Music on Special Offer Thread?

As noted with my pics, my app is the windows one. However, IIRC when I was rooting around trying to workout how to download there was more than one place on the website from which to save the app (before I knew that was what I needed to instal, and I have no idea if they are all the same version. My downloaded installation file for Windows is QobuzDesktopSetup.exe, and hovering over it shows version 1.4.2.7195. Browser is Google Chrome (it wouldn't work with Waterfox), and OS is Windows 7

Hmack posted:

Hungryhalibut posted:

The normal downloader is the green button, I believe. I can use this and the desktop quite happily.

HH,

I too can use the green button, but this is just a manual downloader for individual files. There is a 'proper' Qobuz Download Manager on the French site that can be set to automatically download all album purchases, and which works very well (for me at least).

The green button did nothing for me, though I have to say I can't remember at what stage that was in my frustrated attempts, and possibly I might not have retried that button after changing browsers, by which time I may have downloaded the app.

As far as I can see there is only one Qobuz app available for download in the Microsoft Apps store for Windows 10. It appears that most people (who have reviewed it) say this particular app simply does not work. 

Has anyone used the Qobuz app for downloads successfully using Windows 10 and Microsoft Edge?

Well - success (of sorts) at last.

Borders Nick, I have deleted the Qobuz app that I downloaded from the Microsoft App store. It simply doesn't work.

However, there is an option at the bottom of the Qobuz web page to locate and download a version (presumably pre the WIndows 10 Microsoft apps store) of the Qobuz Desktop. You can't have both Desktop apps installed simultaneously on your PC because the "Download to Desktop" button will always open the Microsoft Store version of the app. However, if this is uninstalled the "Download to desktop" will indeed open the older version of the Desktop app and will populate the now visible "Offline Library" tab with your available downloads. In fact, just like the Qobuz Download Manager on the French site, it will automatically start your download.  

Unfortunately, as IB has stated, it does not give you an option to set a download folder. It will simply download the files to a Qobuz folder it creates on your root ('C') drive. This is potentially an issue if you have a small SSD for your operating system and a larger conventional data hard drive. You may well need to move stuff across from one to the other in order to complete the download.

Hope this also works for you.

Good news HMack, pleased to see we got there in the end. It's all hardly intuitive is it.

Without wishing to set more 'hares running' you can set a downloads folder. If you go to the dropdown on your log in, then Settings, then scroll down to Music Downloads you will see the option to change the downloads path. I would make sure you have completed your downloads before trying it however.

Camlan (and HH & IB and any others who chipped in),

Many thanks for your help with the Maria Callas download. I think that without your posts and screenshots I would just have given up on this one.

Now whether or not the download itself will be worth the effort is another matter. I suspect there is probably only so much Maria Callas that I can take, but we'll see.

The albums I've listened to so far have been excellent. If you look in the larger of the PDF booklets you'll see which album is which and can extract the album covers. My 39 albums now have their correct names and original covers - far nicer than 39 albums all looking exactly the same. We had 'sings Rossini and Donizetti' blasting out on the Qb while cooking last night - wonderful. 

Thanks Camlan for note re doing by changing the generic downloads folder path (remember to change back if you don't want other things going same place!)

Mine completed downloading last night. (I also had one that failed, needing to do manually (Aria track 24). Total download time about 10 hours, which at something over 50GB total corresponds to about 12Mbps download speed, so if your internet connection limits you lower than that it will clearly take longer. Once established, the app seems fine, and is perfectly capable of resuming where it left off even if files already downloaded have been moved elsewhere, but it does seem to need you to select 'resume' manually (mine froze up at one point, which, when I noticed, was easily released by hitting pause then resume in the app.

Like others I don't know how much I will keep - certainly not all as I'm only interested upin full opera performances not selected arias, and it depends on whether I like them, but the price for the opportunity to try so many is justified if Imonly keep one!

Additional work needed now - for some odd reason the libretti have been bundled in a single 1400-page pdf, which needs splitting to be useful, ditto sleeve notes and even each album picture.

I'm doing what HH is doing and splitting the albums with the original artwork with the slight difference that I am retaining the generic name with the specific album name tacked onto the end so as an example:

Maria Callas : Maria Callas Remastered - The Complete Studio Recordings - Un Ballo in Maschera

Artwork can be had on the Amazon website as well.

I'll probably keep the documentation as it is, there is enough work with the Metadata!

As I mentioned above, if you use the snipping tool on the artwork you can save it as a really good PDF and add it to the albums. I've changed thecalbum titles to show the composer first, which is the way we keep our classical stuff. I will listen to the non opera albums most  - there is rarely time to sit down for three hours. 

I note that IB had a fail on track 24 of one of the albums - exactly the same happened here. 

Often I find it's the Qobuz server that determines the download speed to a large extent - we gave up to 150Mbs and it still took a few hours. 

But however we store it and however we listen to it doesn't matter, there is some really super music. 

Hmack posted:

Well - success (of sorts) at last.

Borders Nick, I have deleted the Qobuz app that I downloaded from the Microsoft App store. It simply doesn't work.

However, there is an option at the bottom of the Qobuz web page to locate and download a version (presumably pre the WIndows 10 Microsoft apps store) of the Qobuz Desktop. You can't have both Desktop apps installed simultaneously on your PC because the "Download to Desktop" button will always open the Microsoft Store version of the app. However, if this is uninstalled the "Download to desktop" will indeed open the older version of the Desktop app and will populate the now visible "Offline Library" tab with your available downloads. In fact, just like the Qobuz Download Manager on the French site, it will automatically start your download.  

