The Main Keep Track window
When you create a new database, the main window will look like this:
The Main Keep Track window
Artists are displayed the the left list and tracks are displayed in the right (when an artist is selected). Click on a track to play it.
Note: The Artist ID and Track ID columns show the ID numbers used by the program as references for the artist and track. You do not really need to pay attention to these, as they are mainly for the benefit of users of other programs which use Keep Track databases e.g. martin2k Command.
From here you will need to create new artists and then add tracks for the artists. If you have many artists and tracks to add, consider using the Find Music Files window, which will do this for you.
To add an artist, click on the artist menu and choose 'Add...' or press Shift+F1. The following window will appear:
Adding an Artist
Type the name of the new artist and click OK. If the artist you are trying to add already exists in the database, you will be asked whether you want to add it again.
Once the new artist has been added, you will need to click on it to be able to add tracks (press the spacebar if it appears off screen).
To add a track for the selected artist, click on the track menu and choose 'Add...' or press Ctrl+F1. The following window will appear:
Adding a Track
Once you have chosen the file, Keep Track will automatically try to ascertain the name of the track, either from the ID3 tag or based on the filename.
The 'Embed track' CheckBox will allow you to store the MP3/WMA file inside the database, which means you will not need to worry about whether the source file is moved, renamed or deleted.
Once you have selected the track to add, click on the 'Add' button to add the the track and keep the window open or press the 'Add and close' button to close the window after the track has been added.
The toolbar allows you to conveniently access functions of the program. The buttons from left to right are:
Select Batches to Play window
Clicking on a track will play it as well as show details about it in the 'Track Information' area below:
Playing a Track
Selecting another track when one is playing will cause the original track to fade out while the next one begins.
Other ways of playing tracks include the following:
| Menu Item | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Tools - Play - From current position (Ctrl+D) | Will play through the entire database, in order, from the currently selected artist or track |
| Tools - Play - From the top (Ctrl+T) | Will play through the entire database, in order, from the very first artist's track |
| Tools - Play - Randomly (Ctrl+R) | Will play through the entire database - picking tracks at random |
| Tools - Play - This Artist's Tracks only (Ctrl+K) | Will only play through all the currently selected artist's tracks, from the first track |
With the above playing methods (as with the playing methods in the Search window), the end of the currently playing track will play over the beginning of the next track.
The information below the track list shows the Lyrics and Notes for the selected track.
Click on the 'Track' menu and then 'Edit Track Details...' or press Ctrl+F4 to edit these and other details:
Edit Track Details window
You can take track information from the file's ID3 tag from the 'MP3 ID3v1 Tag' menu.
It is possible to set the artist's website typing it into the 'Artist Website:' TextBox. Clicking on the 'Go' button will launch the website in your default browser.
You can set pictures for the artist and track on the bottom/left of the screen. Click on a PictureBox to display the Artist/Track Pictures window:
Artist/Track Pictures
The top half of the window is for the artist's picture and the bottom half is for the track.
The picture formats that are supported include: Bitmaps (bmp, dib), GIF Images, JPEG Images, Metafiles (wmf, emf) and Icons.
Pictures can be embedded into the database by checking the 'Embed' CheckBox. If a picture has been embedded and you want to use a different picture, press the Reset button.
If you right-click on the picture in the main window, you can see the full- sized version of it:
Full-sized picture
To rename an artist, click on the artist menu and choose 'Rename...' or press Shift+F2.
To remove an artist, click on the artist menu and choose 'Remove...' or press Shift+F3. You will be asked to confirm. Please note that removing an artist will also remove all that artist's tracks.
To rename a track, click on the track menu and choose 'Rename...' or press Ctrl+F2.
To remove a track, click on the track menu and choose 'Remove...' or press Ctrl+F3. You will be asked to confirm.
You can Cut, Copy and Paste tracks between artists. The Keep Track clipboard does not conflict with the Windows clipboard.
To Cut a track, click on the Track menu and choose 'Cut' or press Ctrl+F11.
To Copy a track, click on the Track menu and choose 'Copy' or press Ctrl+F12.
To Paste a track, click on the Track menu and choose 'Paste' or press Ctrl+F9.
When pasted, the new copy of the track will be in the same batches as the original, if any.
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