# \[Solved\] Beets keeps merging "multidisc" albums in one folder when I do not want to

**URL:** <https://discourse.beets.io/t/solved-beets-keeps-merging-multidisc-albums-in-one-folder-when-i-do-not-want-to/1865>\
**Category:** Help\
**Created:** [September 16, 2021, 3:50pm UTC](https://discourse.beets.io/t/solved-beets-keeps-merging-multidisc-albums-in-one-folder-when-i-do-not-want-to/1865 "2021-09-16T15:50:20Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 9\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Kisuke-CZE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e95f7d/32.png) [@Kisuke-CZE](https://discourse.beets.io/u/Kisuke-CZE)\
**Post date:** [September 16, 2021, 3:50pm UTC](https://discourse.beets.io/t/solved-beets-keeps-merging-multidisc-albums-in-one-folder-when-i-do-not-want-to/1865/1 "2021-09-16T15:50:20Z")

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Hello,

I was using different software (in past it was iTunes =\> Banshee) to organize my library in a simple way by ID3 tags.  
The structure was: [ARTIST]/[ALBUM]/[TRACK\_NO] - [TRACK\_NAME]

Unfortunately Banshee is not usable anymore in modern Linux distribution. So I decided to use beets to keep my music library organized.

I have some “multidisc” albums in my collection. But I do not handle them as multidisc albums. I just handle separate discs as different albums. It worked with every software I used before and it works great with my car audio (which is usually very stupid, cause car makers just can’t make working electronics…).  
In short, I just have 3CD album named ‘Somealbum’. But in ID3 tags and in my library it’s just 3 different albums:  
Somealbum (CD1)  
Somealbum (CD2)  
Somealbum (CD3)

But beets is stubbornly merging those album in one directory in my library (which is bad for that car audio). So it creates only one directory: Someartist/Somealbum (CD3). And into that directory it puts all songs from all 3 “albums”. But why when it should be different albums in different folders?  
I just want to achieve to have this structure:  
Someartist/Somealbum (CD1)  
Someartist/Somealbum (CD2)  
Someartist/Somealbum (CD3)

Is there a way to achieve this behavior?

My config is:

```auto
directory: ~/Music
library: ~/.beets-data/musiclibrary.db
asciify_paths: yes
plugins: fetchart

import:
    copy: no
    write: no
    move: yes
    autotag: no
    
paths:
    default: $albumartist/$album/$track $title
    
set_fields:
    multidisc: 0

```

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**Author:** ![adrian](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/discourse.beets.io/adrian/32/4_2.png) [@adrian](https://discourse.beets.io/u/adrian)\
**Post date:** [September 16, 2021, 5:20pm UTC](https://discourse.beets.io/t/solved-beets-keeps-merging-multidisc-albums-in-one-folder-when-i-do-not-want-to/1865/2 "2021-09-16T17:20:47Z")

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Yes! It’s in the FAQ:  
[https://beets.readthedocs.io/en/stable/faq.html#create-disc-n-directories-for-multi-disc-albums](https://beets.readthedocs.io/en/stable/faq.html#create-disc-n-directories-for-multi-disc-albums)

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**Author:** ![Kisuke-CZE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e95f7d/32.png) [@Kisuke-CZE](https://discourse.beets.io/u/Kisuke-CZE)\
**Post date:** [September 17, 2021, 7:25am UTC](https://discourse.beets.io/t/solved-beets-keeps-merging-multidisc-albums-in-one-folder-when-i-do-not-want-to/1865/3 "2021-09-17T07:25:34Z")

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Thanks for pointing me that way. This is the solution when I fill tags to match multidisc setup. So I need to fill ‘Disc number’ fields in all my multidisc albums. Will do that and it will probably be OK for me - will see how other devices will handle that.

I had removed those ‘Disc number’ fields from tags in my library on purpose - to prevent some software/devices handling those disc as same album with multiple discs (some of them were handling them in a bad way). Instead I had them as different albums with that CD1, CD2, … on the end.  
Unfortunately this leaded beets to recognize them with some algorithm as same album - but since there was no “Disc number” in tags I was unable to use that $disc in path structure.  
For that old setup of mine it would be a solution to disable that algorithm that is responsible to recognize those albums as single album with more disks. This is not possible in configuration of beets?

