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#1 2010-03-02 01:59:15
Metadata in wave Files
Hi there,
I am just trying to find a application for metadata editing and batch converting. Sound Grinder seems to be THE tool for such things. Anyway, I am a "metadata-noob" and got a problem:
I just tried to add metadata to a bunch of .wav files. A couple of questions:
1. I don't know exactly whether I should use ID3 tags (in fact I thought that would be impossible with .wav files) or wave info. What exactly is the difference?
2. After exporting the files the first time SG put out SD2 files. The metadata was perfectly readable by my Audiofinder. But: the format was wrong. Hitting .wav and activating "Prduce Metadata" results in the right format, but I can not see any Metadata in other apps (at least not in Audiofinder). Am I doing something wrong here?
3. Just in general: is there any specification or rules to add metadata so that this could be read by all the applications out there (like ProTools, Soundminer, Audiofinder and so on)?
Thank you very much for help. As I don't have any experience with metadata, it could easily be that I am missing a very basic issue here.
Axel
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#2 2010-03-02 06:31:45
- maxhowarth
- Member
- From: edinburgh, uk
- Registered: 2008-04-09
- Posts: 21
- Website
Re: Metadata in wave Files
soundminer uses a unique (and encrypted) set of fields for its own metadata, however it will read other metadata in certain containers.
http://www.soundminer.com/SM_Site/Metad … epaper.pdf
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#4 2010-03-02 10:53:42
Re: Metadata in wave Files
Hi Axel,
Welcome to the world of metadata! The first thing you'll discover, which you actually already have, is that there is no standard. There are a handful of valiant attempts to promote particular methods, but there is not yet an all-encompassing standard. Really, at the end of the day, the details of what you do with metadata in the files depends on what tools you want to access the metadata and what metadata formats those tools support.
Today, March 2010, you're best bet is probably to use WAVE files. They can contain Broadcast WAVE info, Pro Tools info, WAVE INFO metadata, ID3 tags, iXML data, Soundminer metadata, plus I'm sure others. The only other file format of real consideration would be AIFF, but it doesn't have as much traction in these areas as WAVE.
You're next challenge is to get the metadata into the files, and I would recommend distilling it down to the fewest items and categories you can. That will only make your job easier. That is, you may not need to support all those metadata categories mentioned above. Perhaps there are 1 or 2 that are widely supported enough for your needs.
With regards to our products, thank you for your kind words on Sound Grinder. We have tried to make it an easy-to-use tool that covers a wide variety of consumer and professional needs. Our other tools include even more metadata reading and editing support covering more professional needs.
Hope this helps!
-Stevo
Head of Development, Monkey Tools
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