Understanding Audio File Metadata

What Is Metadata?

Every audio file contains more than just music. Hidden inside each file is a collection of text fields that describe the track. This is metadata. The song title, artist name, album title, track number, genre, album artwork. All of it lives inside the file itself.

When you import a song in BitDek, the app reads this embedded information and uses it to organize your library. The quality of your metadata directly affects how your collection appears and how easily you can find what you want to hear.

Why Metadata Matters for Your Music

If you’ve ever imported music and seen “Unknown Artist” or had albums split into multiple entries, you’ve experienced metadata problems. The fix isn’t in the player. It’s in the files themselves.

Good metadata means:

Your albums stay together as complete works
Artist names appear consistently across your collection
Compilations group correctly under “Various Artists”
Album artwork displays properly
Genres help you browse by mood or style

BitDek reads your metadata exactly as it exists in each file. The app doesn’t guess, autocorrect, or pull information from online databases.

A Brief History (For Returning Collectors)

If you spent time tagging MP3s in the early 2000s, the landscape has evolved while you were streaming.

ID3 Tags (MP3 Files) The original standard for MP3 metadata. ID3v1 was limited to 30 characters per field. ID3v2 expanded dramatically with support for multiple genres, embedded artwork, and hundreds of specialized fields. Most MP3s today use ID3v2.4.

Vorbis Comments (FLAC, OGG) A more flexible system where any field name can store any value. FLAC files use Vorbis comments and can store multiple values per field. This means a single track can have multiple genres or multiple artists.

iTunes/MP4 Tags (M4A, AAC) Apple developed their own tagging system for AAC files. Similar capabilities to ID3v2, with some Apple-specific fields for things like iTunes compilation flags.

The good news: these standards have stabilized. Files you tagged properly a decade ago should still work perfectly in BitDek.

What BitDek Reads From Your Files

BitDek extracts these core fields from your audio files:

Field	What It Does
Title	The track name displayed in your library
Artist	The performer of this specific track
Album	Groups tracks into album units
Album Artist	The primary artist for the album (important for compilations)
Track Number	Determines play order within an album
Disc Number	For multi-disc albums
Genre	Enables genre-based browsing
Year	The release year
Artwork	Album cover embedded in the file

BitDek also reads specialized fields for classical music: Work, Movement Name, Movement Number, and Movement Total.

When Metadata Is Missing

Not every file has complete metadata. BitDek handles gaps with a predictable fallback system:

Missing album? BitDek uses the parent folder name
Missing title? BitDek uses the filename (stripping track numbers like “01 - ”)
Missing artist? BitDek checks the grandparent folder (Artist/Album/Track structure)

These fallbacks help organize files that lack proper tags. But for the best experience, complete metadata in your files beats folder-based guessing every time.

Format Differences That Matter

Different audio formats have different metadata capabilities. The most significant difference: FLAC files support multiple genres per track. MP3 and M4A files are limited to a single genre.

If genre organization matters to your listening, FLAC offers an advantage beyond just audio quality.

See Supported Audio Formats for a complete comparison.

Getting Started

If your collection has metadata gaps or inconsistencies, you have options:

Check your current state - Import some files into BitDek and see how they appear
Identify problem areas - Look for albums that split unexpectedly or “Unknown Artist” entries
Use a tagging tool - Applications like MusicBrainz Picard or MP3Tag can fix and standardize your metadata

See Recommended Tagging Tools for specific software suggestions.