Freeware to edit M4A metadata tags & allow Windows XP to "see" them

[vicwehman]

QUESTION:
What is the best Windows freeware to edit M4A meta data tags?
What is the best freeware extension to WinXP to view M4A metadata?

Up till now, I've been using MP3 metadata tagged songs which can easily be
edited and which windows xp recognizes .... but I received a DVD of M4A
metadata tagged songs which I don't know how to edit the m4a tags and which
Windows XP "explorer.exe" refuses to recognize in the directory listing.

I've been able to easily convert the M4A metadata tagged songs from the
format of "C:\dir\artist\album\track - title.m4a" to "c:\dir\artist -
title.m4a" (by dragging onto and off of SharePod freeware) but .....

Problem 1:
I want to edit the m4a metadata tags; what freeware edits m4a tags best?

Problem 2:
Windows XP SP3 "View -> Details" won't list M4A metadata tags; what
freeware extensions to Windows XP allows it to list M4A metadata tags?

QUESTION:
What is the best Windows freeware to edit M4A meta data tags?
What is the best freeware extension to WinXP to view M4A metadata?

[vicwehman]

On Sun, 5 Oct 2008 21:05:14 -0700, vicwehman wrote:
> QUESTION:
> What is the best Windows freeware to edit M4A meta data tags?
> What is the best freeware extension to WinXP to view M4A metadata?

Googling, I found the AudioShell freeware Windows extension, v1.3.5
http://www.softpointer.com/AudioShell.htm

It seems to view and edit Apple iTunes AAC M4A metadata, but it does not
seem to have a batch option.

So, I should modify the question to ask if you know of a good M4A metadata
extension to Windows that allows BATCH editing of the metadata for a large
number of M4A songs?

[vicwehman]

On Sun, 5 Oct 2008 21:39:52 -0700, vicwehman wrote:
> So, I should modify the question to ask if you know of a good M4A metadata
> extension to Windows that allows BATCH editing of the metadata for a large
> number of M4A songs?

Googling, I found this promising M4A batch meta data tag editor which also
renames files so maybe I can skip the SharePod step of converting ripped
audio files from a directory naming convention (album\track - title.m4a) to
a file naming convention (album - title.m4a).

Is this the best freeware M4a BATCH tagging program (for a large number of
M4A files)?
- MP3TAG v2.41 http://www.mp3tag.de/en

I also found what appears to be a later version which may have turned
shareware
- mp3Tag v5.9 http://www.maniactools.com/soft/mp3tag/index.shtml

So, I guess, I now ask if Mp3tag is the best freeware for both naming and
tagging M4a files in large blocks?

[Johnw]

vicwehman has brought this to us :

Just did another search through my database Vic, using different search
words. I'm just throwing them at you for vetting.

You may find it easier to read here.
http://groups.google.com/group/alt.comp.freeware/browse_thread/thread/7f36d31fb9e78108?hl=en

TagScanner
http://www.softpedia.com/get/Multimedia/Audio/Tag-Editors/TagScanner.shtml
http://www.xdlab.ru/en/index.htm
Portable
http://www.softpedia.com/get/PORTABLE-SOFTWARE/Multimedia/Audio/Windows-Portable-Applications-Portable-TagScanner.shtml
http://www.portablefreeware.com/?sc=44
Does iTunes & batch.

Taginator
http://www.portablefreeware.com/?sc=44
http://frank.neatstep.com/?q=node/2

jmPlayer
http://jmplayer.sourceforge.net/
jmPlayer is a simple mp3-Player and advanced mp3 ID3-Tag batch editor.
So it's main intention is to provide a simple but powerful way to
rename many files and tags at once.

Peter's Flexible Renaming Kit
http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/File-Management/Peters-Flexible-Renaming-Kit.shtml
http://www3.telus.net/pfrank/

FolderViewer
http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/File-Management/FolderViewer.shtml
http://www.snapfiles.com/get/folderview.html
http://www.matirsoft.com/

Lupas Rename
http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/File-Management/Lupas-Rename.shtml
http://rename.lupasfreeware.org/lupasrename.php
Portable
http://www.softpedia.com/get/PORTABLE-SOFTWARE/System/File-management/Windows-Portable-Applications-Portable-Lupas-Rename.shtml

[vicwehman]

On Mon, 06 Oct 2008 13:44:58 +0200, Yrrah wrote:
>> Is this the best freeware M4a BATCH tagging program

>> - MP3TAG v2.41 http://www.mp3tag.de/en
>

> 1. I don't use m4a files, so I can't answer your question. However,
> MP3Tag is the best free program of its kind I have tried and it can
> edit m4a tags according to the feature list.

Yes. The newer shareware version of MP3TAG worked perfectly to tag hundreds
of directories filled with ripped M4A songs.

> 4. It is not a bad idea to do a websearch before you post, instead of
> the other way around.

I did. I did. I really did. There are hundreds of candidates but only one
most recommended. I couldn't find ANYONE who had the exact same need I did
in my googling for a tool to convert the deep "c:\path\artist\album\track -
title.m4a" hierarchy to a flat "c:\path\artist\album\artist -
title.m4a.mp3" well-tagged organization.

Also, there are many MP3/M4A tag editors but what I needed was one that
worked with that resulting "c:\path\artist\album\artist - title.m4a.mp3"
hierarchy with hundreds of "artist\album" directories.

The first method I proposed (using SharePod to convert the file names)
worked fine but was an extra step that Mp3Tag editor shareware replaced.

And, the second method (using Mp3Tag editor shareware to change the M4A
tags) only worked after I added the additional AudioShell freeware Windows
extension so that I could SEE the M4A metadata tags in the Windows
explorer.exe program.

That AudioShell M4A freeware viewing extension eliminated the need to use
Super freeware to convert the M4A songs to the more viewable MP3 songs.

After figuring all this out, do you still really believe I could have found
the answer ONLY by googling? I think not. I needed the help from the likes
of John W. and Broadway Blue who helped steer me on the right path.

In the end, now anyone with the same problem of converting hundreds of
directories of improperly ripped songs to a properly tagged and flat
hierarchy now has the answer, whether the songs are in the MP3 or (AAC) M4A
format.

Thanks everyone!

[vicwehman]

On Mon, 06 Oct 2008 13:44:58 +0200, Yrrah wrote:

> 2. Perhaps the possiblity that they are two different programs would
> have occurred to you

Oh oh. This is bad news for freeware junkies.

Given that dismaying news, because I used the 30-day trialware Mp3tag
download, I now don't know if the freeware Mp3Tag download will also
rename, in a single step, huge numbers of directories and sub directories
of improperly ripped M4A songs with no artist information in the actual AAC
song title and then, again in batch, add M4A tags and allow Windows
explorer to view the resultant M4A organizational tags.