Hello all, my first post, therefore please excuse if this has, which I’m fairly confident it will have, been asked before.
I’ve recently purchased a Unitilite J which is sourced by my NAS drive. The tracks on the NAS have, at the moment, simply been copied from the ITunes folder off of a laptop.
The files are in .m4a, MPEG-4 Audio, format. From a listening point of view all is fine and dandy (I realise the file format may not be the most efficient but more of that in a minute)
What is bugging me is that I cannot see any artwork when controlling the Unitilite via the app from Android or IOS. I can see it via ITunes on the laptop being sourced by the NAS
Could someone please tell me what the likely cause of the missing artwork might be ?
Also, as mentioned above, could someone please advise as to the, Unitilite, recommended file format/settings to rip my CDs to (disk space, at present, to an extent, is not a problem)
And while we’re at it a recommendation on the “best” software to use to do the ripping. I’ll be using Windows for the immediate future.
And lastly I cannot see anywhere on the app to enable me to create playlists, I haven’t really found the app that intuitive, so am hoping it’s something I’ve simply missed
All advice greatly appreciated
Posted on: 10 December 2014 by Solid Air
Hi DodgeyRodge. Nice system and welcome to the forum.
The artwork viewed by the app comes from either a JPEG file with a name such as 'cover' or 'folder' (there's a whole list) in the same folder as the music file, or from artwork embedded in the file itself, depending on the format, media software and context. Chances are one or the other is missing - start by copying over the JPEG files if you haven't already, and failing that, a tag editor such as MP3TAG could restore all the artwork quite easily, although that may be arduous depending on how many there are.
There are many threads on the best format to rip to. Everyone agrees that a lossless format is best (FLAC, WAV, ALAC, AIFF, etc) because then you have the entire digital copy of the music. People don't agree which one though, and it somewhat depends what else you do with the music and how much effort you want to go to. Apple users tend to pick an Apple format (ALAC or AIFF), but my guess is many people choose FLAC as a pretty standard option, albeit not iTunes compatible. The MP4 (or m4a) format is generally lossy (ie AAC), meaning something has been removed which can't be put back, and so sub-optimal for a player of Unitilite's quality.
DPPoweramp is very good ripping software. It's not the most friendly, but once you get the hang of it it's superb.
The app takes a bit of getting used to - it's more like Spotify than like iTunes, and there is some adaptation required. It's great once you're in the groove. The homepage I think has Playlists, but I don't have it in front of me right now.
Posted on: 10 December 2014 by dave4jazz
Originally Posted by Solid Air:
There are many threads on the best format to rip to. Everyone agrees that a lossless format is best (FLAC, WAV, ALAC, AIFF, etc) because then you have the entire digital copy of the music. People don't agree which one though, and it somewhat depends what else you do with the music and how much effort you want to go to. Apple users tend to pick an Apple format (ALAC or AIFF), but my guess is many people choose FLAC as a pretty standard option, albeit not iTunes compatible. The MP4 (or m4a) format is generally lossy (ie AAC), meaning something has been removed which can't be put back, and so sub-optimal for a player of Unitilite's quality.
Solid Air
My ALAC (Apple Lossless Audio Codex) files are .M4A, ripped using dbpoweramp. The bit rate is comparable to an equivalent FLAC rip. It's not the first time I've seen your statement, or similar, on the forum though. 
Dave
Posted on: 10 December 2014 by Solid Air
@Dave4jazz
Yes, I'm aware you can encode lossless files as .m4a. One of the challenges of streaming in practice is the myriad of options and it can be confusing. I was trying to keep things straightforward in terms of advice, and most m4a files are lossy, hence saying 'generally'. But you're right, of course, they can be lossless.
Posted on: 10 December 2014 by dave4jazz
Originally Posted by Solid Air:
@Dave4jazz
Yes, I'm aware you can encode lossless files as .m4a. One of the challenges of streaming in practice is the myriad of options and it can be confusing. I was trying to keep things straightforward in terms of advice, and most m4a files are lossy, hence saying 'generally'. But you're right, of course, they can be lossless.
