How to use TangoLink?

How to use TangoLink?

TangoLink is a unique solution to reliably and consistently rename and tag your music collection, with metadata coming directly from El Recodo Tango Music. In addition to saving a lot of time, your collection can be kept up to date in case of correction or improvement of discographic information.

This article will allow you to quickly understand TangoLink. The first part is a three-step quick start guide (5/10 minutes only), followed by more detailed information if you want to go further.

Quick Start

1 Install TangoLink

Download and install the TangoLink software on your computer (Windows, Linux or MacOS).
In some cases and depending on your settings, there may be a security message or a request confirmation before installation.

Start TangoLink and paste your personal activation key.
If you haven't already, subscribe to TangoDJ access, you can then generate your key online in the settings menu.
If you have a free trial, it is possible you already received your temporary key by email.

2 TangoLink your first files

Select File mode, close all your players or audio software and select 2 or 3 files to test.
If you use Apple Music or iTunes on Mac, then select the Music/iTunes mode instead and then a Music/iTunes playlist of 2 or 3 files to test. Music/iTunes can remain open at the same time as TangoLink.
To increase the chances of identification, use traditional tango files avoiding very low quality compression.

Click on the TANGOLINK button to start
TangoLink will attempt to automatically identify requested files, then update tags and filenames automatically. In case of audio identification failure, a window will ask you to enter the ERT numbers of the files concerned.

3Check result

Once the process is complete, review your audio files and see the metadata update. Know that it is possible to customize the structure of your tags and file names at will by modifying the parameters.

Congratulations, you have just TangoLinked your first files!

The activation key

To use TangoLink you must insert your activation key, available in the settings menu. Never share this key; it is a private token linked to your account. You can generate a new key at any time by clicking on the button and copy it to your clipboard by clicking on . Once the key is inserted in the TangoLink software, you will not be asked for it again, unless you disconnect by clicking on .

Selection modes

The interface offers three modes to select the tangos you want to TangoLink: by files, playlists or via Apple Music/iTunes.

File Mode:
This mode allows you to select the files you want TangoLink. Unless otherwise specified in your settings, TangoLink will update the tags and names of the selected files. This mode is perfect if you sort your tangos using a tree structure of folders and filenames, much like I describe in this article: How to properly organize your tango collection?.

M3U Playlist Mode:
If you don't know what an m3u file is, I recommend that you use another mode or get more information on Wikipedia. This mode allows you to TangoLink the files of a playlist saved in standard m3u format. Filenames are never changed so that your m3u playlist remains valid; only the tags are updated. This mode is perfect if you already use m3u, or if you need to TangoLink files located in different directories. Be careful, your m3u playlist must contain absolute and not relative pathnames.

Music/iTunes Mode:
This mode is only available on MacOS with Music/iTunes software installed.
This mode allows you to TangoLink files from a Music/iTunes playlist. Unlike the previous modes, TangoLink does not act directly on your files but asks Music/iTunes to do so. Music/iTunes then applies the metadata from El Recodo according to your settings. TangoLink does not modify your directories or file names; however everything is managed by Apple as if you had modified the tags by hand on the Music/iTunes interface.
This mode is perfect if you manage your music with the Music/iTunes library without worrying about where the audio files are. Unlike other modes, you can leave Music/iTunes open while TangoLink updates your tags. This mode is slower than the others due to going through Music/iTunes.

How does TangoLink identify tangos?

Once the process is launched, TangoLink identifies your tango one after the other. To do this, TangoLink relies on three methods: audio recognition, contributory recognition, and updating files already TangoLinked. Although all this is simple and automatic, it is interesting to know a little more about how it works...

Audio Recognition:
To identify your tangos, TangoLink performs an audio analysis. You are thus certain that the metadata will be correct, even when your file was initially incorrectly filled in. The operation is similar to that of the El Recodo Tango App, but faster and with even higher reliability (>99.9%). As you can imagine, this feature is very consuming for the TangoLink servers, but allows you to save a lot of time whether for new titles or to check an already sorted collection.

Contributory recognition:
Despite our best efforts, sometimes the audio source does not allow the recording to be found. In this case, a screen offers you to do it manually by indicating the ERT number of the recording.
You may see a blue button SUGGESTION to get directly to a suggested recording. This is only a suggestion that may be totally wrong. Suggested recordings appears when the audio analysis partially identify a recording or without high enough reliability. When there is no suggestion, a button will invite you to find if by yourself on El Recodo Tango Music.
To find the ERT number, do a search on El Recodo Tango Music, confirm the result with the audio samples, then hover the icon on the left to display the number. You will also find the ERT number at the top of the recording page (click on the icon to access this page). Paste the number in the TangoLink software, validate, and voila!
Copying and pasting a single number is much more reliable and faster than entering various titles and artists. In addition, by manually indicating the ERT number, you contribute to the improvement of the system. The data used to make the audio recognition more efficient is transmitted to the TangoLink servers.
If you cannot find the recording in El Recodo Tango Music database, then this file cannot be TangoLinked for the moment (click on SKIP to ignore this file).

Updating files already TangoLinked:
At some point, you may need to TangoLink again the same file, for example if you have modified the structure of your filenames or your tags, or if there has been a correction or improvement of the discographic information thanks to the community on El Recodo Tango Music. A file that has already been TangoLinked will be automatically recognized without going through an audio analysis. It's fast and automatic. The latest discographic data and your latest filename and tags structures are applied.
Warning, only files that have NOT been modified since their last TangoLink can be recognized using this method. If you have modified the audio content and/or metadata in the meantime, then you will automatically switch to audio or contributory recognition, as for a new file.

After processing all requested files, a summary shows the amount of tangolinked files: by update, by audio recognition, by contributory recognition, as well as ignored files.

Force audio identification

Do not check this option without knowing why!

During the contributory recognition phase, what if you entered the wrong ERT number? Don't panic... Just rerun the file on TangoLink:
- Select the concerned file
- Check the box "Force audio identification"
- Click on TangoLink
Having forced the audio identification, TangoLink will ignore the ERT number you had entered previously and attempt an audio recognition (which will probably fail), then a contributory recognition. This is where you can enter the correct ERT number this time.

For all other cases, do NOT force audio identification. Otherwise, the "Update files already TangoLinked" feature will be disabled and it potentially consumes more credits for nothing.

Customize tags and filenames

For simplicity, TangoLink updates your file names and their tags with a default configuration. But you can customize this structure at will. To learn more, I invite you to read this dedicated article.

Improved experience at www.el-recodo.com

TangoLinking your files is not only useful to improve your collection. With your TangoDJ account, the recordings that you have already TangoLinked are marked with a or icon on El Recodo Tango Music. Connect to www.el-recodo.com and click on your profile in the menu bar; you can then access several services:
- TangoLinked Recordings: this page lists all recordings that you already have TangoLinked, by order. By hovering the TangoLink icon, you can also display the date of your last TangoLink corresponding to that recording.
- TangoLink Updates: These are the recordings that you have TangoLinked but whose metadata has since been improved. TangoLink again your corresponding files to benefit from the latest corrections and keep your collection up to date. Once the update is complete, the records will disappear from this list automatically.

That's not all! You can consult the discographies online while identifying at a glance the recordings you already have () and those you are missing (without TangoLink icon). You can also use the TangoLink option in the advanced search, or in the Tanda Builder to filter only the recordings that you have in your collection.

Conclusion

It's up to you! I hope this information will be useful for you to better manage your collection of tangos and gain in efficiency. Don't hesitate to ask questions or leave a comment... And to go further, I invite you to read this article:

Gregory Diaz
2022-03-24 2023-06-01
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