Hi Steinbergers!
I am just reading the manual trying to figure out which attributes / metadata / tags actually end up in media files directly and which ones end up in the database when scanned into media bay. I am also trying to find out which “foreign” tags included in my samples are read into media bay, specifically whether or not id3 tags are read by Cubase media bay.
I have a sample library with 50.000 samples that I am in the process of scanning into Cubase and it is turning out to be a real challenge if not a totally frustrating affair. I am using “Mixed in Key” which DJs use to auto detect tempo and root key information in their songs. The software algorithm detects this information and then writes this info into the file tags. I thought I might as well give it a try, before scanning my samples into Cubase’s media bay.
Unfortunately as it turns out, MixedInKey only supports AIFF and not Broadcast WAVE (the WAVE file format natively does not support tagging - Broadcast Wave does).
As a workaround, I was thinking of converting all my samples into AIFF and then have the program write the tags into the AIFF files before scanning them into media bay. AIFF files are also uncompressed but natively support tagging (and can be larger). But test driving this procedure turned out to be a real problem on the Cubase side, since media bay for some odd reason does not recognize my AIFF - ID 3 v 2.2 - tags. Every cheap ol´ software shows the ID3 tag info. I tested it. Even free software like Kid3 or VLC shows the tag info no problem. Of course it shows up in Itunes.
Really frustrating to see Cubase 8.5 PRO not showing this information and providing NO INFORMATION whatsoever in their manual. The only reference to ID3 in the manual regards exporting mixed down files. There are about 40 useless attributes that I can choose in the attribute selector within media bay but “bpm” and “Initial Key” are not showing up, which are part of my ID 3.2 tags (and used as standard tag attributes within Itunes or MixedinKey for instance).
Is it really by design that every single user has to re-enter the root key and tempo information into media bay manually? Are ID 3.2 tags not supported in Cubase? Or am I doing something awfully wrong? I tried rescanning multiple times, with no avail. Tags not showing up. Niente!
I would just love to have clarity regarding which tags in which file formats Cubase can read & display (coming from 3rd party applications) in media bay and which file tags / attributes are written into the actual files (not database), when I manually enter them into media bay. I did see “Media - Write Attribute to File” as an option in the Cubase menu bar. But I do not know if this pertains only to the files used in a project or relates to all media files. Also, if I import or scan non-broadcast WAV files into and add attributes in media bay, is this information stored as tags in the files itself or not (for example if I use the option “Write Attribute to File”). If so, do WAV files then become Broadcast WAV files with chunk binary added to the file tail?
Any help is greatly appreciated.