Topic: filename format for archiving shows

[coastfan]

I've been downloading shows from various sources, and the filename formats are all different from each source, the result being that when I pull up all my shows in my file browser, they're out of order chronologically or by show or by host or whatever. It's aggravating. So I've been renaming them and filing them away with the aim of uploading them via torrent. Here's my format and let me know what you think:

showname.year.month.day.host.hour x of x hours.topic.guest.mp3

They fall nicely into chronological order if they're all in one directory, and they don't get split by host or guest or topic. Notice I'm putting the 'hour x of x hours' BEFORE the topic and guest. If they go after, the show sometimes appears out of hourly order if different topics or guests on different hours of the same show.

For example:

cc.1995.09.14.ab.1-4.Flying Saucer Technology. Stan Deyo.ST-2008-09-27.mp3
cc.1995.09.14.ab.2-4.Flying Saucer Technology.Stan Deyo.SIT-2008-09-27.mp3
cc.1995.09.14.ab.3-4.Ozone Hole. Pat. Open Lines.SIT-2008-09-27.mp3
cc.1995.09.14.ab.4-4.Open Lines.SIT-2008-09-27.mp3

[awguy]

Obviously everyone has their own way of doing it so it's a matter of personal preference. I prefer to keep things a bit simpler. I label my shows like:

c2c - 2002-03-12 - Hour 1 - David Anderson - Time Travel
c2c - 2002-03-12 - Hour 2 - David Anderson - Time Travel
c2c - 2002-03-12 - Hour 3 - David Anderson - Time Travel
c2c - 2002-03-12 - Hour 4 - David Anderson - Time Travel

I'm in the process of re-labeling my files. I used to put the hour at the end of the file and like you, I was finding that things were out of order... especially when I burned to a CD. I've never gotten detailed enough to label what was in each specific hour. For instance in the example above, the first hour was actually open lines but I still labeled it as part of the time travel show as that was the main topic that night.

[coastfan]

That works, too. It's really bad when you run across a show that starts with the month spelled, then the show, and no host name. I mean, if it's GN I'm not going to download it unless it's an interesting topic or guest, but I don't know until I go to the Coast site and look it up. It's aggravating. I've been  trying different programs to edit the metadata: exfalso, easytag, and some others. I often copy files to a small mp3 player and I like to keep the tags straight for that, too.

[Michael Vandeven]

i just name mine by airdate and that's it.

[anagrammy]

Here's the format I like:

110218-1.AB.Open
110218-2.AB.Politics.Chomsky
110218-3.AB.Politics.Chomsky
110218-4.AB.Politics.Chomsky
110219-1.IP.Open
110219-2.IP.Atheism.Dawkins

YEAR-MO-DAY-HOUR.HOST.GUEST.SUBJECT

This automatically sorts and I can use smart folders on my Mac to link subjects, guests, or hosts.  Needless to say, I recently ranked upwards my host category because hosts matter.

Anagrammy

Anagrammy

[MaLaCoiD]

anagrammy, that hurts my eyes. You gotta use a 4-digit year.

I did it this way, and since I've released the 2006-2010 torrents, I suggest you do it may way  :
C2CAM 2005-02-07- Merlin Project Update- George Noory- Hour 3.mp3

The title officially follows what's here:
http://www.coasttocoastam.com/show/2005/02/07
which should be the same as here:
http://scratchpad.wikia.com/wiki/Coast_to_Coast_AM_Archive_Project_-_Index_of_Shows

The file name goes from most important to least important.

Also be sure you're ID3-tagging the files as well. I do mine:
Title: Hour 3
Artist: George Noory
Album: 2005-02-07- Merlin Project
Year: 2005
Track: 03/04
Genre: Speech
Comment: <leave the stream link one>
Cover: photo of the show's host
No Other Tags

This way, you can easily use the ID3 to rename the file with Mp3Tag program. Hit Alt+1 and give it: C2CAM %album%- %artist%- %title%

I don't care about when a show was rebroadcast or replayed- it should be the same as the original, so tag it like the original.

[coastfan]

MaLaCoiD, Sorry I can't take your suggestion, but there's a major flaw in that format, and it's the hour at the end. That way could cause the four hours of a show to get out of order if the topics and guests are different throughout the show.    So I think the hour should come right after the date. Other than that, the format you promote is fairly decent, if a bit long. I like the shorter way (anagrammy's, awguy, mine) because it's much easier to deal with on a little mp3 player with slowly scrolling titles, and in a file browser.

So, I always rename my files to my preferred format.

My one suggestion to anybody would be to PLEASE put the name of the HOST in the filename so we'll know who to ignore.