The MacP3 Maximize feature set is likely the best and most used feature in the program. It offers several easy-access solutions to common MP3 shortcomings and problems. And it does all the work for you. In the end, you have MP3s that are more Mac-like, easier to use, and more manageable.
What is the real-world use of these features? I download many MP3 files (like you, probably)... Most of them come from PC machines, and are therefore formatted to be very PC-like... They have awkward names, dashes or underscores as spaces, a needless '.mp3' extension, and no Mac type or creator... Basically, they scream 'Windows!' You usually have to open them through your favorite MP3 player and then adjust everything accordingly. No fun. I download several MP3 files at one time... I usually would end up with lots of 'mp31.mp3' and 'download1.mp3' files lying about on my drive. And then you forget which one is which and you hastily name them (planning to go back and 'clean them up' later). In the end your MP3 collection is about as organized as your work-place desk. And these are only a few examples.
With MacP3, you can clean up your MP3s in no time. Even better, MacP3 does so much more than simple clean-up. Just drop an MP3 file onto the MacP3 icon and see for yourself how it can make your life easier. Or drag an entire folder full of MP3s onto MacP3! Or just shift-select a handful... There are many possibilities. Let's look at the special features involved in this part of the program.
Instructions
The MacP3 Maximize is the first option in the MacP3 main menu. When you choose it you are confronted with a second choice... Whether to 'maximize' a single MP3 file or a folder full of MP3 files. Either way you go, you are presented with a new box that gives you complete options on how to process each MP3. If you choose the folder option, your choices are carried out on each MP3 file in that folder.
 
The choices are both simple and unique to MacP3. The first choice, 'Properly name MP3 file' is likely one of the more nifty features. By choosing the second option on the box, you can decide whether you want the file name to include the '.mp3' extension. This is Windows stuff, and most users will be pleased to get rid of it. The third 'Include track number' option will search the MP3 for track information (such as that entered when converting CDs to MP3 via SoundJam MP or such). This option is extremely useful (thanks for the input, guys!) for specific collections. Any MP3 files with ID3v1 tags will not have this track info at all, so MacP3 does not even look in those cases. There will be no harm done if it comes across any MP3s that lack any track info. It simply will not be added to the name. Don't worry about trying any option out, as there are built-in filters and MacP3 knows what is what. Together, these three options give you complete control over the MP3 file name.
Where does MacP3 get the new name? It gathers it from the internal ID3 tags... And you have control over the final result. The first pop-up menu is the 'Name MP3 based on' option. Here, you can choose exactly how to name your files. You can have the name based solely on the title, artist, or album. Or, you can choose to combine 'artist - title' or 'album - title' to make your MP3s more organized and recognizable. It's a powerful feature. Don't worry about ending up with long filenames, as MacP3 will simply truncate (from the right) for you.
There are some things to remember with the naming option. You could have more than one MP3 with the same artist in one folder. Seeing that you cannot have two files with the same name in a folder, MacP3 will simply skip those that would end up being a same-name file. Also, remember that some badly ripped MP3s lack album or artist tags, and thus MacP3 may try to name them without that information (if you chose that option in the pop-up). If you want, you can always pop into the ID3 Add/Edit section of MacP3 and add that info.
 
Next, you see the 'Set MP3 to open in...' popup menu. This feature is extremely useful. It allows you to change the Finder codes for that MP3 to set them to open in your favorite player. The MP3 then takes on the icon given by that player. This allows you to launch that player and play that MP3 just by double-clicking it. You can't live without this feature! We've included several presets to make things easier. If you prefer another player, the 'Expert Setting...' allows you to set your own type and creator codes.
The following two options offer extremely useful personalization and information features. When you run MacP3 for the very first time, the program asks for your full name. This is one case where that information comes in. In the Finder, every file and folder has a 'Get Info' window where you can view size, version, comment, and other information. The 'Personalize MP3 File' adds your stamp to this information. When this option is selected, your MP3 will have 'Shay Fulton's MP3 Collection' in the 'version' area of the 'Get Info' box. Of course, it will have your name and not mine. This adds your touch to the MP3... Especially nice when you trade or collect MP3 files.
The second of these two features is more important than personal. The 'Save info to 'Get Info' tag' will grab more info from the MP3... Title, artist, year, and genre, and add this to the 'Get Info' information of the file. This appears underneath the title of the file in the 'Get Info' box. Simple, effective, and quite useful. It grabs all of this info from the ID3 tags. (Genre will not be listed if it is internally set to 'unknown' or 'other', because there is really no need to know that the MP3 has no idea what type of music is in it.)
 
