Media monkey plugin

[chicagoskiguy]

For me the script works on 4.06, I created what appears to be a valid XML file that's about 70 meg. I've not tried to import into my 2.2 version yet, but that script executed just fine, and worked great with my 1.73 system previously.

I would say 2 important things are to put the script above into the following folder:

C:\Program Files (x86)\MediaMonkey\Scripts\Auto

Then, make sure you expand "My Computer" in the left treeview, browse to your music, right click at the top level folder of it, and choose "Export to Control4", you can then select Music and /Or Playlists, and then give it a path.

[JP Rizal]

For me the script works on 4.06, I created what appears to be a valid XML file that's about 70 meg. I've not tried to import into my 2.2 version yet, but that script executed just fine, and worked great with my 1.73 system previously.

I would say 2 important things are to put the script above into the following folder:

C:\Program Files (x86)\MediaMonkey\Scripts\Auto

Then, make sure you expand "My Computer" in the left treeview, browse to your music, right click at the top level folder of it, and choose "Export to Control4", you can then select Music and /Or Playlists, and then give it a path.

I'm in 2.2.2

OK, I installed MM & the script as per Tim's Documentation last night

Questions:

How do I make it access drives on the network? Maybe I have to look at the network settings a little closer.

My music files will be either in the HC1000 or the NAS. I can't seem to access either

So I moved all my music files in the PC (for now)

I've got 25000 songs I'm trying to clean and tag so that when I scan to Control4 it would be organized a little better and with correct cover art.

Now I know that the ExportC4.vbs skips the scan process completely BUT I also read in the doc that it will not play songs if the export have the wrong music location. IF I'm Cleaning,Tagging and export inside my PC then I transfer back the cleaned music files to the HC1000 the the Export file will have the WRONG location.

Unless of course you can show me how to clean and tag directly from the HC1000.

Thanks chicagoskiguy,

Edited October 5, 2012 by JP Rizal

[chicagoskiguy]

I can tell you my setup, It's been a few years since I set it all up, and I remember having to play around with it.

I have all my music physically on the network under the following path: \\192.168.0.211\Music Share\Music\MP3

In Control4, my dealer setup a "Network File Storage" pointing to that same location

In Media Monkey, add the music to your library from the exact location as is mapped in Control4 above, don't use a "Mapped Drive".

If you've already built your library in Media Monkey, I think Media Monkey has an option to move it to another location, but I'm an IT guy, so I did some direct SQL manipulation.

Details on that are here:

http://www.nofuture.org.uk/2010/04/18/moving-mediamonkey-to-a-network-drive/

Hope this helps.

[paulstevens]

I'm trying this but running into trouble. chicagoskiguy, I address everything by paths, NOT mapped drives, but I cannot navigate t to the network location in the "my computer" tab of Media Monkey. That tab of MM only shows mapped drives, not network paths.

I can add/scan a network location in the scanning option, but not in the "my computer" tab, and consequently I cannot export the database to control4.

any pointers?

thanks.

[chicagoskiguy]

Paul, do you have "Network File Storage" setup in Control4? Have you been able to add music to Control4 through Composer?

Well, IMO you will need to have your music added to MM with a network share and NOT local drive paths, because you'll be creating a file which will be then imported into Control4.

Control4 needs to be able to find the music, and C:\music or whatever local path won't make sense on any machine other than your desktop.

[paulstevens]

Thanks for the reply. Yes I have "network file storage" setup in control4, connected and online. I have not tried adding to it through composer yet.

I figured Media Monkey is totally seperate so I have not tried adding/scanning the c4 network file storage location yet.

In MM, I can "add" the network location and scan it. What I cannot do is export it to C4 because I cannot export the .xml file to the network location, only to a mapped drive with a drive letter. MM's "my computer" won't show the network location, only mapped drives with letters. The network location I "added" in the scan window does not show up.

If, in MM, I scan the mapped drive, I can export the .xml to the same mapped drive and see a good .xml file. But that won't work in control4 because control4 does not have drive letters in its network file location.

[paulstevens]

I should add that like JP Rizal, my media is all on an HC1000 whose network location is \\192.168.1.129\media\audio (static IP address). This is mapped in control4 Network File Storage, online and connected. It is also mapped in windows 7 as a network location, NOT a mapped drive. IT shows up as a Folder in Windows 7 explorer, not a mapped drive.

