questions about artist/composer display on control points

[eseb63]

hello,

i discover MinimServer, and try to use it while remaining compatible with MusiCHI and LMS (i use Squeezeboxes).

Musichi tagger brings some constraints :

• at the contrary of MinimServer, Musichi uses albumartist tag(s) at track level, on this form "LastName, FirstName [instrument]"
• composers have this form "LastName, FirstName (birth-death)"
• by default, it doesn't handle sort tags as all involved performers are filled with a "directly" sortable name
  

for index tags, i prefer like that because showing matches the sort order, but i would like the normal form for display on the control point (i test with Kazoo or Kinsky on Windows 10).

for the first try, i created a new indextag AlbumArtists (Musichi allows to map AlbumArtist tag as AlbumArtists) :

• indexTags : AlbumArtists
• tagValue : Artist.merge={AlbumArtists}
  

i get the artist showing but obviouly with the bad form.

i then tried to transpose the documentation example for reverseName :

• indexTags : AlbumArtists
• itemTags : AlbumArtistsSort
• tagOptions : AlbumArtists.reverseName.display
• tagValue : AlbumArtistsSort.value.sort={AlbumArtists}, AlbumArtistsSort.default={AlbumArtists.custom}, Artist.merge={AlbumArtistsSort}
  

i still get the name form unchanged : what is wrong ?

i finally tried this :

• aliasTags : AlbumArtists:Artist
• indexTags : Artist
• tagOptions : Artist.reverseName.display, Composer.reverseName.display
  

it works for composer display, but is not perfect for artist one as reverseName doesn't handle a suffix "[xxx]" as it is the case for "(xxx)" : might you plan this small enhancement (maybe also for {xxx} and <xxx> for other needs)?

i noticed also that artist doesn't show in the album view for tracks if a work/ group is defined for them : any idea to explain that ?

thanks for the reply

[simoncn]

(01-02-2025 21:41)eseb63 Wrote:  i then tried to transpose the documentation example for reverseName :

• indexTags : AlbumArtists
• itemTags : AlbumArtistsSort
• tagOptions : AlbumArtists.reverseName.display
• tagValue : AlbumArtistsSort.value.sort={AlbumArtists}, AlbumArtistsSort.default={AlbumArtists.custom}, Artist.merge={AlbumArtistsSort}
  

i still get the name form unchanged : what is wrong ?

You need to use Artist.merge={AlbumArtistsSort.custom} to preserve the customized display name when merging AlbumArtistsSort into Artist.

Quote:i finally tried this :

• aliasTags : AlbumArtists:Artist
• indexTags : Artist
• tagOptions : Artist.reverseName.display, Composer.reverseName.display
  

it works for composer display, but is not perfect for artist one as reverseName doesn't handle a suffix "[xxx]" as it is the case for "(xxx)" : might you plan this small enhancement (maybe also for {xxx} and <xxx> for other needs)?

I will add special treatment for [xxx] in the next update. This will not include {xxx} and <xxx> because there is no use case at present that requires these.

Quote:i noticed also that artist doesn't show in the album view for tracks if a work/ group is defined for them : any idea to explain that ?

MinimServer is sending Artist information for tracks in this situation. The control point decides what information to display in different views. Which control point are you using?

[eseb63]

(02-02-2025 21:53)simoncn Wrote:  You need to use Artist.merge={AlbumArtistsSort.custom} to preserve the customized display name when merging AlbumArtistsSort into Artist.

it works now, thanks

(02-02-2025 21:53)simoncn Wrote:  I will add special treatment for [xxx] in the next update.

thanks a lot...

eseb63 Wrote:i noticed also that artist doesn't show in the album view for tracks if a work/ group is defined for them : any idea to explain that ?

(02-02-2025 21:53)simoncn Wrote:  MinimServer is sending Artist information for tracks in this situation. The control point decides what information to display in different views. Which control point are you using?

i use Kazoo and Kinsky on Windows 10 : both don't show artist information for these traks (i made some other tests : work doesn't prevent showing but a group does)

[simoncn]

(02-02-2025 22:54)eseb63 Wrote:  i use Kazoo and Kinsky on Windows 10 : both don't show artist information for these traks (i made some other tests : work doesn't prevent showing but a group does)

I am also seeing this when using Kinsky and Kazoo. If you select Track info from the "3 dots" menu in Kazoo or if you right-click the track and select Details in Kinsky, you will see that MinimServer has sent artist information to the control point but the control point is not showing this information.

[Donuk]

Excuse my putting my nose in - and I don't fully understand all aspects of Minim configuration, but...

I use Lumin control app on an iPad. Minim is on a Melco N1/A configured as a NAS. (Direct mode)

When FLAC files are ripped I make sure the composer/song writers are entered in the Metadata. I use TagEditor on a Mac. I use, of course, the Composer field.

As far as configuring Minim, I have in the.... Server, IndexServer slot Album, Date, Genre, AlbumArtist, Composer, Year

And under Advanced in the tagFormat slot I have Title.displayFormat={$title^$date^ ~ ^$composer^ [^]}

(complete rescan of Minimserver and reloading the database into Lumin if you do this for it to work, of course).

Which when displayed in Lumin show the composer(s) and year, both in the playlist (on the streamer) and the details of the track actually playing, and in the list of all the tracks on your NAS.

I also have a QNAP NAS with Minim on, and it also works on that.

I appreciate this may not be relevant to this thread, nor the best way of achieving it... But it works..

Donuk York

[eseb63]

(03-02-2025 11:32)simoncn Wrote:  I am also seeing this when using Kinsky and Kazoo. If you select Track info from the "3 dots" menu in Kazoo or if you right-click the track and select Details in Kinsky, you will see that MinimServer has sent artist information to the control point but the control point is not showing this information.

indeed, it's weird that artist information isn't used if it's present; I guess these products are no longer maintained, so I'll have to live with that...

[Donuk]

At the risk of overstating my point, the method I describe of displaying composers &c, above, works on all Linn Control apps and a couple of others I have tried.
Donuk
sunny downtown York