I have my collection ripped in WAV format and each file is hugh. However it is a Exact Audio Copy (EAC) and it is uncompressed. Streaming these files over Ethernet or Wif-Fi are not a issue for me and so I would think that AIFF should be fine. If your Wi-Fi signal is weak, then you might have an issue but this would pertain to any file format.
For some folks, it is either hard drive space that is the issue and or internet bandwidth for downloads.
Meta Tags for WAV have always been a pain but this file format is what I really love and this is what sold me on Roon because it recognizes these WAV files and I now have associated Meta Data associated with my collection.
[quote=āMike_Dubois, post:43, topic:4487ā]but this file format is what I really love[/quote]what is it youāre enamored with there wav files are concerned?
It is my understanding that when I ripped my CD collection to WAV using Exact Audio Copy (EAC) techniques I am making a Exact Duplicate of the CD Uncompressed therefore having my CD in a digital format on my PC.
The file size are practically identical to the CD file. Now with compression ie MP3 or FLAC, information is removed to shrink the file. What information is remove is a program technique. As you probably already know MP3 has it limitation with regard to High Res but because of itās size and itās ability to Meta-Tag made it a darling for downloads.
Fast forward to when folks wanted better than MP3 and this is where FLAC became a shining star because of itās compression while also allowing for a much higher Bit-Rate and it had the ability to Meta-Tag also. It was also a cross platform audio codec and it allowed for 24 and 32 Bit sampling instead of the 16.
WAV has been around since Windows 3.0 but you could never Meta-Tag it. It is Uncompressed. There are programs that have evolved that would Meta-Tag but the Tag was not embedded into the file. It cannot be embedded because it is exact. The work around was to create another file and locate it in the album folder. I think that Roon is really awesome with WAV files for this reason. It is by far, the best I have ever seen.
FLAC (/ĖflƦk/; Free Lossless Audio Codec) is an audio coding format for lossless compression of digital audio, and is also the name of the reference codec implementation. Digital audio compressed by FLACās algorithm can typically be reduced to 50ā60% of its original size[4] and decompress to an identical copy of the original audio data.
FLAC seems to be the Gold Standard and for good reason. No doubt. I was using WAV long before FLAC came about and just stuck with it. When I came across Roon and seen what it did with my WAV collection, I was sold.
Itās not all about storage. FLAC files have built in md5/CRC (checksum) embedded in files when ripped. Neither WAV (nor ALAC) has this. So if one wants to determine the file integrity of, say, 100,000 FLAC files, one points and clicks a couple of times at the parent directory to do a FLAC file integrity check before bed and comes back in the morning with a list of any problems (or indication of no problem). One canāt do this with a harddrive full of WAV files. This feature, along with more universally recognized tagging, is the main reason I use FLAC. It has nothing to do with saving storage space for me.
Many different methods to test. A few: One can use FLAC tools. Or if one uses dbPoweramp, one can simply ābatch convertā to [TEST CONVERTER]. Or on windows, one can install foobar2000 and the add-on component, āfile integrity verifierā, select all files, right click, select āutilitiesā, then āverify integrityā.
For all of the above who have ripping setups - anyone got a decent workflow on a headless Mac?
I used iTunes for my whole library so far (ALAC) but itās not very great Iād for headless because when itās unsure of the disc it pops up a dialog box asking for input. This was annoying enough when I ripped my CDs with a monitor, but now my Mac mini Roon server is headless itās not practical. Iād like to stick to ALAC, so Iāll i need is something that rips on disk insert (USB Superdrive), doesnāt ask any questions, and can be pointed to the āautomatically add to itunesā folder which is how I add my music, and eject the disc. Then I could just pop one in every time Iām near the server.
Any suggestions? Iām not too anal about metadata but obviously if it can fill in the blanks as best it can and add artwork, much the better. This kind of setup would also enable people other than me to add cds to the system (why Iād hoped it could be part of Roon one day).
I run the Roon core on a (sometimes headless) MacMini and a Roon Remote on an iMac. Both wired up with ethernet. Both have iTunes libraries. The iMacās iTunes library is a temporary holding/reviewing space. The MacMiniās iTunes library is the permanent Roon watched destination. Both iTunes libraries are set to Share in the iTunes settings.
