2TB Unitiserve

Well, I suppose the logic is if you managed to rip or download some music, you would make sure its correctly tagged?

Its really not difficult with cover art, find it on google, put it in the album folder, name it folder.jpg

Yes, you are right it should be easy, but it's not. Even our local dealer has been unable to add cover art. And even a file from Naim hasn't import the cover. If you have any suggestions I'm all ears.

My first suggestion is to fire your local dealer.  They do not know how to operate the UnitiServe.

To add/edit cover art or meta-data for cd's you've ripped, I use n-Serve for OS X on my Mac.  Right-click the album name and that brings up menus to allow you to delete or add cover art, and to edit meta data.  Easy peasy or however it's spelled.

For cover art for cd's you've ripped yourself elsewhere, or downloads you've purchased, the cover art belongs in the same folder as the music files for said cd.  Download cover art from the web, and name the file folder.jpg  Very easy.

To edit metadata of the files in your downloads folder, the best defense is a good offense.  Check the metadata BEFORE you add it to the Downloads folder.  There are myriad programs to do this on Windows or OS X.  Get the metadata right, then copy the files to Downloads.  But in the event you've not done that, use one of those programs to edit the metadata for the files in Downloads.  When the uServe re-scans the files, it will record the changes.

The notion that it's not possible to edit metadata for any of the files on the uServe is plain wrong.  Lots of us here are happy to help further should you need it.

Again, the options you're suggesting have been tried but still the covers don't work. I've tried, "folders", "music" and anything else that I thought might work. These covers are in the file, they just haven't been picked up when transferring them. This issue could have been resolved quite quickly if you were able to edit the download files.

Also while it's a little annoying the covers aren't there the major issue. The lack of control to edit my music is the issue. And again it shouldn't be this hard. 

I guess as with all Naim products the saving grace is it sound, to which I have no complaints and everything I expected it to be, just thought (maybe hoped) the OS would be more user friendly.. 

Pete, either we are talking past each other . . . or I don't know what.  I'm glad you tried "folders" and "music," but the tried and true syntax is "folder.jpg" 

When you say that "these covers are in the file," do you mean that they are embedded as metadata? If so . . . that's not what the Naim Server is looking for. It is looking for a file, named folder.jpg, in the folder with the flac files for the particular album.  Also when you say that this issue could be "resolved quite quickly if you were able to edit the download files," it leads me to think you are relying on embedded metadata for cover art.  Editing a music file would not edit a graphics file named folder.jpg.  Again, this is not what you should be doing.

This does work for the rest of us.  We edit our music files as I described in my prior post.  I personally do not feel that the lack of a metadata editor for files in the Downloads folder, given that there are many free editors.  But, sure, it's something useful for music on the server and it's not built into the server.  Per my earlier post, there IS a metadata editor for ripped files.

Sorry I do include jpg, what I meant is that I've tried both folders and music + jpg. However your response hasn't addressed the fact that a Naim download hasn't imported the cover art as well. Guess that's my fault too.

What concerns me now is that you seem to be in a position to speak for the "rest of us". So regardless what I or anyone else feels it apparently doesn't matter, so I'll pull my head in and learn to live with what is a clunky and un-user friendly OS.

Do you work for Naim?

Bart - This is a stupid question (sorry still new at this)...Just where is thie "downloads" folder? Or there isn't one for the SSD version of the US?

Sorry for hijacking the thread.

I only have one downloaded 192 album from Naim, and have no cover art. I need to sort the folder thing out so it appears. It's a Christmas project.

Regarding ripped CDs, of which I have over 2,000, the editing is best done in nServe. Yo u can change titles, artist, track names, genre, and importantly, change cover art. Go to edit, press 'cover art' and you go to a Google search. Choose the one you want and off you go. It really is very easy, and way easier than using the desktop client.

Hope that helps.

Well we all agree that to fix cover art to a ripped file is easy. No problems, it's in the downloaded file that seems to be harder than it should. But I'm taking all the advice over the past few hours and I've decided to delete all those files and reload them. 

I'll report back and see if I have more success. Thanks to those that have tried to help.

Pete in the main app nserve is options for determining what the serve will pick up for folder art, its default is a jpg file named "folder"

i know you are telling us you have done this, but its a fundemental part of the serve app, and infact pretty much universal for all music players, so if you have done it, it will show.

the file has to be a jpg, you simply rename the file folder. The jpg should append itself. Make sure for ease the file size is no more than 500 px, google will tell you that when doing an image search.

finally make sure your serve is on the latest firmware as this picks up changes immediately.

Thank you for the compliment!  No, I have no technical background and work in an entirely different industry.  I've owned a 1tb (later upgraded to 2tb) UnitiServe for 2+ years now, and started like you with a few questions as to how to get the thing properly on the home network, serving files, etc.  I started off using it non-networked (direct connection to the Naim Dac) but migrated to using it as a UPnP server feeding two Naim players (an NDS and a UnitiQute).  I appreciated the help of others here when I was getting started, and so try to "pay it forward" and help new customers like you.  It's a fine product, but there is a learning curve.  I am still learning -- I've not sorted out compilations yet.

You're welcome!

Hi Richard,

There is no Downloads folder on the SSD servers as there is no local storage - the Downloads folders are only present on the 2Tb servers.

