@Hank_Spraggins I think you get the picture now, but to say it a different way, no one accesses Roon’s back end data which they use to identify data and supply additional meta data. When something is identified into your library, whether local music files or Tidal songs being virtually added to your library, that metadata is copied into your local database. They don’t provide direct access to that master store of meta data.
You can search all of Tidal through Roon, but you are not searching Roon’s data you are searching Tidal’s data. That same search of course looks through your owned library too. So one of the value propositions for many here is the integration of owned and streamed data into one search/playback engine. Along with all the endpoint integration.
If you are primarily in the streaming camp there are not as many advantages for Roon, but I still find it highly valuable.
I don’t know if this will help, especially since I don’t use Tidal, but I’ve failed to find titles that I know are in my collection. I figured out that the results I was looking at - the first results Roon gives - are a guess at what you’re looking for. If you scroll down, you’ll see a fuller list of results, and I think you can expand that list by clicking a hyperlink in the search summary that Roon first produces. I did a search for “Get Low” and had to go to the longer list to find what I wanted. With a search term as likely to be found in a lot of titles as “war,” your search was probably destined to take a little more searching.
I hope this helps. BTW, doing that search is how I learned about that Roon behavior, after using Roon for 3 years. Best of luck, and I hope you fall in love with the software after all.
The person I think you are referring to is very helpful on the forum. Just because you didnt like his “truths” is no reason to dis him. Maybe you would have been better saying “by and large I have found forum members helpful”…
Antonio- that does help and if I can (as you’ve done) figure out how Roon searches then I can learn the software. I didn’t see this in the beginner’s FAQ, but I guess a search by field is not possible (e.g., artist:War title:low) - something like that?
Actually Tony he is best served being honest. Only then can we calibrate our response to new posters to ensure they get the information they seek and stick around both here and as customers of Roon!
The Forum is intended to be a place where any Roon user, new, old or freshly minted, can ask questions. Obviously new users will sometimes put things differently than those who are familiar with Roon. That shouldn’t result in them feeling embarrassed, it is quite possible to help people without belittling them.
I am really annoyed by the horrible performance of Roon’s Search. And not being able to add Tidal tracks to a Tidal playlist is also very annoying. Especially when you consider that Tidal is the only convenient way to listen to music outside of your home.
Try telling your coworker about how great Roon is when you can’t even open the app at work. And when they hear how expensive it is with these limitations you can’t help but feel stupid. Tidal + Roon paid for annually costs three times as much as Spotify. I like Roon’s style but personal library integration is really the only reason I still find it necessary.
I understand that people who have been using Roon for a long time probably find it more useful. They are probably used to these limitations and accept them. But Roon needs to understand that their membership is not going to continue growing and they may actually lose members if they don’t address these limitations. Maybe long term Roon users don’t care about these things but many new and potential future users do.
Hi @Tim_Wilson - I think your observations and experiences are valuable.
How long have you had Roon? It seems like one of those tools that grows on you…
Just after reading up on Roon and using it for a short period… I do get the sense that it is without par as a network music engine and visualization tool (e.g., being able to select the zone and synch the zones – and the database on DACs/endpoints is unique)…
However,
Search
Lack of remote access
And this whole classical/box set / personal metadata thing (which is not my problem/need state-- although I love classical music)
… may… I said may keep new people away. But I have no way of knowing because I don’t know the market, the need states, etc.
And after using Roon-- and with all of its flexibility – I was very high on it… but now I have to add a new concern: Sound Quality: SQ_seems_ better (if that’s technically possible) directly from Tidal. Certainly A+'s SQ was better. I don’t use HQPlayer and I haven’t used DSPs/EQs/etc. yet… so maybe that’s the ticket.
Idk-- maybe I was having a bad ear day-- like people have a bad hair day.
I’ve been a member since May of this year. To their credit I would definitely be lost when it comes to using my different endpoints without Roon. I’m not sure I’ve ever noticed a SQ difference between Tidal and Roon but the only endpoints I have used both with are Chromecasts and my phone. I also compared the two with Spotify through a Chromecast and Spotify was noticeably inferior. I wasn’t expecting to hear the difference as easily as I did but my girlfriend who’s spotify account we were using noticed it right away too. Might just be specific to Spotify’s Chromecast implementation.
I would like to add Tidal tracks to a Tidal Playlist in Roon.
Is there a way to Tidal tracks in Roon so that they are added to my Tidal tracks? Right now if I a track in Tidal it is added to my Tidal and Roon libraries. If I a track in Roon it is only added to my Roon library.
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James_I
(The truth is out there but not necessarily here)
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Roon’s interaction with Tidal is generally on an album basis. So the best practice to keep things organized is to add a whole Tidal album to your Roon library and then it is a favorite in Tidal. You can also favorite the whole album in Tidal and it will show up in your Roon library. When you just do tracks, Roon doesn’t handle it very well.
Regarding playlists, I haven’t had as much experience, but whatever you edit in a playlist in Roon is local to Roon - i.e. I don’t think Roon feeds back anything in playlists to Tidal other than you can add them to your Roon library and they’ll also show up as favorites in Tidal. BUT if you edit the playlist after that it is only in Roon, doesn’t go back into Tidal.
It’s a little counter-intuitive, but you just have to know when to do something in Tidal and when to do something in Roon. There are limits to the integration of two totally separate services, but you’ll find that Roon is generally much better as a front end for Tidal than Tidal itself is.
Tidal tracks in Roon so that they are added to my Tidal tracks? Right now if I