Mass tagging with Mp3tag

This mass tagging procedure labels the files of your computer-based music library with track info from tango.info, operating on many files (e.g. your entire library) in one go. It works on files of all major audio formats.

To tag just a one or two albums, you will find solo tagging quicker.

Mass tagging identifies albums by the barcode number - the 12, 13 or 14-digit number (excluding spaces and dashes, e.g. 8427328130431) shown under the barcode on the back cover of the album's case, or on the album's tango.info page.

The labels ("tags") it supplies are:

• Album (title), Album Artist, Side (a.k.a. Disc Number, Set)
• (of track:) Title, Track (number), Artist, Genre, Year

Note: Artist is a comma-separated list of primary artist name(s) (e.g. orchestra leader), followed by secondary artist name(s), e.g. Osvaldo Pugliese, Roberto Chanel, Alberto Morán (improvement planned).

Requirements

Track files and their parent folders need to be named as follows:

• Each track file name starts with the track number.
• Each track's folder path name contains somewhere:
  • for a single-disc album, the album barcode number;
  • for each disc in a multi-disc album, the album barcode number, followed by - or \ , followed by the disc number.
• Leading zeros are allowed on track and disc numbers, and on album barcodes provided the result does not exceed 14 characters.
• Examples:
  • My Music\El rey del compas (1941-1943) 828766933420\1 El rey del compás.flac
  • My Music\40 Grandes Exitos (CD1 of 2) 8427328146067-1\01 Patotero sentimental.flac
  • My Music\40 Grandes Exitos (CD2 of 2) 8427328146067-2\01 Porteño y bailarín.flac
  • My Music\08427328146067\2\1.flac (TINT-based filing)
  • My Music\08427328146067-002\1.flac (TINT-based filing)

Setup

1. Go here to download Mp3tag V2.39f or later, install and launch.
2. Select the following two lines (mouse to the start of the first, then click and hold as you drag to the end of the second):

   $filename(,ansi)$loop(%dummy%)$regexp($regexp($regexp(%_folderpath%%_filename_ext%,'.*?(\d{12,14})(?:(?:-|\\)(\d+))?.*?\\(\d+)[^\\]*$',$1-$2-$3),'^(\d+)--(\d+)',$1-1-$2),'(.*:.*)','Error: album, disc and/or track number missing from path $1')
   $loopend()

   and click Edit | Copy.

3. In Mp3tag, click Tools | Options (you'll get the Mp3tag Options dialog box) and then in the left-side list click Export.
4. Click the starred page icon (you'll get a dialog box) and click OK (you'll get a Notepad window).
5. In the Notepad window, click Edit | Select All and then Edit | Paste (all lines will be replaced by the lines you copied above).
6. Click File | Save.
7. Leaving the Notepad window open, switch back to the Mp3tag Options dialog box.
8. In Export file name type c:\mp3tag.txt .
9. Uncheck Show selection dialog.
10. Click OK, again click Tools | Options, and click New Configuration (workaround for Mp3tag V2.38f bug, awaiting fix).
11. Click OK (the dialog box will close).

Step 1 - Retrieve tag data

1. Launch Mp3tag if not already running.
2. Click File | Change directory... and select the folder containing your album folders. To add further folders, use File | Add directory....
3. Click File | Export (you'll get a dialog box) and click Yes (you'll get a Notepad window showing a list of track references).
4. Look for any lines saying Error: track and/or album number missing.... For any you find, either:
   • correct/add the track and album numbers: in Windows Explorer adjust the reported file/folder names, then go back to 2. above, or;
   • exclude them: in Mp3Tag, click Path (for helpful grouping), select each corresponding track and press Delete, then click Edit | Unselect All and go back to 3. above.
5. In the Notepad window click Edit | Select All and then Edit | Copy.
6. Go to http://tools.tango.info/tagger1.0.php .
7. Click in the Track references text box, click Edit | Paste, and click Submit.

You've retrieved the tag data for your tracks.

Step 2 - Save the tag data

1. Click on in the Tag list text box and then click Edit | Copy.
2. Switch back to the Notepad window (containing the track references, still selected) and click Edit | Paste (the contents will be replaced by the tag list).
3. Inspect the tag list for any line starting Error::
   • Error: track not found... means tango.info has no data for this track - the track will simply be skipped.
   • Error: followed by anything else signifies a serious problem - do not proceed.
4. Click File | Save.

You've saved the tag list for your tracks.

Step 3 - Put the tag data into your track files

1. Switch back to Mp3tag.
2. Click Edit | Select all files
3. Click Convert | Text file - Tag (you'll get a dialog box).
4. In Filename enter c:\mp3tag.txt .
5. In Format string enter

   %dummy%;%dummy%;%album%;%BAND%;%discnumber%;%track%;%title%;%artist%;%genre%;%year%;%dummy%

6. Click OK. You'll get a dialog box saying e.g. Tag extracted from text file ' c:\mp3tag.txt" and saved in 2024 of 2024 files.
   • Note: if you use the preview function: if there are to much files you want to tag - then the preview file will not open in notepad.
7. Verify the two numbers are the same. If not, you probably made a mistake in copying or pasting - click Edit | Undo and try again from Step 1.

You've put the tag data into your track files. Mp3tag shows you the result.

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