• ZeHa
  • Robot
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2009-08-07
  • Posts: 416

Topic: How to sort mp3s...

Despite the fact that many people here are vinyl collectors, I'd assume that many of you also have a mp3 collection.

In my case, I have some mp3s from certain artists, where I have maybe full albums and so on, and some mp3s are just "single" mp3s, where I only have 1 song or maybe a few from each artist. So, I have an "artists" folder with sub folders for those artists that I have lots of stuff from, and I have some "genre" folders for the more random files. And this is where the trouble starts - I have 26 genre folders, and sometimes I still don't know where to put an mp3.

For example, in many cases I have the following thoughts:
- Should I put this song to "electro" or "hiphop"
- Should I put this song to "hiphop" or "freestyle"
- Should I put this song to "freestyle" or "electro"
- Should I put this song to "italo" or "disco"
- Should I put this song to "disco" or "funk"
- Should I put this song to "italo" or "wave"
- Should I put this song to "wave" or "electro"
- Should I put this song to "italo" or "freestyle"
- Should I put this song to "italo" or "electro"

Because, as you might know, there are many ambiguous songs, where you simply don't know where to put it. And in some cases, it happened that after a few years, I moved the song to the other category, because I thought it fits there better wink

So, how do you sort your mp3s? Do you even sort them by genre? If so, what do you do?

www.raveburg.de

ZeHa's Website

  • From: Glasgow
  • Registered: 2008-07-07
  • Posts: 2,205

Re: How to sort mp3s...

Does dumping everything count as sorting? If you have 26 genre folders you are doing better than me.
To be fair my record collection isn't organised either but through ancient jedi mind tricks, i'll almost always know where things are...that doesn't work for a digital collection and i would love to be able to sort it out...i've tried, got bored, did something else roll

Is not just the folder hierarchy that i struggle with, also i've also got multiple formats WAV/mp3/FLAC...you get promos are almost always WAVS which are shit for tagging info, now that Pioneer are going to support FLAC, hoping that people will ditch WAV(they're not gonna tho)

Isn't there some program i can download that will sort it all out while i have tea and a biscuit....

Let's get Dumb
  • From: the stentecnology hideout
  • Registered: 2008-07-07
  • Posts: 2,302

Re: How to sort mp3s...

I think is best to organize it in a way its easy to listen. So for example if you use Itunes it doesnt matter how you organize it really.

https://soundcloud.com/stentec

S.T.E.N.T.E.C.'s Website

  • Registered: 2008-07-08
  • Posts: 747

Re: How to sort mp3s...

I just have a folder for wave and a folder for italo (looks like we got a badass  tongue )

It's never felt worth the trouble to sort much more.  I have a solid state harddrive so I can search for tracks very fast, but I guess I'm limited in space.  Only got 216 gigs and I need most of that for movies, games, and the viewlexx flacs I've purchased

  • From: Los Jubilee
  • Registered: 2008-07-08
  • Posts: 1,173

Re: How to sort mp3s...

I used to sort files (mp3s, flacs, whatevers) into genres, labels and artists. It doesn't have to be very logic as long i could find what i needed.
I had a folder for new downloads which i never got to sort - new downloads 2014, then 2015. now this new downloads folders are mess. from time to time i randomly delete files from it if i'm not sure why i download it.

on the other hand i also stop sorting out vinyls. since i'm getting short of space i put all new records on one shelf for the last year.
but i will work on it soon smile i promise

  • From: Leipzig, Germany
  • Registered: 2013-11-18
  • Posts: 18

Re: How to sort mp3s...

Try sorting it via so called "smart" playlists.
I use Banshee (basically an iTunes clone) and I tag mp3's in the column "comment" with some keywords like genres or describing adjectives. These then automatically appear in smart playlists which I have told to include all mp3's containg one (or more) of these keywords.
Therefore you can tag a song which fits for example italo AND wave AND electro in all of those playlists and you don't have to choose.

Maybe takes a little time to set up, because you have to tag your collection; but I can recommend it.

http://www.yuyay-records.de

Robyrt Hecht's Website

  • Registered: 2008-07-07
  • Posts: 180

Re: How to sort mp3s...

Didn't care or think about this until I got Rekordbox, so much music and 300+ genres in your face. I've been struggling since then which has been a good thing, I can listen through all music again and try to rate it (which I really dislike to do..). But sorting genres is quite agonizing. I think I have some system though, many electro tunes from 2002-2006, for ex Dream Disco - In Your Eyes or Ladytron - Playgirl would go as Electro/Wave so its a bit separated from tunes like Morphology - Unimate Sequence.
I think you gotta think on it as what works for you instead of thinking "what is appropriate".