I get Artist "--S" instead of "Styx" or "--Q" instead of "Queen"
Could this be because of APE tags?
Have you checked if there are APE tags?
I would check the files for integrity first:
Maybe it has to do with Unicode encoding if you use ID3v2 tags. They can have multiple flavors. One of them is 8-bit vs 16-bit Unicode encoding.
APE tags are always benign. If the player doesn't understand them, he won't even see that they are there. It's a good an simple format.
Doesn't display the full artist name for any other files that don't have APE tags?
If this Boss player is the single-line display car radio I found with Google, it may not have many options to show tag details.
Yes, single line. But it did not do this before, and everything works perfect on WinAmp and in the company car which is a 2024 Buick Encore with factory stereo which is double DIN.
Anyway, I took out all the APE tags with a batch takedown, I saw elsewhere in this forum how to do it...and I have not yet re-transferred files to the USB stick.
I will also look at diag tools mentioned above.
And it does the first-letter only thing for title, artist and album.
But it does the full name of the mp3 file, and it does the full name of the folder.
It did not USED to do the first-letter-only thing. So I do not know what could be causing that.
I re-did tags on over 2000 mp3s.
p.s. my boss elite 550 in my personal car is single DIN
OK, so I got MP3 Diag. I figured out how to load up the mp3's. Not sure what I am doing with this now or what I am looking for.
It does show some problems with the files...
I asked it to make backups before making changes...and then selected for a change, but no backup got made so do not know if it made any changes or if I am doing it right...
I would note that in the company car, which is a new 2024 Buick Encore, with a factory built-in stereo (double DIN) everything is completely correct.
Another company car I sometimes use also has double DIN stereos, but they do not show the cover art like the Buick does. But those cars would not show cover art even if it was right, the stereo itself just does not show it.
Then, there is my personal car, with the Boss Elite 550 single DIN, single line display. And that is what is messing up. And it did not used to. It did not used t show all the tags, now it does...but only the "--X" first letter thing..but it shows for Title, Artist and Album...only it does not do it right....and it used to on the songs it would...now all of them...just the first-letter thing.
I am wondering, since a player has to index a USB stick...if I just have too many files for my poor little stereo and I blew it's mind? I'm not terribly sure how all this stuff works...I am a bit of a novice, I know just enough to be dangerous.
In addition to check your music file for errors, the process for audio car player is always the same:
You have to find a track with metadata that works for you and your car player model.
As we don't own such car player model, you are the only person that can check what's the cause for your "--X first letter thing".
As soon as you find a track with working metadata, we can start comparing it with the ones not yet working.
Maybe it helps if you start with a minimalistic track with only ARTIST and ALBUM and TITLE content.
Start with short test entries like ABBA and Waterloo and "Watch out".
Which are...?
Unless you click on any of the hammers nothing gets done to your files.
A screenshot from a single selected file in MP3diags would be nice if you do not feel like interpreting the result.
Wondering if my car WANTS the ape tags. There's a lot less info in the app tags I have noticed.
I will also try with mp3diag. Did not know to click on these hammers. Will post results later.
I could batch write all the ape tags if they don't harm anything...as said above. I don't have ANY ape tags anymore. Before...some did and some didn't and my stereo read some tags and not others.
In either case I am thinking this is my stereo and not my tags...since it works perfect in the company cars.
Could it really be that my stereo WANTS the ape tags?
I am not quite sure about this obsession with APE tags.
Usually they don't really hurt, only if they get out of sync with other tags and data that one program does not show appears in another.
So first I would check whether the files are OK. And the best tool for that would be MP3diags. What does the scan of such a strange file reveal?
The problem is that ALL of my mp3s are acting like this...so I can't isolate something.
They work PERFECT in the company cars but not on my boss elite 550 in my personal car
If it was but a file or two...I might have an idea of so mething I could tell you. But it is ALL of the files acting this way.
I am not sure how keen you are on help in which direction you might look for a workaround.
A first step would be the check of the files.
And if they are OK, then different approaches to tags would follow.
But if the file structure is somehow strange, then it would be not very astounding to see a player acting up.
If all the files behave like that, then the choice would be easy to get a sample.
I am open to suggestions.
I don't have an obsession with ape tags...just thinking of everything I did from a time where DONE worked to where I am now and NONE work. Getting rid of those ape tags us one thing I did.. that's all.
What drives me nuts is that they ALL work perfect in the company cars....and ALL do not in my personal car!
I am a novice...I know just enough to be dangerous. So suggestions and help are appreciated thanks.
So: which findings does MP3diags reveal?
If you are not very confident with the analysis of files, then you could supply one file and the community may have a look at it.
Not at a computer where I can do that right now
I am at work posting from cell phone.
So did u want a screenshot of what shows...or an actual file?
At any rate... can't do either till tonite...I am at work right now
As I was saying...what is bugging me is how ALL of them work perfect in the company cars...and NONE of them work right in my personal car.
Is it really necessary to repeat these requests so many times with so little progress on the issue itself?
Sorry I was not clear on what you wanted. That was why I asked. I didn't do that to be annoying...but because I did not know what you wanted.
I'm actually sorta annoyed myself was hoping for more answers faster...like maybe do.eone had the same problem as me and thus knew how to fix it.
Let me post something tonite after I get home. Hopefully THEN someone might have some answers. This problem is annoying as all hell because it is ONLY in my personal car I have this problem. In the company cars the same usb stick works PERFECTLY.
I don't know what more you will be able to get from this unit. This is everything there is to know about it from the manufacturer in the manual.
Is it possible the info you saw in the past was from a Bluetooth device, not USB?
Nope. They were from the usb stick. The one that works perfect in my company cars but not at all in personal car.
I am thinking this could be the radio itself. If I could find a double DIN that would fit in my PT Cruiser...I would just replace the damn radio.