PicardScripts/README.md

MusicBrainz Picard File Naming Script v3.0

Automatically organize your music library with extensive customization options.

What is This?

This is a powerful file naming script for MusicBrainz Picard that automatically organizes your music collection into a clean, consistent directory structure. Instead of manually renaming files and creating folders, this script does it all for you based on metadata from MusicBrainz.

File Organization

• Picard_Rename_Script.txt - The working script file (human-readable with full formatting)
• Picard_Rename_Script.ptsp - Picard Script Package format for easy import into Picard
• README.md - This beginner-friendly guide
• SCRIPT_GUIDE.md - Complete technical reference and customization guide

Key Features

• Organized by artist with alphabetical folders (A/, B/, C/, etc.)
• Separate albums, singles, EPs, and live recordings into subfolders
• Multi-disc album support with disc subfolders and subtitles
• Special handling for Various Artists, Soundtracks, and Audiobooks
• Vinyl support with MusicBrainz-style track numbering (A1, A2, B1, B2)
• Audio quality display in filenames (bitrate, sample rate, CBR/VBR)
• Genre-based pre-sorting for advanced organization
• Incomplete album handling to keep partial albums separate
• Cross-platform filename compatibility (Windows/Linux/macOS)

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Quick Example

Before: Messy files with inconsistent names

Various Artists - Now 80.mp3
beatles-come together (1).mp3
Pink Floyd - The Wall - CD1 - 01.flac

After: Clean, organized structure

/B/Beatles, The/(1969) Abbey Road [CD - MP3]/01. Come Together [4m20s] [320 44100KHz CBR 2ch].mp3
/P/Pink Floyd/(1979) The Wall [CD - FLAC]/Disc01/01. In the Flesh [3m19s] [96000KHz 24bit 6ch].flac
/V/Various/(2011) Now That's What I Call Music! 80 [CD - MP3]/Disc01/01. Somebody That I Used to Know [4m04s].mp3

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Prerequisites

Required Software

1. MusicBrainz Picard (version 2.0 or later)

   • Download: https://picard.musicbrainz.org/downloads/
   • Free and open-source music tagger

2. Additional Artists Variables Plugin (REQUIRED)

   • Author: Bob Swift [rdswift]
   • Source: https://github.com/rdswift/picard-plugins/tree/2.0_RDS_Plugins
   • License: GPL-2.0 or later
   • Why needed: This plugin provides enhanced artist variables that the script uses for proper artist sorting and featured artist detection

Optional Plugins

3. Last.fm.ng Plugin (for genre-based category sorting)

   • Source: https://github.com/fdemmer/Picard-Last.fm.ng-Plugin
   • Only needed if you want to organize by genre/category at the root level

4. Classical Extras Plugin (for classical music workflow)

   • Only needed if you want special handling for classical music
   • Requires setting $set(_isClassical,1) in a separate script

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Installation

Step 1: Install MusicBrainz Picard

1. Download Picard from https://picard.musicbrainz.org/downloads/
2. Install and launch the application

Step 2: Install Required Plugin

1. In Picard, go to Options -> Options -> Plugins
2. Click Install plugin from URL
3. For the Additional Artists Variables plugin:
   • Download from https://github.com/rdswift/picard-plugins/tree/2.0_RDS_Plugins
   • Or search for "Additional Artists Variables" in the plugin list
4. Enable the plugin and restart Picard

Step 3: Install This Script

Option A: Using the .ptsp package (recommended)

1. Download or use Picard_Rename_Script.ptsp from the repository
2. In Picard, go to Options -> Open file naming script editor -> File -> Import a script file
3. Click select the Picard_Rename_Script.ptsp
4. Click Open

Option B: Using the .txt file

1. Open the script file: Picard_Rename_Script.txt
2. Copy the entire contents
3. In Picard, go to Options -> Open file naming script editor -> Script -> Add a new script -> Empty/blank script
4. Paste the script into the Script text box

Step 4: Configure Destination Directory

1. In Picard, go to Options -> Options -> File Naming
2. Check Rename files when saving
3. Set Destination directory to your music library root
   • Example: /Users/yourname/Music or D:\Music
4. Click Make It So!

