Multiple Artist Albums
Media Center comes with a number of tools to help automatically identify compilation albums that include various artists.
Album Artist (auto)
See Using Album Artist and Album Artist (Auto) for more details.
Automatic Assorted
When you rename files (right click > Library Tools > Rename Files from Properties), the window that appears provides the option to "Use Assorted for [Artist] on multi-artist albums". This is just under the Directories Rule. When selected, the files will be saved in a directory called Assorted if you have included the [Artist] rule in the directory rule.
Example:
Artist: Stackabones, Album: Best of Truck Driving Songs
Directory Rule:
Base path: M:\Music\
Rule: [Artist]\[Album]
"Use Assorted [Artist] on multi-artist albums" is checked.
Result:
M:\Music\Assorted\Best of Truck Driving Songs\Filename rule
Complete Albums
Media Center has some built-in support to automatically determine if an album is complete and incomplete. Two fields are automatically calculated, [Album Type] and [Complete Album], and these can be used to help determine if tracks for an album are missing, or help create views to filter single-tracks. An album is considered complete if the following conditions are met:
- all tracks are of [Media Type]=Audio
- all tracks have exactly the same, non-empty [Album] value
- all tracks are in the same folder - i.e. have the same value for the [Filename (path)] field
- all tracks have sequential [Track #] values starting at 1
- all tracks have the same, or sequentially increasing [Disc #] values (empty and 1 are considered the same)
View Schemes for Multiple Artist Albums
Create the following scheme to view Multiple Artist Albums:
- Right click on Audio in the tree.
- Select Add View Scheme.
- Click "Add", Standard View Item, and add the following:
- Album Type (shows multiple vs. single artist albums, and whether they are complete or incomplete). Note: you may have to scroll up the list to get Album Type. Press Ok.
- Repeat, and add Album
- Or display fields for each of the items displayed in #3: Album Type, Album Artist (auto), Complete Album, Album.
You can now quickly view your Multiple Artist albums, and better yet, you can view all of your complete and/or incomplete albums. Complete albums are indicated by a "1", and "0" displays incomplete albums.