# Metadata mixed up in a screwy way (or it seems screwy to me)
**URL:** https://community.mp3tag.de/t/metadata-mixed-up-in-a-screwy-way-or-it-seems-screwy-to-me/54414
**Category:** Mac
**Created:** [September 17, 2021, 11:15pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/metadata-mixed-up-in-a-screwy-way-or-it-seems-screwy-to-me/54414 "2021-09-17T23:15:30Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@abyrd](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/abyrd)
#### Post date: [September 17, 2021, 11:15pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/metadata-mixed-up-in-a-screwy-way-or-it-seems-screwy-to-me/54414/1 "2021-09-17T23:15:30Z")
Hi--
I have a problem on Roon, which probably is unknown to most people in this community. But I was told on the Roon forum that my problem was with my metadata and that all I had to do was to get MP3Tag and fix it. I now have MP3Tag, and I see it is a powerful and potentially useful app. The problem is I do not know what I am looking for.
This is the problem:
I listen a lot to Ornette Coleman and John Coltrane. When I search for Coltrane, I get what I want, but there is Coleman data mixed in with it. The discography, for example, shows all of the albums of both artists. Coleman is given as the composer of Coltrane tracks. When I search for Coltrane I get all of Coleman's albums in the discography, but Coltrane is not given as the composer of Coleman tracks.
Coleman is the dominant figure. He is also mixed up with a few other artists whom I listen to a lot: Cecil Taylor, Eric Dolphy. I am not sure that I have found all of the examples,I know of five or six. As I type this , I don't see how it could be caused by metadata on individual file. I can be more specific, but I am thinking the problem is not adequately frame.
Does it seem my problem could be a metadata problem?
Thanks.
---
### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [September 18, 2021, 6:38am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/metadata-mixed-up-in-a-screwy-way-or-it-seems-screwy-to-me/54414/2 "2021-09-18T06:38:52Z")
If you think that the metadata is the problem, then you should show us some:
Show us the extended tags dialogue (Alt-T) of a single file.
Then show us that same file as it appears in your player.
And then tell us where you expected the file to appear or what should be different.
Are you on a Mac?
And:
See this thread about Roon:
> [@Way to "automate" setting the artist and album from the file name?](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/way-to-automate-setting-the-artist-and-album-from-the-file-name/52190):
>
> Just started using mp3tag, seems wonderful. My metadata is a mess, and it confuses Roon. So trying to fix it up and make Roon happier. Almost all of my mess is files missing tags. And the tag info is available in the path name. So I've been selecting an album, then typing in the artist and album tags in the left panel based on the directory name. I looked at action etc to see if there is a way to automate this, but I don't spot it. Is it possible? Thanks.
---
### Author:  [@abyrd](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/abyrd)
#### Post date: [September 18, 2021, 5:21pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/metadata-mixed-up-in-a-screwy-way-or-it-seems-screwy-to-me/54414/3 "2021-09-18T17:21:27Z")
Yes, Mac.
I was told on the Roon forum that the problem is the metadata.
I have never given metadata much of a thought. I listen to a lot
of music. About 15 years ago I ripped a large collection of CDs,
which I have played back with numerous setups and never had
much problem. But I have no idea what I am looking for in the
data.
Somehow with the hard drive/ tidal / Roon system... Ornette
Coleman seems to encroach on the data space of 6 or 8 of my
other favorite artists. I search, for ex, Coltrane, Roons gives me
what I expect; I click on Coltrane, which should give me a
page with a picture of Coltrane and a list of all of the Coltrane
albums I have access to. It gives me a picture of Coleman, a list of
all of the Coltrane albums and all of the Coltrane Albums.
I click on a Coltrane track and it opens, but Coleman is listed
as the composer of all of Coltrane's tracks, whether composed
by Coltrane or someone else. It's more complicated than this
but this is the general pattern. This happens with perhaps a
half dozen artists.
thanks.
---
### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [September 18, 2021, 5:29pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/metadata-mixed-up-in-a-screwy-way-or-it-seems-screwy-to-me/54414/4 "2021-09-18T17:29:26Z")
It's a pity that you did not supply any of the requested data but just delivered a verbose description.
So I can give you only general hints:
You need to fill the fields for ALBUMARTIST, ARTIST, TITLE, YEAR and ALBUM.
If these fields are empty then all the files where the fields are also empty get grouped together e.g. as "the album that has no name".
It would be really helpful to see a screendump of the dialogue "extended tags" (Cmd-T).