# Audio file naming

**URL:** <https://forums.plex.tv/t/audio-file-naming/229467>\
**Category:** General Discussions\
**Created:** [March 18, 2018, 5:26pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/audio-file-naming/229467 "2018-03-18T17:26:47Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Elijah\_Baley](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/elijah_baley/32/10336_2.png) [@Elijah\_Baley](https://forums.plex.tv/u/Elijah_Baley)\
**Post date:** [March 18, 2018, 5:26pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/audio-file-naming/229467/1 "2018-03-18T17:26:47Z")

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I guess I should preface this by admitting my stupidity. I use Plex for TV and movies and I completely understand the naming conventions for those and how to get the sorting I want for all the video files I use. BUT I cannot seem to understand how to get audio arranged and sorted the way I want. This is actually for audio books and what I want is to be able to show them in folders and sort them in order of date published.

The files I am using are single mp3s for each book and have no embedded metadata. I can rename them in any way needed. Currently I have names like “Dean Koontz (1987) - Watchers.mp3” and “Dean Koontz (1992) - Hideaway.mp3” and the folder is named “Dean Koontz.” But, as I said I will rename as needed.

I do not care about metadata at all. All I need is for Plex to see the files and allow me to enter folders and in the folders display the file name so I can tell what file it is and sort, as the example above, by the date currently in parenthesis.

I hope what I want to do is clear.

I did read the help sections but it seems music people speak a different language from me.

Thanks in advance for any and all help.

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**Author:** ![OttoKerner](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/ottokerner/32/10079_2.png) [@OttoKerner](https://forums.plex.tv/u/OttoKerner)\
**Post date:** [March 18, 2018, 6:14pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/audio-file-naming/229467/2 "2018-03-18T18:14:58Z")

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Does this mean you have a whole audio book in one file?

I recommend you to create a separate library for audio books i.e. don’t mix them with music.

When you create the library, **don’t** create it as a Premum library.  
On the ‘Advanced’ tab, tick ‘Store track progress’  
and set the ‘Agent’ to ‘Personal Media Artist’  
(you _could_ leave it on last.fm, but it will probably lead to lots of misattributed files/tracks)

Do also set the ‘Album order’ to ‘oldest first’.

You can then treat the author as ‘Album Artist’  
And the book as ‘Album Title’  
Which then leads to a file and folder structure like this:

[If you have cover art or a photo of the author, you can drop these into the folder structure as well.]

```auto
Audio Books /
   Dean Koontz / 
      artist-poster.jpg <--- a photo of the author
      artist-background.jpg <--- a background/wallpaper particular to the author
      Watchers (1987) /
         cover.jpg <--- audio book cover
         background.jpg <--- audio book background/wallpaper [if not present, inherited from the 'author' level]
         Dean Koontz - Watchers (1987).mp3
       Hideaway (1992) /
         Dean Koontz - Hideaway (1992).mp3
       ...
   Author 2 /
      Book 1 (year) /
         Author 2 - Book 1.mp3
   ...

```

If you now set the library view mode to ‘Artist’, you get exactly what you want.  
A long list of authors, which when clicked on reveal a list of books, sorted by release year.

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**Author:** ![Elijah\_Baley](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/elijah_baley/32/10336_2.png) [@Elijah\_Baley](https://forums.plex.tv/u/Elijah_Baley)\
**Post date:** [March 18, 2018, 6:37pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/audio-file-naming/229467/3 "2018-03-18T18:37:15Z")

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@OttoKerner:  
Yes all my audiobooks are single files.

I will try the structure you suggest, thanks.

BTW: I have no music in Plex, at least not yet, so mixing will not be a problem. 😉

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**Author:** ![Elijah\_Baley](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/elijah_baley/32/10336_2.png) [@Elijah\_Baley](https://forums.plex.tv/u/Elijah_Baley)\
**Post date:** [March 18, 2018, 7:25pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/audio-file-naming/229467/4 "2018-03-18T19:25:08Z")

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@OttoKerner:  
One further question: Do all my books really need their own folder. I do not care about any special features or artwork?

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**Author:** ![OttoKerner](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/ottokerner/32/10079_2.png) [@OttoKerner](https://forums.plex.tv/u/OttoKerner)\
**Post date:** [March 18, 2018, 7:32pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/audio-file-naming/229467/5 "2018-03-18T19:32:05Z")

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> @Elijah_Baley said:  
> @OttoKerner:  
> One further question: Do all my books really need their own folder. I do not care about any special features or artwork?

It is either the folder or you’ll have to embed proper and complete metadata.  
I think the folder is less work.

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**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/plex/original/3X/2/a/2acb9765406f63293d357b4ec509ec39aa28f2ad.png) [@system](https://forums.plex.tv/u/system)\
**Post date:** [January 8, 2020, 12:46am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/audio-file-naming/229467/6 "2020-01-08T00:46:31Z")

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