Ability to import mixtapes / several songs mixed together in one file

[exislow]

I like beets very much. It has a solid idea and getting more and more stable over time (still not perfect though).

While I am importing my huge music db to beets I, as a DJ, noticed a lacking mandatory feature: How do I import mixtapes? By Mixtape I mean there is one audio file with several songs in it mixed together. I cannot / will not split this file in several files, because this will somehow destroy the smooth mix.

First idea is: Why there is no arg like -s but for compilations where I simply can tell beets, the files in folder x must be treated as compilations, since they are mixtapes.

What is your idea about that feature request?

[sampsyo]

It might be worth exploring #136 to see if there's any overlap in the ideas there?

[exislow]

I already saw the issue #136 but this idea is different. Actually, if I import a mixtape, I would like to have the DJ, who mixed it as artist and the name of the mixtape as title.

No additional metadata, no track splitting or whatsoever.

[sampsyo]

Ah, I see. I suppose I don't quite understand in that case: can you elaborate a little bit more about what singleton mode imports (-s) do incorrectly for this case?

[exislow]

Maybe this is a matter of definition. So, for me, even a mixtape is a "compilation" and not just a single (singleton) track. But maybe my definition is wrong.

Actually what would be best in my opinion is, that mixtapes would also be treated as compilations, like any other CD that just sampled 20 tracks from various artists. But my mixtape is just one long audio file. Is it possible to somehow force beets to treat mixtapes as compilations?

[sampsyo]

Can you clarify what means to "treat" them as compilations? If it's just a matter of where they get filed in the filesystem, then you can adapt your paths: configuration to specifically address these singleton tracks and file them how you like.

[exislow]

paths:
     default: Album/%the{$albumartist} - $album%aunique{} ($year)$lossless_desc/$disc_and_track. $artist - $title
     singleton: Non-Album/%the{$artist} - $title
     comp: Compilation/%the{$album%aunique{}}/$disc_and_track. %the{$artist} - $title

According to the docs I configured beets like this. I thought beets distinguishes between albums, single tracks and compilations.

I actually want to have the mixtapes (just the mixtapes and VA CDs) in path comp. Is it somehow possible? Or maybe my definition / goal makes no sense, I do not know.

[sampsyo]

Yes; just mark those tracks you want to file differently, like with beet mod djmix=true. Then, in your paths, you can file things according to the query djmix:true (as long as you put it before singleton and comp in your list).

[exislow]

Okay, I will do it this way. Is there a possibility to set suchs attributes to every track while I import them? Maybe with just a cmd line argument?

[sampsyo]

Yes; please see the docs for the --set flag to the import command.

[exislow]

Thanks for clarifying! I will do so.