Making classical music DB playable

[Coot]

I have all my classical cd collection database in FM8.5. The cataloging of classical music is by composer, work, movements within each work, orchestra, soloists, conductor, etc. iTunes does not work well because the naming convention is so different--(it makes a real mess of titles and movements).

Now I would like to que them to play -- I'm wondering if FM can used for playback of a kind of "playlist". It needs to play multiple files in succession like iTunes does and I can't see a way to play more than one track at a time manually by putting each track as a Quicktime file in a container field.

[Fenton]

Here are a couple of ways to play songs without iTunes, using FileMaker's Perform AppleScript script step. They are perhaps a bit geeky.

The first is actually a command line tool, which can be run from AppleScript, using the do shell script command. But it is fairly simple to use:

http://www.hieper.nl/html/play.html

The second is an application:

http://MicrocosmSoftware.com/playsound/

The problem is, as you've mentioned, how to play multiple songs. I would think the problem is really, "How to tell when a song is finished, so you can go to the next."

The first tool mentioned appears to support passing it multiple file paths. These would be Unix style file paths (with slashes, "/").

The 2nd tool, the application, also supports playing multiple files, but appears to do so by using multiple "play" commands, using AppleScript file paths (with colons). Which would be a little more difficult perhaps.

But in either case the file paths would need to be gathered. This could be done via a Copy All Records routine (on 7-up), or a Custom Function using GetNthRecord (8-up, Advanced).

It is also possible to control iTunes from FileMaker, and tell it to play a song, while controlling its window:

Here is an attempt to pass a list of files (aliases) to AppleScript. It could be done from FileMaker, after gathering a list of file paths (as return-separated text).

Various parts of this AppleScript are commented out, as it could be run in various ways; I've commented out the FileMaker part, as I don't have a file of song paths yet. I'll try and build a FileMaker example tomorrow (mañana as we say -). It can be copy/pasted in Script Editor and run as is:

-- drop files on me, if saved as applet

on open (song_files)

my play_songs(song_files)

end open

-- or double-click me to run

on run

(*

-- pass a list of aliases to files; could be from FileMaker; example

-- text list, return-separated

set fileList to "Macintosh HD:Users:fej:Music:iTunes:iTunes Music:Iris Dement:My Life:01 Sweet Is The Melody.mp3

Macintosh HD:Users:fej:Music:iTunes:iTunes Music:Iris Dement:My Life:02 You've Done Nothing Wrong.mp3"

-- convert to list of aliases

set paras to paragraphs of fileList

set song_files to {}

repeat with i in paras

set song_files to song_files & alias i

end repeat

-- returns list of aliases

*)

-- Or choose files from a folder

set song_files to choose file with multiple selections allowed without invisibles

(*

-- Or choose a whole folder

set theFolder to choose folder

tell application "Finder" to set song_files to files of theFolder as alias list

*)

-- play 'em

my play_songs(song_files)

end run

-- subroutine to create playlist and play songs

on play_songs(song_files)

tell application "iTunes"

run

-- set visible of window 1 to false -- hide iTunes entirely

set minimized of front browser window to true -- show mini iTunes window

-- set frontmost to false -- sends iTunes window back

-- set visible of front browser window to false -- hides window entirely

set pl_name to "Chosen Songs"

set the_playlists to name of every user playlist

if the_playlists contains pl_name then

delete user playlist pl_name

else

set new_pl to make new user playlist

set name of new_pl to pl_name

end if

set song repeat of playlist pl_name to off

add song_files to playlist pl_name

play track 1 of playlist pl_name

end tell

end play_songs

Edited January 11, 2008 by Guest

[Fenton]

There's also Doug Adams AppleScripts for iTunes site, with lots of AppleScripts. I saw a couple that would let you link or play a folder of files from iTunes. I believe that playing multiple files with iTunes requires you to create a temporary playlist of them, which you can play, then delete.

http://dougscripts.com/itunes/index.php

Specifically the script "Play Folders"

It has thorough testing of file type and/or extension for music files. Mine has none -|

His also has lots of other extra stuff; which is a mixed blessing.

Edited January 11, 2008 by Guest

[Coot]

Thanks, Fenton for your response. Much of what you say is over my head. I think I will just put in a field in FM to reference its ITunes playlist manually. Probably by the time I get it done, there will be sw available for what I need. High-end audio is just now discovering that music played from a hard disk can sound better than from a cd. Music servers are the wave of the future.

[AudioFreak]

I'm not so sure about better quality, but if it's in Lossless format it's equal.

