Mp3tag VIA BSI Info Editor (BSI Simian)

Support
43

Honestly, I think it never will as this would lead to an implementation that does not comply with the ID3 standard.

The question again: which program needs the data? I doubt that it is the editor but I think it is some kind of player (e.g. for a broadcast).
Does this target program support only the tag data generated by the BSI editor or can that program also copy with ordinary (standard compliant) tags?
If that is so, then you won't need the BSI editor any more and you can write all data in a standard-compliant way with MP3tag.

44

As you know so far, your "BSI Info Editor" has some serious flaws.*
I highly suggest to leave this 20 year old software behind you and search for a working new tool for your environment.

This new tool has to write all needed tags for your target. As @ohrenkino already asked:
What software needs to read this tags?

(You should not search for a way to use both tagging tools (BSI and a new one). There should be only 1 new tool, compatible with your target software.)

* Example for a better understanding:
BSI does not write the content from BPM into the standard ID3 tag called BPM. It writes a user-defined tag TXXX. This breaks the interchangeability between tools.

45

My Radio program is the BSI SIMIAN... is a professional radio automation

It needs to read the files programmed with the BSI Info Editor

46

Unfortunately, there is no Trial-Version available from
https://bsiusa.com/product-category/radioautomation/

I can not test the compatibility by myself.

47

It's true that the BSI Info Editor program is more than 20 years old... The company hasn't made an update, because people are still working with this old program, which takes a long time to enter data ...

And people don't complain... So the company didn't see fit to update...

For my part, I find the Radio program is among the best in the world... but its Editor is outdated...

48

Thanks for your help ohrenkino and LyricsLover, you did a great job...

I understand a little better, the compatibility problems between the 2 programs...

49

It is not quite clear to me: does your radio automation program read ONLY the files (and tags) from the editor or is that program more flexible and standard-compliant and reads files also from other sources?
As we have pointed out so far: MP3tag does not erase a single field - it is the editor in the end that can only cope with its very individual solution of user-defined fields.

50

Sorry ohrenkino, maybe I answered your question wrong

BSI Simian Lite and Pro need to read all the TAGS that are programmed into BSI Info Editor, as you have noticed their editor program has many more tags than most other programs, making it one of the best Radio program in the world..., even if its editing program is outdated...

I now understand that it's not Mp3tag that erased the tags, it's BSI Info Editor the problem...

When I see a program, which is very difficult to work with, which is Open Source, which have adapted their program for the BSI Info Editor, knowing that this BSI editor is obsolete, and which has several defects,

I note that their program respects the new standard ID3 Standard and the old one... Which allows old editing programs to be able to work with this program...

It seems to me that Mp3tag, which is among the best in the world, can do it too, it's really pleasant to work with this personalized TAGS program...

Mp3tag could also do this, style a special command in its program, which would allow it to work, if the box would be checked with the old standard ID3 Style: BSI Info Editor and other editing programs and also allow users to work with the new ID3 standard... Everyone would be happy...

I would like to have the opinion of Florian and the technicians of his team on this subject...

51

The standards for id3 have not changed. Only the release levels.

Id3v1 is quite basic, with short field lengths and even a restricted list of genres.
Id3v2.3 is by far the most widely common format.
Id3v2.4 is the latest format, with the most to offer but some players don’t fully support it.

There are others, but these are the ones typically found in use today. Perhaps your BSI program supports only a specific older version?

And @Florian is THE developer, there is no additional team. Certainly I wouldn’t expect mp3tag to be dumbed down to support other software that hasn’t been updated in 20+ years.

52

I've been a member for a few days... Thanks for the info, MotleyG

53

The "old" standdard would have been V1 - but the BSI editor does not support even that old version to the full as far as I have gathered - otherwise the field TRACK would be taken as is ...
No, what happened: apparently, the develeopers of the BSI editor only implemented the fields COMM, TIT2, TPE1, TALB, TYER, TPUB, TCOM, TCOP. And all the other fields are user-defined fields - see this dump from MP3diags:
grafik

all the TXXX fields are user-defined fields.
The problem arises when there are standard fields lik TRCK or TBPM but they are also written as user-defined fields.
This leads to an incompatible implementation.
The BSI developers followed the ID3 standard so far that they implemented some of the standard fields but by far not all of them and for all others they used the method allowed by the standard of user-defined fields.
So there is no old standard to be implemented - the BSI editor implementation has to be updated to write the standard fields and not just mostly user-defined fields.
MP3tag writes back all the real user-defined fields. MP3tag does not write back standard fields as user-defined fields.

54

ohrenkino Wow that's a great job of research you've done... I don't have your knowledge, but I understand a bit better from your research...

I'm sure there is a way around the BSI programming problem...with Mp3tag. ..

Because the team who created the Kid3 Tag program, succeeded in their programming to allow the transfer of all tags from Kid3 VIA BSI Info Editor, I tried their program very complex and difficult to work, I succeeded fill in all BSI Info Editor tags with Kid3.. .

ohrenkino if i had your knowledge and experience, i would go and study the Kid3 Tags program myself, because it is an OPEN-SOURCE program and i will find out how they bypassed programming with Kid3 VIA BSI InfoEditor. BSI...