If you use dbpoweramp CD Ripper, set Rip to "M4a Apple Lossless", then I think it's pretty straight forward. 
DodgeyRodge: How did you source your M4a files? Where they obtained from the iTunes store?
Dave
Posted on: 10 December 2014 by DodgeyRodge
Many thanks both of you for your help. So one query is now clear, DBPowerAmp it is
All tracks have been ripped from CDs via ITunes to a laptop which has then been synced with my IPod. To get things up and running quickly I’ve moved the ITunes folder from the lappy to a NAS drive.
Therefore in recent days I’ve gone from listening to music via a crappy little IPod docking speaker to where I am now
With regards to the artwork, I’m not at home at the moment so just guessing, but I believe the folder structure is as below. I assume you’re suggesting I create the folder/cover .jpg file in each of the Album folders below ?
I have full intentions of re ripping all of my CDs into the “best” Naim Unitilite recommended format. The priority being to be able to get the best sound possible out of the Unitilite and to be able to view artwork via the app, create playlists and to search/find as quickly as possible.
I suppose it’s going to be a matter of trial and error to begin with to try and find the “best” lossless format that will support my other requirements i.e. artwork and searching ?
If I’m ripping to lossless, do I need to be aware of bitrates or any other techie stuff that I know naff all about ?
Artist 1
Album 1
Track 1
Track 2
Track etc
Artist 1
Album 2
Track 1
Track 2
Track etc
Artist 2
Album 1
Track 1
Track 2
Track etc
Posted on: 10 December 2014 by DrPo
Originally Posted by DodgeyRodge:
What is bugging me is that I cannot see any artwork when controlling the Unitilite via the app from Android or IOS. I can see it via ITunes on the laptop being sourced by the NAS
Could someone please tell me what the likely cause of the missing artwork might be ?
Hello and welcome, I came to NAIM one year ago with a UnitiLite like you and with no clue about ripping, NAS etc. Artwork optimization has been a topic I spent quite some time and perhaps the following might help you:
For starters you need to find out what UpnP server your NAS runs. The "default" especially for low priced ones like mine will be "twonky". If that is the case then you need to do the following:
- you can embed the album art into your files (FLAC /MP3). You can use "mp3tag" freeware (on windows) to do so, also dbPoweramp comes with an "edit ID-tag" utility to edit the metadata. Beware that twonky will not support WAV metadata so you cannot see album art with NAIM's recommended format (WAV) - I use FLAC.
- from my experience (with my NAS) the alternative (adding a Folder.jpg file in the directory) is not always working so to be on the safe side I have embedded album art in all my files.
- there is a size limitation so best to avoid album art greater than 1MB, use 600x600 as a default
- there are some tips for optimizing album art (especially how to view at high resolution) which come next after you solve your first issue
- beware that when you browse your music the "browse by folder" will not show you the tracks at the right order, you need to browse by "album" or "genre/album" or "artist/album"
- the easiest is to work with one specific album for which you make sure you do the above, check it works and only then start massively apply to the next
ENJOY!
Posted on: 10 December 2014 by Solid Air
In general, the software reads the metatags in the media files rather than the folder structure. The metatags contain data about artist, album, etc, and also artwork. So artwork is often held in two places - the folder as a JPEG and the media file - and it's normal to have both. If you rip to FLAC, ALAC or AIFF you should be fine, it will be done automatically. If you already have the files and are moving them about or downloading from somewhere, it helps to have a tag editor like MP3TAG, which will handle other formats as well te the dreaded MP3 and will keep things organised. You won't need it often and it's straightforward.
You don't need to worry about bitrates, etc, with lossless because the whole point is to preserve what was there before. So if it's a normal CD you'll get CD quality from the rip - no more and no less.
