MV_Concat - Rename Instructions

Using MV_Concat to Rename files for conversion to the NGP



Do you have a lot of original (.wav - not the MV processed .bin) audio files in the old MegaVoice format that you would like to quickly get into a format to use on the MegaVoice NGP?

ONE WAY TO DO IT (without MV_Concat)

The nScribe software that structures and compresses audio files for loading onto the new Scribe II and ultimately NGP Ambassadors can import audio files that have been named a couple of different ways.

The most efficient method is to have wav audio files that are perfectly numbered according to the classic MV file numbering system (MVFNS).  If they are perfectly named, the nScribe program will take them in, format them in perfect MV skip level structure and encode them.  This uses functionality described as Auto-Arrange Syntax in Appendix C of the nScribe manual (pp 25-29).

However if you encounter errors when you try to use this method, it is most likely because you have not been entirely consistent in your naming of those files.  Computers are literal beasts and if you don't have enough zeros or a dash in the wrong place, it will fail.

Yes, you could analyse your files, find your naming error and go change them all in conformity to the MV structure.


AN ALTERNATIVE WAY TO DO IT (with MV_Concat)

You could use the MV_Concat program's new file renaming feature.

Although this feature has little to do with the original purpose of MV_Concat, rather than writing a separate program, we decided to build it into MV_Concat as a 2nd mode, since much of the interface is the same, and for ease of deployment (i.e. we're efficient).

We are going to get a bit technical here, so stand back...(no, further than that).  If you haven't a clue what we are talking about, either we are not making sense and we should be helped (please!), or perhaps you should consider not pursuing this course...

The renaming feature capitalises on another flexible feature built into the nScribe software.  In addition to the previously mentioned audio importing feature, the nScribe program also allows for auto file structuring with a simpler file naming schema.

You can read all about this "Auto-Arrange Nested" ability in Appendix B of the nScribe manual (pp 23-24).

MV_Concat's renaming feature requires files to be named in accordance with the nScribe's file naming schema.  The schema requires a set of pairs of files with a pair being a file of body audio, and a corresponding file of announcement audio (or tag audio).  So, for each chapter (or whatever) there must be a file with a particular name, and a tag file with exactly the same name, only prefixed with "TAG".  Of course there will also be a book announcement audio file as well.

Generally, this might be how files would be named in this schema:

      Book.wav           <--- Book announcement
      Chapter 1.wav      <--- Chapter 1 announcement
      TAGChapter 1.wav   <--- Chapter 1 body
      Chapter 2.wav      <--- Chapter 2 announcement
      TAGChapter 2.wav   <--- Chapter 2 body
      ...etc. 

Note that the only important thing about the names is that the body audio file name and the corresponding announcement file have exactly the same name except that the announcement is prefixed with "TAG".

This means we can take a file numbering system that is reasonably close to the classic file numbering system (but not close enough for nScribe to like it), do a few manipulations, and make it suitable for importing into the nScribe software.

Our only prerequisite is that the files have the "C" part of the file naming system, and the corresponding files with the "F" part of name intact.  As you know, under the classic naming scheme, the file names that terminate in C00x are the body audio files, and the files that end in C00xF000x are the corresponding announcement audio files.  All MV_Concat's Rename does is remove the F000x part of the file names and prefix them with TAG.  The file names will then conform to the Auto-Arrange feature and all should be rosy.

Note that we have only tried this with 3 tier structured files.  We can't vouch for 4 tier files structures.

HERE'S HOW IT WORKS:

MV_Concat has a new feature simply named "Rename".  MV_Concat's Rename should:

  1. Copy your almost-correct old MV .wav files (and the folder structure containing them), to an empty target folder of your choice.  Then, with this copy, it should...
  2. Move book announcement audio files one folder level up so they participate nicely in the total tagging scenario.
  3. Prefix chapter announcement audio file names with "TAG", so that they will import for auto-arranging in nScribe.
  4. Remove the "F000x" part of any chapter content file names.
  5. Not copy any files which are not .wav files, or folders which contain no .wav files.
  6. Do all this in one go if you select all the appropriate folders first time (i.e. if several project folders are in one 'parent' folder, select that parent folder for processing).

Example (presented in DOS style layout):

Original project folders & files:

      John                               <--- Project folder
      John\01511-jhn001-tn.wav           <--- Book announcement
      John\01511-jhn001-tnC001.wav       <--- Chapter 1 announcement
      John\01511-jhn001-tnC001F0001.wav  <--- Chapter 1 body
      John\01511-jhn001-tnC002.wav       <--- Chapter 2 announcement
      John\01511-jhn001-tnC002F0001.wav  <--- Chapter 2 body
      ...etc. (depending on how many project folders you selected) 

Copy generated by MV_Concat's Rename:

      01511-jhn001-tn.wav                <--- Book announcement (moved outside project folder)
      John                               <--- Project folder
      John\TAG01511-jhn001-tnC001.wav    <--- Chapter 1 announcement
      John\01511-jhn001-tnC001F0001.wav  <--- Chapter 1 body
      John\TAG01511-jhn001-tnC002.wav    <--- Chapter 2 announcement
      John\01511-jhn001-tnC002F0001.wav  <--- Chapter 2 body
      ...etc. 

NOTE: If you have your files broken into individual verses, the only way nScribe allows you to import them is to conform to the original naming structure.  Sorry, MV_Concat can't help you!

GETTING STARTED


  1. Download the latest version of MV_Concat (version 2010-05-28 or later).
  2. By now you should have downloaded the new version of MV_Concat, so start it.
  3. Click the "Rename" mode at the top (the "Join" mode is retained for the original functionality of MV_Concat).
  4. Now click Help > Instructions, and carefully follow the concise instructions listed there.

Here's a video (Flash) demo, which shows how Rename mode can be used.

Questions of clarification should be communicated via the Feedback form.

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