Cd text and Windows Media Player

Posted: Sat Oct 11, 2008 7:51 am

Hi Guys!
My first post here, I was active on the Steinberg's forums for years, but don't use their product no more.However I do have question, and I need you experience in this matter. I was an active mastering engineer years back, but no more.Sometimes I master a project for my friends.Ok.
I was always used to inputting Cd text so some players could read names of the artist and the track titles. Recently more and more people are asking me how come their new project's titles doesn't show on windows media players or Itunes. I did play a few comercially pressed cd and yes, the names popped up in WMP. I know for a fact that WPM doesn't support Cd text, so how do they do that? I use Samplitude for mastering, but I did not come across something like that. Thanks Guys.
soundmanx

Moderator Joined: Sep 12, 2002 Posts: 1881 Location: NYC

WMP and iTunes don't read CD text. They get their information from databases online. In iTunes, you pop the CD in, select get info, enter in the data. Then under the advanced menu, select "upload CD track names". They should show up in about a week.

don't know about WMP process, but i'm sure it's the same thing. Each gets their info from different data bases so you have to do it for each one.

Posted: Sat Oct 11, 2008 8:06 am

So if I master a cd for a friend, there is no way to input track names so they will pop up in Windows media player?

Posted: Sat Oct 11, 2008 8:08 am

The operative part of Michael's post, if I may be so bold, was, 'WMP and I-tunes don't read CD text.

Moderator Joined: Sep 12, 2002 Posts: 1881 Location: NYC

yes, read my post again.

Posted: Sat Oct 11, 2008 10:20 am

SOUNDMANX wrote:

So if I master a cd for a friend, there is no way to input track names so they will pop up in Windows media player?

You don't input track names to WMP, you input data to a CDDB server (CD Data Base) with software. Here is how: http://www.freedb.org/en/faq.3.html

Edward Vinatea
Mastering Engineer

Moderator Joined: Sep 12, 2002 Posts: 1881 Location: NYC

CDDB and Freedb are two different databases. So what you do with one, you must do with the other. Which is what I think I said.

Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2008 6:32 am

Michael Fossenkemper wrote:

CDDB and Freedb are two different databases. So what you do with one, you must do with the other. Which is what I think I said.

I am not trying to change anything you might have already said. I am only adding to the topic another database service which is used nowadays. The one you describe I think is now called "Gracenote" which is gone commercial (see http://www.mp3-tag.com/cddb.asp and http://www.gracenote.com/)

Regards,

Edward Vinatea
Mastering Engineer

Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2008 7:33 am

He's not trying to change anything you might have already said. He's only adding to the topic another database service which is used nowadays.

Just to parrot.

Posted: Mon Oct 13, 2008 7:54 am

Ok!
Thanks Guys, I have learned all about the FreeDb . But I just want to know which database WMP takes the information from, and is it possible to upload my projects there?
By the way , how you upload to CDDB? Thanks Thomas

Posted: Mon Oct 13, 2008 8:49 am

SOUNDMANX wrote:

Ok!
Thanks Guys, I have learned all about the FreeDb . But I just want to know which database WMP takes the information from, and is it possible to upload my projects there?
By the way , how you upload to CDDB? Thanks Thomas

http://www.gracenote.com/company_info/FAQ/FAQs/ under section 5.

Richard

Posted: Mon Oct 13, 2008 8:23 pm

If we are specifically talking about Windows Media Player, I believe this is still the true source used for the CD information: http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=32:amg/info_pages/a_product_submissions.html
Although I have seen stuff not submitted directly to allmusic that was recognized by Windows Media Player, so perhaps they poach off of freedb and CDDB and such as well.

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