Importing a v2 Song Library into v4

Version 4 imports v2 song libraries differently than v3, but the process isn’t difficult. With a v2 file, you can simply assign that database file as the current song library in the v4 settings, and v4 will recognize that it is a v2 file and offer to convert it. This leaves you in a situation, however, where you are not using the default file names and locations for your song library. While that's not a huge issue, it could lead to confusion down the road, so we recommend following this process to both convert and import your version 2 song library into v4.

Instructions for Converting and Importing:

  1. In MediaShout, go to Tools > Settings... > Songs.
  2. Click the Select file button to the right of the Song Library selection, browse to the location of your v2 database file, select it, and click the Select button.
  3. Click Apply in the Settings dialog, then choose Yes when prompted that the database needs to be converted. (The database will be converted and is now the current database in v4.)
  4. Click the Select file button again, and browse back to the location of your original v4 database. (C:\Users\Public\My Shout\V4\Song Library\Songs4.mdb on current versions of Windows.)
  5. Select the original Songs4.mdb file, click Select, then click OK in the Settings dialog to exit. (The original database is now set as the current song library, and your v2 song library has been converted to a v4 format and is ready to import.)
  6. Go to File > Song Library > Import Songs… > From Files.
  7. Choose the Song data file type, then click Next.
  8. Browse to the location of the v2 library that we just converted, select it, and click Open.
  9. Click Next, then choose whether you want to Import all songs or Skip duplicates and click Import.
  10. You’ll be shown the results of the import process, and you’re done! Click Close to finish up the import.

Once you have completed this process, your original v2 song library has been added to your v4 library, so you will no longer need the v2 file except as an archive for backup purposes. While the v2 songs have been imported, they may include background and soundtrack selections that are not present on your current computer. If a song appears to be greyed-out when you insert it into a script, you will need to assign a new background or soundtrack before you'll be able to display the song.