Mp3tag (Mac) not writing TOTALTRACKS tag to .m4a files

Mac
1

I’ve run into some odd behavior with Mp3tag on Mac that only started recently and I’m wondering if anyone else has seen this.

  • When I add the TOTALTRACKS field via the Extended Tags editor, the field isn’t saved at all.
  • If I use the Auto Numbering Wizard, only tracks up to 9 get a total number written. Anything above that remains untouched.
  • When I run an action like Format TRACK Field: $num(%_counter%,1)/%_total_files%, the totaltracks value is not written.

This only seems to affect .m4a files.

Has anyone run into this problem, found a workaround, or knows what might be causing this? Any ideas or help would be appreciated.

Notes:

I’m running the latest version of Mp3tag from the App Store.

Computers: MacBook Pro 16 M2 (2023) and iMac Pro, both on macOS 14.7.8.

I use xACT v2.57 to convert CD rips to Apple Lossless (m4a).

I’ve used this exact setup for many years and have never had a problem like this before.

2

I'll look into it, thanks for reporting!

3

I can confirm the issue and will work on a fix. It was introduced with the internal changes in v1.9.7.

I think there's a workaround: could you try removing any TRACK fields before adding TRACK and TOTALTRACKS together in one go?

4

Hi Florian,

thanks for looking into it! Removing any TRACK fields indeed allows me to then apply both TRACK and TOTALTRACKS via the Auto Numbering Wizard without issues.

I also did some experimenting regarding the issue:
When loading files that do not have any track tags assigned, everything works fine. However, if I then only remove the TOTALTRACK field but leave the TRACK field intact and then reapply both via the Auto Numbering Wizard, it will only add the TOTALTRACKS field up to the 9th track.

This seems to mirror the scenario in which I first noticed the issue:

  • Open files
  • Apply Remove Tags to clear generic tags from the ripper/converter
  • Tag via DISCOGS Release ID (which only writes the TRACK field but not TOTALTRACKS)
  • Then add TOTALTRACKS via an ACTION, which is when the issue occurs

Thanks again for your quick response and help - it’s much appreciated!

5

Many thanks for the additional details! I've just released v1.9.9 which should fix the issue.