Upgrading from Roon 1.8 to Current Version: What to Expect (ref#Q84NR2)

Support
1

Hi! What’s not quite right with Roon?

· None of the above quite fits

None of the above quite fits

· None of these quite match

Tell us what's going on

· How to upgrade from Roon 1.8 to current version.

Any unintended or surprise issues I should be aware of?

Many thanks in advance for any assistance and advice!

I'm probably the last person on the planet to upgrade from Roon 1.8 to the current version. Since I'm late in doing so, I'm asking if there are any issues that I might encounter. One of the support pages on how to do this no longer exists. That is not a criticism, like I said, I am probably the last person on earth to do this.

I'm upgrading a Windows PC running Windows 10 Pro version 22H2; OS Build 19045.7291; 64 bit version. I believe this meets the minium requirements for Roon. And yes, I will be upgrading to a new PC but more likely use a Mac.

I found this page of instructions:

https://help.roonlabs.com/portal/en/kb/articles/roon-1-8-legacy#What_is_Roon_18_Legacy

I ran three separate back ups to play it safe.

The instructions state that I will choose whether to use it as a Roon Server or a Roon control device. For a PC running Roon, do I select Roon Server? I did the install 6 years ago, and don't recall which option I chose.

Once the Windows package is installed, it appears from a video that it will walk through the various steps, to identify where my music files are (on a separate attached G drive), etc.

But that would start the process of Roon finding music files that it has already catalogued.

Do I want Roon to do all of that, since I already have full backups of where my music is located, and also have 6 years of Roon tags and playlists to retain.

I assume that after the install, I should run the backup?

Will I be able to preempt the normal install process to do so? At what point in the install should I do that?

Will all of the Roon data (tags, playlists, current source of music files) transfer cleanly from 1.8 to the current version?

Finally, one current issue is that my various Blue Sound devices all got dropped and now only show up as "Roon tested" using AirPlay, and not "Roon Ready," even though four of them are hard wired with ethernet. (A dCS Bartok is still listed as Roon Ready though.) I haven't figured out how to solve that issue so far. But I figured that, as a first step, I need to be running the current version of Roon before trouble shooting that issue or seeking any help here.

Again, many thanks for any advice or assistance on any issues or pitfalls that I might encounter.

Tell us about your home network

· Network uses Netgear Nighthawk X10 router; various Netgear Gigabit switches. Everthing is hard wired with ethernet except for two Blue Sound devices that successfully use wi fi. (Or did so until today.)

2

One additional issue. I’m also transferring 1,400 albums from Tidal to Qobuz, at which time I will quit Tidal. I used Soundiiz for that. It transferred 1,400 albums but Soundiiz missed 300 that I have to manually check. When I asked why it missed so many, Thomas, the cofounder, responded with this:

“Some albums are possibly existing in the Qobuz catalog but not matched by Soundiiz due to Qobuz API catalog (which is not including all full items like Qobuz standard catalog unfortunately).
If you try to repeat the process, possibly more items will be matched over the time and no, no duplicates as you can only fav an element once.”

Once I’m done manually checking the 300, I plan on following the advice that I found here:

https://community.roonlabs.com/t/impact-of-canceling-qobuz-or-tidal-substitutions-in-roon-ref-bjpjqs/320560

That thread advises to use the “clean up library” command and the Playlist Improver tool to clean up any duplicates or remnants.

Does anyone have an opinion if I should do the above first, in Roon 1.7, and finish the transfer of Tidal to Qobuz with the cleanup that follows? Or do that after I upgrade to the latest version of Roon?

Does the Playlist Improver operate OK in the old 1.7 version?

3

Hello @allan2,

Welcome to the Support!

