Am I missing something? Where is the supposed album info Roon promises?

Roon Software Discussion
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Ok, I’m not your normal user. I am 75, a female Luddite. I am able to listen to lovely music now. Through a Roon Nucleus (that I managed to connect up myself), fed to a McIntosh 7200 Receiver, wired to McIntosh desktop speakers.

I went ahead and got the Roon lifetime - just because it’s easier not to have to worry about yearly. (Hopefully my cognition lasts longer than the price I’ve paid. And my hearing too.)

I haven’t ripped any CD’s yet. So that’s not the problem. (When I do, I think I will just live with however Roon decides to code info. As I’m just up to fiddling a whole lot.)

I signed up for the Month long Tidal after trying some Classical Radios, as I like to decide for myself what I want to listen to. (I did sign up for the free month to the HD level - and I can see that my DAC shows me what is stated in Tidal, though sometimes it says 96, when Tidal gives a lower number.). That’s not the problem either.

For the record, I’m not sure the 96 level makes a whole lot of difference. I suspect it depends on the original recording - how well it was recorded. (But that’s not the issue either. Though I suspect that live recordings of choral music - classical - may induce what sounds like white noise in the background.)

I will also state that so far Roon is terrible in trying to predict what I would enjoy listening to. If it gets chance to do that. Though I do like the feature in Tidal, where it suggests albums. (But I’ve turned off the feature where Roon would give me Roon Radio, once my chosen music stops.)

So HERE’S MY QUESTION:

According to what I read and have been told by people here, I’m supposed to be getting a lot of Info (like Album Info from when we had LPs - or what comes in a CD case, where you can read about the Album, the Composer, the Artists, etc.)

When I’m listening to Tidal - right now I have lovely organ music by Gabrieli - I see the Album cover. And I see info on each track. (First Tone, Second Tone - in Italian). It’s a set of 6 discs so potentially 6 hours of his entire keyboard music.). Sounds just like there’s a Organ right here in the room!

BUT NO ALBUM INFO! No info on Composer. Or Artist. Place of recording. Nothing!

Most everything I’m getting through Tidal has nothing like Album information. (What seems to enthuse many people and addict them to Roon. Me, I bought the Nucleus, so am wedded to Roon. And the Tidal is giving me ample music - in classical and other eccentric things I listen to: Try “The Water Wheel” by an Oud player from North Africa!)

(Oh, wow! Now I’m hearing Gregorian Chant too! Interspersed with the Organ. I love it!)

So am I supposed to be receiving this Album info??? If so, how do I find it? Or turn it on? (Or was the promised fascinating album info just a marketing ploy?)

Mostly I’m happy. As I can search the web for some info. But supposedly Roon should be doing that for me?

PS - Does Tidal have a yearly subscription fee that’s cheaper than monthly? (I’m not sure what level I ultimately want. But just wondering.)

Thanks for any advice. But please don’t bother with tons of technical info. (I honestly think that my Roon-tested fantastic Receiver/DAC is already pre-formatted or something to work best with Roon - or Roon to it. I could see that during the set-up - which pleases me greatly as I’m not up to fiddling with it anyway.).

At this point I’m happy listening to Tidal (in Roon). And postponing ripping CDs. As basically I can find almost anything I’ve tried to listen to.

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Depends on what the metadata provider has for that album.
Well known pop.

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Versus generic classical.

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Yes, I do see both examples you’ve posted. Occasionally I see the first. Which usually is very interesting.

Mostly (95% of the time) I’m seeing only the info on the tracks. Which is definitely helpful if, say, a pianist is playing different short pieces by different composers.

So that’s it?

So… I’m not missing out on what’s available.

And maybe I should be extremely grateful to have had no hiccups using Roon, since connecting up and using the Tidal once I’d tried the FM radio. (Which I might do again for Opera. Possibly this very afternoon.)

