Roon Users: A few quick questions

[Andre Marc]

Hello Roon users:

I started a Roon trial, and have it running on my Mac Mini, which I use as NAS with several G-TECH drives attached.

Bryston just implement Roon RAAT on the BDP-2 and I am using it, connected to the new Simaudio 280D DAC, as a Roon end point. It is currently scanning my 12 TB library,.

My BIG question is, can a Folder View be implemented?. i currently do not see that option.

Second, are there transcoding options..can I transcode FLAC to WAV etc prior to having it hit my file player?

My third, minor question, is, is DSD streamed natively. I only see an option to transcode to PCM.

Thanks in advance.

(P.S. I find the support forum to be impossible. It is so sprawling and and disjointed.)

 

[asiufy]

Andre,

Cool that you joined the Roon fun
I'll try to answer to the best of my knowledge...
You can't have "Folder View". Roon is a shell on top of "Folder View", that parses all that information and presents in an enjoyable, content-rich way, so enjoy it for what it is! My suggestion is to adapt to its usage patterns (learn to use it fully) and not try to repeat patterns from other interfaces.
Transcoding... AFAIK, FLAC is decoded to raw PCM and sent directly to your DAC. No transcoding necessary, just the unpacking of (PCM) bits according to the FLAC protocol. Your DAC won't know it's playing a FLAC, or a WAV, if it's Roon that's handling it the data.
As for DSD, your DAC needs to support some sort of DoP for it to work. I believe it does some detection on its own, and if it doesn't detect a compatible device, it'll offer one of the transcoding options.

cheers!
alex

 

[Andre Marc]

Andre,

Cool that you joined the Roon fun
I'll try to answer to the best of my knowledge...
You can't have "Folder View". Roon is a shell on top of "Folder View", that parses all that information and presents in an enjoyable, content-rich way, so enjoy it for what it is! My suggestion is to adapt to its usage patterns (learn to use it fully) and not try to repeat patterns from other interfaces.
Transcoding... AFAIK, FLAC is decoded to raw PCM and sent directly to your DAC. No transcoding necessary, just the unpacking of (PCM) bits according to the FLAC protocol. Your DAC won't know it's playing a FLAC, or a WAV, if it's Roon that's handling it the data.
As for DSD, your DAC needs to support some sort of DoP for it to work. I believe it does some detection on its own, and if it doesn't detect a compatible device, it'll offer one of the transcoding options.

cheers!
alex

Hey Alex.

Yes, I was just waiting for Bryston to complete implementation. Roon is useless to me if it requires a computer be attached to a DAC.

Ok, got it. Unfortunately, this is not going to work for me. I spent 7 years carefully structuring my library and folder view is the only way
i can accept, non negotiable.

This is because I take the main artist, and put all variations of that artists configurations into one folder. For example. There
are numerous ECM artists that record in trios, quartets, septets, solo etc. Roon is using the tags to display every one of these variations.
It is just too sprawling. Another example.: Elvis Costello. There are literally 25 different band names he has recorded with. Roon is displaying
every one of those as an individual artists. It's absurd.

With my trust DLNA/MiniMServer set up, I touch the folder for Elvis Costello, and all the albums are on display for me to tap. ONE destination for Mr. Costello.

Thank for clarifying the FLAC and DSD handling...much appreciated it!

In the end, if Roon does not implement folder view, I am going to have to cancel my trial.

 

[Andre Marc]

P.S. I saw on the Roon Community forum, there many requests for folder view. and questions concerning this parameter...all unanswered. So it is a legitimate concern.

For large libraries with complete discographies of many artists with large catalogs, OR... a large collection of compilations, albums by various artists,
Folder view is absolutely essential.

 

[nc42acc]

Andre thank you for asking this question. You saved me I am sure countless hours of frustration trying to use Roon. I understand your folder view logic.

 

[Andre Marc]

Andre thank you for asking this question. You saved me I am sure countless hours of frustration trying to use Roon. I understand your folder view logic.

You are welcome. I know I am not the only one.

Also, I found that it is displaying art NOT tagged on the album..probably overlaying it from some database. I've spent years ripping discs and tagging specifically the way I want.

For instance, a Japanese Platinum SHM disc does not display as such (art, title etc), but just as the standard title. Unacceptable.

Maybe there is a way to defeat art over lay.

 

[amirm]

Also, I found that it is displaying art NOT tagged on the album..probably overlaying it from some database. I've spent years ripping discs and tagging specifically the way I want.

For every album you can choose to have it use Roon metadata or the tags. Click on the pen icon and edit.

You can also tell it what image to use in the same interface.

 

[Andre Marc]

For every album you can choose to have it use Roon metadata or the tags. Click on the pen icon and edit.
You can also tell it what image to use in the same interface.

When I click the pen icon button I get nothing but a Tag Manager with a blank box. No options other than Cancel and Save.

No reference to image at all.

 

[amirm]

When I click the pen icon button I get nothing but a Tag Manager with a blank box. No options other than Cancel and Save.

That's strange. It should say "Album Editor." Then click on Edit Tags. This is what it looks like:

The pen that opens this is in the middle extreme right in blue.

 

[Andre Marc]

That's strange. It should say "Album Editor." Then click on Edit Tags. This is what it looks like:

The pen that opens this is in the middle extreme right in blue.

