Why sometimes AcoustIDs are not available to be uploaded?

MusicBrainz Picard
1

Hi.
I’m able to generate AcoustIDs, but then the “Submit AcoustIDs” button still remains greyed out. Why does this happen?

1 Like
2

When it happens to me I assume it is based on “we already have data for that Release and we don’t need yours”. Picard seems to be tuned to only adding data when it is missing or different.

Personally I think that may be a little wrong as more data counts would be a good thing. There are some AcoustIDs with many bad links on them and it is only by seeing what the majority track linked can a mess like that be untangled.

2 Likes
3

OK - thanks, yours seems a credible explanation.
I’d also be happy to see accepting more data/information rather than the other way round…

4

It really depends what you are doing. The submission links AcoustId fingerprints to MusicBrainz recording IDs.

  1. If you use the “Generate fingerprints” button on files already matched to tracks in the right pane, the submission should be available

  2. If you use the “Generate fingerprints” button on unmatched files it will generate the fingerprint for those files, but as they are not linked to a MusicBrainz recording there is nothing to submit. If you drag one of those files onto a track on the right pane (or match it in some other way to a track on the right) the submission will be available.

  3. If you use the “Scan” button the fingerprint will be generated and a lookup for those fingerprints against the AcoustId server will be made. There are two possible outcomes:

    a) There is no match, thus the files remain as unmatched files. This is the same situation as 2)
    b) There is a match and the files get moved to the right pane, matched to a track. But this time the submission stays disabled, because the fingerprint already matched this exact recording ID, there is no need to submit this again. However, if you move such a file to a different track the submission will become available.

If the submission does not activate in some circumstance where you would expect it to be active, check two things:

  1. Was there a fingerprint generated for this file? Use the “Fingerprint” column for this. If a fingerprint was generated a fingerprint icon should be displayed in this column.
  2. Was there any related error message in Help > View Debug/Error Log.
4 Likes
5

I’ve used this indeed.
I will use your two suggestions at the bottom of your post next time a submission is not working… Thanks!

6

Maybe important to add:

If matched files using “Scan” and then use “Generate fingerprints” on them submission will also not enable, because they have already been matched by fingerprint (same situation as just using scan, because after scan the found fingerprint / recording ID is remembered as already submitted).

Also if you have files matched to tracks and use “Generate fingerprints” and the submission gets available, and then submitted successfully. In this situation using “Generate fingerprints” for same files and tracks again does not enable submission for those files again. The reason is the same, Picard remembers the fingerprint / recording ID combinations already being submitted. However, restarting Picard (or I think even just removing and re-adding those files) and then using “Generate fingerprints” again will enable submission again.

For the submission the fingerprints are submitted in batches (depending on fingerprint size, but often up to 200 or 250 fingerprints can be submitted in one batch). A submission request for a batch might fail due to various reasons (e.g. networking or server issues). If a request fails all of the fingerprints of this submission batch are still marked as unsubmitted and submission could be retried.

1 Like
7

Yes - but in this case, I would be able to press on the “Submit AcoustIDs” buttons. Mine remained greyed out sometimes…