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Metadata

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Firstly, the definition of music Metadata is as follows: the digital tags that identify a song’s title, artist, album, and more. Within the Synchtank system, you can manage and create Metadata content for your music catalog. This can be found within Synchtank Admin under the Metadata section and you are able to  update the tags used for Genres, Moods, Keywords and Instruments.

 

These tags will allow you to improve and manage your frontend search functions, as well as sorting of your catalog. These Metadata tags will also usually appear on individual track and album pages amongst others.

Some systems will have extra Metadata sections depending on how their Synchtank system is set up. We recommend that you ensure that your Metadata tagging is as up to date as possible,as this will vastly improve the search and management functions of your system.

To help you make the most of your Metadata, we break down how to manage, edit, add Metadata, how to make bulk changes and what automated tagging is:

 

How to manage your Metadata

There are a variety of ways for you to manage your Metadata using the Synchtank Admin including using the All Tracks spreadsheet and Auto Tagging (more on that below or check the quick links above to jump to that section). 

In this section we'll cover bulk editing Metadata, removing Metadata, adding synonyms and other useful tricks. 

Adding Metadata to your system 

Items can be added to the Metadata dropdown lists from the Metadata section in Synchtank Admin. A variety of Metadata options can be added including Genres, Instruments, and Keywords. To add a new type of Metadata, go to the type of Metadata you would like to add from the dropdown menu e.g. a new Genre.

To add a new Genre in Synchtank Admin:

  1. Press the "+ Create" button in the top right hand corner of the page
  2. You can then type the name of a genre as well as a description.
  3. Lastly, don’t forget to save - just press the "Save" button in the top right hand corner of the page.

Adding synonyms

Synonyms are used alongside Metadata as people search in many different ways, so having alternative search terms or common misspellings of existing Metadata tags will ensure your catalog is more discoverable. For example, if a user adds "Hip-Hop" as a synonym of "Hip Hop", results for "Hip Hop" will be displayed when the user searches "Hip-Hop" on the front end. 

To add a synonym:

  1. either create a new Metadata tag or edit a pre-existing Metadata tag. 
  2. Press the "+ Add Synonym" button and start typing a synonym. 
  3. To save, press the "Save" button in the top right hand corner. 

To delete a synonym, press the delete button next to the Synonym.

Merging data

By merging data, you can choose to combine two Metadata tags for example, multiple instances of similar genres. 

You choose which Metadata tag to keep and which to remove and delete from your system. The tag chosen to be removed will be added as a Synonym of the tag the user has decided to keep and the Metadata will automatically be changed for the tracks in the system. 

 

Parent/child tags

Parent/child Tags enable you to set up sub-entities in your system which allows for more levels of detail in search. 

For example, if the user adds "Country Rock" as a Subgenre of "Country", then this can be displayed on the search page as a further filter.

 

Adding Metadata Tags to a Master/Composition

There are two main methods of adding Metadata tags to a track: editing the Metadata on a track page and editing Metadata using an All Tracks report.

  1. Adding Metadata to a Single Track

Adding Metadata to a single track in the system can be done from the main track page using the Audio Metadata section of the page.

You are able to start typing and various Metadata options added to the system will appear in a dropdown menu below. For example, if you start typing a genre that doesn't yet exist in the system, it can easily be added using the + button next to the field.

  1. Adding Metadata to Multiple Master/Compositions

You can add Metadata to multiple tracks in the system using the all tracks spreadsheet which can be uploaded from the Tracks page of Synchtank Admin. Check out the catalog article for more information on how to do this for your Masters and Compositions. 

Removing Metadata

Removing Metadata from a track is quite simple and can be done using an All Tracks Report or from the individual track page. 

To remove Metadata from a single track page, press the 'x' next to the tag from the Audio Metadata section of the Track Page.

 

Automated Metadata tagging

Synchtank supports individual settings for all automatically tagged catalog Metadata. The auto tagged Metadata fields are:

  • Key 
  • Mode 
  • BPM 
  • Tempo 
  • Timbre 
  • Complexity 
  • Moods

Automated Metadata tagging fields (except Key and Complexity) use a confidence factor, where Synchtank's automated tagging algorithm returns both a value for the field, and how confident the algorithm is in that value. The default confidence level for automated tagging is Medium, which requires a confidence of 60% or higher to use the data for that field.

 

System wide AutoTagging control

System wide automated Metadata tagging settings can be found in the Synchtank Admin under Metadata, and then Automated Tagging.

These are global settings that are applied to all tracks. You can control the confidence level required for each field, turn a field on or off, or turn an entire section of fields on or off.

In Synchtank Admin, the following toggles are available to manage each Metadata field and can be changed at any time:

  • On
    • Use all tags for the field 
  • Off
    • Use no tags for the field 
  • Low
    • Use tags with a confidence of 25% or higher 
  • Medium
    • Use tags with a confidence of 60% or higher 
  • High
    • Use tags with a confidence of 90% or higher

Track level Auto Tagging control

These settings are also available on a ‘per track’ level. These optional settings can be edited in the Synchtank Admin, or via the all tracks spreadsheet. Track level settings are optional, and will override default system level settings. 

 

Please note: For automated Metadata tagging fields (except Moods), if a track has data in the field, that data is always used in lieu of any automated data. Automated mood data is combined with any other mood data the track has.