I have a program I’ve been using for years to keep my external drives’ files synchronized. And, since it works with ROCK’s internal or external storage, I’d like to share it with you. - it is called “Allway Sync ‘n’ Go”. I was wondering what other Roon enthusiasts are using to keep their files in sync. In addition, I’m interested in music processing workflows so I created this topic for that purpose.
The software I use is not free, but it is reliable and is great for when you rip several CDs or convert HiRes downloads in various file formats (M4A, FLAC) for different purposes and want to synchronize them across multiple drives.
My Workflow Process:
I buy CDs or download HiRes albums and create multiple versions for the purpose of streaming to mobile or higher res capable devices (i.e. phone or chord mojo DAC)
For CD ripping I use Exact Audio Copy to get the best rips possible from my purchased CDs.
I then use JRiver to tag and rename the files CD ripped or downloaded files to meet the Plex server’s file naming recommendations (Artist - Title/TrackNo Track). I also do audio analysis with JRiver on the newly ripped or downloaded files prior to any duplication or conversions.
I then use DBPowerAmp’s Batch Converter to convert the JRiver processed CD FLAC or downloaded FLAC or DSF files to M4A so that I can serve and sync low res files from my Plex server (no transcoding) to my iPhone. I also set the conversion to highest resolution possible as I want the lossy files to be as good as they can be for phone sound quality without using any additional software other than the Plex app.
Next, I’ll use Allway Sync ‘n’ Go to synchronize my newly ripped files into existing archives - here is where Allway Sync ‘n’ Go is a lifesaver. I can use it to synchronize my archives across locally attached external drives or across the network to Roon’s ROCK server’s internal or external storage. New files get copied, deleted files get removed and modified files get updated. I have the following drives all synchronized:
portable drive that goes with me to work. (use JRiver or Plex on Chrome at work)
desktop external drive
Plex server attached external drive
Large mirrored drive attached to Plex server (Don’t have a NAS)
Roon (ROCK) server’s internal drive. (Only CD or greater resolutions are synched to Roon)
My point is, I have multiple folders and versions of music for different purposes. Once ripped, I need a way to make sure I have synchronized them with multiple disks including the internal storage on the ROCK.
I’d be interested in what other software tools Roon users are using to process and synchronize their music files. I’m always looking for improved workflow so let me know what works for you.
I use dbpoweramp to rip, mp3tag to tag and imbed artwork and freefilesync to synchronise drives. All of this done on a windows machine. Works fine for me.
dbPoweramp to rip and manage tags. One time manual copy of freshly-ripped albums from my Windows desktop to ROCK internal storage, and then Allway Sync to take backups of ROCK media. The backups are then stored offsite.
XLD - to rip, tag and convert Tag - to change tags afterwards (if needed) bliss - running on my NAS to watch over my flacs and correct filepaths, filenames, and missing tags.
I only keep the flac files and don’t encode multiple versions for different devices.
All music files are stored on a NAS (I use Resilio Sync to sync music files to a 2nd NAS).
I checked out the bliss link. Looks like a great application - possible JRiver replacement for managing my files and tags. Any tips on using it with Roon?
Another happy allway sync user here.
I use it for s bunch of sync tasks over several fixed and portable disks as well as with my NAS. Handy little program.
I’m curious that several people who use dbPoweramp have commented that they use mp3tag to edit tags. I’ve used mp3tag, but have gone back to using dbPoweramp’s integration of tag management into Windows Explorer for all my tag tinkering.
Is there something that mp3tag can do that dbPoweramp can’t?
All music stored on a FreeNAS based NAS (FreeBSD based) with read only NFS shares to various clients. Several backup copies of music stored on USB hard drives with rsync to keep them in sync.
Roon Server running in a VM with read only access to the NFS share.
I buy my music from several lossless music store, mainly Bandcamp, Boomkat, Qobuz and Bleep.
Physical media like vinyl or CDs are only used if it‘s rare or hard to get material that isn‘t digitally available. In that case it will be immediately ripped and put back on the shelf.
My tools are:
XLD: Ripping CDs and converting digital purchases to ALAC if necessary
Ableton Live + iZotope RX5: For vinyl rips. I know it‘s overkill, but I use Ableton anyway for music production.
Kid3: For tagging. While it works I‘m not satisfied with it, or MusicBrainz Picard, and looking for an alternative. Might look into Bliss.
ForkLift: To one-way-sync my library to the NAS. The local collection is the single source of truth and just gets mirrored to the NAS, where no further changes are applied. Roon uses the NAS library.
Arq + Dropbox: Offsite backup. Having a mirrored NAS library isn‘t a true backup. If the house burns down, it‘s worthless. Arq is an app that backs up and syncs your files to various storage providers. I prefer Dropbox as it is the most polished.
Roon is running on a living room media / gaming PC. I‘d prefer a dedicated non-PC box, but need the gaming PC anyway and don‘t like the pay audiophile prices for a glorified PC in a nicer case.
I only use it when I need to make individual track level changes, mp3tag’s grid editor is excellent for that. It’s also great for renaming files or tags based on file or tag values.
Probably not. I’m just very fond of using mp3tag for tag editing, I like its editing interface, and I have many “actions” (automated scripts) I’ve developed over the years. All that said, I’m a major user of both dbpa and it’s related program, PERFECTTUNES.
I too use dbPoweramp for ripping and tagging plus mp3tag for checking tags on legacy rips from my library. My older rips leave a lot to be desired in this respect. One thing that mp3Tag is excellent for is fixing tags en masse for a whole directory worth of albums. It makes it easy to ‘select all’ and enforce a single spelling of an artist or composer for example, replacing the existing mixture I usually find.
I also bought Perfecttunes as part of the bundle but haven’t got round to using it yet.
It can also obtain the Album art from multiple locations but it is not a high enough res for me and so I use Google Images for my high res album art.
I have a copy of my music on a local PC. It is backed up to a NAS. My Roon Core is a Laptop with an External Hard with all of my music that is run through Roon.
The Sync part is interesting. Never thought about this with my music at different locations.
JRiver 23 - For ripping and convert files, also upsampling sometimes. Tag&Rename - music files tag editor SyncBackFree - voor Backup and Sync files on local network Resilio Sync - sync al my files on two QNAP NAS over the internet, one at home, one with family for Backup only.
Checked out Beyond Compare. Looks like a great file/folder comparison tool that would be useful for a programmer. Does it compare tags in audio files? How do you use it to sync your music files? Downloaded the trial.