(The dark areas outline the two features added in the 'Get Info' box... Note your name will be entered instead of mine... D'oh!)
Since Maximize is a major feature set of MacP3, there are several other ways of getting the job done. You do not have to open MacP3 directly to 'maximize' an MP3. Just drop it over the MacP3 icon to launch the program and bring up the 'maximize' screen. Or, select several MP3 files and drop them over to quickly process several items. Even better, drop a folder full of MP3s over the program to process each within.
Sometimes, a large folder full of MP3 files (when using the folder option) might skip a few MP3s while processing, leaving them un-maximized. This is likely due to the fact that those MP3s lack ID3 tags. Instead of telling you this over and over for each tag-less file, MacP3 will simply skip those files entirely.
 
(The above shows a before and after MP3 file. We chose MACAST as our opening player.)
Common Questions and Concerns
There are a few important points to note here. Mainly, maximizing any MP3 does not change the music length or quality. It actually does not do anything to the music... It only makes the MP3 easier to use. Secondly, adding the information to the 'Get Info' window is 'safe'... What I mean is, the information is kept even if you rebuild the desktop or send the file somewhere else. This is much better than storing this info in the 'comments' box. Some might worry that adding a resource fork to the MP3 will increase the size of the file. Not so... MacP3 adds roughly 500 bytes (almost half a kilobyte) to the file for this. To give a little perspective on this... SoundJam MP adds about 2000 bytes of padding to every MP3 it makes. Still unnoticeably small, but I wanted to stress that your files are practically the same size. If you send the file to a friend and they want to personalize the file with their name, they can simply run MacP3 and do the same to overwrite the old info. No problem.
This feature relies again on the power of ID3 tags. Most any MP3 will have these tags. You can't see them, but MacP3 can. If MacP3 comes across an MP3 without a tag, it will simply skip it. An MP3 without an ID3 tag cannot be processed. Luckily, we've included a ID3 Add/Edit feature within MacP3. If you do find one of those naughty ID3-less MP3 files, just run it through the 'ID3 Add/Edit' feature (on the menu) and add an ID3 tag. Simple as that! See the next chapter for those details.
Finally, a note on processing entire folders. The first release did not go any deeper than one folder. You wanted more, and we realize why! MacP3 will scan through and through, hitting MP3s buring deep within your directory (skipping non-MP3 files). This makes it very simple to maximize an entire collection. And speed is fantastic... Practically cut in half in this release! So take advantage of the new recursive folder scanning! Very cool...
A few rare cases... What if you have two MP3s with the same song title in the same folder (for whatever reason). Not to worry... MacP3 does not overwrite one or the other, it simply processes one and leaves the other alone (so as to not confuse the Finder). Another rare case is when MacP3 skips a certain file while doing all the rest in the folder. This likely means that that file is either locked or damaged in some way. It could be that the MP3 is so screwed up (such as the Finder thinking it is a SimpleText document) that MacP3 just figures it will leave it alone. In these cases, we suggest you open the file from within your favorite player and see if that resets the type and creator code. ResEdit junkies can do this with ResEdit without a problem. If all else fails, try 'single' maximizing that specific file.
For a short refrain of these instructions, hit the question mark button on the 'maximize' window.
NOTE FOR MP3.COM USERS - IE 4.0 and above seems to download all MP3 files from mp3.com as 'mp3-download.cgi'. Why? I haven't a clue... But it's pretty damn annoying. Anyway, for these users that also have this problem: Have no fear! Drop those files onto MacP3 and these annoyances are taken care of! Another Microsoft frustration.
The next chapter explains the second major feature of MacP3... ID3 adding and editing.