Don’t worry at all about being late to the party - jumping across several major versions at once is a big step, so it makes total sense that you want to be cautious. Your instinct to run multiple backups was exactly the right move.
Here is a breakdown of how to tackle your transition smoothly and safely:

1. The Roon Upgrade & Preserving Your 6 Years of Data
You definitely do not want Roon to start fresh and re-scan your G: drive from scratch, or you will lose your tags and history. Here is how to handle the install:

  • Roon Server vs. Control: Since your PC is hosting the database and the files, you want to install Roon Server. Over the last few years, Roon changed its architecture; the "Server" now runs silently in the background managing the core tasks, while the regular Roon app acts as your "Control" interface.
  • The Golden Rule for Installation: When you install the new version and open it for the first time, do not follow the prompts to add your music folders or sign into streaming services.
  • Restore First: Instead, look for the "Restore a backup" option on the initial login/greeting screen. Point it to one of the 1.8 backups you just made. Roon will ingest your old database, upgrade its structure to the 2026 standard, and seamlessly reconnect to your G: drive with all your 6-year history, tags, and playlists fully intact.
2. Tidal to Qobuz Migration & Cleanup Absolutely do this AFTER you upgrade to the current version. * Do not try to use the Playlist Improver or do massive library cleanups in version 1.7/1.8. The database structure, the Qobuz API integration, and Roon's cloud-based metadata algorithms (Valence) are vastly superior in the current release.
  • The Plan: Finish manually matching those 300 albums in Soundiiz so your Qobuz account is organized. Then, once your new Roon Server is running from your restored backup, go to Settings > Services, log out of Tidal, log into Qobuz, and then run the Clean Up Library and Playlist Improver tools. It will be much faster and far more accurate at finding equivalents.
3. The Bluesound "AirPlay Only" Issue This is almost certainly a symptom of your version gap, not broken hardware.
  • Over the years, the RAAT (Roon Advanced Audio Transport) protocol has received critical updates. Your Bluesound devices likely received firmware updates that expect a modern Roon Core to communicate properly. Because your Core was still on 1.8, the RAAT handshake failed, causing them to fall back to the basic AirPlay protocol.
  • Once you have the new Roon Server up and running, they should repopulate as Roon Ready. If they don't show up immediately, simply reboot your Netgear Nighthawk and switches to refresh the network multicast tables, and they should appear.
One Minor "Gotcha" to Keep in Mind Since you are jumping from 1.8, you should know that modern Roon (version 2.0 and later) requires an active internet connection to function. It relies heavily on cloud computing for search and metadata. Unlike 1.8, it will not play local files for a long time if your internet goes down.

Take it one step at a time: Install the Server ➔ Restore the Backup ➔ Fix the Streaming Services.

Please, let us know how it goes for you.

4

Alex,

Your response was everything I hoped for. This is outstanding customer support!

As per your instruction, I will start by fixing the 300 files. I’m not aware of any way to do this within Soundiiz. As you could see from their reply, they basically threw up their hands and said that there are 300 albums that they could not find or match from Tidal to Qobuz. (I was confused by their response which references a Qobuz API system versus a Qobuz standard system, but that probably means something to you.).

So I have started to go down the list, basically to verify the albums that there is no match at all from Tidal to Qobuz, just so I know for the future.

If I find albums in Qobuz that Soundiiz missed and are not a “favorite,” I will so designate them.

I am doing this within the Qobuz app, to determine if the album exists, and if it doesn’t have the “heart” filled in to designate it as a favorite, I am doing so. I’m using the Qobuz app and not Roon 1.8 because I have learned that the app is far more accurate than your old 1.8 version. (Another reason to upgrade.)

When I finish that process, I will then turn to the install of the latest version of Roon Server.

After that, with the new version installed, I will do the clean up and use your tool for that purpose.

Hopefully my other issue with Blue Sound devices will also automatically solve itself. It turns out that my suspicion was correct – to fix that problem it was time to update to the latest and greatest version of Roon.

Again, many thanks for the highly detailed and informative reply. I’ll let you know how it goes!

5

Hello @allan2,

Just checking in to see how your manual matching process in the Qobuz app is going! We know that going through 300 albums by hand is a tedious task and takes a bit of time, so there is absolutely no rush on our end.