This program works for all other old and new tag programs, but as I mentioned, it's very difficult to work with this program... It's really easier to work with Mp3tag...

Thanks again ohrenkino, for your excellent explanations...

55

You may now see why we ask whether the real broadcasting software lives in its own world and relies only on the output of the editor - which means that the broadcasting sw also needs user-defined fields instead of the standard fields - or does the broadcasting sw understand also real standard ID3 fields?

If the latter is the case, then you can leave out the BSI editor completely and setup an MP3tag that provides all the tags, including the user-defined special ones. Only the standard fields would be saved with the standard tokens and not as user-defined fields.
And as I cannot test that, it would be up to you to investigate and load a fully MP3tag tagged file into the broadcast sw and see if anything is missing.

56

Here is my personal take on your rather surprising request.

Your issue is that a critical element of your current software has not been updated for more than 20 years. And yet, despite that, you say that the software is "among the best in the world." Surely you contradict yourself. And you boldly suggest that it is Mp3tag that should be changed to support that outdated, flawed software. That makes no sense to me.

Mp3tag is meticulously maintained by its creator, with frequent updates and improvements every year. And what is more, it is free! So please, send your suggestions and complaints to the publisher of your very expensive BSI Simian software ($1999, or "only" $499 for the "Lite" version). Post in the forums they provide and do your best to rally your fellow users to support your suggestions.

[Update: it seems that BSI/Simian shut down its forums a couple of years ago (not a good sign...) You will have to contact their support directly]

I am all for retaining older software as long it functions well. My office suite has not been updated since 1999 but it still suits my needs nicely. An important component of your music scheduling software no longer suits your needs. If the publisher refuses to update it, then with all due respect I suggest that it is time for you to move on.

Take a look at this page: "Compare the Top Music Scheduling Software of 2023" : https://sourceforge.net/software/music-scheduling/
The page shows more than a dozen such programs for radio stations. Surely one or more of these can perform the tasks that you require, while supporting current tags.

57

Doug_Mackie, yes the software is among the best in the world, as the BSI SIMIAN LITE and PRO software have undergone changes over the years, but unfortunately the BSI Info Editor software does not ???

58

ohrenkino as I already wrote, the BSI Simian LITE & PRO software has already received modifications over the years, but not BSI Info Editor...

I believe I will follow your advice, I will try, if possible, to fully program the BSI editor and configure an MP3tag, which could provide all TAGS, including special user-defined TAGS.

59

I would like to make a clarification, BSI Info Editor, it is true that this editor is more than 20 years old, but it is still functional and very stable for programming the BSI Simian, I believe that is why they never changed it... That's my personal opinion...

But unfortunately it has a VIA Mp3tag programming conflict...

I speak for myself, working with the BSI Info Editor is long, I give an example:

For an album of 15 songs, I have to enter each TAG one after the other, imagine a retro album that doesn't have all the tags...

I have to place the TAG for the name of the artist in the 15 songs, album etc... it's very long as work...

With Mp3tag, I can mouse click for all 15 songs at the same time, for the name of the artist, the album, and the tags that have the same information.... It's super fast...

I save time, when programming with Mp3tag VIA BSI Info Editor compatible tags...

If I can find, or someone can find an alternative to program all my tags in Mp3tag, that'll be cool...

Otherwise I will write to Florian, to ask for his help...

I would like to sincerely thank ohrenkino and LyricsLover, for all the precious help and their knowledge, following my requests...

60

You would not believe it but @LyricsLover undertook a couple more tests and he allowed me to publish the results.
He loaded the trial version and checked which pieces of information turned up in the actual scheduling program. And as far as we can tell: all the important ones to run the radio program.
So we would ask you to prepare a file that you tagged exclusively with MP3tag but with all the added user-defined fields that you need to broadcast.
And then see how the scheduler behaves. Are you missing any information?
If you cannot see anything obvious and the scheduler works then say good-bye to the BSI editor and only use MP3tag.
Fields like BPM do not get deleted - it is just the BSI editor that does not show them any more. But I think this would be something that can be tolerated as long as the scheduler works.

61

Great, ohrenkino, I'll send you and LyricsLover a wetransfer link with 2 Mp3tag configuration files via BSI Info Editor (Simian)

  • 1 Mp3tag file with all Tags that exist in BSI Info Editor (Simian)

  • 1 Mp3tag file with compatible Mp3tag Tags Via BSI Info Editor (Simian),
    (This file is similar to the other, except that I closed the incompatible tags)
    I think it will be useful for your tests...

ohrenkino, I noticed something, correct me if I'm wrong, it seems to me that a few months ago the "Composer" tag was not compatible from Mp3tag via my editor (Simian) and now it's compatible... Has there been an update for this tag lately?

62

See here for the change log:
https://www.mp3tag.de/changelog.html
I can't find anything that indicates a change for the COMPOSER field.