Using NServe to convert rips to MP3
Posted by: Timbo on 20 August 2013
Since the recent 1.7 update has anyone tried to convert their network store to MP3 format? I know the system will copy the new files into the LQ folder on my NAS. I have almost 1200 albums and am wondering how long this would take? Space isn't a problem.
I would consider doing this as a one off, transfer the LQ files to my itunes hard drive and then delete the MP3 files in the LQ folder. I know I have to do this via NServe perhaps one at a time, hopefully there is a way I can delete multiples files? Also would assume it will leave the original rips intact in the MQ folder.
Any advice?
Tim
Tim I've only done it one album at a time.
I've not tried to go into the LQ folder and see if I can delete those files. But I do recall (I'm not home at the moment) that there is a feature in n-Serve for OS X to delete the MP3 versions (after you've copied them to where you want them).
My advice is to experiment -- you can't really break anything.
Tim,
the best advice I can give you is to get a proper music management software. I recommend Foobar2000. It's free and absolutely fabulous. It will do exactly what you want in one go.
Regardless of the software you use, 1,200 albums will take approx. 24 hours. This depends largly on the capabilities of the prosessor(s) in your PC, the type of drives involved and the speed of your network, as long as it is part of the game.
Will Foobar tag the mp3's, based on the data in the wav files from a Naim server rip? If so, great, but I just don't know if it'll find the metadata which I believe is ONLY in the xml files created by the Naim server and not embedded in the wav files themselves. It's certainly worth trying.
Based on a little experience, the Naim server software does a fine, and easily managed, job of creating the mp3's from the wav files.
Correct me if I have misunderstood things, but AFAIK .wav -format does not support metadata.
Correct me if I have misunderstood things, but AFAIK .wav -format does not support metadata.
Well it does and it doesn't, depending on the software used to rip it (and some other variables). It's been discussed a lot here over time, and I don't absorb it all because it's not all the relevant to me at the moment.
Somehow the Naim servers manage to see the metadata from their rips and tag the mp3 files with it. It would be interesting to hear from one of their programers just what's going on, but I strongly suspect that they are reading it from the xml files and then tagging the mp3's with it. My guess is that this is a rather custom solution and nothing that an off the shelf ripper would do, but I could be mistaken.
Ok thanks guys. I have a fairly quick Mac Pro dual processor with 32GB ram. Also the NAS is a Qnap with its own processor and 512mb ram.
I think I'll try a few and see what happens.
Tim
Just had a quick go. Seems it will only do all of the albums at once and will take 13 days so I cancelled out before it had time to do anything. I will probably just re-rip the albums I really want for mobile devices directly in to itunes.
Tim
Just had a quick go. Seems it will only do all of the albums at once
That's definitely not right, Tim. I've done a few, one at a time. In n-Serve for OS X (and I suppose in the Windows DTC), right-click on the album name and select 'convert to MP3' or something like that.
WAV and a Mac ... forget all I have said about Foobar. It won't run on a Mac.
Instead of reripping you could just as well import a copy of your wav files into itunes. It will asign its own tags from the itunes database. Then you could do the transcoding to MP3 in itunes directly including the tag transfer and remove the WAVs from the database after the transcoding.
WAV and a Mac ... forget all I have said about Foobar. It won't run on a Mac.
Instead of reripping you could just as well import a copy of your wav files into itunes. It will asign its own tags from the itunes database. Then you could do the transcoding to MP3 in itunes directly including the tag transfer and remove the WAVs from the database after the transcoding.
I don't think importing wavs into iTunes will work. iTunes and wavs really don't mix. It's fine if you rip a CD into wav using iTunes, but I've never been able to get it to add a wav file into the library and find the metadata for it even if the wav has relevant tags.
I should add that letting the Naim server do the conversion from wav to mp3 also results in the album art being embedded in the mp3 file. I'm just going to let my uServe convert it all, and i'll finally have an iTunes library that mirrors my home music library.
Of course, Doh!! I was looking at the browser interface, I will try again with the Mac version of NServe and try a couple.
Tim
Hi
I have already done this using the convert to mp3 function and then copying the contents of the LQ folder for my 450 or so albums.
it certainly took a while but it is really nice to have my entire music collection on my iPod.
ATB
Ray
Ray are you doing 320kbps? I have found that even in the car, at much lower bitrates I can really hear the difference. I prefer pretty high bitrates (and thus larger file sizes) even in the car.
Hi Bart
Yes I use 320k too although confess to not having carried out an empirical study nor tried my iPod in the car yet.
Ray
Just trying out an MP3 conversion via NServe for the Mac, looks like it is going well. If that is successful I'll do some each night.
Tim
Still going strong after 12 hours, just doing the "A's" at the moment, 220 more items in the queue.....
Maybe do the "B's" tomorrow.
Tim