Track list order

[hbrew]

Can I list tracks by track number not alphabetical?

I ripped lots of music with Windows Media Player and didn't pay attention to track numbering. Windows Media Player listed in the correct order so I didn't see any problem. Now, even though the track number is visible in Explorer XXHE doesn't list them in track order.

I searched in various ways but don't see anything on this.
Now I watch this and include track numbers in the rip process.

Thanks!

[PeterSt]

Hi,

Now, even though the track number is visible in Explorer XXHE doesn't list them in track order.

This I don't understand. Are you sure you're looking at the same album ?
Or
Are you maybe looking at (meta data) Galleries ? Hence you changed the "Originals" but not the Gallery data ? (which would be quite impossible anyway)

Can you provide a screenshot of the Explorer view and the tracks you dragged from there on to XXHighEnd's Playlist Area and then a screenshot from that too ?

Peter

PS: Is it possible to provide us a (your) name ? I know it, but I always have to think hard, which also is related to your quite anonymous nick. It is just that we like to talk to persons instead of stones. Thanks !

[hbrew]

My name is Steve.

Attached is doc in Rich Text Format with screen shots from Explorer and XXHE. Both are in the same display order (alphabetical) not track order.

Thanks.

[AlainGr]

Hi Steve,

I noticed this in Windows explorer, so when I rip my CDs, I always ask for the tracks to be numbered with a 2 digit mask, like:
01 xxxx
02 dddd
03 aaaa

I exceptionnaly had to use a "999" format once, since the download was containing more than 100 songs... 001, 002, 003, etc...

You may not like that numbering in certain situations though...

Regards,

Alain

[PeterSt]

Steve,

Maybe you are (or have been in the past, read on) pestered by a UDF formatted device. Can be your NAS ...

On a side note because nobody will understand, including me, is that :
or you show a different source in Explorer from what you loaded into XXHighEnd;
or this is FLAC and the Track Numbers are in there.

The latter is sort (pun) of what you implied, although you never told it was FLAC. So it is my guess it is and it contributes to the confusion. Now, let's see in here for an example of similar (not the same !) :

Wrong order in Playlist Area ?

There are more topics about the phenomenon, but the one behind the link above makes it quite clear (ahum). Otherwise search the forum for UDF and user PeterSt and you'll find a few more, with the notice that this is all solved by now.
Not yours ...

The problem summarized (technically)

When a folder is scanned for its contents, the result is *always* brought forward by the sequence of creation. Regarding this you may just as well think date-time although often the time (minute) is the same. So it really is so that physically it is written to the table of contents in the sequence all was created.
There is no way around this.

It is read back in the sequence which is stored in the table of contents.
There is no way around this either.
Notice that I am talking about the programming functionality which "enumerates" the contents of a folder. This would work the same as when you start explorer for a folder and you never sorted it exlicitly on anything. So yes, you can sort explicitly, but the programming facility which "enumerates" can not. We can sort afterwards though, just like in Explorer.

But we don't want that ...
Things would go bad when two albums are in the Playlist and first we'd have track 01 of the one, then track 01 of the other, then 02 of the one, then 02 of the other, etc.

The problem summarized (functionally)

Where it goes wrong is at some "source point". Thus, if you are "capable" of having a wrong sequence - and which is possible by leaving out the track numbers and now sort it on Name (which is alphabetically) and *then* copy it to elsewhere, the copying goes by alphabeth sequence and at the other side it ends up in that sequence written. And now you can add track numbers what you want, you will not be able to let change the enumerating program facilities the sequence of coughing up. It's like the table of contents of a book being mixed up and writing the chapter numbers with pen next to it (at the left side) won't change the printing of the page; It is too late.

Solution

When you took (or want to take) the effort of adding the track numbers to it anyway, then sort it on alphabetical sequence (now it looks all OK) and from there copy it one time. Now the copying process will be in the proper sequence and at the other end the table of contents will be in the proper sequence as well.
And now it is normally usable.

