editing my mp3 files?

[chaM]

For some strange *** reason, I have renamed my mp3 files and when I dragged them into itunes they were not the same format as how I edited them in finder... So I right clicked the file and then went to get info, I can see in more info that the title is what I want to change, I can not figure out how to do so please help.

 

[Dysfunction]

The titles in itunes are metadata (data about data) not the file name. You're in get info, which is the right place to change it. Click on the 'Info' tab

 

[louishen]

By the way, Dysfunction is talking about the get info command in iTunes, not the finder. iTunes will let you edit info for individual tracks or a range of tracks

 

[chaM]

I am talking about the actual .mp3 file, when I rick click on it there is a more info tab. The information in there is unable for me to edit. The title is what I want to edit, even though I edited the name & extension to what I wanted if I then drag it into itunes I will have to re-edit the file name since I can not change the title on the original .mp3 file. How can I fix this?

 

[louishen]

Import them in to iTunes and select each track or tracks in iTunes and select get info. You can easily edit meta data from within iTunes

 

[Dysfunction]

This is true of mediaplayer in windows as well btw.

 

[chaM]

I know I can use itunes, but here is the problem I am going to try and explain it again.

Ok say a.mp3 is in a folder.

l change the name to abcd.mp3

then i drag it to itunes, and it reads as a.mp3

 

[Dysfunction]

Yes, in iTunes, get info and click on the info tab. That is where you can edit the metadata.

 

[chaM]

Right, but it still dose not permanently change the .mp3

 

[Dysfunction]

It will not change the filename. This is metadata only.

 

[dhivyya]

is there anyway to change it then? because i seem to be facing the same problem...

 

[bobtomay]

is there anyway to change it then? because i seem to be facing the same problem...

Change what? The file name as shown in Finder or the "title" of the track as it is displayed in iTunes?

For the title of the track see the above responses.

 

[MacInWin]

If you want to change the actual file name AND the metadata that has the title of the track, you will have to do two changes. One in Finder to change the actual file name and another in iTunes to change the metadata about the track. Is that what you are trying to achieve?

 

[dhivyya]

what i mean is to change the details under "more info" in the pop-up that comes up when you right click on a mp3 file in finder and click on the "get info"...my problem is that the name of my songs change and i change the details again on iTunes but if i play them from my folder in finder again, it doesn't play the song of the same name on my iTunes, instead it plays the song as if it hasn't been played on iTunes before...

 

[mrplow]

1. Why would you play it from Finder?
2. Are you sure it's the same file? (if you right-click in iTunes - Show in Finder)
3. Does iTunes manage your music library? (i.e. if you add a track is it copied into iTunes?)

 

[chas_m]

chaM:

You are SEVERELY overthinking this. Didn't you buy a computer to do all this micromanagement work FOR you??

It doesn't matter at all in any way whatsoever what the actual MP3 file is called. It just doesn't matter.

What matters is what the metadata says. So edit the metadata in iTunes and forget about what the file is called. Get back to thinking of these things as SONGS, not FILES.

 

[Oneironaut]

You really don't need to rename the original mp3 files. There's absolutely no point to it if it still plays. But if you really want to, you can right click on a track in iTunes and choose "Show In Finder".

 

[dhivyya]

To answer your questions, sometimes
1. I just find it easier to play my songs from the Finder.
2.Now that you mention it, when I right click on a song in iTunes and click Show in Finder, it always go to the file in the iTunes folder which is in the music folder in Finder and not the file in the music folder itself (which is where I usually play my songs from).
3.If I add a track to my music folder in Finder it doesn't automatically add the songs to iTunes. It's only added if I play the song.

 

[Oneironaut]

The file is in the folder where it is, there's no "instead".

But why in the world would you want to play mp3's one at a time from the Finder, but then complain when a song isn't added to iTunes? Are you going to use iTunes or not? I don't see what's easier about not being to make a playlist or play a whole album from start to finish without hitting play for each song.

 

[MacInWin]

dhivyya, just dumping an MP3 into the Music folder won't add it to iTunes. And when you do add a track to iTunes by playing it, for example, it stores that track in a folder that it uses to hold all the other tracks and albums (and no, you can't just dump them there, either, you have to go through iTunes so that it knows that the song is there). So by editing the filename in wherever you stuffed the MP3 you accomplished nothing in iTunes. And when you edit the info in iTunes, it's not applied to the files you've stuffed into the Music folder without iTunes. Frankly, as chas_m says, you're overthinking things. Just let iTunes play your music for you, and don't worry about filenames. It'll keep track of them just fine. And when you add music, don't just dump the files into any folder, let iTunes do its thing and store them where it knows where they are. Let the computer do the thinking and just enjoy the music.