Uploading to BBI and file naming conventions / track order

[lesli...@hotmail.com]

 Apologies in advance for this detailed posting….but I would really appreciate someone's help here!

I now have a BB1 and a B2, to complete my family of Brennan products, as I have a cherished and not that long ago updated JB7.

For context to my first problem:

Over many years I have built up my digital and CD collection. I have a naming structure of Artist > Album name > year of release, then the individual tracks beneath that.

From the JB7 I export the uploaded music information (Menu>USB functions> Export names) and edit the output file in Notepad. I add which CD it is if a box set if needs be (usually as [CD1] or [CD2] etc. I also edit out the track numbering so that it doesn’t show in the scrolling display when playing, but the order and number is shown on the smaller static lower display line eg ‘MP3 HDD 1/10 lapsed time Normal’. I have more than a feeling that this is the cause of one of the problems I’d like help with.

My backup HDD has the same structure. All has been hunky dory and it suits me fine (even the toing and editing and froing).

Problem #1

I am having trouble trying to move music to my BBI. I have over 2700 folders of MP3 music but will want to select and move about a quarter / third max (I have a 32GB BB1)

(Somehow – but I can’t recall how...) I have managed to upload 15 CD’s into the BB1 with track numbering (01 etc). I have no idea how that happened, as I had edited the track numbers out, and the tracks are in the right order. I have been trying different ways to replicate this and do more but hit issues along the way. I can import albums through the webUI direct from my HDD; through the webUI from a flash memory with a dedicated music upload folder then subfolders of albums then files of tracks; through the USB on the BBI too…...

but, all of these methods always put the tracks in alphabetical order, and they don’t have any track numbering...!

I have checked the file structure and ensured the files are always in numeric order (by adding and sorting on # in the display features for the files in the folder) and by dragging and dropping the # order ahead of the track listing. Makes no difference to file upload from webUI or from USB in the BB1.

The only work around I have yet found is to manually insert the track numbers on my album folder and then import it. That is tedious and will be laborious. I’d rather not have to do that….

Problem #2

I have tried the BB1 bulk upload but that doesn’t appear to work - pointing it at a test ‘music uploads’ folder, where there are 11 albums and 114 tracks. The bulk upload recognises the number of tracks and seems to be sending them to the BBI (which is also showing ‘web uploading’ in red bottom left of the screen when I confirm), but nothing goes through to the BB1. I don’t see the albums in the webUI at all, and they are not on the BB1 either.

Does anyone have any suggestions? I am not going anywhere near the B2 until I crack these problems!

Many thanks, in hope!

Leslie

[PMB]

Hi Leslie,

Your naming structure - Artist > Album > Date > Tracks - does that mean you have four actual levels? I think this will cause an issue with the BB1 and the B2.... Please give an example of your naming so we can comment further.

The BB1 and the B2 will list Tracks alphabetically unless there are Track numbers - the Track numbers are not displayed on the title line but do keep the tracks in the right order.

Paul

Brennan Support.

[lesli...@hotmail.com]

Hi Paul,

Thanks for responding.

Here's a listing from my JB7 from the USB file export (which I take into Notepad, edit the date in on the top line, save and then import back into the JB7). Looking at what you've said, that's where I may well have made a mistake, and shouldn't / needn't have done the track number edit if it wasn't disp[alyed on the title line.

This is of a CD I own that I ripped through the JB7. Where I import an album from a USB then the 2nd line is blank.

Jessica Pratt - Quiet Signs  2019

Jessica Pratt / Quiet Signs 

9

Opening Night

As The World Turns

Fare Thee Well

Here My Love

Poly Blue

This Time Around

Crossing

Silent Song

Orgue

I have edited out the track numbers, but it plays in order. Sede note above about whether this was wise / necessary.

From what you have said I won't be able to upload from my backup music file without a track numbering.. But I managed to do this for the BBI. I just can't repeat the trick! And it inserted the track numbers in the right playing order. So unless I recreate that, I am looking at ripping 850 CD's anew onto the B2, and transferring those files (or some of them) across to the BB1. Or finding a way (in XL) to insert track numbers automatically, but that's beyond my skill set. Any labour-saving  thoughts welcome. 

Leslie

[PMB]

Hi Leslie,

I fairly sure the B2 and BB1 do not add track numbers as part of an 'Import' or 'Upload' but does add them when ripping a CD.

Did you see Andy C's excel program for sorting music - perhaps it could be used to add Track numbers (Andy C?)?

In your example above "Jessica Pratt / Quiet Signs" I think the "/" is an illegal character and may cause the B2 problems.

Paul

Brennan Support.

[lesli...@hotmail.com]

Hi Paul,

Thanks for responding. I'll attach an external CD drive to the BB1 and test rip a CD to see what happens.

I remember seeing Andy C's post, but wasn't needing to take that on, then. I will re-visit.

The '/' character is inserted automatically when the CD is ripped to the JB7- I have no control over that 2nd line, and any editing I have done to it results in the JB7 throwing out an error line report on import, which is a pain to find and fix ('error on line 22036'...) I have learned to leave it well alone!

From your last comment I may need to stop harbouring any desire to bulk upload to the B2 and the BB1. That's a pity, as the only alternative I can so far see is to rip my CD collection one by one to the B2, and likewise (fewer) to the BB1. That's going to be a long slog. I did have my entire CD collection stored as .mp3 and  .wma files from my laptop, but they went when my HD failed and my data recovery investment turned out to be a waste of money...

I won't let any of this deter me - I've persevered with Brennan for over 10 years now, so will keep the faith!

Leslie

[Peter Lowham]

Hi Leslie,

I have been doing some testing of moving music from a JB7 to a B2 (and onwards to a BB1), and that has worked fine for me.  The B2 has a 'file format conversion' capability provided to do just this function.  You can also move B2 fomat music folders to the JB7 using another conversion which is also already provided on the B2.

To run this 'file conversion' just follow the steps below.  Note that this requires the B2 for the conversion; the BB1 does not have this capability.

1.  On the JB7 plug in a USB HDD and then use 'Usb Functions' --> 'Export Music' to copy the music tracks from the JB7 to the USB HDD.

2.  This is a slow process (running at about 1.5GB per hour) but it gets there.

3.  Then remove the USB HDD from the JB7 and plug it into the B2.

4.  Then on the B2 I run 'Main Menu' --> 'USB Menu' --> 'JB7 Functions' --> 'Restore USB C'.

This restores all of the folders and tracks into the B2 in the correct format for the B2.  The '/' in line 2 of the JB7 data record is dealt with correctly by the B2, probably because it knows that this is a Brennan generated character in this particular situation.

To transfer onwards to the BB1, I use NAS and just drag and drop the music folders from the B2 to the BB1.  The I run 'Scan Disk' on the BB1 and the new music tracks are there on the BB1.

Regards,

Peter.

[lesli...@hotmail.com]

Hi Peter,

Seriously interesting! Thank you so much.

I'll proceed along those lines and see how it pans out.

Much appreciated,

Leslie