A JRiver user new to Roon and frustrated

[Dennis_Brandt1 (Dennis Brandt [Duplicate Account])]

I spent many an hour adjusting meta data on JRiver to create a coherent library. Problem is, JRiver requires the ill conceived HDMI connection to output multi-channel at all sampling rates, and you have to manually switch between two and multi-channel recordings. I have been assured that I wouldn’t have an issue with Roon, so I took a free flyer subsequent to installing the “Roon Ready” Trinnov Altitude 16 surround processor.

I installed Roon, got it to recognize my recordings, and it plays through Trinnov’s Roon Ready input automatically outputting the correct number of channels. That part is an improvement. Problem is, the Roon library organization is a useless mess. It takes forever or a search to locate anything, and some of Roon’s meta data assumptions border on the absurd. (Malcolm Arnold and Percy Grainger avant-garde composers?) Yes, I can search for the desired work, but a library that requires a keyed search is not a well organized library.

Here is the organization I use on JRiver (yes, it took a long time to create, and each new recording requires manual intervention)

Classical
Genre==>composer (artist) name (ln/fn/mid)==>composition (album) title: conductor last name

All other identifying meta data is retained, searchable, but of no importance to library organization.
I use a standardized nomenclature for composition names. For example, all 104 Haydn symphonies, 41 Mozart symphonies, 10 Bruckner symphonies, etc. are "Symphony #n in whatever key: conductor’s last name. Using the Beethoven 5th Symphony as an example, I would access Genre classical==>artist Beethoven, Ludwig von ==> and locate composition (album) names
Symphony #5 in C-min: Bernstein
Symphony #5 in C-min: Davis
Symphony #5 in C-min: Levi
Symphony #5 in C-min: Solti
etc.
Then all the Symphony #6s on file through the end of as everything is in alphabetical order by composition (album) within composer (artist)

Albums with multiple works I usually break down into multiple virtual albums, e.g., if the Beethoven 5th Symphony and 7th Symphony originated on one CD, I alter meta data to break them into two separate albums.

All non-classical
Genre==>performer (artist) name (ln /fn/mid) or group name (unaltered)==>album name

Once the library is established, I don’t need a keyboard to search for anything. Everything is in alphabetical order within artist (either composer or performer).

Can Roon do this? I’m not saying the same meta data fields need be used, but I need to accomplish the same thing. However, I can’t find any method of altering meta data in Roon.

[ged_hickman1]

Exactly as you have set up, probably not. Roon is search based.
Do you have the switch set to import meta data instead of using the roon discovered data?

[mitr (Kal Rubinson)]

Problem is, JRiver requires the ill conceived HDMI connection to output multi-channel at all sampling rates, and you have to manually switch between two and multi-channel recordings.

O/T: That is not true.

[Dennis_Brandt1 (Dennis Brandt [Duplicate Account])]

Yes, it is true. We’ve gone round and round on the JRiver user board about this. The source number of channels setting does not work to automate this function. You need to set up separate zones and select the desired one, which means you cannot establish playlists that mix two and multi-channel recordings. If a recent update to v.24 has changed this that I don’t know about, then glory hallelujah!

[mitr (Kal Rubinson)]

I cannot comment on playlists as I never use them and I do have a vague recollection of your postings. OTOH, as I and others have said, we have no problem playing all recordings with any number of channels by simply clicking on the album or track.

But, as I said, this is all O/T here on Roon. I hope you find a solution.

[bearFNF]

you can edit meta data in albums by clicking the three dots and then edit.
you can split alums into multi disks, remove tracks from albums, edit metadata, etc.

you may be able get get where you want by using this edit and adding tags…
it will be a lot of work…

[Dennis_Brandt1 (Dennis Brandt [Duplicate Account])]

Thanks for that tip. In hindsight I suppose the three vertical dots should have made that obvious. You’re right, that would be a lot of work to set up the library properly, a task I long ago completed (with ongoing updates for new recordings) on JRiver where I don’t need to key anything to find what I want and where I can browse logically through the library. Does there exist a program that would convert JRiver’s library to Roon’s?

[vaguedetails (Jared)]

Although I haven’t attempted it myself, I wonder if what you are looking for is for Roon to prefer your metadata over its own by changing the settings in Settings/Library. Looks like when you make the change it re-examines your library. It’s worth a shot. You can always switch it back and it will reexamine again.

[Robert_Holloway]

Exactly what I’ve done; tell roon to use the embedded meta data and not to prefer its own. Like you I use Jriver + roon, and after initial “fun” understanding and trying to work with roon, I told roon to use existing meta data. The jriver way of doing things is to put the meta data into the file itself - I understand the default way for roon is to have its own database and leave the tags alone (not sure if roon will write its data to the tags as well). Anyway all my meta data is set up perfectly in jriver mc, and if I need to alter metadata then I fire up jriver and do it there, and then roon automatically adopts the changes.