Unfortunately, as IB has stated, it does not give you an option to set a download folder. It will simply download the files to a Qobuz folder it creates on your root ('C') drive. This is potentially an issue if you have a small SSD for your operating system and a larger conventional data hard drive. You may well need to move stuff across from one to the other in order to complete the download.

Hope this also works for you.

Yes that seems to have worked - thanks very much - it's doing its stuff now.  Just have to wait a long time for the download to gradually complete as we have only around 4mbps internet here in the sticks.

Thank you so much for pointing out this bargain. Have spent the day playing with metadata and splitting PDFs whilst listening. Amazing restoration.  

It's now back to £131. I wonder what we'll find next...

Indeed - I just noticed that as I was accessing the booklets.

Well, what a marathon with my 3.6 Mbps, but now completed, and all 39 albums downloaded successfully.

I too had a failure with track 0024 of album 16, but like others was able to download it individually.

Now to go through the process of creating the 39 albums with their appropriate album covers.

I'm going to learn to like Maria Callas if it kills me! Pink Floyd and Savoy Brown are just going to have to take a break on my system for a while. 

Just finished sorting all of it out into 39 albums with correct covers ( 53Gb ) 

Sat down and listened to most of Aida - amazing, especially when one thinks it was recorded I think in 1955 !?

The sound is pretty good - one of my better purchases price wise !!!

Hmack posted:

Well, what a marathon with my 3.6 Mbps, but now completed, and all 39 albums downloaded successfully.

I too had a failure with track 0024 of album 16, but like others was able to download it individually.

Now to go through the process of creating the 39 albums with their appropriate album covers.

I'm going to learn to like Maria Callas if it kills me! Pink Floyd and Savoy Brown are just going to have to take a break on my system for a while. 

The beauty of this bargain is the opportunity to try some operas I don't know in glorious hi res effectively for nothing.

Fantastic thread, which hopefully will alert as to more bargains in the future.

Just a quick heads up, the Music Magpie Winter Sale ends tomorrow: 3/2/2017! I've taken advantage Buy One Get One Free on their used CD's at £1.99 each, great oppo to fill in a few gaps in my music collection and also try out a few albums I'd not usually buy brand new. 

Yetizone posted:

Just a quick heads up, the Music Magpie Winter Sale ends tomorrow: 3/2/2017! I've taken advantage Buy One Get One Free on their used CD's at £1.99 each, great oppo to fill in a few gaps in my music collection and also try out a few albums I'd not usually buy brand new. 

Great shout, I've just dashed over onto the website and captured a heap of CD's at, as you said, £1.99 each, including postage.

There's also something of a "half price" sale going on too, and I managed to snag a couple of Otis Taylor albums which are full price everywhere else.

I'd had an email from them last week mentioning this, but had forgotten all about it.

Happy days. 

Agree - its a good offer. Sampling new music and filling album collection gaps with used CD's has never been more accessible! I bought the ZZ top album brand new (everything else 2nd hand) and that was cheaper than used prices on ebay - all free P&P too. Nuts!

Also, just for ref, if any of you purchase a 2nd hand Music Magpie CD that won't rip, just drop them a line and they will send out a another copy. I had a Stereo MC's album last week that would just not rip on one track (despite using two different CD readers). They sent out another copy without quibble and between the two discs I eventually managed an accurate rip.

Yetizone posted:

 

Also, just for ref, if any of you purchase a 2nd hand Music Magpie CD that won't rip, just drop them a line and they will send out a another copy. I had a Stereo MC's album last week that would just not rip on one track (despite using two different CD readers). They sent out another copy without quibble and between the two discs I eventually managed an accurate rip.

Previously, I've overcome this by making a CD -ROM copy of any which refuse to rip, but I'll bear in mind Music Magpie's policy.

Cheers! 

Yetizone posted:

Also, just for ref, if any of you purchase a 2nd hand Music Magpie CD that won't rip, just drop them a line and they will send out a another copy. I had a Stereo MC's album last week that would just not rip on one track (despite using two different CD readers). They sent out another copy without quibble and between the two discs I eventually managed an accurate rip.

Thanks Yetizone, I bought a few last week and there was one I couldn't rip. I was just going to bin it at a £1, but I hadn't thought of contacting them for something so small in value. I will do so later on and see if they can replace it for me.

Thanks also for the tip - it was a good offer and I did manage to find a few, though it did take me  a g e s to check through the list! 

Great new Bach recording, that practically swings, if one can use such a word for a baroque chamber orchestra but anyhow,  great performance and excellent sound quality,  and as usual with the S.L. recordings, a sound stage with depth and clear placement of the musicians involved.

http://www.soundliaison.com/st...-bach-live-edition-1

''Plenteous expertise from the ensemble but you'd have to pick out Jesenka Balic Zunic's tender playing on the Violoncello da Spalla, Jakob Bloch Jespersen in ideal repertoire for him, and the striking freshness and fluency of Anna Jobrant's soprano solos. It was free, and full. Andrew Mellor, reviewer for Gramophone magazine''

EMI  CDs of a certain vintage (c. 2000) have copy protection that prevents some PC CD drives from recognising them (Copy Controlled) by trying to launch some sort of bogus app. I got round it by using an older PC that wasn't having any of EMI's nonsense.