Overview

Using Cue files to identify individual tracks inside a single large music file (e.g. classical music or live performances)

Introduction

CUE files are not actually music files themselves but describe the music stored in other files.   Often these are used in classical music or live performances where the whole performance may exist in one music file.  The CUE file is used to identify the individual tracks inside this single large file.

Sample Format

REM GENRE "Rock"
REM DATE "1998"
PERFORMER "Pink Floyd"
TITLE "Live Somewhere"
FILE "live_somewhere.mp3" MP3
  TRACK 01 AUDIO
    TITLE "Comfortably Numb"
    PERFORMER "Pink Floyd"
    INDEX 01 00:00:00
  TRACK 02 AUDIO
    TITLE "Learning To Fly"
    PERFORMER "Pink Floyd"
    INDEX 01 05:00:00
  TRACK 03 AUDIO
    TITLE "Wish You Were Here"
    PERFORMER "Pink Floyd"
    INDEX 01 10:00:00
  TRACK 04 AUDIO
    TITLE "Money"
    PERFORMER "Pink Floyd"
    INDEX 01 15:00:00

When scanning music to add to the database MediaPortal  will pick up CUE files and add the tracks defined within to your collection.

Global Information

These values are defined for all values in the CUE sheet

Genre

If no genre is tagged in the actual music file then we use the value stored in the CUE sheet

REM GENRE "Rock"

Year

If no year is tagged in the actual music file then we use the value stored in the CUE sheet

REM DATE "1998"

Album Artist

If no album artist is tagged in the actual music file then we use the value stored in the CUE sheet

PERFORMER "Pink Floyd"

Album

If no album is tagged in the actual music file then we use the value stored in the CUE sheet

TITLE "Live Somewhere"

Track Information

These values are stored for individual tracks within the CUE sheet

Artist

If no artist is tagged in the actual music file the PERFORMER value for the actual track from the CUE sheet will be used (if there is no PERFORMER defined for the track then then global PERFORMER defined for the CUE sheet will be used)

	TRACK 01 AUDIO
    TITLE "Comfortably Numb"
    PERFORMER "Pink Floyd"
    INDEX 01 00:00:00

Composer

If no composer is tagged in the actual music file then the SONGWRITER line will be used

    TRACK 01 AUDIO
    TITLE "Comfortably Numb"
    PERFORMER "Pink Floyd"
    SONGWRITER "Pink Floyd"
    INDEX 01 00:00:00