I rip on the iMac using XLD. I could just as easily use iTunes to rip but I like the detailed report XLD provides and it seems to do a pretty good job with finding the correct metadata and album art. I rip to a temporary local directory set up to: Artist/Album/
There are two options at this point to getting the files into the Roon watched library. (In my case, the MacMiniās iTunes folder hierarchy)
If I didnāt use iTunes to rip, I add the files to the local iMac iTunes library using the iTunes Add To Library command. Then with iTunes running on both machines - both set up to share libraries - use the excellent Mac Screen Sharing program to control the Mini from the iMac, compare the libraries of both sets of iTunes. Select the new rips and import them to the MacMini.
By viewing the album in iTunes on the iMac- but still outside the Roon watched folder - I get an idea of how well the metadata and album art looks. This is especially useful for multi-CD albums and the ton of Various Artist soundtrack/compilation albums that I own. iTunes is an underrated metadata editor. Does a great job IMO. (For most CDs)
Or:
Simply use the Screen Sharing program on the iMac to control the MacMini and, using iTunesā Add To Library (on the MacMini) navigate back to the ripped files folder on the iMac and add the files to the MacMiniās iTunes library.
Roon sees the new files immediately and, depending upon how many albums Iāve added, displays the new rips within moments if not a few minutes.
I have had success with this method. I donāt rip directly into Roonās watched folders before I can review/edit the metadata.
After everything looks and plays good, I go back and delete the extra versions on the iMac. I may wait a day to do this to allow for the overnight backup of the Roon watched library to complete.
In the course of writing this post, I ripped two CDs.
Thanks. We have very similar setups. Iāll try xld again. I donāt even want to use screenshare - not initially anyway - just insert and forget, and come back to it later if I need to. Will try setting xld to the iTunes import folder (unless it can be scripted to move after rip completion) and see what happens.
I keep the iTunes heirarchy for safety and iOS compatibility - getting by music onto phone. One day I hope it wonāt be necessary but thereās no better way to add music to my library by using Roon (as far as I can tell). I have watched folders only so I can drag and drop in Roon if I need to. But then I end up with a bit of a messy structure (same with HD content).
I use a separate (from iTunes) watched folder hierarchy for the FLACs and HiRes I add to Roon.
Why the reluctance to using Screen Sharing? It has been a real timesaver to me and convinced me that the Mini could indeed be totally headless. Is there a security issue Iām not aware of? (This could be an OMG for me.)
No, nothing like that. I use screen sharing daily for various things.
My point is more I donāt want to have to use it to rip CDs - I want an automated system that anyone can use. I.e. A CD arrives in the post - it just needs inserting into the Mac mini drive and it then appears in Roon (via iTunes).
It might not look pretty but it can be played. Screen sharing later for fixes etc as part of usual maintenance.
Iād just like to get to that immediacy of CDs and a CD player which I really miss - open the post, insert and press play. Ok so itās never going to be that immediate as I donāt have a player, but right now they sit in a pile waiting for me to deal with them. Also I donāt want the whole system to rely on me.
LOL. Thatās obviously the best way. (And since it was obvious, why I missed it.)
Iām so used my method of ripping prior to listening that I overlooked this simple feature. (A necessary feature, too.)
My iTunes recognizes that Iāve put a CD in the drive. It waits for me to play it or rip it. Will the MacMiniās remote play that CD in iTunes? (Canāt test here; no CD drive on Mini) Seem like itās very close to doing what you want.
I set it to automatically rip to temp, then move files to the āautomatically add to iTunesā folder. Ticked everything that looked like it would work āunmannedā like ignore missing metadata.
Did two disks.
Radiohead - Moon shaped pool: this started ripping straight away, and by contrast Iād forgotten to disable iTunes, and was presented with a pop up asking what album it was. I cancelled and disabled iTunes.
Radiohead appeared in Roon and iTunes shortly afterwards. iTunes is perfect. Roon has a strange ā2 performancesā under each track. Checked on disk and thereās only 1 set of files. Could this be Tidal version and rip clashing - looks like track lengths are a second out. How to fix? (Screenshots below)
Kiln - Meadow:Watt: This ripped but came in with no metadata. I went to manually identify it in Roon, had to type in artist and album, had the correct one which I selected. Then went to a blank page with ānothing looks rightā and ācancelā as the only visible thing. So not sure what happened there. Anyway, when I went back it was identified ok. Obviously this wonāt be fixed in iTunes now so will go back and do it properly.
So fairly successful, needs a few tweaks. Will try musicbrainz as an alternate and see if it gets the Kiln one above.
It did at least achieve the goal of getting something into Roon regardless, so it can be played. But itās a bit messy in terms of iTunes - I guess itās kind of pointless fixing any metadata via Roon if you use iTunes in parallel.
Donāt the rippers read some sort of CD identifier number than Roon can use to Identify the album with no guesswork.
