[IDEA] Artist Album Grouping

[CityCentreFox]

Good Afternoon All

Been a user of moOde for about 4 years now after trying Volumio and others and was until today was using version 6.

After upgrading today to the latest version (nice by the way) I have a couple of questions.

I always used the folder view to select my music and without thinking I noticed a artist view showing album art etc.  Might have been in version 6 I don't know.  I do like this view but I was wondering if there was a way to group the artist view like a hybrid folder/artist so you are not endlessly scrolling.  I did notice the letters on the left hand side but I think if you click on an artist then it lists the albums it might look better.  You could even have artist art. 

Also I have noticed that if you have a album that is multiple cd's then album art isn't shown just a folder.

If MoOde already does this can you point me in the right direction on how to do it please.

Also don't know whether it is me but does moOde version 8 sound lower than 6 volume wise?  It does to me especially on DSD.  I know DSD is lower that other formats (in most cases) but I was just wondering.

Kind Regards

CCF

[Nutul]

Good Afternoon All

Been a user of moOde for about 4 years now after trying Volumio and others and was until today was using version 6.

After upgrading today to the latest version (nice by the way) I have a couple of questions.

I always used the folder view to select my music and without thinking I noticed a artist view showing album art etc.  Might have been in version 6 I don't know.  I do like this view but I was wondering if there was a way to group the artist view like a hybrid folder/artist so you are not endlessly scrolling.  I did notice the letters on the left hand side but I think if you click on an artist then it lists the albums it might look better.  You could even have artist art. 

Also I have noticed that if you have a album that is multiple cd's then album art isn't shown just a folder.

If MoOde already does this can you point me in the right direction on how to do it please.

Also don't know whether it is me but does moOde version 8 sound lower than 6 volume wise?  It does to me especially on DSD.  I know DSD is lower that other formats (in most cases) but I was just wondering.

Kind Regards

CCF

Hi,

the FOLDER-view does nothing more than show the hierarchy of the folders, so clicking on an ARTIST (the "Artist" here is the very folder name) shows whatever is inside that folder, usually "Album" folders, which in turn may contain track files.

I use the following:

LETTER -> each artist beginning with that letter as a folder
artist folder -> all albums by such artist as folders
album folder -> a FLAC file as the entire CD rip + a CUE file describing its tracks (or all track files, if you prefer)

I used this browsing too, at the beginning, but as some improvements were made to the CUE handling, now I mainly use the TAG view.

The fact that if an album has multiple CDs, and all relevant files are in the same folder, then this might be intentional (since the album art is related to the folder name...), I may need an example of your folder structure to better understand (and maybe try to reproduce).

About the volume thing, I may say I do notice a lower volume for files with a bigger bit-depth that 16 (but my DAC only accepts 32_BIT streams, and I set the volume as hardware; now, theoretically the DAC should not play anything different from 32BIT, but "it acts like it doesn't know its limitation, and plays them anyway").
Maybe the automatic padding is not just a padding; i mean: 16 to 32 => all values just doubled, while <anything else> to 32 => padding, hence the lower volume I do experience. Just wandering in the wild here, I really have no clue; I just can hear it, and specifically in these scenarios.
Not too much, though, I may say just a volume step (a physical potentiometer in the analog domain, on my DAC).

[CityCentreFox]

[quote pid='44999' dateline='1675274647']

Good Afternoon All

Been a user of moOde for about 4 years now after trying Volumio and others and was until today was using version 6.

After upgrading today to the latest version (nice by the way) I have a couple of questions.

I always used the folder view to select my music and without thinking I noticed a artist view showing album art etc.  Might have been in version 6 I don't know.  I do like this view but I was wondering if there was a way to group the artist view like a hybrid folder/artist so you are not endlessly scrolling.  I did notice the letters on the left hand side but I think if you click on an artist then it lists the albums it might look better.  You could even have artist art. 

Also I have noticed that if you have a album that is multiple cd's then album art isn't shown just a folder.

If MoOde already does this can you point me in the right direction on how to do it please.

Also don't know whether it is me but does moOde version 8 sound lower than 6 volume wise?  It does to me especially on DSD.  I know DSD is lower that other formats (in most cases) but I was just wondering.

Kind Regards

CCF

Hi,

the FOLDER-view does nothing more than show the hierarchy of the folders, so clicking on an ARTIST (the "Artist" here is the very folder name) shows whatever is inside that folder, usually "Album" folders, which in turn may contain track files.

I use the following:

LETTER -> each artist beginning with that letter as a folder
artist folder -> all albums by such artist as folders
album folder -> a FLAC file as the entire CD rip + a CUE file describing its tracks (or all track files, if you prefer)

I used this browsing too, at the beginning, but as some improvements were made to the CUE handling, now I mainly use the TAG view.

The fact that if an album has multiple CDs, and all relevant files are in the same folder, then this might be intentional (since the album art is related to the folder name...), I may need an example of your folder structure to better understand (and maybe try to reproduce).

