[Marius]

That's a common misconception from folks that have never tried Roon. It's not a library manager and it's not about being pretty; it's an interface for (re)discovering music - yours and what's in TIDAL, in a really elegant manner.

It's not for everyone, to be sure, but I encourage you to download the free trail and give it a spin. Oh, and as to your comment about music tags, Roon handles  that really well.

Ken

HI Ken,
I will dl and try again, but understood the BDP doesn't support it right now. Will try the standalone version.


btw, Roon say they are a manager of my collection, and even worse, they are the traffic cop, housekeeper and brains  
Even interconnecting  with 'enhanced info' from Roon. Enough to get all privacy warning sings up...


 


Forgot about Soundirok: since MPD does do the browsing by folder, and all that Soundirok should, and does it very well, what does SoundIrok offer that MDP doesn't?


Marius
 

[Krutsch]

HI Ken,
I will dl and try again, but understood the BDP doesn't support it right now. Will try the standalone version.

...

For your Roon comment, the BDP *does* support Roon, somewhat, using with Airplay (Shairplay) or Squeeze (Squeezelite); both protocols are supported by Roon. I've played around with both and they work, mostly: with Airplay you are limited to 44.1kHz/16-bit and with Squeeze you may experience some issues with gapless playback, as well as needing to disable the service on your BDP when you return to MPaD or MM playback (or just reboot, which is what I was doing).

My advice is to enable Squeezelite on your BDP, then enable  Squeezebox support in the Roon Settings/Setup tab. Then, your BDP will just appear and can be selected for audio output.

If you don't have a TIDAL account, try that, as well - that's really where the magic happens. For example, you can look at a classical selection in your library and then browse alternate versions of the same movement within your own library or what's available in TIDAL.

It's a lot to inhale, but after I got used to it, I would browse the catalog - looking at related artists and genres, just sampling new music for hours on end.

[Marius]

Ok cool i will try that on the bdp.


I do have Tidal for 3 months, and am seeing it in Roon, next to a great many  recordings that are not mine.....
You see, that's where my reservation comes in. It does look quite the stunner, but it shows so much 'related content' I a) fear for my privacy, and b) don't see what i really own and want to browse.


Ill try some more....


Cheers, and thanks!
Marius

For your Roon comment, the BDP *does* support Roon, somewhat, using with Airplay (Shairplay) or Squeeze (Squeezelite); both protocols are supported by Roon. I've played around with both and they work, mostly: with Airplay you are limited to 44.1kHz/16-bit and with Squeeze you may experience some issues with gapless playback, as well as needing to disable the service on your BDP when you return to MPaD or MM playback (or just reboot, which is what I was doing).

My advice is to enable Squeezelite on your BDP, then enable  Squeezebox support in the Roon Settings/Setup tab. Then, your BDP will just appear and can be selected for audio output.

If you don't have a TIDAL account, try that, as well - that's really where the magic happens. For example, you can look at a classical selection in your library and then browse alternate versions of the same movement within your own library or what's available in TIDAL.

It's a lot to inhale, but after I got used to it, I would browse the catalog - looking at related artists and genres, just sampling new music for hours on end.

[Krutsch]

Forgot about Soundirok: since MPD does do the browsing by folder, and all that Soundirok should, and does it very well, what does SoundIrok offer that MDP doesn't?

For me, I find the user experience more appealing - a lot more - but that's a subjective thing.

The biggest difference between Soundirok and other MPD apps is the smart playlist feature. I use this, heavily, in iTunes and it's great to replicate this function with my MPD players. In particular, as I've noted before, you can define "rules" for dynamic playlists that then apply to all of the MPD players in your eco-system. For example, I am considering adding a BDP-Pi for the living room and I really don't want to re-construct my playlists on the new device. With Soundirok, my playlists are build using rules, not static lists of tracks/albums. So, a second device can inherit the same playlists, as long as the music collection is similar for each player (e.g. both systems are accessing your library from a NAS or you are copying a similar set of files into a USB drive).

[Marius]

For me, I find the user experience more appealing - a lot more - but that's a subjective thing.

