Core downloads folder

Bart posted:

But the Core and the Naim App will sort based on metadata; folder structure remains irrelevant.  

1) I hear what you both are saying -- Minim's metadata-based sorting is (although I've not fully explored its power) more powerful than what Naim servers have to-date provided.  Naim doesn't (hasn't to-date) been able to let the user declare, and then sort on, nearly the wide range of options (Conductor, Orchestra . . . ).  So yes, for classical, opera, and others, the few tag choices Naim provide make it (really) difficult to fully index such music; it's a big compromise.

2) But the above has nothing to do with folder structure, which is what set me off in the first place.

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1) It is probably fair to say that MinimServer is, to the best of my knowledge, the only UPnP server that supports index customization. Still, I do not see the point in not supporting what seems to be, at this point, one of the most flexible, stable, complete and easy to use UPnP servers. Support for MinimServer is also outstanding.

2) You are right.

Innocent Bystander posted:

Bart posted:

Innocent Bystander posted:

But can the

Bart posted:

But the Core and the Naim App will sort based on metadata; folder ...

I hear what you both are saying -- Minim's metadata-based sorting ...

But the above has nothing to do with folder structure, ...

Yes I'm in the camp of those with a house full of Naim boxes, ...

But regardless of whether it can by metadata, can the Core browse by folder? My old ...

The Core is a server, the ND5XS is a streamer.  The server determines ...

When I owned a uServe, I'm pretty sure that it did not support browsing by folder.  Whether ...

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So much for the Core depends on what software and capability it will have when finally real eased. Here's hoping that in finalisation they build in all that they can of people's obvious hopes for it!

We can only judge on the basis of what we know now and our assessments are necessarily temporarily, of course. But you are right and I can well imagine that releasing so many devices in such a short time (and, on the top of this, short before Christmas) was perhaps a little bit too ambitious. As I wrote in another thread, for me the Core is interesting not for what it is now but for what it can become. And it is also conceivable that Naim will come out with new classic series devices, at a certain point. Perhaps a dedicated server and player (no ripping capabilities) or a portable device. I am also very interested in low-power servers that might come from manufacturers of USB to SPDIF bridges. Audiobyte have a very interesting bridge (the Hydra Z) and I hope that they will come out with a server with SPDIF outputs at some point.

Something I've noticed is the difference in set-up instructions for the Download folder

US: Music files (or other files) may be copied to the Downloads folder. Sub-folders may also be created within the Downloads folder if desired

Core: File formats that do not have embedded metadata (e.g. WAV files) need to be set up a specific way. Files copied to the downloads folder must have the music files and the album artwork in a folder with the name of the album. This folder should be located in a folder with the name of the Artist.

Richard Morris posted:

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Core: File formats that do not have embedded metadata (e.g. WAV files) need to be set up a specific way. Files copied to the downloads folder must have the music files and the album artwork in a folder with the name of the album. This folder should be located in a folder with the name of the Artist.

Strange. I would expect these to be suggestions for storing files that happen not to contain metadata (and the system to use folder names for providing values for at least the <album> and <artist> indexes)  and, as such, to be irrelevant in most practical cases. Why would one want to put in a collection files that have no proper <album> and <artist> tags?

nbpf posted:

Strange. I would expect these to be suggestions for storing files that happen not to contain metadata (and the system to use folder names for providing values for at least the <album> and <artist> indexes)  and, as such, to be irrelevant in most practical cases. Why would one want to put in a collection files that have no proper <album> and <artist> tags?

People might not desire to put in a collection of files without proper tags, but some people have collections of files in respect of which metadata is missing (e.g ripped from LPs) or incorrect/inconsistent (e.g downloads and ripped from CD, particularly common with classical),  and which they would like to include in their library when adopting the new Core.

Innocent Bystander posted:

nbpf posted:

Strange. I would expect these to be suggestions for storing files that happen not to contain metadata (and the system to use folder names for providing values for at least the <album> and <artist> indexes)  and, as such, to be irrelevant in most practical cases. Why would one want to put in a collection files that have no proper <album> and <artist> tags?

People might not desire to put in a collection of files without proper tags, but some people have collections of files in respect of which metadata is missing (e.g ripped from LPs) or incorrect/inconsistent (e.g downloads and ripped from CD, particularly common with classical),  and which they would like to include in their library when adopting the new Core.

I see but giving suitable names to folders and subfolders is not less effort than providing minimal metadata, is it?

No matter, it's good that the Core gives the option of computing <album> and <artist> values from folder names if metadata are not available, no matter for which reason.

As far as this is an option and the computed values are overridden by available metadata values, there is nothing wrong with this approach, it seems to me.

If this is the intended message, the setup instructions for the Downloads folder of the Core could possibly be formulated more clearly.

nbpf posted:

I see but giving suitable names to folders and subfolders is not less effort than providing minimal metadata, is it?

 

It certainly is if you have all the files simply stored already in folders named by album name, nested in folders named by artist (in whatever way an individual chooses to name the artist), nested in folders by genre - which is a common filing system, mimicking how many people store physical media at home,  and how records shops including online display music.  All regardless of, mether orbnot they have metadata or whether it is correct. Then it is an almost instant process to copy any amount of stored albums to another location, including Core, unlike the time taken to check and fix or add even the most basic metadata for every album.

the answer of course is to be methodical at adding and/or checking and correcting metadata for every album when ripped or downloaded, and that is the best advice to anyone starting out, but doesn't help when things have previously been missed in ignorance.