In MM "INS" to add/scan files area, in that window I had to "ADD" \\192.168.1.129\media\audio in the box below and scan from that. That works. all good. MM builds the list from that location.

The problem is with the ExportC4.vbs script. The script wants the scan location to be the same location as the files, which is \\192.168.1.129\audio\media but that location is not showing up in MM under its Media Tree->My Computer tab, nor under MEdia Tree->Network. So, I cannot export.

Don't know if this is a MM config issue, an HC1000 samba config issue, or something else.

Thanks again for the help.

[JP Rizal]

The problem is with the ExportC4.vbs script. The script wants the scan location to be the same location as the files, which is \\192.168.1.129\audio\media but that location is not showing up in MM under its Media Tree->My Computer tab, nor under MEdia Tree->Network. So, I cannot export.

Exactly, thanks paul. It's my roadblock as well.

If I can remember correctly the advice or resolution is to write a script or change programming either way it went way over my head.

Certainly well beyond my programming skill level which is zero.

I'm still very interested but I just need clear steps that my little brain can follow :-)

[paulstevens]

After many tweaks with Windows 7 settings and some to smb.conf on the HC1000, I can see the HC1000 media drive in windows. It shows up in Network Places, and Media Monkey sees it as well. I create the database from the network location, not a mapped drive. I browse to the network location in MM->Media Tree, right-click and choose Export to Control 4, navigate the save-file location to the same network location (NOT a mappaed drive), and save.

Even with all that, the script still outputs only the <media></media> in the xml file.

I may revert back to a version 3.xx of media monkey as I think that is what ChicagoSkiGuy and others may have said worked in the past.

ChicagoSkiGuy, if you get a chance, can you try to export again and double check your settings? I would like to duplicate a working setup. Seems like I am oh so close but just not there.

Thanks again.

[paulstevens]

Some success. The "exportc4.vbs" script exports playlists, but not the music library. The music library is just <media></media>.

I'm not sure where the playlist content in MM came from as I only did the scan and then the export.

I'm still at a loss to get it to export the music library.

Thanks!

I should note that the above is with a network location such as //HC1000/audio

If I map the drive to a drive letter, the export music library works.

If I don't map it to a letter but refer only to a network location, export music library fails.

Another idea would be to convert the xml pointing to a drive letter to point to the network location instead, but that is beyond my abilities.

Edited November 21, 2012 by paulstevens

[paulstevens]

I have this working somewhat on version 2.1.1 with media monkey 4.0.7. My media database is poorly organized and the tags are questionable, but I do have export and import working and may have discovered a few limiations of the script and composers ability to import. Large lists can be a problem for both export from MM and import into composer, but reasonably sized lists import fine.

The drive actually must be mapped to a letter for MM export via the script to work. Import into C4 worked fine into a Network File System location into the project.

[JP Rizal]

I have this working somewhat on version 2.1.1 with media monkey 4.0.7. My media database is poorly organized and the tags are questionable, but I do have export and import working and may have discovered a few limiations of the script and composers ability to import. Large lists can be a problem for both export from MM and import into composer, but reasonably sized lists import fine.

The drive actually must be mapped to a letter for MM export via the script to work. Import into C4 worked fine into a Network File System location into the project.

Would it make any difference on 2.2.2.

[paulstevens]

Would it make any difference on 2.2.2.

I don't see how, but I am not on 2.2.2 to verify. Presumably the xml format and import scheme is unchanged, if so it should work.

[paulstevens]

Here is what I discovered as a prerequisite for MediaMonkey to work with composer.

In composer where you enter the path for the network Attached storage, the path you enter must match the path of the drive letter you map in windows where you create the media monkey database. Then,, in MM, you export from the same level.

For example: In composer, enter \\192.168.1.123\media or whatever for your storage. Click CONNECT.

elsewhere in windows, map a drive, say, P:\\192.168.1.123\media

this makes P: and the network storage location in composer "equivalent"

Now in media monkey, scan your media files from drive P:

run exportC4.vbs on P: don't run it from any subdirectories.

Whatever is exported can then be imported into composer. Works well.