Whenever you finish up with Qobuz and feel ready to move on to the Roon Server installation and backup restoration, please let us know how it goes. We are here and ready to assist if you hit any snags during:

  • The backup restore process
  • The library cleanup and Playlist Improver steps
  • Getting those Bluesound devices back to "Roon Ready" status
Take your time, and keep us posted whenever you are ready for the next steps!
6

Vadim and Alex,

Again, many thanks for following up and for the excellent support.

You’re right, it it taking a while to go through 300 listings and I’m still working on that. Have two concerts to attend with National Symphony Orchestra and Baltimore Symphony Orchestra on Thursday and Friday as well!

I will try to get the 300 done and do the installation by Friday, so if I have any problems I can write to you on Friday, and you might be able to respond prior to the weekend.

NEXT STEPS –

My understanding is that I install the SERVER. When the install is DONE, and I open it for the first time, I do NOT follow the prompts to add music files, but look for “restore backup” on the initial screen.

QUESTION: Which of these do I point Roon to:

(1) Top folder for “Roon Backup” that I created;

(2) One folder beneath that, which says “Roon Backups” which Roon created;

(3) Or what is in that folder, and there are two items, one is a very long file name, the other is *_*roon_backup-root_

From the above, I assume I point Roon to #2, the folder that Roon created inside my own folder

Correct?

After completing the installation, for the CLEANUP of the old Tidal favorites –

This is AFTER I am done going through thr 300 albums and either adding what Qobuz has, or confirming what Qobuz does not have –

Should I first, WITHIN the Tidal app, DELETE all albums, artists and playlists, and then go to Roon, and click on the icon to refresh the view, and confirm that Roon shows no albums, artists or playlists from Tidal?

So, as first step, everything in Tidal is deleted in the Tidal app, and when I refresh Roon, the same is reflected in Roon?

Then Tidal and Roon should be in sync and both showing an empty Tidal with nothing in it for favorites in albums, artists or playlists?

Doesn’t it make sense to do that first, before I use your Clean Up Library option or use your Playlist Improver tools?

Many thanks for your response!

7

Hey @allan2,

Excellent questions! We’ll answer them one by one.

Which folder to point Roon to for the backup restore:

You are correct, point Roon to option #2, the “Roon Backups” folder that Roon itself created inside your top-level folder. That is the folder Roon knows how to read. When the restore dialog opens, navigate into that folder and Roon will display the available backup sets (the long-named folder and the roon_backup-root item are the actual backup contents within that folder, you don’t want to point to those individually). Just select the “Roon Backups” folder and Roon will find and present the backups for you to choose from.

On the Tidal cleanup order, yes, your instinct is right:

Your proposed sequence makes sense:

  1. First, inside the Tidal app, delete all your favorited albums, artists, and playlists.
  2. Then in Roon, go to Settings > Services and refresh/resync Tidal. Roon will reflect the now-empty Tidal library.
  3. Confirm Roon shows nothing remaining from Tidal.
  4. Then run Clean Up Library and the Playlist Improver tools.
Doing it in that order means you are starting the cleanup tools with a clean slate, no Tidal remnants to confuse the process. The Clean Up Library step is much more straightforward when Tidal has already been emptied and Roon has synced that state. The Playlist Improver can then focus purely on your Qobuz content without having to sort through stale Tidal references.

One small tip: after you delete everything in Tidal and before running the Roon cleanup tools, it’s worth doing a final manual backup of your new Roon installation at that point, just as a safety net before the cleanup pass.

Looking forward to hearing how the install goes on Friday! :raising_hands:

All the best,
Ben

8

Hi @allan2,

Is there any other assistance or information we can provide before this thread times out? Without any new responses, it will eventually close due to inactivity, but we’re eager to help.

9

Connor,

I finally got the 300 files from Tidal checked. It took me a while as I kept getting interrupted by other things. My plan is to do the upgrade this weekend.

I’ll send you a report on Monday.

Let’s keep this thread open until Tuesday!