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Music indexing

briiian
Authored by briiian · Last updated
self-hosted

To get your music into Cardinal Music, you need to index it with Cardinal Media Server.

Supported file types​

  • mp3
  • flac
  • opus
  • ogg
  • m4a
  • wav
  • aac
  • wma
  • aiff, aif
  • ape (Monkey's Audio)
  • wv (WavPack)
  • dsf (DSD)

Every format except mp3 is converted to mp3 on the server as it plays, so each one plays in every browser.

Metadata priority​

Metadata that is embedded in the music file will take priority over the metadata that is derived from the folder structure, except for these items:

  • Album art - If an album art image is present in the same folder as the track then it will be prioritized over the album art that is embedded in the file. See the album art job docs for more info.

Folder structure​

Use this folder structure to help your Media Server figure out metadata.

/music                        🠘 Cardinal Media Server's music library root
  /[...]                      🠘 Other folders, any depth, optional
    /Artist name
      /Release name           🠘 Can contain year¹
        /CD 1                 🠘 Optional disc folder²
          track.mp3           🠘 Can contain track number³
          cover.jpg           🠘 Optional cover art⁴

¹ Release folder structure​

The release name can be prefixed with the year. The year can optionally be surrounded by square brackets or parentheses. There must be a space or a dash after the year.

Valid release names:

  • ✅ Stranger Heads Prevail
  • ✅ 2016 Stranger Heads Prevail
  • ✅ 2016 - Stranger Heads Prevail
  • ✅ 2016-Stranger Heads Prevail
  • ✅ (2016) Stranger Heads Prevail
  • ✅ [2016] Stranger Heads Prevail

Invalid release names:

  • ❌ [2016]Stranger Heads Prevail

² Disc folder structure​

Releases can optionally be divided into disc folders. Valid names are Disc, Disk and CD (case insensitive), with an optional space or dash, and any number afterwards.

Valid disc folder names:

  • ✅ Disc 1
  • ✅ Disc-1
  • ✅ Disc1
  • ✅ CD 1
  • ✅ CD-1
  • ✅ CD1

Invalid disc folder names:

  • ❌ 1

A disc marker at the end of a release folder name also works, so each disc can be its own release folder. Every disc lands in one release:

  • ✅ /Artist name/Release name (Disc 1) and /Artist name/Release name (Disc 2) → one release, "Release name"
  • ✅ /Artist name/Release name [FLAC]/Release name (CD2) → disc 2 of "Release name [FLAC]", because the disc folder repeats its release folder's name

Discs in tags​

Every disc of a release is one release, even when the album tag names the disc. A disc marker at the end of the album tag is removed: Brotherhood (CD1), Brotherhood (Disc 2), Brotherhood - Disc 2, Brotherhood [CD 2 of 2] and Brotherhood CD2 and Brotherhood (Disc Two) are all "Brotherhood".

The disc number comes from the disc tag first, then the marker in the album tag, then the folder.

A disc whose album tag adds a subtitle stays in the release too, when the disc tags agree on the number of discs and the year matches. The release takes the shared name:

  • ✅ The Great Cold Distance (disc 1/3), The Great Cold Distance - B-Sides & Extras (disc 2/3) and The Great Cold Distance - Live in Bulgaria (disc 3/3) → one release, "The Great Cold Distance", with three discs
  • ✅ /Mellon Collie/Dawn to Dusk tagged Mellon Collie: Dawn to Dusk (disc 1/2) and /Mellon Collie/Twilight to Starlight tagged Mellon Collie: Twilight to Starlight (disc 2/2) → one release, "Mellon Collie"
  • ❌ Everything Is Wrong and Underwaters 1-5 in one folder → two releases, because the tags name different albums

How tracks become releases​

The tags decide which tracks form a release, and the folders keep apart albums that the tags alone can't tell apart.

  • Tracks in one release folder (disc folders included) with the same album tag are one release, even when their artist tags differ. Punctuation and case in the album tag don't matter.
  • A release with an album artist tag belongs to that artist. Tracks whose album artist tags differ are never one release.
  • A release without an album artist tag belongs to the artist of more than half of its tracks, or to Various Artists when no artist has that many. A track marked as part of a compilation belongs to Various Artists.
  • Releases in different folders with the same name and artist are one release only when their years match. An artist's 2007 EP and 2018 album, both named after the band, stay two releases.

³ Track file structure​

The track name can be prefixed with the track and disc numbers. The numbers can optionally be surrounded by square brackets or parentheses. There must be a space or a dash after the numbers.

A disc number can only be given with an accompanying track number, and when given together, the disc number is on the left.

Valid track names:

  • ✅ Psychopomp.mp3
  • ✅ 09 Psychopomp.mp3
  • ✅ 9 Psychopomp.mp3
  • ✅ 09 - Psychopomp.mp3
  • ✅ 09-Psychopomp.mp3
  • ✅ (09) Psychopomp.mp3
  • ✅ [9] Psychopomp.mp3
  • ✅ 1-9 Psychopomp.mp3
  • ✅ 01-09 Psychopomp.mp3

Invalid track names:

  • ❌ (09)Psychopomp.mp3

⁴ Cover art structure​

Add an image named cover.jpg or folder.jpg next to your music file to use it as the album art for that song.

See the album art job for more information.

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