No matter what album I select, I get this:

 

[Andre Marc]

That's strange. It should say "Album Editor." Then click on Edit Tags. This is what it looks like:

The pen that opens this is in the middle extreme right in blue.

Ok I got it now thanks. I did not see the blue icon.

One more question..can this be done in a batch, or only album by album?

 

[amirm]

Something is broken there. Are you running Roon on Bryston? Or a computer? If former, report it to them as a bug to fix.

 

[Andre Marc]

Something is broken there. Are you running Roon on Bryston? Or a computer? If former, report it to them as a bug to fix.

Did you see my follow up post? I found the button. Running Roon on a Mac Mini. Byrston simply runs Roon RAAT to make it an end point.

 

[amirm]

Did you see my follow up post? I found the button. Running Roon on a Mac Mini. Byrston simply runs Roon RAAT to make it an end point.

Our posts crossed . I don't know a batch method.

 

[Andre Marc]

Our posts crossed . I don't know a batch method.

Appreciate the help.

I can see how some might find Roon a great solution, but it won't work for me.

MiniMServer allows custom transcoding, works with numerous control apps, offers folder view, and is free.

 

[amirm]

FYI they are working on artist merge. Currently you can merge albums but not artists.

I download content from many sites and each comes with a different structure. Roon is great in showing the same interface no matter how the file structure looks.

 

[Andre Marc]

FYI they are working on artist merge. Currently you can merge albums but not artists.

I download content from many sites and each comes with a different structure. Roon is great in showing the same interface no matter how the file structure looks.

Understood. Yes, of course Roon offers consistency since it is 100% a graphical interface. However, off my 12 TB, everything is structured 100% identically...Artist/Album/Track #/Title..

It seems my DLNA set up is better for my needs. There is absolutely zero difference in sound quality.

 

[asiufy]

Andre,

I do understand being set in our ways I avoid "Folder View" like the plague, that's why I've been using iTunes, and painstankingly editing metadata to suit my collection (around 14000 albums and growing).

It's specially for large collections that I don't (personally) think Folder View is the best choice!

Roon *does* pay a lot of attention to your tags. So if you tag the different versions of your album with "Album Name [Regular CD]" and "Album Name [Platinum SHM-CD]", you'll see both, side-by-side, which is kinda cool... And you can then also search by "[Platinum SHM-CD]" to get all your albums in that particular format... Pretty handy, but that requires you to manually edit the tags as your rip your CDs... Again, painstaking, but worthwhile! I have all my hi-res stuff tagged with the bit depth/rate, so there are albums where there'll be a [24/96], a [24/192] and even a [DSD128] version, along with a regular version, with no []s...

Oh well, I'm not here to convince you Just wanted to say there are a million ways to skin this particular cat, and my suggestion was to approach Roon for its strengths. I still use iTunes for metadata editing, but the iTunes folder is also feeding the Roon library, so I get the best of both worlds! Oh, and the *same* library is also being shared via Minimserver, so all UPNP devices on our network can see the exact same files!

 

[Andre Marc]

Andre,

I do understand being set in our ways I avoid "Folder View" like the plague, that's why I've been using iTunes, and painstankingly editing metadata to suit my collection (around 14000 albums and growing).

It's specially for large collections that I don't (personally) think Folder View is the best choice!

Roon *does* pay a lot of attention to your tags. So if you tag the different versions of your album with "Album Name [Regular CD]" and "Album Name [Platinum SHM-CD]", you'll see both, side-by-side, which is kinda cool... And you can then also search by "[Platinum SHM-CD]" to get all your albums in that particular format... Pretty handy, but that requires you to manually edit the tags as your rip your CDs... Again, painstaking, but worthwhile! I have all my hi-res stuff tagged with the bit depth/rate, so there are albums where there'll be a [24/96], a [24/192] and even a [DSD128] version, along with a regular version, with no []s...

Oh well, I'm not here to convince you Just wanted to say there are a million ways to skin this particular cat, and my suggestion was to approach Roon for its strengths. I still use iTunes for metadata editing, but the iTunes folder is also feeding the Roon library, so I get the best of both worlds! Oh, and the *same* library is also being shared via Minimserver, so all UPNP devices on our network can see the exact same files!

Hey Alex:

I completely get what your saying. As I said, i can see why Roon is perfect for many users.
I believe in forming opinions after direct experience, unlike many in this hobby. I have 2 more weeks for
my trial, so I will keep an open mind.

However, I can see we diverge in our preferences (not musically!!)..I absolutely despise iTunes. I avoid THAT like the plague.

For me MiniMserever and Linn Kazzoo are probably all I will ever need. It shows me file resolution, meta data, and it is a piece of cake to create
and save playlists.

I have been obsessed with music since age 11. I do not need all the noise Roon brings..the bios, cross references, lyrics etc. I am way
past that. I just want to select my albums and hit play. Linn Kazoo lets me see every variation of an album graphically.

Not to mention it is free.

 

[asiufy]

Hahahaha! I love these situations, where people with the same main goal diverge on the path how to get there (and its "side paths")!

I guess because I'm a vinyl guy, and I like to listen to music with an LP jacket by my side, Roon's compreensive info suits me, when playing digital!

I get the benefit of a fast/straightforward interface, that's why I like Aurender's (even though it's kinda ugly). Since everything's local (not network transfered), it's instantaneous and very rewarding...

Next time you stop by, I'll show you how I can also get every variation of an album graphically