New User Question - How to sort by track number with FLAC?

[joerg]

Hi Peter,

 

It's my first post here, so a brief introduction before the question. I only tried XXHighEnd as a player recently and got it activated after a day or two playing around comparing it to my previous playback software (JRMediacenter with ASIO output). The SQ with XXHighEnd is a big step forward, I quite simply never had a better source so far!! I am using 09v-5 running Engine3 on Vista. My DAC is Doede Douma's USB kit (60 parallel 1543 Chips, NOS).

I have a few questions concerning the use of XXHighEnd, I read a few posts here but did not find the answers, if there is a documentation somewhere that I should read first, let me know and I check there.

My questions:
- My FLAC files are stored in this structure: C:\MusicServer\FLAC\Artist\Album. Each album folder contains the individual tracks. This is how I organised everything so far. The file names do not contain the track numbers and when I use Library in XXHighEnd the Albums show nicely under each Artist, I can add the Album to the playlist and play it from there, no problem. But the tracks are sorted by name on the playlist instead of track number. Is there anyway to get the sorting by tracknumber without renaming all the files to contain the track number first for sorting?

- Currently I use a Logitech DiNovo Mini keyboard to control the playback. Is there an option that would allow me to design and program my own user interface and use the XXHighEnd engine for playback? I was thinking about a very simple display with CD player style controls for my touchscreen, that would also respond to standard remote control functions...if that's not possible, can I make some feature requests instead 

Thanks in advance!

Best regards from Frankfurt, Germany

Joerg

[PeterSt]

Hi Joerg,

I have a few questions concerning the use of XXHighEnd, I read a few posts here but did not find the answers, if there is a documentation somewhere that I should read first, let me know and I check there.

There is no manual yet, but generally you could read all the releasenotes from bottom to top. Maybe not quite doable, but everything *is* in there ...

But the tracks are sorted by name on the playlist instead of track number. Is there anyway to get the sorting by tracknumber without renaming all the files to contain the track number first for sorting?

No, and I wouldn't know how to make something for that. The sorting is provided by Windows and the real sequence is unknown. It would be known in FreeDB though, but it may go too far for me creating something like that especially for you.

Currently I use a Logitech DiNovo Mini keyboard to control the playback. Is there an option that would allow me to design and program my own user interface and use the XXHighEnd engine for playback?

Theoretically yes, because I do the same myself. That is, with Engine#3. But I really wouldn't advise you to do such a thing because it is way more complicated than you think. One day, though, there may be a version which just allows for it explicitly.
For now we must say the answer is No.

There's no need to hand out an official feature request for something like this. You could say it is a generally wanted thing , and I know it.


When you have some spare time, could you setup your signature a bit like we all do ? very convenient in the case you have problems. For now I will recall your 60 chip DDDac. But ... isn't that much ?

Peter

[joerg]

Hi Peter,

Had a power supply problem on my desktop PC, this is fixed so I am back online. I have also setup my signature a little with what I am using and some of the XXHighEnd settings. The music PC was working all the time and I got a bit more used to the interface of XXHighEnd. I am enjoying the really excellent sound, but hope for a few of the usability enhancements that were mentioned on the board here 

The biggest annoyance is the track sort order still, as it is not possible to play anything in sequence. On some albums it is quite cool to listen in an unexpected order, on others it is really bad (like soundtracks, classical pieces or concept albums that tell a story).

Anyway, I have the option to rename all the files with the track number in the file name, might just have to do that since I don't think I am going to switch back to my old player software.

Regards,

Joerg

[PeterSt]

Wait a minute ...

Joerg, although I have invested some hours in setting up something which solves your problem, which may take too much time all together for you to wait for (I would HATE the wrong order) ... I suddenly thought of this :

FLAC contains tag info per definition, and most probably the track number is in there. But, this depends on how you FLACed and when you did it. Assuming that the track number is in there, I can get it out ...

