Beginners Guide

Beginner's Guide

• Status: This document is still in its very early stages. It is definitely not ready to be seen by real newcomers. But it is only a question of a little time and work. The idea is to have in one page the essential info a user has to know in order to start doing things correctly in MusicBrainz. Anybody may amend and/or enhance it, but remember, it should be kept small, easy to understand even to people who don't read English fluently. Also this NeedsIntertwingling. Evolutions Simple explanations on votes Split the page in 2 or 3 or 4 (intro/votes/edits/wiki) if the size really can't be kept small enough?

Welcome to MusicBrainz! We hope to give you the knowledge you need to start enhancing MB as well as your own files. This document contains many links which we hope will explain MusicBrainz in more detail and expand on the concept. If this is your first visit here, try to read all of this page before following any (purple colored) links. MusicBrainz is a world in itself and you might get lost. ;-) Once you begin to understand what is going on, you can start exploring the documentation. HowTo can be a good procedure-oriented starting point.

MusicBrainz (MB in short) is currently made up of three parts: the database (were the data about music is stored) , the documentation and software to interact with your files. Of course, you will use the database, this is the whole point of MusicBrainz! You will consult it, and you will edit it (add or update data). But since editing the database relies on a voting system, you will need the documentation too, in order to understand how to query and update the database. Ultimately, you may want to improve the database to accurately identify and tag your files.

Documentation

The documentation is WikiDocs. These are the "how to" of the database and will be referred to often within the notes left during the voting process. Usually in the term of Style, or StyleGuide. By the way, you can add comments to this page (see the Discussion section at the bottom).

Database

Querying the database is fairly simple, you should not have any problems retrieving data. Editing it (change, add or delete data) is another matter. In order to ensure that MB's quality is up to the standards we have set for it, all the non-trivial modifications must go through a voting phase.

Step 1: In order to update the database, you must first register and log in. After you are registered, you can cross this step from your list.

Step 2: Subscribe to the artists or groups in which you have a particular interest. This allows you to be notified of changes made to these pages once a day by email.

Definitions

In MusicBrainz when a user modifies data in any way (see http://musicbrainz.org/mod_intro.html and HowEditingWorks), this change is called editing, though you may see reference to "moderation", or mods (see ModerationGuide, ModerationFAQ, ModerationNote) as we reshape our documentation. Most edits must go through a voting process before being applied (see HowToVote). Some minor edits (such as changing the case of letters) are applied immediately, no vote being required.

The term Release covers full-length albums, singles, vinyls, cassettes, etc. A release is made of one or more Tracks. If a CD with the same tracklisting is issued twice, once as a stand-alone release, once in a set, it may have to be entered into the database twice (see Release, BoxSet and BoxSetNameStyle).

• hmm that conflicts with BoxSetNameStyle! Shouldn't always be entered twice... --Gecks
  • Seems clear this way?--davitof
    • Sounds like BoxSetNameStyle didn't get updated after that conversation in the mailing list. I may be remembering wrong, so I wont change it myself. But, if someone else recalls it, please edit it or edit this page accordingly to what the outcome was. Then delete these comments. Nyght

One of the fundamental aims of MusicBrainz is to offer exact information. To enforce this, we have guidelines. These guidelines allow us to ensure the data input by all users is accurate. These guidelines vary depending on the kind of release, see: StyleGuideline, CapitalizationStandard, ClassicalStyleGuide, SoundtrackStyle, HowToMakeRelationships

Adding a Release

Please note that MusicBrainz strives for data which is as accurate as possible. An example of this policy is, that we do not like homeburnt DiscIDs to be added to the database. This does not mean that you are not allowed to add tracklistings from these mediums (Bootlegs generally are ok), but only Disc IDs of official, factory produced media are allowed.

• Some bootlegs are factory produced, and of course their Disc IDs are valid. Also some official releases are CDrs, so just because something was homeburnt doesn't mean it's Disc ID shouldn't be added. I'm not sure how to rewrite this bit - I would have thought only homebrewed personal versions are not allowed (eg someone downloads mp3s from net, and burns them to CD according to an actual tracklisting = unique Disc ID that isn't of any use to anyone but them. Everything else is fine. --Gecks

This is probably one of the first things you will want to do. Either you have a CD, or you don't (vinyl, cassette, ...)

• If you have a CD, first run Picard. Clicking the lookup CD button will make Picard analyze your CD and connect to MusicBrainz. If the CD exists in MusicBrainz, please check that the track listing matches. If they are the same, you can attach the information from your copy to the existing release. If they are not the same, it probably has not been entered before. This is a chance for you to enhance MB by adding your copy. It is generally better to add a new version of the same release if the previous step does not turn up a match, than trying to manipulate existing track lists which are, in many cases, perfectly valid..

If MusicBrainz doesn't know your cd, it automatically tries to recover it from freedb. If it finds it, it recovers the freedb data. A word of warning. You must now carefully examine the freedb import since it often needs corrections, and enhancements to fit into MusicBrainz's StyleGuidelines. Also, it is good practice to provide proof of your release in the moderation notes, freedb is not considered as a proof, as their submissions process is not monitered. If MusicBrainz really can't offer any useful suggestion for your cd, then you will have to input the tracks manually.

• If you don't have a CD handy, you will need to search by hand. Usually the best way is to search for the title of the release. If you can't find the release you have, or the only matches in MusicBrainz are reasonably different from yours, then you have a new release and you should enter it manually.
• It helps immensely if you can provide a link to a page containing more information on the release. Official websites and comprehensive fan sites are good, as are online shops, such as Amazon. These links not only helps other editors double check accuracy, but helps us find any extra information which can be added. While welcoming bootlegs, we try and discourage a home made various mix. Our aim is toward widely reaching and readily useable accurate information. Thus your local factory made various artist disc may not be accepted for its very slim range of user need.

Order of operations when editing an object with a pending edit

Take care when altering the database in reference to previous edits. If there is a pending edit (usually highlighted in yellow), one edit will cancel another out. You will want to delete your edits if you notice your own mistake, rather than edit over a previous edit.

Advanced editing

One of the most fundamental database tools of MusicBrainz is AdvancedRelationships. These allow us to link from one object to another. We use ARs to say who composed a release or track, who performed on a release or track, who was a member of a specific group, which track is the original version of the track, and so on. These ARs are slower and more complex to enter than releases and tracks, but it is these entries which what allow MusicBrainz to be a full-fledged database rather than a simple collection of releases and tracks!

Release-level ARs should only be added when they apply to all the tracks on the release.

Software

Download and install Picard and match your CDs with the MusicBrainz Database and then, tag your digial audio files.

Next steps

Thank you for taking the time to read and learn more about what makes MusicBrainz thrive. Your next visit should be to the CodeOfConduct or the HowTo.

Discussion

Beginners, this is your page, of course. So if you feel something is wrong or missing here, just add your comment below.