Pro Audio Converter Help Guides and reference for batch audio conversion on macOS
Help topics Output Directory & File Naming

Configuring the Output Directory & Using a Custom Naming Scheme

Use format specifiers to build a folder and file-naming system that adapts to each source file's metadata.

Both the output directory and custom file-naming scheme are specified in the preferences. Pro Audio Converter lets you build a custom output file name and folder structure from the properties of the input file. Use keywords enclosed in brackets — called Format Specifiers — to build your folder and file structure. Each specifier is replaced with the actual value from the input file when it is encoded.

You can also include your own literal text outside the brackets, and it will appear unchanged in every output file name. Use forward slashes (/) to separate directories, and Pro Audio Converter will automatically create every directory and sub-directory for you.

Text Inside the Brackets

You can also include your own text inside the brackets, before or after the keyword. If the metadata corresponding to the keyword is missing from the source file, everything inside those brackets is omitted from the output file name. This is very useful for building separators that only appear when the data they separate exists.

For example, say your custom naming scheme is:

{discNumber - }{trackNumber - }{trackTitle}

The dashes sit inside the brackets of discNumber and trackNumber. If your source file does not have a disc number defined, that dash will not appear in the output file name. The output becomes something like:

01 – My Song.flac

Nesting Format Specifiers

It is even possible to nest format specifiers inside each other. You might have something as complicated as:

{Disc discNumber{ of discTotal} - }{Track trackNumber{ of trackTotal} - }{trackTitle}

A file that has all of its metadata defined might turn out like:

Disc 1 of 2 – Track 3 of 11 – My Song.flac

If that same file did not have its disc number or disc total defined, it would end up as:

Track 3 of 11 – My Song.flac

Or, if it did not have its disc total or track total defined, it would come out as:

Disc 1 – Track 3 – My Song.flac

If only the track title was defined, it would come out as:

My Song.flac

All of these file names are the result of the same custom naming scheme. As you can see, the custom naming scheme in Pro Audio Converter is very powerful.