The biggest difference between Soundirok and other MPD apps is the smart playlist feature. I use this, heavily, in iTunes and it's great to replicate this function with my MPD players. In particular, as I've noted before, you can define "rules" for dynamic playlists that then apply to all of the MPD players in your eco-system. For example, I am considering adding a BDP-Pi for the living room and I really don't want to re-construct my playlists on the new device. With Soundirok, my playlists are build using rules, not static lists of tracks/albums. So, a second device can inherit the same playlists, as long as the music collection is similar for each player (e.g. both systems are accessing your library from a NAS or you are copying a similar set of files into a USB drive).

Thats cool indeed, and a plus to other apps, though MPo/aD can also handle more than one MPD server. Ill experiment with that a bit, Ive never been much of a Playlist user. Other than the occasional radiostation configured as a playlist for easy acces in BDP.


Thanks!
Marius

[Krutsch]

I've spent quite a bit of time playing around with MinimServer + Linn Kinsky (and the much better Linn Kazoo). With a Volumio endpoint, it all works really, really well and integrates Tidal nicely with BubbleUPnPServerv + Linn Kazoo, as well as your local library. MinimServer is an amazing piece of software; a learning curve, but is unbelievably flexible and robust. However, I've given up on using it with the BDP.

Most UPnP playback systems use upmpdcli http://www.freecode.com/projects/upmpd to bridge the excellent sounding MPD as a DLNA/UPnP renderer. Works really well with MinimServer and a variety of endpoints (I love BubbleUPnP, but Kazoo is nice, as well).

Unfortunately, the Bryston stack uses gmediarender-resurrect for network streaming playback, which is buggy. It does mostly work, but you will have problems with some playlists, as well as with playback of AAC files (non-DRM'd) and occasional issues with gapless playback. The BDP-Pi will have the same issues, since it will use the same stack as the current BDP software, as I understand things.

At the end of the day, the BDP-X is a most excellent sounding and stable MPD player.

Well, apparently the BDP DLNA Renderer cannot playback AIFF files, as well as failing to play AAC files. Sigh... 

[richter250]

I have been having a similar streaming problem with AIFF files.  I am using an Auralic Aries to stream music from my BDP-2 into a second system.  I use the Lightning DS app for control.  Everything works and sounds great except most of my files from HDTracks don't show up.  A few do but most do  not.  After reading Krutsch's post about the problems that the BDP-2 has with playing AIFF tracks when used as a renderer I was wondering if this is the same type of problem.  Turns out the HDTracks files that do show up are FLAC and the ones that do not are AIFF.  I can convert all the AIFF tracks to FLAC with XLD but this will be a time consuming process.  Does anyone have a work around for this problem or know if a fix in the works or should I just start converting all the files to FLAC?

[Krutsch]

I have been having a similar streaming problem with AIFF files.  I am using an Auralic Aries to stream music from my BDP-2 into a second system.  I use the Lightning DS app for control.  Everything works and sounds great except most of my files from HDTracks don't show up.  A few do but most do  not.  After reading Krutsch's post about the problems that the BDP-2 has with playing AIFF tracks when used as a renderer I was wondering if this is the same type of problem.  Turns out the HDTracks files that do show up are FLAC and the ones that do not are AIFF.  I can convert all the AIFF tracks to FLAC with XLD but this will be a time consuming process.  Does anyone have a work around for this problem or know if a fix in the works or should I just start converting all the files to FLAC?

I'm pretty sure the Aries supports AIFF playback - it's possible that the HD Tracks AIFF files are malformed (I've experienced this with their AIFF downloads and repaired the files Sample Manager - but batch converting with XLD will achieve the same result).

Try converting one album to FLAC and back to AIFF to see if the album shows up on the Aries.

[richter250]

It does not seem to be an HDTracks problem.  Those were just the albums that led me to notice the problem.  I converted an album to FLAC and it showed up and played in the Aries.  I then converted it back to AIFF and it was gone again.  It turns out that I have many other albums in AIFF (not from HDTracks) that are not showing up in the Aries.  The Aries does support AIFF and if I put the AIFF albums on a hard drive and connect it to the Aries they play just fine.  Not sure where the problem is.  BDP-2 or Aries?  or wireless network? Stumped.  Thanks for your help!

[Marius]

Hi Chris,


Today i added a Jaco Pastorius  folder to the BDP. Somehow Wheather Report made it into the J section... What should i check to correct?
 
2nd: i can't get any music out of the BDP. Display is showing, front panel also, power amp is alright, as is the pre amp    What should i check to correct?


Please!


Marius

[Krutsch]

Hi Chris,

Today i added a Jaco Pastorius  folder to the BDP. Somehow Wheather Report made it into the J section... What should i check to correct?

