of the contents by disk in the Album view of the set, rather than a Track listing of the first Disk. Where the set consists of separately published Albums, separate artwork for each disk should be supported.
ROONTAG (NAMEOFTAG)
Although not limited to Classical, the ability to specify a file tag for Albums or Tracks which would then add said Albums or Tracks into a Roon Tag would assist a lot of Classical curators to import their existing folder or file structures into Roon. ROONRADIOBAN has paved the way.
EDIT: ROONALBUMTAG and ROONTRACKTAG are now implemented !
Multi-Part Grouping in Radio and Playlists
Multi-part grouping can currently be turned on or off in Album Edit, but the problem is that it is desirable in some use cases and not in others. On by default in album or composition browsers, but off by default for radio or playlists would be good. @John_V has developed these ideas here.
Hiding partial works in Search
When currently searching for Mozart’s Piano Concerto 21 (for example) Search will include all Albums that have only the popular second movement. It would increase signal to noise for Roon to exclude partial works by default and allow uerss to include them only if desired.