The Tag downloader tool is a tool that helps tagging full releases (albums, maxis etc) by fetching data from online sources.

Helium comes with built-in support for Discogs and MusicBrainz as data sources plus that it fully supports external scripts.


Start the tool from Tools > Tags > Tag downloader and then select the data source you would like to use to fetch data from.


Note: You can navigate to the next step with Ctrl+N and back with Ctrl+B.


Selecting input source

The first step in the tool is to select the input source.

Depending on the selected source it can be any of:

  • Artist and album - suggested values are populated from the input files if possible. Using this mode will create a "fuzzy-search", generally resulting in multiple matches you will need to review to find the exact match.
  • Barcode - by using barcode as input, a more exact list of matches will be generated, most often a single match will be found. By using this mode it will mot the step of browsing through a list of results and finding the "best match", and take you directly to the result details page. (see blow)
  • Catalog number - similar to barcode.


Browsing through results

If the result from the previous step yielded in more than one result, you will be presented with a page that shows each match on a separate row with additional details (these may depend on the input source). It is possible to click the filter icon on each column header to filter the list of matches.

Hovering the image column will show a tooltip of the found image and selecting a match by clicking on it will load the source page of the match (if any) and display it to the right.

If you have selected Auto compare on select match step active from Options > Plugins and downloading, Helium will compare the downloaded match with the selected files and display any differances visually.


When you have found your match, click Next > to proceed.


Adjusting the downloaded results

When the results are downloaded you will be taken to the results detail page where you can edit the downloaded data before saving the results.

Depening on the result, up to three tabs will be shown at the top:

  • Tracks - Edit track and album information using the same user interface as the Tag Editor.
  • Artist - Edit artist information using the same user interface as when editng artist information.
  • Label - Edit label information using the same user interface as when editing label information.


If Auto compare result after download is active from Options > Plugins and downloading, Helium will compare the downloaded match with the selected files and display any differances visually. 


If Discogs has been used as the input source, Helium will store the Release ID and Artist IDs found for each track in tags and in the database. These IDs can be used by other downloading tools in Helium to enable quicker and more precise downloading of pictures and artist information. 


Note: When the Tag Downloader is started from any of the tag editors or the Splitter, no tabs will be shown at the top. Only track results will be presented.


Clicking Finish will save the results to tags and your library.


Tag downloader from the Tag Editor and the CD Ripper

The same functionallity as describe above is available from the Tag Editor and the CD Ripper with the exception that a first step is added.

This first step allows you to select which download input source (built-in or an external script) that will be used.

Please note that artist and label information is not available when using the Tag Editor or the CD Ripper.


For more information about download scripts, click this link