Step 5: Review Configuration (Optional)

The script uses sensible defaults, but you can customize it:

1. Open the script editor
2. Find SECTION 2: CONFIGURATION (around line 115)
3. Modify settings as needed (see Configuration Reference below)
4. Copy and paste the updated script back into Picard

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How It Works: Default Configuration

The script uses sensible defaults that work great for most users. Here's what you get out of the box:

Default Organization Structure

Standard Album Example:

/B/Beatles, The/(1969) Abbey Road [CD - MP3] [mbid] {catalog}/
  01. Come Together [4m20s] [320 44100KHz CBR 2ch].mp3
  02. Something [3m03s] [V0 44100KHz VBR 2ch].mp3
  03. Maxwell's Silver Hammer [3m27s] [96000KHz 16bit 2ch].flac
  ...

Multi-Disc Album Example:

/P/Pink Floyd/(1979) The Wall [CD - FLAC] [mbid] {catalog}/
  Disc01/
    01. In the Flesh [3m19s].flac
    02. The Thin Ice [2m29s].flac
    ...
  Disc02/
    01. Hey You [4m42s].flac
    ...

Various Artists Compilation Example:

/Various/N/(2011) Now That's What I Call Music! 80 [CD - MP3] [mbid] {catalog}/
  Disc01/
    01. Somebody That I Used to Know [4m04s].mp3
    02. We Found Love [3m35s].mp3
    03. Rolling in the Deep [3m48s].mp3
    ...

Albums, Singles, and EPs Separated Example:

/M/Madonna/
  (1984) Like a Virgin [CD - MP3] [mbid] {catalog}/
    01. Material Girl [4m01s].mp3
    02. Like a Virgin [3m38s].mp3
  Singles/
    (1985) Into the Groove [CD - MP3] [mbid] {catalog}/
      01. Into the Groove [4m44s].mp3
  EP/
    (1989) Remixed Prayers [CD - MP3] [mbid] {catalog}/
      01. Like a Prayer (remix) [7m43s].mp3

Vinyl with MusicBrainz Track Numbers:

/D/David Bowie/(1972) The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust [Vinyl - MP3] [mbid] {catalog}/
  Side 1/
    A1. Five Years [4m43s].mp3
    A2. Soul Love [3m35s].mp3
  Side 2/
    B1. Lady Stardust [3m22s].mp3
    B2. Star [2m47s].mp3

Special Collections (Automatic)

The script automatically routes certain types of releases to dedicated directories:

• Soundtracks -> /Soundtrack/G/Guardians of the Galaxy.../
• Various Artists -> /Various/N/Now That's What I Call Music.../
• Audiobooks -> /Audiobook/A/Audiobook Name.../
• Podcasts -> /Podcast/P/Podcast Name.../
• Incomplete Albums -> /- Partial/Artist/Album.../

For detailed configuration options and advanced scenarios, see SCRIPT_GUIDE.md.

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License

This script is licensed under GPL-3.0 (GNU General Public License v3.0).

You are free to:

• Use this script for any purpose
• Modify it to suit your needs
• Share it with others

Conditions:

• If you distribute modified versions, you must also license them under GPL-3.0
• Include a copy of the license and state changes made
• Make source code available

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Credits

Version History

v1.0 - "MBP YA Magic-Script v2.7"

• Created by: amd/17500mph
• Based on: "MBP Magic Script" by Ski-lleR
• Character filter contributions: avibrazil
• Source: https://github.com/avibrazil/picard-scripting

v2.0 - Custom Additions

• User modifications and enhancements

v3.0 - Comprehensive Refactoring

• Complete reorganization and documentation
• Inline examples and reference tables
• Beginner-friendly documentation
• Technical reference guide

Plugin Credits

Additional Artists Variables Plugin

• Author: Bob Swift [rdswift]
• License: GPL-2.0 or later
• Source: https://github.com/rdswift/picard-plugins