Hi, I have been using a Roon nucleus and Roon with QOBUZ and tidal and Audiorvana. I had to move my music files to my Mac off the nucleus as it was experience issues. I been testing all the services and although mosaic seems to provide the clearest playback. How can I import my cd library on the MBP to Mosaic?
Like most Im in search of the best sound possible.Gear currently is :
Lina Dac
Riveria AIC-10
Susvara
1GB internet connection
You will need to use UPnP, such as MinimServer (which is recommended by dCS).
MinimServer is free, but the paid version offers more configuration options.
You won’t need to import your files, but you can configure MinimServer to access the music file library on your MBP.
Mosaic does not itself store music files. It is a controller i.e. it issues commands to storage ( usually NAS) to retrieve the music file and send it to your DAC for processing. The NAS requires software to enable this; server software. No importation to Mosaic is takes place.
So you need to sort out what your storage is and the appropriate software. The latter is, as Jonathan explains, MinimServer2 which is the only one supported by dCS. Others exist but the result can be random.Mosaic reflects whatever the server software provides which is why they are so closely linked.
Mosaic cannot play CDs so are you asking how to make copies of CDs as PCM files to be stored, i.e how to make rips? Or have they already been ripped and you are referring to these as your CD collection ( although they no longer really are) ? BTW, what does the acronym MBP mean?
So , having abandoned your Roon Nucleus, you need to sort out storage. You can store on your Mac but I do not recommend this as general purpose computers have issues that make them less than ideal for the best music replay. Basically they are electronically noisy and may carry out housekeeping tasks in the background which can affect sound quality. It is also not ideal for Mosaic. So NAS is preferable. However this involves a cost. NAS units intended for general IT purposes are fine ( e.g. Synology etc.) and fairly cheap but low noise NAS specially made for music storage can cost from a few $K to multi thousands. So an idea of budget would help. BTW network connection to your Lina DAC is recommended.
Hi Anthony,
Jonathan and Pete’s replies have you covered here. You just need do download and run a UPnP server such as MinimServer to index your files and make them visible to Mosaic.
However using NAS to store the files has several functional advantages over your MBP for music storage that you might want to consider:
So, to answer the question first , I was referring to my library of cd’s which I already ripped in AIFF format and have it stored in multiple places about 700GB
I stripped down and reconnected my nucleus, so it’s off the Mac and the storage is populated. Whatever cables and sequence I did seems to have cleared quite a bit of noise .Now Im on to comparing that clarity for Mosaic,Roon,Qobuz and tidal direct. So far Mosaic sound best???(the files are across all three?)
Audiorvana I also have set up and my library in Apple Music which is a duplicate of my music files on room and another SSD. Audiorvana is doing the skipping of tracks?
So how does and should MiniServer fit into this mess I have made…chasing sound quality…
Thanks. I cannot deal with questions of the subjective or other comparability of systems. As this is a dCS forum I will stick with advice from a dCS/Mosaic viewpoint.
The dCS/Mosaic architecture is built around the idea of network connection and this, in turn, envisages a NAS running MinimServer. For the reasons previously explained and the comments of @struts001 ,I am not much in favour of using general purpose computers for music storage. MinimServer 2 is produced in custom versions for various storage brands. Despite my general reservations, there is a version produced for MacOS. So you can download this to your Mac and this should result in good sound if network connection ( aka ethernet) is used rather than USB. Apple is famed for using unique connectors and there have been several iterations of MacMini. However I understand that some ( all?) have an ethernet port.
The Roon Nucleus is specifically made for Roon and there is no MinimServer produced for it ( or Intel NUCs) AFAIK.
So the above is a way to proceed but although a decent sound can be obtained , your aim is the best sound.
You really should look at a proper NAS . As I said you could use one made for IT purposes. The downside is that a fair level of IT expertise may be required. Given that you have a really high end head-fi system I think that you may find it more straightforward to invest in something made for the job. You may want to investigate the entry level for Melco the N100 ( used as NAS not as a streamer) which is quiet/silent both electrically and physically. It is also easy to install, just plug it in , attach interface cables (costly ones are not required) and copy your music files to it. No need to worry about MinimServer as it comes with it already installed. Alternatively there is Innuos whcih does not have MinimServer but current units use Asset which I am told works fine with Mosaic.
If you are around the forums you might have caught my questions about a number of products I have either bought, sold or traded these past two years. With all the comings and goings my Lina DAC has never left the chain. Why? naturally because it is that good but there is another reason. I am retired now but in my previous life was a “C” suite executive with fortune 100 service companies… DCS support like demonstrated above is the other reason I will always have some DCS pieces. The knowledge and response from this team is only on par with what I have experienced from Apple( seriously) You guys always help me figure things out. Im currently checking out Audiorvana .The search for the cleanest streaming service/app continues. (Mosaic sound best to me still but the functionality is a big gap for my library management. That said Roon functions are terrific the sound I have been finding is hit or miss??? Don’t know why that is. I have a solid 1gb ethernet connection and solid equipment. I use none of their settings for SQ. The mini server inquiry is related to giving Audiorvana a good evaluation. Sound great , good interface but tracks keep jumping mid-play ? I still have my nucleus. But between Harman taking over Roon and you can see their first offering was to launch a $ 3900.00 NUCLEUS. Really? Mind you they have a new more inexpensively made entry level nucleus , but they claim comparable performance to my current several year old one. That tells me where the focus will probably be. Go after the $$$ opportunities first, existing customers and SOUND quality I don’t think is on the first slide at the Boardroom meeting so I am actively trying to get away from Roon is at all possible. Hence the questions.
Thanks again, I’ll check out the Melco N100 Im not familiar with it.