About the volume thing, I may say I do notice a lower volume for files with a bigger bit-depth that 16 (but my DAC only accepts 32_BIT streams, and I set the volume as hardware; now, theoretically the DAC should not play anything different from 32BIT, but "it acts like it doesn't know its limitation, and plays them anyway").
Maybe the automatic padding is not just a padding; i mean: 16 to 32 => all values just doubled, while <anything else> to 32 => padding, hence the lower volume I do experience. Just wandering in the wild here, I really have no clue; I just can hear it, and specifically in these scenarios.
Not too much, though, I may say just a volume step (a physical potentiometer in the analog domain, on my DAC).
[/quote]
 
Good Evening Al

Many thanks for your reply.

My folder structure is Artist Name -> Album Name -> Tracks

I have been using MoOde this way for years.  I only use FLAC/Hi Res FLAC/DSF files for my music.  No lossy formats for me!

I am using an IQAudio DAC+ Hat and it plays al the formats.  I am glad that that somebody else thinks the output is lower.  Thought I was going deaf.  No matter tho....

As for the artist view it would be nice to see the artist view with all the album art sorted by artist so you click artist and all their media is shown.  That way when you see an album with multiple cd's it doesn't show a folder icon.

Anyway thanks again.

Kind Regards

CCF

[Nutul]

As for the artist view it would be nice to see the artist view with all the album art sorted by artist so you click artist and all their media is shown.  That way when you see an album with multiple cd's it doesn't show a folder icon.

I am not sure I understand your wish, but a view that does so is the TAG one:
on the left you have all artists, and on the right, once an artist is selected, all of its albums; below those lists, that album's tracks (grouped by disc, if such tag has been set properly in the file), and on the left of such list the album's cover art, if any.

If you mean something else, let us know; but the folder-view it's just that, as if you browsed your files on a PC, with just the addition of some fancy album-art here and there, if possible.

[Tim Curtis]

Just a data point but regarding "lower volume" I'm not experiencing that on my end on any of my DAC's.

Assuming MPD is set to Fixed (0dB) or Software/Hardware volume set to 100% and there is no DSP active the PCM samples are "bit-perfect" all the way to the DAC. If ALSA needs to pad the samples to meet the bit width required by the DAC for example 32-bit, zero-padding is used which maintains the original samples and so still "bit-perfect".

In very old versions of moOde a custom volume curve was used for Software volume. This was removed when MPD itself implemented a logarithmic volume curve internally. This curve may have a slightly different slope that the old one used in moOde and thus the to-the-ear level bay be a bit different.

[CityCentreFox]

Thank you both for your replies.

Firstly Nutal

I see the tag view and yes that is the type of view I was looking for but without the genre/composer part.  I have had a look in preferences and I can't see if you are able to remove the genre/composer part.  If not then would removing the metadata for say genre/composer in each track remove the option? 

Secondly Tim

If version 6 used the old style volume curve then that would be why it sounds a little lower.  As I said no matter....just turn up the volume a bit.  Also Tim congrats on MoOde.  It is excellent.  I have previously donated but I think I will again.

Again thank you both for your replies.

Kind Regards

Jules
CCF

[CityCentreFox]

Hello again both

Sorted.  The genre field is gone. Even got the layout on the screen I wanted.

No more questions.  

Thank you both very much.

Jules

[CityCentreFox]

Actually Just One More Please.....?

As I use a tablet with moOde I have set it up with wide view.

The Artist Name and Track Name are on the same line with Album Name underneath.

Is there a way to order it : 
Track Name
Artist Name
Album Name 
Track Number, Codec and Year

I have had a play with the settings but I am unable to change the layout.

Is this possible?

Again Many Thanks

Jules
CCF

[Nutul]

Actually Just One More Please.....?

As I use a tablet with moOde I have set it up with wide view.

The Artist Name and Track Name are on the same line with Album Name underneath.

Is there a way to order it : 
Track Name
Artist Name
Album Name 
Track Number, Codec and Year

I have had a play with the settings but I am unable to change the layout.

Is this possible?

Again Many Thanks

Jules
CCF

Hi,

currently not: artist and track are combined together in a longer text, separated visually by a space-hyphen-space
Then you said, there's the album, and underneath it the track's audio resolution. That's the metadata you get in the COVER-view.

In the (I call it this way, though I'm sure it has another name...) Now Playing-view, OTOH, you get Album, Track and Artist information on three separate lines, and right below the album-art you may have a lot more detailed information, such as resolution, track number, year, comment (these data can be configured in the Preferences option)

[Tim Curtis]

Thank you both for your replies.

Firstly Nutal

I see the tag view and yes that is the type of view I was looking for but without the genre/composer part.  I have had a look in preferences and I can't see if you are able to remove the genre/composer part.  If not then would removing the metadata for say genre/composer in each track remove the option? 

Secondly Tim

If version 6 used the old style volume curve then that would be why it sounds a little lower.  As I said no matter....just turn up the volume a bit.  Also Tim congrats on MoOde.  It is excellent.  I have previously donated but I think I will again.

Again thank you both for your replies.

Kind Regards

Jules
CCF

I should mention that 100% (0dB) volume level should still be the same loudness. With logarithmic curves the loudness will increase quite a bit from 0 -50 and then lmore gradually between 50 - 100.