I modified the script to add Songs.artist to be pulled into composer, and changed the way tracks are numbered when imported into C4. Before, it would sometimes import the tracks in the incorrect order if they were prefixed with a "0" like 01 02, etc.

[cpotter638]

Using:

Media Monkey 4.0.7

Composer 2.2.1

Downloaded most recently posted script and got it working. Seems to have worked for the most part. However, song artist metadata not captured. I assume this is what Paul is referencing in his most recent post.

Can anyone post a modified script that fixes this? Or even just the modified portion? Modifying VB script is beyond my current knowledge.

Thanks in advance for the help.

Chad

[chicagoskiguy]

Has Control4 changed their Export/Import XML format? It's been a while since I refreshed my library (not sure what version I was running last time I tried), but although the file "loaded" - songs are not in the correct playlists, and things generally seem pretty screwed up. 

 

Does anyone know what format the file should be in? I'm running Composer Home 2.5.2

 

Scott

[chicagoskiguy]

I looked at it closer. Control4 changed the format of their import/export XML with the transition to 2.x.  

 

I know VB Script, so I'll try to modify the script, and upload it once it's working. 

[chicagoskiguy]

As promised. This script works for me in 2.5.2. It's attached.

 

There is one line which will need to be edited for anyone using the script. Line 58 contains the following:

const CONTROL4PATHROOT = "//192.168.0.211/public/Music Share/Music/MP3/"

You should edit this line to point to the place where Control4 has been mapped. For example. My dealer setup a storage item called "music" and music is mapped to \\192.168.0.211\public\Music Share\Music\MP3\ on my system. 

 

There may be some better way of fixing this, but this works for me. I tested with my collection of approximately 10k tracks, and approximately 50 playlists. The XML file created was approximately 73 meg, and took my HC-800 about 20-25 minutes to load. 

 

My recommendation is to export all tracks and playlists each time. Maintain all data and playlists in MediaMonkey. Partial exports will probably fail miserably as Conrol4 ignores the track ID's written to the file, and assigns a track counter as the ID. i.e. the first song of the first album will have a track ID of 1. Any playlists would have to have prior knowledge if the export was partial. 

 

Please let me know if you have questions... but no warranties, etc. It's a freebee. Enjoy. 

Exportc4_v2x.zip

[Lawexec]

I tried Chicago Ski Guy's script (Exportc4_v2x.vbs) as a Media Monkey add-on. I have Control4's Composer HE version 3.2.1. Both my C4 system/Composer and Media Monkey point to and play from the same files (mp3 and FLAC) and file locations. 

I got as far as being able to right-click a MM playlist the choose "Export to Control4 v2.x ...when I select that option for the selected playlist, I get a MM error message saying "Selected drive/folder cannot be exported. Please select a valid device or folder under My Computer." I am stuck at that point. I don't know how to select a destination that MM would recognize for that exported XML playlist to go to.

Chicago's Ski Guy's script was created many years ago. Does anyone know if it works for playlists only (not entire library) with current versions of MM and Control4's ComposerHE? If it does, what changes or additional steps do I need? 

Alternatively, has anyone tried any kind of a playlist format converter - to convert a MM-exported M3U playlist into an XML playlist C4's Composer would import and use relatively error and glitch free?

Many thanks.

Steve J

[zaphod]

[chicagoskiguy]

I have not used this in many years. I think that Composer HE's Media import and export is/was broken. 

Last I tried - I was unable to use Composer HE to successfully complete the following:

• Import a handful of songs
• Create a single simple playlist and add some of those songs
• Export the songs and playlist to an XML file
• clear the songs and playlist in HE
• import the songs and playlist from the HE exported XML.

HE created a playlist and it had songs in it, but they were not the songs I had placed in the playlist. 

Once I saw HE could not import it's own export - I stopped looking into it. 

This issue may be resolved since I last tried. 

I've switched to the following solution, and I feel it's much better:

Use Media Monkey to export M3U playlists, and then run a DLNA media server which will serve up those playlists (I use Twonky Server to do this). Control4 can use those playlists, and it is much easier and faster to update/refresh with the DLNA instead of Control4's terrible media management. 

 

[tmj4]

NECROPOST GALORE HERE! WOW