Hi guys, its been quite a while since I posted, mainly because of college haha. anyways, I’ve been scavenging the blog posts and the forums for a good ID3 tagging software and I just have not seem to come across one. I originally used itunes to tag, but it seems like no matter what I did, I could never get the tags to stick, even if I converted them to the latest version. Traktor would always show me something different than what I changed it to in Itunes. I then tried trainspotter, i was not a fan of it, mostly because i have no idea how to use it and every time i tried to import tracks, it never worked. finally, i stumbled across MP3Tag. I thought to myself, great!, finally something that works and I like…wrong. Its only written for windows and I’m writing this on my macbook pro… and i’m not messing with CrossOver or Wine because i have a feeling it wont work
So, I ask you, is there anything I missed? Am i just gonna have to suck it up and figure out why itunes isnt working or learn trainspotter? or do you have any suggestions?
p.s. - while i am a traktor user, i’m looking for a general tag software. this is because i’m contemplating crossing over to the dark side and embracing serato…muhahahahah
I was in the same boat. As a windows user I LOVED MP3tag but nothing for Mac seems to fit the bill. Then I found Puddletag. It’s written for Linux but following the steps at the bottom of that post I installed in without a hitch and used it to manage my ID3 tags! Now a question for you! I am currently using iTunes (Just started keeping my tracks in iTunes after upgrading to TS2 and I noticed a couple of my tracks had typos. I fixed them in iTunes but it seems like if I re-import the tracks into Traktor my beatgrid and cuepoints disappear. I mean, I guess that should be assumed if I re-import a track but how can I “update” my Traktor tags (only the tags) to match the changes reflected in iTunes?
The way iTunes tagging works is when you import the tracks iTunes make a copy of them in its own library/folder, and I think that if you change the tags via iTunes it changes those files not your original ones.
I use Kid3, its free, simple and it works quite well for me.
The main issue here is that Itunes completely changes the track, after you edit it in itunes, thus, deleting all the information not used by itunes (like beatgrids and cues and loops, etc.) Unfortunately, there is no good way to combat this. This is actually part of the issue that I’ve been dealing with. This is why I wanted a separate tagging software. A separate software outside of Itunes, would eliminate itunes and then i’d tag the track, AND ONLY THEN would i put them in traktor.
While there is no easy solution, their is two ways to do this, one is the long way, the other is the short way. The long way - Make the changes you want in Itunes, Then make the same changes in the Traktor browser. OR you could skip Itunes altogether and just use the traktor browser. The short way - use another software besides itunes (like puddletag or Kid3) and then reimport and regrid. I hope this helps a little.
Beatgrids are not stored in the mp3 file and I edit stuff with cues and loops all the time and they stay in the file just fine. Maybe you changed the name of the file in iTunes? If that’s the case than Traktor may not know where that file is.
And as far as iTunes copying files over that only happens if you have iTunes set up to do that in preferences.
This is pretty much spot on. I actually found out yesterday that Traktor stores beatgrids and cue points in the actual track title. If you use Mixed in Key (just got it to give it a shot, lil extra money sitting around) there is an option or rewrite the track title and it has a warning that Traktor and other DJ programs actually use the track title for cuepoints and such. Therefore if you change the track title, Traktor doesn’t know what it is and thinks it’s a new track for all intents and purposes. Hope that helps.
Unfortunately, you’re definitely not mistaken. It’s by far my favorite tagging system (most everything about it is straight forward and simple, and works spot on), and I have yet to find an equal replacement for Mac.
More on topic, I’d love to hear more suggestions too. I just got my MBP two weeks ago, and have yet to find an ID3 editor that’s on par with MP3tag. I’ve tried musicbrainz and kid3, but neither seem to have that “whole package” feel that MP3tag had. Puddletag seems like a great option, but I want something built for OS X so I don’t have to do any tinkering. It’s one of the main reasons I got a mac in the first place.