Cheers

Phil

Hi Peter,

My understanding is that Chris Murphy (our NZ distributor) has been in touch with you and has been logged in remotely to you on a number of occasions and that he has shown you how to add cover art to files and that he has had your files showing cover art - please correct me if that is not the case.

If the tagging on a downloaded file is correct then your UnitiServe *SHOULD* pick up the information from the tags. If there are no cover art graphics embedded into the tags then you can add a "folder.jpg" file into the album folder and the UnitiServe should pick that up. (Remember that if the cover art file was not originally a JPEG image but some other format then you can't just rename it to be a .jpg extension.)

I did suggest to Chris yesterday to get you to purge the image cache on the UnitiServe (this is an option from Desktop Client or n-Serve on OSX) so that the UnitiServe reloads the images for all albums (in case it has some cached images for some of the albums that you are changing) and also to clear the caches on your iOS devices running n-Serve / n-Stream so that they also reload all the images - have you done this?

I'm sorry that you feel that our OS is "clunky and un-user friendly" and would be very happy for your feedback but my understanding so far is that your issues with the UnitiServe (beyond the cover art issue that you describe here) are:

1) Unable to delete individual tracks from albums using Desktop Client for Windows / n-Serve for OSX. 

2) Unable to merge a multi-disc album into a single album.

3) Unable to edit the metadata using Desktop Client / n-Serve for music that hasn't been ripped on the server itself.

My understanding is that Chris has been able to get cover art working for you before and we have discussed the above issues ... if you cannot get cover art working on an album then if you can get a copy of that album to me then I'm happy to take a look at it to see why it isn't showing cover art.

Phil

Hi all thanks for your feedback and help. However I think some are missing my point. While adding the covers to files in the “downloaded” folder is annoying and unnecessarily complicated it’s not my main concern. I have re-enter most of the offending files, some covers have stuck, some haven’t.  I will keep trying.  The simple fact that a file purchased directly from Naim needs to be edited before downloading just highlights the issues. I wouldn't thought that I was meant to edit this file, I expected that at least your own files were in compatible with your servers.

My main concern is the lack of control and ability to edit my music, either buy the app or OS. I expected that I could dictate what music I require on my server. I believe that I should be able to merge double cds into one file, they’re only a double cd because of limitations of the original medium, on a 2TB hard drive that shouldn’t be an issue. I should be able to delete (bonus) tracks from classic cds, and I should be able to edit hi res files that have been downloaded. I purchased a server to be the hub of my music collection, what I’ve encountered is a system that has no flexibility what so ever. Surely adding an edit facility to the app in download files isn’t too much to expect. And why is my downloaded music treated differently?

Yes I know I can create “lists” to overcome some of these issues, but I feel that’s a bit of a cop out.

Anyway, I would rather we all focused on spending time with families and friends and worry about this after Christmas.

Wishing you all a happy and safe Christmas and New Year.

Thanks Phil!

Can these statements be confirmed by other users please, if it's not possible to merge / reorder / purge etc. with a unitiserve then it's not really much use at all. I have lots of CDs that needed working on but I'd assumed it was possible with Naim's product. And why is there poor tagging on Naim's hi-res purchases, that's avoidable in the extreme!

Chaps,

I am more with Claus here. The desire to take full control of the rips is a personal thing as I have not found it necessary at all to mess with the cd rips. One can edit cover art, album titles, track titles, genre, everything required to get that ripped cd looking as it was as as the original cd. I have never had the need to delete a track from an album or merge albums. Too much fuss as far as I am concened.

As Claus says, if you need to bastardise one of your original CD's then take it into a pc and do it there, job done. 

All things to all men?.....that depends on the man. 

Merry Christmas to all Men....and Women.

Jason.

@Jasonf:

I'm trying to get a definitive answer to the editing capability of the hardware and it's nserve s/w, never having used either. I take it such editing is not possible? As for barstardising it's not me that's doing it, the CDs sometimes arrive barstardised! I just want to get the music back as it was before the record companies added dross, split album material across discs or altered running order, mangled box sets. So if restoring an old album is not possible, as it it with ripping software and a cheap NAS, then the Unitiserve is basically US 

As Jason said "One can edit cover art, album titles, track titles, genre, everything required to get that ripped cd looking as it was as as the original cd.". I don't think that you can delete tracks.

Thanks, that's a pity, I'd much prefer the ability to get them sounding like the original CD. In fact having to listen to tracks in the wrong order or having to skip unwanted material or selecting and starting a new disc in order to hear the remainder of an album is not something I want to pay premium money for. I've never had any use for art on an iPad mini or 'genre' either.

Would you not set up your play queue how you like it in nStream app though Hafler30 ?

In the Play Queue you can set up your album how you want meaning you do not have to play any duffers you would rather not play.

Once it is ripped and on the Unitiserve the choice is yours to Queue up as you wish.

I know what you mean about some of those CDs with bonus material, a lot of the Extra Bonus generally can sometimes detract from the main article

Removing tracks and albums is very easy. On the Windows desktop client, find the track highlite it and find delete in the edit menu, the delete key will probably alsow Work. The track or album is now in the  recycle bin. I am sure the same can be done both on the mac DTC and in N-serve. So there are several ways you can do this, even without creating a playlist or  ripping the disk on a computer.

Claus

Well deleting tracks seems

 not so easy on the n-serve, actually I can only find a way to delete an  entire album.