And solve a bug ?

Nah, not a bug. But what you showed is that XXHighEnd *is* able to come up with the Track Number, which is stored internally in the FLAC. So yes, I know I made that, ever back. Now :
If you look at the other topics (apply mentioned search) then you see that more of such anomalies could be solved, like the HD Tracks fine (stupid) sequence of 1,2,3,4 instead of 01, 02, 03, 04 which all is fine when less than 10 tracks. But when more (like 12) it is going to be 1,10,11,12,2,3,4. IOW, there sure *is* explicit sorting in there, but I guess that happens before the track numbers are dug up from the FLAC header data. So that is not convenient.
And if it isn't clear by now : in such a situation the tracks are - without track number - in proper sequence because they were written (!) in proper sequence by the ripping software (which just starts at the beginning of a CD).

All together it is error upon error upon error which lets this fail.
I can look into it, but expect it not to be solved fast (has to wait until the next version (2.06)).

Peter


PS: Please explicitly confirm that the track numbers you showed in XXHighEnd are NOT in the file names and that they have to come from FLAC. If you are not 100% sure what I'm asking, please say so.

[hbrew]

Yes, the example is FLAC and the (track) numbers shown in XXHE were not part of the song names. I haven't gotten into Galleries yet -- tried a little but have to play with that more. I used Playlists to sort the order but that is not a fix.

After many rips I started adding a track spec but I didn't think to use a multi-digit format as AlainGr suggested. (Thanks for that!) I'll give that a shot from now on. I have been using Foobar -- any suggestion for a better ripper?

I can start re-ripping my CD's to get the correct (WAV?) format instead of FLAC (?). My HDTrack (FLAC) downloads had been showing up in the desired order until I went to the separate music PC.

Or is there a way to automatically add the track number to the file name? (Or write a program to do that?)

Thanks! More to read about.

[xp9433]

After many rips I started adding a track spec but I didn't think to use a multi-digit format as AlainGr suggested. (Thanks for that!) I'll give that a shot from now on. I have been using Foobar -- any suggestion for a better ripper?

I and many others use dBpoweramp as a specialist ripper/converter. Doesn't cost much and works very well. However, I have no idea how it compares to Foobar.

[hbrew]

Answered my question of renaming files. I used Foobar to rename files adding track number to my backup music drive.
It added two digits when a single would have sufficed. Don't know if it would add 3 digits as I don't have that many songs in any CD sets.

[nik.d]

Hi Steve,

- Ripping
As above, dBpoweramp or EAC (Exact Audio Copy). EAC is free software. Both of them need proper settings for best CD ripping.

- Foobar Track Numbering
With some album loaded, Mouse right click > Convert > ... > Destination
Following Name format is what I use:  %tracknumber% %title% resulting in filename output (example): "12 Surrender The Rain.flac"

- Output format
No difference WAV or FLAC, with FLAC format saving some disk space. FLAC ads some additional processing.

- Renaming existing files
The best helper I could find is another free utility: ReNamer with which you'll be able to correct names /add numbers to desired format.
Just a little practice needed for perfect results. Whole existing collection could be done in one go - just add all directories and add proper 'Naming Rule'.

Brgds,
George

[PeterSt]

Steve,

I just looked into this and found that this should be working all right. BUT ... at most places/functions where tracks can be loaded and I did not check those really (must have an example album for that really). However, I found one place where this is not done because a bit difficult :

Drag files from Explorer on to XXHighEnd's Playlist Area. So now it is my esitimate that you are doing that ...

Thus all other means should work, including using the "Explore" button you see next to the Load button. I mention this means because it is almost the same as when dragging from Explorer - the difference is that you pick the files instead of drag them.
Try it and let me know ...

Peter

PS: The difficulty with dragging is that the program code involved deals with the file one by one; Sorting is done on them all right, but per the one. And that's not working out much into something useful ...