4.4 Working With Metadata
Metadata is information about your files that can be embedded within the files.
Kind: concept (user-guide-section) Chapter: 4 Managing Media: The Media Explorer Source: REAPER User Guide v7.70
Metadata is information about your files that can be embedded within the files. Categories of metadata recognised by REAPER’s media explorer include Title, Artist, Album, Date, Genre, Comment, Description, BPM and Key, as well as Custom Tags. Custom tags can be used for other information that you might wish to include. Metadata can be added to both media and non media files. Before looking more closely at how the media explorer handles metadata, there are some basic issues that you should understand. These are:
- Existing metadata already embedded in files that you purchase and/or download will be displayed in media explorer provided, of course, that you have made those columns visible.
- You can sort, search and filter the list of files displayed using the contents of any metadata field, provided these are enabled in your Options, Search options. There is also an option to Group favorites on top.
- Within media explorer you can add metadata to most kinds of audio files, including .WAV, .MP3, .OGG. and .FLAC.
- Metadata that you add to any files in media explorer, including your own recorded material, will be displayed in media explorer and can be used for searching etc., but by default will not be embedded in the files. You do, however, have an option to write the metadata into the file so that it will then be embedded.
- Some metadata fields will be displayed in popular music software (such as Windows Media Player and Groove Music) and portable MP3 players and will be displayed as the music is played. Typically, these will include Title, Artist and Album.
In order to do this … Do this ….
Enter/Edit metadata in a single file
Double-click in the required column (e.g. Title) for that file, type the metadata and press Enter.
Enter/Edit metadata in several files.
Make file selection in the main panel file list. Right click over any file in selection, choose Edit metadata tag then select required field (e.g. Artist), type the text and press Enter.
Restore metadata to last saved state
Select file or files. Right-click over any selected file, choose Re-read metadata from media files.
Embed metadata in a single file or several files
Select file or files. Right-click over any selected file, choose Write edited metadata to files.