I think I made the right decision to go with the Nucleus. And my dear departed husband made the right decision (many years ago) to go with McIntosh and also gift me this new one that could attach via USB to internet (via Nucleus). Because it’s like a Miracle to me how well these two beautiful machines work together!

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If you navigate through the different screen options, you should find this:

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Clicking on the icons in the upper right of this view will give you what you seek.

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Screen Options?

How/where do I find them?

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Intuitively!
Certainly you must be seeing something like this:

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Click on the small album image at the bottom of the frame.

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By the way, I too am 75 years old, I simply refuse to be a Luddite.

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Ok!!!

Yes, that did bring up something I can click on at the top right. And indeed that does provide me with info!!!

Blessings upon you! Amazing!

Yay! I am so grateful. :slight_smile:

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TheraP, the icons Tom_Bourret is referencing are in the top right-hand corner of the “now playing” screen. Examples:

Artist info:

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Info about the composition:

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etc.

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I’ve given up. Technology is passing me by. Way faster than I can keep up. I can “drive” my new Prius AWD. But forget about GPS or anything like that! I use a map.

I have no shame about admitting my ignorance.

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Absolutely NOT! When a recording is “unidentified” in Roon you get nothing, nada. As the OP said is all the talk about Roon showing all this wonderful information just marketing BS? The answer is a definite maybe, since the amount of information varies from recording to recording. On the other hand one would think that when listening to recordings from Tidal there should be at least some metadata.

And once again the standard Roon Labs answer is “it’s not our fault, it’s the metadata provider’s fault”.

And my standard response is “But whom am I paying?” Roon’s marketing is all about the wonderful metadata provided by the Roon experience. This whole metadata issue reminds me of what I used to encounter when dealing with general contractors when I was an engineer. If there is a general contractor on a project then that contractor is responsible for the work of the subcontractors. Roon is the general contractor and the metadata providers are the subcontractors and as a Roon subscriber I do not have a relationship with the metadata providers, I have a relationship with Roon. Roon owns the metadata issue because my money goes to Roon and Roon’s marketing promotes the metadata feature.

Simply put it’s long past time for Roon subscribers to stop accepting Roon’s flimsy excuses and to demand that Roon aggressively work towards improving this terrible metadata situation.

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Yes, I can see that now. I can toggle between that and the Queue.

…

BUT now I cannot get back to the original screen at all! It just tells me there’s an error.

So I am stuck. Forward or backward it brings me to a screen that says: network error. Tells me to check my internet.

Should I just close everything. Stop the music? Go on and off internet?

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There’s a “downwards pointing arrow” in the bottom centre of the “Now Playing” screen. Click on that to close the “Now Playing” screen and return you to your usual program… :slight_smile:

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Thank you Ralph!

One more problem in life…

But as you may have seen from my comment above, following what Ralph suggested, which did yield info, seems to have resulted in Roon no longer being in charge? And I am stuck unable to navigate beyond the screen which shows me the Queue!

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I will try this Geoff!.

Fingers crossed. :wink:

NOT WORKING! I can’t even tell the music to pause now.

I am going to disconnect from the internet. And see if that helps. Close everything. And see if I can go back to square one.

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After reading the marketing information, my conclusion was that Roon is about the (wonderful) presentation of the metadata – should there be some.

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I am unable to toggle anywhere except to and from the Queue. Or back and forth to the page that shows me the little icons that Tom showed me.

I am stuck! Yes, I hear music. I can see this long Queue. But I’ve totally lost the page where I told the music to play.

All I can think is to scroll to the bottom of the Queue and play that last thing… And maybe after it plays, I can navigate somewhere else?

I am sorry I ever asked this question. Which has left me in what feels like being trapped in a closet. Albeit with music playing.

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I am now stuck. With Roon, ok, and maybe I’ll never try to find more metadata again. If I just get out of this loop.

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When all else fails - there is also the main menu to return to - click on the icon of the three horizontal bars at the top left of your screen…

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