Clip 8 GB question on files

I just got a Clip 8 G

I upgraded the firmware.

I added my files.

They all go to unknown album

I don’t have a album folder any more, did the upgrade delete that folder.

I tried to drag and drop albums folders (as I named them on my PC) to the Music folder as I named them on my PC, and they still go into the unknow folder.

A anyone know how to create your own album folder?I am using Windows XP pro and I’m dragging and dropping my music folders.

Thanks in advance,

Pa-Bucktail:smiley:

Have you put these same files on a Clip before without problems?

Or is this the first time you’ve put MP3s onto a Clip?

(I suspect the latter, so I’ll continue with that assumption).

The Clip relies on metadata (ID3 tags) within the MP3 files to determine the artist/album/title etc.

Depending on how you obtained the MP3s, that metadata might be missing, or incomplete, or incorrect (normally your ripping software would populate the tags by using an online music database like freedb.org or Gracenote).

The folder and file naming has no relevance - it will help you find the files when you browse the Clip’s memory from Windows, but the Clip just reads the ID3 tags and uses that data to build an internal database.

 That’s where the Album “folders” come from in the Clip’s user interface: they’re not really folders - just views into the database.

Files without an ID3 tag (or with a blank Album field in the tag) will be placed in the “Unknown Album” folder.

That’s your (admittedly subtle) hint that the metadata is incomplete, and you need to do some more tagging.

The lack of a file/folder view on the Clip produces the loudest complaints on these forums - some people just can’t get along with the idea of tagging - but tagging only has to be done once, and in the long run makes it much easier to organise and find your music.

Browse round the forum to find posts about tagging and recommended tagging software.

Message Edited by njd on 04-22-2009 08:23 AM

The exception to the above:  as of a few firmware versions ago, for files and folders dropped into the Clip’s Audiocasts and Podcasts folders, the Clip will use the file and folder names for display/navigation purposes (if there are no ID3 tags?).  Folder/file view recently was added to the Fuze firmware, and SanDisk said earlier that it was looking into this for the Clip.  Hopefully, the Clip’s memory limitations will allow this and it will come, maybe even in a next firmware revision in 2-3 months?

If they just have that firmware recognize a folder as an album we would be all set…I can copy my Itunes folders to my Clip…since I keep all my Itunes songs as MP3s…