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**Author:** ![adrian](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/discourse.beets.io/adrian/32/4_2.png) [@adrian](https://discourse.beets.io/u/adrian)\
**Post date:** [September 17, 2021, 11:12am UTC](https://discourse.beets.io/t/solved-beets-keeps-merging-multidisc-albums-in-one-folder-when-i-do-not-want-to/1865/4 "2021-09-17T11:12:48Z")

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We don’t have a way to disable this folder coalescing in the importer; it’s built-in because this is how beets expects to tag albums. However, you can work around it by importing individual directories. So something like:

```auto
for dir in `ls` ; do beet import $dir ; done

```

Or even:

```auto
beet import `ls`

```

might suffice to run the importer separately on each directory.

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**Author:** ![Chabula](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/discourse.beets.io/chabula/32/610_2.png) [@Chabula](https://discourse.beets.io/u/Chabula)\
**Post date:** [February 13, 2022, 3:33pm UTC](https://discourse.beets.io/t/solved-beets-keeps-merging-multidisc-albums-in-one-folder-when-i-do-not-want-to/1865/5 "2022-02-13T15:33:23Z")

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The same item here  
Have now this in the config

paths:  
default: $albumartist/$album%aunique{}/%if{$multidisc,$disc}/$albumartist - $album%aunique{} $disc - $track - $title  
singleton: Singletons/$artist - $titl–e  
comp: Various\_Artist/$album%aunique{}/$disc-$track $title  
albumtype:soundtrack: Soundtracks/$album/$disc-$track $title  
item\_fields:  
multidisc: 1 if disctotal \> 1 else 0  
So now it is as album corret , but still on thing to go on and that is the track numbering  
the track keep on numbering  
Not album 1 12 tracks  
and Album 2 12 tracks  
Noa lbum 2 12 till 24 end so on  
How to tackle this

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![adrian](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/discourse.beets.io/adrian/32/4_2.png) [@adrian](https://discourse.beets.io/u/adrian)\
**Post date:** [February 14, 2022, 12:45am UTC](https://discourse.beets.io/t/solved-beets-keeps-merging-multidisc-albums-in-one-folder-when-i-do-not-want-to/1865/6 "2022-02-14T00:45:25Z")

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Are you perhaps looking for `per-disc-numbering`? [Configuration — beets 1.6.0 documentation](https://beets.readthedocs.io/en/v1.6.0/reference/config.html#per-disc-numbering)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Chabula](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/discourse.beets.io/chabula/32/610_2.png) [@Chabula](https://discourse.beets.io/u/Chabula)\
**Post date:** [February 14, 2022, 3:03pm UTC](https://discourse.beets.io/t/solved-beets-keeps-merging-multidisc-albums-in-one-folder-when-i-do-not-want-to/1865/7 "2022-02-14T15:03:54Z")

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Almost correct  
Got it now as this  
Bob Marley - Greatest Hits Bob Marley 02 - 19 - Zimbabwe.mp3

default: $albumartist/$album%aunique{}/%if{$multidisc,$disc}/$albumartist - $album%aunique{} $disc - $track - $title

IHow to make it like this  
Bob Marley - Greatest Hits Bob Marley cd 02 - 19 - Zimbabwe.mp3

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![swills](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@swills](https://discourse.beets.io/u/swills)\
**Post date:** [December 31, 2022, 4:53am UTC](https://discourse.beets.io/t/solved-beets-keeps-merging-multidisc-albums-in-one-folder-when-i-do-not-want-to/1865/8 "2022-12-31T04:53:27Z")

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I’m doing this a bit differently. I’m using the inline plugin. In my path I have;

```auto
/%if{$multidisc,$multi_cust}/

```

Then I have;

```auto
 item_fields:
     multi_cust: |
         if (disctitle):
             return f'disc {disc} - {disctitle}'>         
         else:
            return f'disc {disc}'

```

Which works, but the tracks under each disc start where the other left off rather that starting back at 1. Any thoughts?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![swills](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@swills](https://discourse.beets.io/u/swills)\
**Post date:** [December 31, 2022, 5:16am UTC](https://discourse.beets.io/t/solved-beets-keeps-merging-multidisc-albums-in-one-folder-when-i-do-not-want-to/1865/9 "2022-12-31T05:16:58Z")

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I didn’t realize I bumped a solved thread. Sorry.

This helped;

> [@How to have a track number per disc?](https://discourse.beets.io/t/how-to-have-a-track-number-per-disc/490):
>
> I’ve done a bit of Googling and have checked out the discussion board, but I have not found a solution to this problem. I have a lot of 2 disc compilation albums and I’d like to have the track filenames start with the disc and track number. I have successfully defined the right format in my configuration: Compilations/$album%aunique{}/%if{disctotal\>1,$disc-}$track - $artist - $title But there is one thing I can’t figure out and that is having track number per disc. Right now, if I have two di…