Michael

[comment]

If it's starting from specs higher than 44.1kHz/16-bit, it can be better than CD. But I don't think this is a recent discovery.

[Coot]

According to the audio press, the better players upsample 2x for higher rez, but there's still some jitter which playing from HD gets rid of. That's why HD sounds better than CD until you get into the VERY expensive players.

Edited January 15, 2008 by Guest

[comment]

I don't think it's appropriate to discuss this in a Filemaker forum. If it were, I would question the quoted statements to the point of ridicule.

[Vaughan]

Sheesh Comment. Next you'll be saying that $1,000 Monster Cables are a waste of money! :)

[comment]

Don't get me started - I have a long-standing issue with the voodoo that passes for information in the so-called audiophile community (no offense to Coot).

[AudioFreak]

Don't get me started - I have a long-standing issue with the voodoo that passes for information in the so-called audiophile community (no offense to Coot).

Some people call that "Voodoo" "Science"......lol

Don't forget to get a pack of Gold Plated Slo-Blow Fuses :

Edited January 15, 2008 by Guest

[comment]

Just make sure you don't install them in the opposite direction to the AC flow. Luckily, you can tell the correct orientation by ear (and no, I am not kidding - that's from an actual "review").

[AudioFreak]

Just make sure you don't install them in the opposite direction to the AC flow. Luckily, you can tell the correct orientation by ear (and no, I am not kidding - that's from an actual "review").

I know someone who totally believes that : In fact we had a discussion(arguement) about it.....lol. Some people will believe anything if they hear it from a respectable source.

[comment]

I suppose a lot of people believe that, since these things are sold. Or perhaps I should say believe IN that, because after all it is a religion. I don't know about the 'respectable source' though: how does one become respectable while spouting such nonsense?

[AudioFreak]

Well maybe respectable is the wrong term. How about "well known". If you follow all these HIFI weanies as we tend to call them here at work. That is all it takes is to hear something and they will run with it even if it's taken out of text.....

Some people just have more money than they know what to do with. I will take those $20,000 RCA cables cuz I heard they are great :

[Søren Dyhr]

If these kind of people then recorded their stuff themselves, the whole idea of reference class linarity, when almost everything is recorded with directional microphones, which introduces a certian amount of coloring off axis.

For then next to go into a channel strip in the desk, where paramtric equalizer are tweaked artisticly even-though the very likeliness of a phase-shift in the timedomain, then if it's recordings was made by Herbert von Karajan quite hefty use of an emt 140-plate (artificial reverb).

These people hardly ever listen to music next to the performers performing it, and have only each others hype to lean up against, sniffing the oxygen free hot air from the cable producers.

--sd

[comment]

Well maybe respectable is the wrong term. How about "well known".

Oh, you mean the pimply teenager in the hi-fi store*.

Some people just have more money than they know what to do with.

Exactly. They will spend tens of thousands $$$ on a pair of speakers - then use them to listen to an album that was mixed on a pair that cost $1,2000 (if bought new).

sniffing the oxygen free hot air

LOL.

---

(*) with apologies to all those pimply teenagers that DO know what they're talking about.

[AudioFreak]

Oh, you mean the pimply teenager in the hi-fi store*.

lol.....Most of the pimply teenagers go to circuit city and by Bose and think they just bought the best system ever made :

The owner of the company I work for has a Pair of Tannoys in the listening room that ran 32k for a pair. But no Gold fuses or stupidly high priced RCA cables......lol. Most of the cables through that signal chain were made here at the factory.

P.S. You have to love Tannoys motto. "For those that know" :)

Edited January 16, 2008 by Guest

[comment]

I actually like Tannoys - but of course I am speaking of LGM's which IIRC ran at about $4k. And Bose IS the best system ever made - I used to play lousy mixes on them to clients, because they made everything sound good. And now we are completely off topic and I expect Steven to shut us down any minute.

[AudioFreak]

I actually like Tannoys. And now we are completely off topic and I expect Steven to shut us down any minute.

I like Tannoys too. They are great sounding speakers especially when paired with the proper tube amp :

And btw -

I don't think it's appropriate to discuss this in a Filemaker forum.

lol

Sometimes OT can help make you more creative IMHO :)

[comment]

Touché. But I said "don't get me started".

Edited January 16, 2008 by Guest

[AudioFreak]

At least we broke up the monotony for a short period. :

Michael

[Søren Dyhr]

-tony vs -phonic???

--sd