Maintaining FLAC master and MP3 replica folder structure with Beets

[knuurr]

Hello,

Currently I'm working on a solution which would allow me to maintain a MP3-transcoded folder mirror of my FLAC-based "primary" folder with music.

The end-goal would ideally meet following criteria:

• original folder with FLACs is NEVER modified in this process
• any changes to my original library (that is files) such as: adding new files, removing new files, changing metadata, is rellected ONLY one-way; (if I change/add some FLAC file it's reflected in MP3, never other way around)
• during compression, all metadata from input file(s) is kept
• original folder structure is kept

Purpose: all this because I'd like to have a MP3 copy of my music library on my phone locally. FLACs are overkill to keep them - battery drain and storage issues.

My question: how to perform such task using Beets? I tried searching ready to use solutions and ideas on web but I didn't find any ready to use solution.

Is Beets even the right tool for this kind of task? If possible I'd like to avoid pure ffmpeg.

[wisp3rwind]

Check out https://github.com/geigerzaehler/beets-alternatives

[JOJ0]

@knuurr yeah beets-alternatives seems to fit your use-case well IIUC, just wanted to mention, there is one edge-case with coverart: If you happen to not save covers as files next to your albums and rely on embeded covers only, that is not supported currently by beets-alternatives. geigerzaehler/beets-alternatives#69

[knuurr]

@JOJ0 isn't it the other way? Just ran beet embedart on entire library and now my portable music coolection gained cover arts too.

[JOJ0]

@JOJ0 isn't it the other way? Just ran beet embedart on entire library and now my portable music coolection gained cover arts too.

It works as long as you have stored a cover.png/jpg inside each album folder in your source/flac structure.

I suppose you do store cover images, that correct?

[wisp3rwind]

beets-alternatives can definitely embed art that exists as a separate file along the tracks in the converted files. If the art exists only as embedded cover in the source tracks, I think it depends on the convert command: beets-alternatives will not move over the art itself, but if the conversion command (e.g. ffmpeg) does so, it persists.

[RollingStar]

I don't have time to write a full answer (not sure this is possible with beets currently) but you will probably want https://github.com/x1ppy/freezetag .

(And have you seen Opus? Great for portable listening and negligible battery drain vs MP3 I would think) see https://hydrogenaud.io/index.php/topic,120919.msg997205.html#msg997205