Fair enough. I think the Roon team’s vision can sometimes keep it an “edge product” by ignoring a lot of mainstream potential.
Actually I’d say it’s just not possible to do (not looking at streaming stuff - I don’t know how that works). I don’t want brought over files imported for a probable once in a lifetime playback. But to make the use case(s) work in a Roon way I’d want it to be immersive: with metadata and maybe links to stuff in my library.
Update: the wow effect this would have could also produce a nice marketing effect, btw…
What would be needed is some kind of a session profile and a shared queue. The first so a temporary item can live fully within the Roon metadata world without interfering with an existing library - something like a “source zone” - and the latter for enriching the listening experience by mixing things in from the library so the listening session becomes more fun. Roon could even try to remember tracks / albums from those temporary “source zones” so you could look up stuff later… …supporting CD transport via RAAT may be quite some work, but maybe something a Nucleus ++ could profit from too?
That sounds like the sort of tech that OneDrive used to “shadow” files to pick them up. Having been on the periphery of the sh#tstorm of one of those products it isn’t as easy as it looks.
I mean: just remember the metadata, not keep the actual files. Locally.
Update: and wouldn’t it be nice to have a listening session history (a history is kept anyway)? So when the same people meet again, they can pick up on this … features, features … 
I get you, the trouble is in that remembering part. How much do you have to scan, checksum to ensure you are remembering the right media. How close is close enough etc. Where do you keep the cache in memory all the time, when do you stop trusting it and have to go out to the internet for a refresh etc.
All this sort of stuff was done for actual portable media players and roon would have to code it all in.
I worked for a major software developer for years and it’s amazing the stuff that didn’t make it in product because of the etc etc rather than need or goodness. 
Again not saying it’s not a valid idea just tricky.
Actually, if it weren’t for the presence of an import date bug (that may only be affecting Cores running on Linux), handling a friend’s USB stick is pretty simple (to me) - plug it in, drag 'n drop, and play the albums that show up on the Overview page…
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I’m with you here until…
Why? What benefit is there of playing through Roon without adding it to the library?
Hmm, not seeing the tricky part.
- Trust the files as long as they are directly available for the local Roon system.
- Identify those like local files
- Keep a playback history as for local files but maybe - in the sense of the “session” - as a session history (you could ask for a date / name) or create a kind of playlist at the end of the session.
But then I’m not a developer.
Because it’s music you wouldn’t want to add for later access - but don’t mind to listen to with friends or during a party?
Oh, so something a CD player or VLC would play perfectly. Excellent.
… not as immersive as the Roon experience. With metadata and cross references to the library.
So you want metadata and cross referencing while it’s playing, but then somehow “disappears” at the end of playing and this isn’t an edge case? Riiiight.
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I haven’t said anything about what kind of case it is. Personally, I’d have the “need” for something like this maybe once in a month or so. I live happily without it too. And discussing the possibilities here shouldn’t be limited by edges - or cornering. 
Who is suggesting otherwise?
To be honest i would pay not to have the feature. It has taken two weeks to teach my wife how to select CD on the new amplifier so she can play one of her 20 CDs. She’s strictly an analogue girl in her digital media 
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Picking up (one more time) on the “play & forget” feature for USB (CD transport too, if that ever gets considered) with metadata: it might be interesting for demoing / in-store presentations. Now that more and more Roon ready endpoints are available and dealers pick up on offering Nuclei it would make a nice show case.
I personally wouldn’t let anyone plug a USB stick in my network, you never know where they have been. I’d rather let them loose with Tidal and build a little temporary playlist.
For serious customers it could be part of the bonding ritual along with the 
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Very, VERY wise words in this day and age.
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Same applies to letting people with jail broken phones on your network as well
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