Are you able, somehow, to determine whether that "other player" indeed gets the track number out of the FLAC file ?
To give a definite answer on this, you can try this :

Rip a well known album with EAC (nothing else !) and just have the output in WAV. Don't spend time on quality settings in EAC, because they're not important now. But, cause the output tracks *not* to have track numbers, like you are used to.
Confirm in the output folder that the tracks are on alphabetical sequence (hence not the track number order, or it must be a coincidence).

Now, does this other player present you the correct sequence with these tracks ?
If so, it gets the data from the internet (which I spent a few hours on, so far).
If not, it is able to get the track data from the FLAC tags, which is not possible for standard WAV (like EAC creates them).

If you know the answer anyway, you can skip the above procedure of course.

Peter

[joerg]

Hi Peter,

Thanks for the quick reply! The track numbers are stored in the FLAC file, I am 100% certain. I used JR Mediacenter 12 (and will continue to use it for ripping and tagging) before chaniging to XXHighEnd for playback. JRMC 12  gets the data from the Internet, but I have things setup so that the FLAC tags contain the important information as well.

I know that XXHighEnd started with WAV where tags are not an option. The tag information is one big plus with FLAC for me besides the compression.

It would be brilliant if you had an easy way to support the basic tags and the track number would be my most important one :-)

Regards,

Joerg

[PeterSt]

Thank you Joerg. I will try my best to get the track numbers out of there, and make them useful for your purpose. It might not be in the next upcoming version, but if not, the one after that.

Peter

[PeterSt]

Hi Joerg,

I you still there ?
I wanted to have it in in 0.9w-1, but didn't manage.
I will try to do it in the next version ... if you still need it.

Peter

[PeterSt]

I you still there ?

I guess not. But if so, you can try 0.9w-2 (as how it is today) and see whether it works out for you.
Note that the solution is based on the presence of a .cue file, and not on the (header) contents of a FLAC file. It would not be a common way to do it like that at all (if possible, which I did not examine).

Please let me know,
Peter

[joerg]

Hi Peter,

Yes, still around. I have subscribed to the RSS feed so I keep reading what's new. I am not using .cue files at all. So unless you have implemented to read the track number from the tag in the flac file itself it is not going to work for me at the moment.

I guess I'll have to wait. I was reading your post about the new release and had hopes it would be done. Anyway, comes time, comes feature. Patience is a virtue :-) Since I can switch to use XXHighEnd or my other player software I have the option to pick a different player when listening to classical or concept albums. On the others, it does not bother me much to have an unusual order of tracks.

All the best

Joerg

[PeterSt]

Ok, then I'll dive into the FLAC-Track solution afterall.

[Calibrator]

....  unless you have implemented to read the track number from the tag in the flac file itself it is not going to work for me at the moment.

G'day joerg,

may I suggest you look at Tag&Rename ( http://www.softpointer.com/tr.htm ).

That has the capability to read the IDTAG data embedded in FLAC's and rename the file according to the tag contents. I have been using it for years and is very quick and easy to use.

It will overcome your current issues of naming conventions.

Cheers

Russ

[joerg]

Hello Russ,

Thanks for the suggestion, I am aware that this could be done. I am using JRMediacenter for all my ripping and tagging, it could also easily rename the 1000+ CDs. Besides the tag information from the files it keeps also a database of the information, that is why it never occured to me that the trackname might be useful as part of the file name.   

But since software players are not like expensive CD players where I would not keep two around, I can wait until the feature is in XXHighEnd sometime.

Best Regards,

Joerg

[PeterSt]

[PeterSt]

Ok, RSS this :

(and let me know whether it works in all cases -> should deal with MP3 just the same)


Save your old XXHighEnd.exe from your current XX folder just in case, and put the one in below zip in there.
Edit : - in your current XX 0.9w-2 folder ! (otherwise things will not work)

[PeterSt]

And ?