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273 votes

Automatic mirroring of music libraries to different music file formats

Dan Gravell 154 supporters

While ripping lossless (to FLAC or some other codec) is always advised there are times when we need lossy music files.

One example is for portable players. Lossless files take up a LOT of space, so it's more efficient to play OGGs or MP3s or whatever.

In other cases, some music players simply don't work with certain codecs. iTunes doesn't play FLAC out-of-the-box, for instance.

This idea would add a rule to maintain multiple mirrors of your music library. Your current music library becomes the source. You then declare multiple extra libraries, with the desired music file format in each one. For instance, you may say you want an MP3 version of your FLAC library. bliss would then transcode each file into the new format in the new library.

16 comments

Craig McDougall

Vortexbox already does this, although it's a good idea for people who are not running Vortexbox.

http://vortexbox.org/

Dan Gravell

The idea was also partly inspired by mp3fs ( http://mp3fs.sourceforge.net/ ) although obviously without the FUSE filesystem having the mirror leads to more duplication, so it's not quite as elegant.

Jacques

This is exactly what I need.
Also, when I add a new FLAC file to my collection, I would like Bliss to maintain the MP3 transcoding of all new files.

Anonymous

DBpoweramp can also rip multiple formats to multiple destinations simultaneously.

Rainer M Krug

I don't think this should be included in bliss as transcoding into a different format is a different task then managing a music library. Rather create a plugin interface for bliss so that this could be realised as a plugin

Dan Gravell

Interesting comment. You don't think maintaining different versions of a file is a form of management?

Barry Santini

I definitely want this!

Fred

If I can use this to convert all my files in one file format (mp3s are more universal and I don't need audiophile quality as I mostly listen to my music in my car) then I'm interested.

Dan Gravell

The idea would be to convert all files from any format to one specific format, ignoring (but including) files already in that format.

Anonymous

I am definitely interested in this > The idea would be to convert all files from any format to one specific format, ignoring (but including) files already in that format. AND when I add a new file/album to my collection, I would like Bliss to maintain the transcoding of all new files.

Mike Lerch

I like this idea but have a slightly different spin. I already have the ability to have a lossless library mirrored to lossy through vortexbox, but it is a little monolithic so it would be neat to have other options (e.g. to have a fixed 320k mp3 mirror as well as a 128k VBR mirror). I particularly like the suggestion here that Bliss would take care of those cases where the file format was the same in the source and Target libraries, e.g. when I have bought mp3s from Amazon and that is the highest quality I have. I had to change the Vortexbox scripts to accommodate this.

More importantly, what I would really like from Bliss is the ability to apply different sets of rules to different libraries, even if Bliss didn't create the libraries itself. My in-car infotainment system is very picky about its tag formats, and I have to do a lot of manual stuff to make an MP3 library that is really compatible with it as opposed to the mp3s that will work with other players. I'd LOVE it if Bliss could apply different rulesets to different libraries as well as automatically maintain multiple mirrored libraries, but do see them as distinct features.

Dan Gravell

Yep, I think we'll end up going this way eventually. Did you see http://ideas.blisshq.com/forums/21939-bliss/suggestions/5490000-individual-rulesets-for-different-locations ?

Anonymous

I've always wished I could have a library comprised exclusively of uncompressed audio files. My working library is 33,000 titles. It uses 475 gigabytes of storage. A collection of flacs would require space. I am certain that performing the mathematical calculations involved here would kill me.

I like your idea. Backups and archives could be mirrored, too

Christian L.

eg. Convert all wma, wav -> to mp3
but in this scenario I don't want a mirror I want only keep new target format.

see the app for Mac -> http://www.amvidia.com/to-mp3-converter/support
its supports lot of source formats and supports transport all tags to new file.

brunchto

i don't this that transcoding is something bliss have to do. i rip some disk to FLAC and MP3 (for different players). bliss recognise the disk but in album view tracks are shown twice without any indication. a group by extension or format will be clever

Dan Gravell

@brunchto that's similar to http://ideas.blisshq.com/forums/21939-bliss/suggestions/5292876-distinguish-albums-with-the-same-album-name-from-t - you want a different way of grouping albums.