Database won't populate

[MokeyDwarf]

Hello, I recently installed Rockbox on my 30G Ipod 5 and after much frustration STILL cannot get the database to populate. I read other posts and they are so old it was suggested I start new.

The Ipod was empty and recently updated.

Followed installation instructions carefully.

Have even downloaded Mp3tag and tagged all the files I transferred.

No where in the manual does it state a particular location to copy the files too.

What am I doing wrong?

[GodEater]

If you copied the music files you've loaded on to it anywhere under the .rockbox folder, then the database will ignore them when it tries to build.

The manual doesn't state where to put your music as essentially it doesn't really matter. We do always recommend people don't put it in the .rockbox folder though, for the reason mentioned above.

But if you want more help, you'll have to give us some more info :

1) Where *did* you put the music?
2) What format is it in?
3) What happens when you attempt to build the database?

[MokeyDwarf]

wel...i had made a My Music folder in the .rockbox directory. Following your instructions I moved it too the root directory and viola....it worked. Maybe this should be noted in the "how to use Rockbox" somewhere on the very first page. I spent 5-6 HOURS fighting this simple problem.

[Chronon]

The first place doesn't seem like a sensible place for such information.  I would think a more explicit note in 4.2.2 Initializing the Database would be better (as that's where functionality of database.ignore is explained). 

If you want your music folder to be a child of the .rockbox folder then you can put an empty database.unignore file in it to have it indexed in the database.  (This functionality is mentioned in the manual.)

We will happily accept patches to improve the manual if you have time to contribute. 

[MokeyDwarf]

Thank you for the help . BTW, could anyone suggest a (preferably free) cd ripper that keeps and/or adds the ID3 tags to .wav or .mp3 files? Ripping then converting/searching&adding the tags is extremely time consuming. I was hoping this would be alot easier than Itunes but it's turning out to be almost as big a nightmare

[AlexP]

Any decent one at all should do it just fine.  Examples for Windows include EAC, CDex, ....  I'm actually really surprised you've managed to find one that doesn't - even itunes will do it.  Maybe it is a setup problem?

[MokeyDwarf]

I ripped all my cd's to lossless .wav files using Windows Media Player not realizing WMP finds the info on the web and adds it to an external database, not in the files themselves. I used  Free Mp3 Wma Converter V1.9 to convert them to 320Kbs MP3's. By then the information was lost in limbo. Only solution would be to rerip all my cd's which has taken me about 24 hours already!! Currently I'm using Mp3tag to retag the mp3's so Rockbox can build the database properly. I'll look into the 2 you've listed and maybe rerip the ones I haven't converted yet - *sigh*.

[AlexP]

This is hardly Rockbox's fault...  Also, wav files don't do tags I don't think - if you want lossless use flac - thay will be much smaller and support tags, replaygain, etc.

[funman]

Have a look at musicbrainz picard to add tag to your files

[MokeyDwarf]

This is hardly Rockbox's fault...  Also, wav files don't do tags I don't think - if you want lossless use flac - thay will be much smaller and support tags, replaygain, etc.

The original problem is as the manual didn't specify that the files should NOT be saved in the .rockbox folder. Topic has veered off into suggestions for ripping/tagging software. Manual needs a small update in the Initial Database Setup area specifying that the files be placed in the root folder and ID3 tags MUST be used in order for the database to work properly.

[Chronon]

Not exactly.  It might clarify things to include a note about the existence of a database.ignore file by default in the .rockbox folder.  However, it's not a requirement that media be placed anywhere in particular. 

Regarding the necessity of metadata tags: The very first part of subsection 4.2.1 (Introduction) says

Using the information contained in the tags (ID3v1, ID3v2, Vorbis Comments, Apev2, etc.) in your audio files, Rockbox builds and maintains a database of the music files on your player and allows you to browse them by Artist, Album, Genre, Song Name, etc.

I think this is pretty clear. 

[MokeyDwarf]

My bad on the ID3 tag. I read thru the database thing about 20 times and somehow missed that.... But still, somewhere in that section there should be a simple line stating the database be placed in the root folder. All it states right now is

"The default directory structure that is assumed by some parts of Rockbox (album art searching, and missing-tag fallback in some WPSes) uses the parent directory of a song as the Album name, and the parent directory of that folder as the Artist name. "

 Nowhere does this say where the Folder be initially placed. I don't want to cause a major argument over something so simple. Being a new user of Rockbox this seems like something very important that was just overlooked. One more thing, Due to the way that line was written, I ASSUMED by building the file structure in this way Rockbox would be able to build at least a simple database utilizing the directory structure which is not true. So I did get confused and dug thru the manual extensively (still somehow missing the ID3 line - my bad) and just got more frustrated.

[Llorean]

So basically, you assumed that something that doesn't mention the database (and instead explicitly says it's used for specific other things) is how the database worked, you read through the database section "20 times" and didn't see how it did work, and basically you ignored what the manual actually said and made up your own idea of how it works, and you think the solution to this problem is "write more stuff in the manual?"

What part of writing more right stuff prevents people from missing it 20 times, then making up their own idea of how it works?

Music files that you want to be in your database can be anywhere as long as the database.ignore file doesn't prevent them from being seen. They don't need to be in the root, and saying they do would also be wrong and misleading. The manual tells people how things work, rather than giving them simple solutions that are technically incorrect, but may work in the very default install state. There is no amount of writing in the manual that will solve the problem of people ignoring what the manual actually says.

[saratoga]

But still, somewhere in that section there should be a simple line stating the database be placed in the root folder.

As was said above, this is not true, and should not be added to the manual. 

[MokeyDwarf]

So basically anyone that's new to Rockbox should find the instructions to change the database.ignore file so that the database will work correctly. That seems counterproductive. Just stating a suggested location would be infinitely more helpful. I came to Rockbox as suggested by the web reviews and friends and so far have found it as cumbersome as Itunes which i was trying to get away from. Color me disappointed