Managing Classical Music Library

[Christopher_Rothko]

Core Machine (Operating system/System info/Roon build number)
Mac Mini. Mac OS 10.13.6

Network Details (Including networking gear model/manufacturer and if on WiFi/Ethernet)
Ethernet.

Audio Devices (Specify what device you’re using and its connection type - USB/HDMI/etc.)
BlueSound Node 2

Description Of Issue
Many Issues. Library includes 1000s of albums. Roon often very confused:

1. Many albums missing
2. Multiple recordings of same piece merged randomly together (see ScreenShot below with Schubert’s 9th Symphony)
3. Boxed sets - Some discs missing altogether. Some discs in a set grouped together, others separate. This was not a problem in original iTunes import
4. I just went into settings and adjusted import settings so that the original files’ info. is prioritized over Roon info. Will this only take effect if I re-import whole library? I think I remember doing this a couple years ago on an older core with little benefit.
5. Operational Questions:
   a. Possible to eliminate the Queue? – I just want to play albums, one at a time.
   b. Possible to use search function within a composer (or artist), once selected?
   c. Possible to enable Mono playback (of any file, not just a mono file)?
6. Possible to talk to a person. I once had a very helpful phone conversation with a Roon tech. I think all of the above would go much faster.

[Moderator Edit: Personal details removed]

[dylan (Dylan Caudill)]

Hi @Christopher_Rothko,

@Christopher_Rothko

Many albums missing

First, I’d like to point out some documentation we have that may be helpful here. In our KB we have an article about Skipped Files and an article about why some files might be missing from Roon .

If you go to Settings > Library > Skipped Files do you see any of your missing files there?

I’d like to recommend looking at a couple of specific examples of tracks that did not get imported into Roon. Are they supported files? Are they showing up in Skipped Files? If it looks like they should be importing, let me know! Screenshots of these files in their storage location would be helpful for discovering what may be happening.

@Christopher_Rothko

Multiple recordings of same piece merged randomly together (see ScreenShot below with Schubert’s 9th Symphony)

I don’t see the screenshot listed — Can you try uploading again?

@Christopher_Rothko

Boxed sets - Some discs missing altogether. Some discs in a set grouped together, others separate. This was not a problem in original iTunes import

Please take a look at our documentation here and let me know if that helps: https://kb.roonlabs.com/FAQ:_How_can_I_ensure_multi_disc_sets_and_box_sets_are_identified_properly%3F

@Christopher_Rothko

I just went into settings and adjusted import settings so that the original files’ info. is prioritized over Roon info. Will this only take effect if I re-import whole library? I think I remember doing this a couple years ago on an older core with little benefit.

No, this will take effect after changing the setting, no need to re-import.

@Christopher_Rothko

. Possible to eliminate the Queue? – I just want to play albums, one at a time.

Can you elaborate on this? It’s not possible to eliminate the queue entirely, but you can clear it:

@Christopher_Rothko

b. Possible to use search function within a composer (or artist), once selected?

You can’t limit the search function specifically to that artist/composer, but you can use Filter:

@Christopher_Rothko

c. Possible to enable Mono playback (of any file, not just a mono file)?

Please see this post from our CTO Brian:

Can you set Roon to playback in mono

We didn’t make a mono button, but we did include a matrix mixer in the Procedural EQ using the “Mix” feature. It’s totally possible to mix both channels down to mono if you want: [image] Set it up like this: Left, Left, -3 Right, Right, -3 Left, Right, -3 Right, Left, -3 Pay attention to Headroom Management. If you’re clipping, either make more headroom, or make those -3’s a little bit more negative. You shouldn’t have to go below -6, but it’s nicer to attenuate less when possible.

@Christopher_Rothko

Possible to talk to a person. I once had a very helpful phone conversation with a Roon tech. I think all of the above would go much faster.

We sometimes hear from people wondering about phone support, email support, or other more traditional methods, and we almost always win them over by resolving problems here every day. I can tell you that we stand behind our products and our support 100%.

Every support thread on this site is tracked by someone on our staff, and they frequently loop in senior staff or developers for feedback. Nearly everyone in our company spends time on this site, so it’s the best way to get help from the team!

[Christopher_Rothko]

Dylan – Thank you for very detailed replies to my many questions. I did read the articles about boxed sets and skipped files previously. Before contacting you, I did look at the Skipped Files area and was distressed to see how many hundreds of (seemingly random!) files were there–individual tracks from albums otherwise imported, which I might have been unaware were missing if listening casually. Not sure what to do about these --it would be a great deal of work to fix (importing thousands of albums was already plenty!), if I even knew how. As you can see, most of my questions concern my library. It’s all there in iTunes, but the interface and control of my BlueSound system is terrible. Roon’s interface and system control is great, but if I cannot access my library reliably, it’s $700 down the tubes.

Schubert screenshot - could not (and still cannot) find an attachment button on this page.

Filter – Is that what that upside-down triangle with the stem is? Is there a way to turn on explanatory text for icons? It’s active in some areas of your interface but not others.

Queue – What I am trying to eliminate is Roon playing something random after an album or track I have selected finishes. I just want silence. It’s as annoying as the car radio blasting on after ejecting a CD. If I “clear upcoming”, won’t it also clear the rest of the album that has not yet played?

Mono – I’ll play around with the procedural EQ (trying to also see if BlueSound does this, would be easier).

[ged_hickman1]

The queue part sounds like you have roon radio switched on.
Set it to off.

[dylan (Dylan Caudill)]

Hi @Christopher_Rothko,

@Christopher_Rothko

I did look at the Skipped Files area and was distressed to see how many hundreds of (seemingly random!) files were there–individual tracks from albums otherwise imported, which I might have been unaware were missing if listening casually. Not sure what to do about these

Let’s focus on one or two specific examples and it should help us better understand what’s happening here. Can you share a screenshot of what you’re seeing in skipped files?

@Christopher_Rothko

Schubert screenshot - could not (and still cannot) find an attachment button on this page.

We have information about screenshots here: https://kb.roonlabs.com/Screenshots

@Christopher_Rothko

Filter – Is that what that upside-down triangle with the stem is? Is there a way to turn on explanatory text for icons? It’s active in some areas of your interface but not others.

Yes, it’s this icon:

There is not a way to turn on specific explanatory text at this time for all icons but I’ll definitely pass the feedback along!

@Christopher_Rothko

Queue – What I am trying to eliminate is Roon playing something random after an album or track I have selected finishes. I just want silence. It’s as annoying as the car radio blasting on after ejecting a CD. If I “clear upcoming”, won’t it also clear the rest of the album that has not yet played?

This is likely caused by Roon Radio starting when the queue ends. You can disable this here:

[Christopher_Rothko]

Thank you Dylan.

1. I turned off Roon Radio. Problem Solved.
2. Filter is great – but I only see that icon on my computer interface, not on the phone app. Is there a way to enable it on the phone?
3. Screenshots - another icon swing and a miss. I had only looked at the Image Gallery icon, whatever that is. I see the one next to it is for uploads so I will now send a couple:
4. Merged recordings of the same piece (many examples but I am sending Schubert’s 9th)
5. Skipped files: Not so worried about these files. I think I know why most of them were not imported. My bigger question is missing albums – albums that show up in iTunes but not when Roon displays that library. I would love to have a brief chat about importing into Roon (from iTunes, other ripping programs and CDs)
   

[ged_hickman1]

2. Filters don’t work on phones only tablet, PC.