MP3 Metadata locked

[Winfried]

Due to the new sample app MP3 Player I converted some CD to mp3-files with the Windows Media Player.
For some songs the Windows Media Player includes the wrong title. Probalble an error in the database the Windows Media Player uses.
I tried to clean it up without IMatch, but all fields are locked. I am not able to change them.
Is this on purpose or just a configuration problem with my system?

Winfried

[Mario]

ExifTool currently does not support updating MP3 files. And since IMatch writes metadata via ExifTool, it can only show the MP3 tags (and use them) but not update them. Use one of the many free dedicated MP3 editors out there to change the data. IMatch will pick up the changed metadata automatically.

[BanjoTom]

WinAmp worked for me to change locked MP3 metadata.  Easy to do. . .

[Mario]

WinAmp, MediaPlayer, iTunes and many dedicated MP3 metadata editors are available for free. No problem there.
I'd wish Phil would look into MP3 writing again. I'm sure he has his reasons for not having this implemented yet.

[miker]

I am a new user.
I just imported my mp3 recordings and found them locked too.
This is a big downer for me.
I'm looking to use this as a general digital asset manager for the house.

[miker]

So I'm working with mp3tag and I can see how this will work fine.  I also created a description attribute which I'm going to use with files of type .exe as well.

In addition to using imatch for my photos and videos, I'm going to use it to organize my recorded mp3s (lots of live music) and my extensive library of downloaded software.  I am very happy with the product.  I heard about it about 7 years ago but only just settled on using it seriously a month ago.

[Menace]

I already wrote Phil about this. Here is his answer: http://u88.n24.queensu.ca/exiftool/forum/index.php/topic,5112.msg24650.html#msg24650

But with some tools it isn't so difficulty to use it together with IMatch. In IMatch you can put the other software, which you need for tagging inside the "favorite" of IMatch and it isn't so far away:

I use often:
- MP3Tag --> tagging
- TagScanner --> tagging
- foobar2000 --> listening

For example: I mark all files of a album and click inside IMatch on "Tagscanner". So the software open inside the right direction. After this, I let "Tagscanner" scan for the tags, I want.

Performer I just add inside IMatch, but doesn't write it inside the mp3s (most software can't read it anyway). But if I'm looking for all files with my favorite drummer "Dennis Chambers", I can play the in a easy way. Not perfect, but IMatch is still a great help.

[metamapmike]

Menace, I have a similar experience as you with tagging music. I'm very familiar with foobar2000 and MP3Tag, but not TagScanner, so I looked at the TagScanner website and everything in the feature list is already in foobar2000, to say nothing of foobar2000's advanced tagging features. Why do you use that program for tagging instead of foobar2000? In my experience, foobar2000 is way more powerful and efficient for tagging than MP3Tag with the exception of embedding cover art, for which foobar2000 has only crude functionality.

Also, in the past I was very keen to rewrite the internal metadata for MP3s with a lot of custom information like %performer% but nowadays I'm convinced the best approach is to use a separate metadata manager like IMatch and only put minimal, objective data inside the MP3 with the criteria:

1) Include enough metadata to uniquely identify each file, which basically means %album artist%/%artist%/%album%/%index%/%title%, a point that is complicated by the existence of reissues, remasterings, etc that tend to be annotated in the %album% field in practice as an ad hoc solution, but it's simple enough to include a %version% field or expand the %date% field to %recording date%, %release date%, %original release date%, etc.

2) Don't include any metadata that is subjective or subject to revision, like %instrumentation%, %rating%, %mood%, %genre% (an arbitrary and extremely subjective classification).

These criteria make the data more portable and avoids any need to re-write file headers to synchronize with personal/subjective metadata.

On this topic, I'll add that a good quick and dirty solution to listing performers and other contributors to MP3 metadata is to just copy and paste the big chunk of text listings credits from a source like Discogs into a %credits% field. That way every single album featuring Dennis Chambers will show up when you search his name in foobar2000. In the absence of a good database that can transfer properly structured metadata about personnel/credits, this saves a lot of time.