On MacOS yes, on iOS not so much.
How do you do that?
Roon watches in real time the Apple Musicâs folder where the songs are stored. If I have to add a new song (ALAC or AIFF), I import it through Music app and Roon detects the addition updating automatically its database. Apple Music in the meantime matches/uploads the song in iCloud.
If the sampling rate of an added song is over 88.2 kHz, the matching with iCloud usually doesnât start. In this case I prepare a temporary 88.2 kHz version, add it to Music app and wait the iCloud matching.
As soon as the matching is complete I reveal in Finder the location where the song is stored (right click on the song â Reveal in Finder), quit Music app and replace the temporary âlow -resâ version with the original hi-res version (maintaining the same file name). In this way, the local song is in hi-res, Roon automatically detects the changes made and Apple Music has a working AAC counterpart on iCloud servers which, as said, is fine for casual listening on the go. The manual low-res â high-res change is ignored by Music app as long as the file names are exactly maintained.
In case of DSD/DSF formats, I create similarly an ALAC 88.2 kHz version, edit metadata on the ALAC version as belonging to âDisc 1â and the DSF version to âDisc 2â, add the ALAC to Music app, wait for Apple Music iCloud matching, locate where the ALAC is stored and add the DSF counterpart.
Music app will ignore the DSF version, relying only on the ALAC version, Roon will detect both versions (ALAC and DSF) separated as Disc 1 and Disc 2.
When I listen through Roon, I choose the Disc 2 (DSF) version, of course. The ALAC is only useful for Apple Music streaming when needed.
Obviously, in this case I have to keep two files for each song: ALAC is a lossless compressed format so the taken storage doesnât bother me.
If I modify/create/delete playlists in Music app I have to manually export the xml Library (File â Library â Export LibraryâŚ) every time to keep Roon updated with changes and have âsyncedâ playlists in Music app and Roon. Itâs a small annoyance to me, since I donât change continuously my playlists.
Everything related to Apple Music streaming in Music app is naturally ignored by Roon because are DRM files. If, say, a playlist contains 10 tracks and 3 of them are coming from Apple Music, then Roon will see only the 7 remaining tracks which I really own locally. An expected behavior.
Apple Music streaming, when needed, is done in my case via AirPlay in Music app as usual. Roon clearly isnât involved.
Itâs a method that works for me. Itâs a way to have Roon and Apple somehow together.
Iâll se how the rumored âhi-resâ streaming by Apple will fit in my âworkflowâ.
2 Likes
Personally, I never liked the Apple Music iOS app. For my brain, Roon is so, so far better. But you are as right for your brain as I am for mine. And thatâs AOK with me.
3 Likes
Yeah Apple app stinks . So does Qobuz and Tidal . Spotify is the only one to me that works pretty well.
1 Like
Really, I much prefer Tidals app to Spotify, find it an absolute dogs dinner with too much on show most of which is just irreleavant. And I dont subscribe to Tidal anymore!
2 Likes
Agree. I was listening to the new TTB âWhy does love have to be so sadâ ( not sure why Qobuz doesnât have it yet). After the cut , Spotify took over. Went an hour and a half before I skipped a Sony. Qobuz itâs usually 2 or 3 songs, then Iâm skipping every other song.
You mean a bit like Roon v1.8? That must be what people want these days: information overloadâŚ
1 Like
Thatâs highly unlikely due to competition law. You could easily argue that both together would have a dominant position in the music streaming market.
Very true, in the U.S. But Iâm not sure about the rest of the world. Itâs the rest of the world that would worry me.
Never ever going to pass the sniff test in Europe. Not even a 1% chance that it would get past the first review
You are in a far better position to know about that than I am.
Thereâs also the fact that thereâs no love lost between the two companies at all. They seems to genuinely dislike each other, in part due to to the greedy slice Apple take on app payments.
1 Like
Neil I have to say with your new government, I very much doubt it would get passed the initial question in the US now either.
With Tim Wu in the white house along with a number of others (Amy Klobuchar) who are very pro competition (or anti Monopoly as they prefer to call it), I think the next 4 years look very different for A&M scene then the last 12 years.
Well, the new administration is very pro competition. But, the conservatives in Congress and the Supreme Court are a totally different matter.
Agreed but itâs the Administration that chooses to prosecute a case in competition termâs and that adds years to everything, so Congress and the Senate do not get any real input.
I donât think thatâs possible with the current Bluetooth bandwidth. Which is why music needs to be compressed to a lossy format. So youâd have to wait for new bluetooth versions, and your device (f.i. headphones) would need to support it.
New article⌠coming soon!
Hmm, hasnât Apple just allowed HomePod and HomePod Mini users the ability to set their default music service to Deezer.
Has Apple acquired Deezer as its source of HiFi music?
Food for thought 