Discrepancy between Folder View and Artist View

Try editing the metadata correctly. Put the track number in the TRACK field, not prepended on the TITLE.

How do I do that? I don’t see any option in either the Sonos controller or in the Apple Finder. Is there somewhere else?

You need to edit the metadata in the music file with a program like this: Mp3tag - the universal Tag Editor (ID3v2, MP4, OGG, FLAC, ...)

Update. I found a workaround to update the track numbers on one of the albums. Previously those fields were empty. I updated the files on the NAS and re-indexed the Sonos library. No joy. The folders view shows the updated files but the “normal” navigation still has the tracks in alphabetical order, even when I switch the option to order folders by track number. 

The Folders view options have no effect on the ordering in other views.

Are you sure you’re viewing the album container via the Artists view and artist>album, or alternatively via the Albums view? There should be track numbers down the left margin. If you view via artist>All there are no track numbers and the tracks are in alphabetical order.

It’s not recognising anything in the metadata as the track number. I don’t know what ‘workaround’ you used in an attempt to update the track numbers, but I suggest you follow @106rallye‘s suggestion and use a sensible tag editor.

One other thing: does your NAS have a ‘recycle bin’ folder that could potentially be included in the Sonos library path? It’s not unknown for pre-edit versions of files to end up in such a place, and if detected first on an index scan these would take precedence.

Yes, I have seen that suggestion in other places. There isn’t an obvious recycle bin on the NAS but I am going to dig further into the idea. It makes sense as folders that are completely deleted on the face of it still appear in the Sonos library artist>album>track display. And the tracks in them still play.

It looks like the recycle bin suggestion is correct. It’s well hidden :) but it’s there. I have switched it off and started to re indexed my library. Fingers crossed.

Well, the saga continues. I found the option in the Buffalo NAS to disable the recycle bin but it made no difference. I can’t find the recycle bin though. It doesn’t show up in the Finder. But, on the assumption that it’s still lurking there somewhere I nuked the entire Music folder and reloaded it from the files on my Mac. No joy. The folder view in Sonos all looks good but the music library artist>album view still shows everything as it was. In parallel to this line of attack I also got a metadata editor and checked that the metadata was correct in some of the albums. Makes no difference.

My conclusion is that Sonos is holding data about my music library as it was before I started trying to fix it and that’s what it is using to create the artist>album view. BTW I also tried deleting the controller from my Mac and reinstalling it. It came up already configured which means that there is some configuration data on my Mac that I can’t see (yet). 

In a way I am quite enjoying this but it’s not exactly an endorsement of Sonos’s user friendliness.

The music library index is not stored on your Mac or your phone, it is stored in your speakers and replicated to all of them, same as all Sonos data.

If you want to remove the index and start over, remove the NAS from your Sonos configuration, and set it up again.

Yes, I had arrived at that conclusion about the library being in the device. I have tried removing and replacing the music folder on the NAS  from the Sonos system several times to no avail. I have also tried deleting all the music from the NAS and replacing it. The last thing I tried was to do a factory reset on the one device I am using in my current home. Even that has not removed the old library. 

Time to give up on Sonos and get something a bit more manageable.

Yep, great plan! Scrap the Sonos rather than the buggy NAS.

Me, I’d say pick up inexpensive NAS known to work with Sonos or even better roll your own using a Raspberry Pi Zero and a thumb-drive or USB SSD.

Several options suggested here:  Live Journal: Stan  or https://stan-miller.livejournal.com/