Marius

Yes. I've reported this in the past, as well. When browsing by folder or viewing playlists, the sorting is based on file system criteria and is not sorted lexicographically, as one would expect.

This is why browsing by folder is unusable.

[Marius]

Yes. I've reported this in the past, as well. When browsing by folder or viewing playlists, the sorting is based on file system criteria and is not sorted lexicographically, as one would expect.

This is why browsing by folder is unusable.

HI Ken,


Sorry, but that's not my experience at all. Did read your posts on this.
Before, dEus sorted at the end after Z, but Chris implemented library sort ignore case, so that did it for dEus. No other sorting issues at all.
In fact, i always and only browse by folder....


This Wheather Report mixup is a first, as far as i can see, at least on this side.
Hope it is based on some setting, maybe even wrong tagging. It sorted correctly before, so that makes it strange.


Cheers,
Marius

[Krutsch]

Sorry, but that's not my experience at all. Did read your posts on this.
Before, dEus sorted at the end after Z, but Chris implemented library sort ignore case, so that did it for dEus. No other sorting issues at all.
In fact, i always and only browse by folder....

This Wheather Report mixup is a first, as far as i can see, at least on this side.
Hope it is based on some setting, maybe even wrong tagging. It sorted correctly before, so that makes it strange.

Cheers,
Marius

That's because you have been lucky, up to this point. In my system, most folders seem to sort correctly, but there are a few that are inserted into odd places, like your Weather Report example.

[Yitshak]

Hi Chris,


Today i added a Jaco Pastorius  folder to the BDP. Somehow Wheather Report made it into the J section... What should i check to correct?
 
2nd: i can't get any music out of the BDP. Display is showing, front panel also, power amp is alright, as is the pre amp    What should i check to correct?


Please!


Marius

Hi Marius,

Did You load it to the BDP and not to the hard drive taken out and connected to computer?
Then in such case the BDP choose were to sort this by metadata pattern ??

I'm trying to avoid that as I want total control of were the album will be sort to.
Also when I'm browsing I avoid using the system GENER and and Artist and such
And go to brows directly to Music folder there to My pre made GENER Folders
There To my pre made band/artist folders ( composer folders in classical to avoid too many artist).

Those folder were made in advanced on the computer when I made "my folder tree",
And arranged my library structure.

Also I choose to add up folders once in while when I have few and then I always
connect the drive to computer to dictate in what pre folders I will add the new ones.
This way all my folders are were I put them.

I know maybe it's not the best fit for everyone but it's working great for me,
Up to a point I don't care for anything else.

But it's involve taking out the driver preparing folders of your choose and then copy
All your folders to those folders,(though it's not too much work) took me a day or two
To sort as 1500 albums this way.
Also in those folders my albums upper  A,B,C... in correct order.
Cheers

Itshak

[unincognito]

Hi Chris,


Today i added a Jaco Pastorius  folder to the BDP. Somehow Wheather Report made it into the J section... What should i check to correct?
 
2nd: i can't get any music out of the BDP. Display is showing, front panel also, power amp is alright, as is the pre amp    What should i check to correct?


Please!


Marius

  that's a new one for me Marius, the only time I expect the library to be out of order is while MPD is updating the database.  If it's still doing you can place the BDP into service mode and email me the service id I can try and see why it's doing that.

[Marius]

Hi Marius,

Did You load it to the BDP and not to the hard drive taken out and connected to computer?
Then in such case the BDP choose were to sort this by metadata pattern ??

I'm trying to avoid that as I want total control of were the album will be sort to.
Also when I'm browsing I avoid using the system GENER and and Artist and such
And go to brows directly to Music folder there to My pre made GENER Folders
There To my pre made band/artist folders ( composer folders in classical to avoid too many artist).

Those folder were made in advanced on the computer when I made "my folder tree",
And arranged my library structure.

Also I choose to add up folders once in while when I have few and then I always
connect the drive to computer to dictate in what pre folders I will add the new ones.
This way all my folders are were I put them.

I know maybe it's not the best fit for everyone but it's working great for me,
Up to a point I don't care for anything else.

But it's involve taking out the driver preparing folders of your choose and then copy
All your folders to those folders,(though it's not too much work) took me a day or two
To sort as 1500 albums this way.
Also in those folders my albums upper  A,B,C... in correct order.
Cheers

Itshak

HI Itshak,


Thanks. I'm not really sure i understand what you're saying. In my experience of the last 5 or 6 years, the only difference between connecting the drives to the BDP or Computer is speed. Nothing else has shown up. copying/moving/deleting files over the network to an attached computer, which the BDP is, isn't any different than
to a drive attached directly to the computer.
Especially on the Mac, where networked storage and other machines are so easily identified (compare that to the hassle in a windows environment...)

I always create a new folder for a new Artist (on my Jazz and Pop drives) or a new composer (on my Classical drive), and never experienced an out of order before, other than the mentioned dEus, which was a clear case of case-sensitivity, and taken care of by Chris, or during the updating process, which can take quite some time, with a growing library. (btw, that has also gotten better in my new setup with the powered hub, the BDP really seems to like the extra juice)

I either first create the Artist/Composer folder, and then later add extra folders per Album below that, or copy an entire new structure, so complete Artist/Composer with Albums. Didn't make any difference whatsoever up to now. Even Carbon Copy Cloning a complete Nas drive to a new usb HDD works fine, as i have recently been able to observe.

Strange thing in this case was that the out of order item only showed up out of order after adding another new folder, which is displayed in good order.

So, ill check on my BDP lateron, to see if it was the BDP still updating, or ill have to call Chris again in service-mode...


Cheers,
Marius

[Yitshak]

Ok Marius I didn't figure that you are connecting via hub/NAS
And can see the hard drive and arrange folder even if the hard drive stay connected to the BDP.
I'm catching up ...still.

Any way if you already do all the describe above then all is fine
And hopefully it will get solve this way or the Chris way

I'll get back to my new weekend experiment
which is transferring albums to 6 X 128 GB  Flash drives.

powered drives will be used only for the NAS configuration later on.

Cheers
Itshak

[Marius]

Cool Yitzhak,

We're here to share and learn
Apparently you've found ways to get music on your harddrives, other than swapping the drive from your BDP to the computer and back again. How would you have done that, without as you say 'see the harddrive connected to the BDP'? I would have thought that to be the only way, and there is no way the BDP sorts things out itself 
Maybe im not getting what you say, and confusing you even further, not my intension of course.

Either one moves files swapping the drive from the bdp to the computer and back again, or one moves the files over the network. As the BDP is a computer one can operate it as such (provided you enable the services for that in the BDP settings). If you don't use the latter technique, you can disable these services, and use the BDP in 'man cave' setting.
It uses less resources that way, and some say it is the most optimal way of playing music.
I never experienced an audible difference, but as always ymmv.

Cheers,

Marius

Ok Marius I didn't figure that you are connecting via hub/NAS
And can see the hard drive and arrange folder even if the hard drive stay connected to the BDP.
I'm catching up ...still.

Any way if you already do all the describe above then all is fine
And hopefully it will get solve this way or the Chris way

I'll get back to my new weekend experiment
which is transferring albums to 6 X 128 GB  Flash drives.

powered drives will be used only for the NAS configuration later on.

Cheers
Itshak

[Marius]

that's a new one for me Marius, the only time I expect the library to be out of order is while MPD is updating the database.  If it's still doing you can place the BDP into service mode and email me the service id I can try and see why it's doing that.

Ok Chriss i will let you know, im updating the separate drive as an extra way to tell the BDP to behave. For it still doesn't. That is to say, MM doesn't. The BDP shows the folders in the correct order:


Sorry for the amount of screen dumps following, but the front panel is only 2 characters high...


 
Folders in Manis Moose


 
Foldes in Mac/Finder


 
 
 
 
Folders on the front panel.


The odd placed Wheather Report is the final folder on my drive, maybe that is of significance.


Cheers,
Marius

[Marius]

adding to my previous post:

My observation of the last alphabetical folder placed incorrectly made me check the other drives.
Almost all folders show the final entry misplaced!! No matter where I check, in drive root or nested, on all drives but the ones with only up to four subfolders, the last alphabetical folder is placed incorrectly. Only Home and the original Bryston Thumb (which has the tracks preceded wit a number) show correctly. That is to say, Playlists is below POP, but that is correct behavior i think, since it isn't a drive?


 

2 more to illustrate what's happening:


 
 


This is quite peculiar. And never seen before up to now.Chris, would this justify a Service mode, or do you have any other thoughts?


Cheers,
Marius