UnitiServe almost full

Posted by: Timmo1341 on 02 November 2017

An unimagined scenario 12 months ago! My 2Tb US has less than 50Gb free apace remaining, which I calculate gives me room for no more than 80 CDs. Other than switching to a NAS as my streamer, or buying a Core and a larger hard drive, do I have any other options open to me?

Were I to replace the US with a Core, what issues might I encounter? I am 100% happy with the US and what it gives me in respect of metadate, editing via n-Serve and sonic quality. Would the Core take my existing 2,500 rips and give me what I have now? I have to confess losing interest in the early days of the Core introduction. I'm not particularly tech savvy, and couldn't understand half the issues of which the early adopters were complaining! Have these been resolved, and is the Core now a viable replacement for the US?

Posted on: 02 November 2017 by ChrisSU

If you're happy with the Unitiserve, you can use an external drive as an additional music store, and continue to expand your collection on that. This needs to be a drive that is visible on your network, so could be a NAS, computer, or whatever. I would suggest that you don't add another 80 CDs to your US. Drives that are completely full to the brim (on any device) tend to misbehave.

Posted on: 02 November 2017 by Klout10

Hi Tim,

I don't have experience with the US, but with the HDX - basically the same unit when it comes to ripping and storing your music. Before my HDX went belly-up, I stored all my music on a QNAP NAS (in FLAC format). I've just returned my Uniti Core to the dealer because the Core is not that flexible when it comes to metadata ...

I've tried to import all the files from the NAS to the Core, but somehow, the Core clears some of the changes I've made to the Metadata. Also ripping the CD's involved again did not bring a solution, because I've had some problems with changes not being visible on all screens. 

My suggestion would therefore be: buy a seperate NAS for storage and keep on using the US. In the end it is also possible to install e.g. MinimServer on the NAS so the US is not needed at all...

In the end ... the QNAP with MinimServer might be all you need :-) 

Posted on: 02 November 2017 by Timmo1341
Klout10 posted:

Hi Tim,

I don't have experience with the US, but with the HDX - basically the same unit when it comes to ripping and storing your music. Before my HDX went belly-up, I stored all my music on a QNAP NAS (in FLAC format). I've just returned my Uniti Core to the dealer because the Core is not that flexible when it comes to metadata ...

I've tried to import all the files from the NAS to the Core, but somehow, the Core clears some of the changes I've made to the Metadata. Also ripping the CD's involved again did not bring a solution, because I've had some problems with changes not being visible on all screens. 

My suggestion would therefore be: buy a seperate NAS for storage and keep on using the US. In the end it is also possible to install e.g. MinimServer on the NAS so the US is not needed at all...

In the end ... the QNAP with MinimServer might be all you need :-) 

Thanks - much useful info. I think the seperate NAS (I.e. seperate to my existing backup Synology), dedicated purely to overflow storage, will be the way to go. Do you know if the US can be set up to treat the NAS as part of its own storage, so that ripping can be done as normal, with the ripped WAV files seen as part of the server, not as an imported Downoad? If it can't, and I have to rip all future CDs via my iMac, I might as well get rid of the Serve and put everything onto the NAS. That said, I'd rather not as I like the ease and convenience of the whole ripping process via the Serve, and using n-Serve for all editing.

Posted on: 02 November 2017 by French Rooster
Timmo1341 posted:
Klout10 posted:

Hi Tim,

I don't have experience with the US, but with the HDX - basically the same unit when it comes to ripping and storing your music. Before my HDX went belly-up, I stored all my music on a QNAP NAS (in FLAC format). I've just returned my Uniti Core to the dealer because the Core is not that flexible when it comes to metadata ...

I've tried to import all the files from the NAS to the Core, but somehow, the Core clears some of the changes I've made to the Metadata. Also ripping the CD's involved again did not bring a solution, because I've had some problems with changes not being visible on all screens. 

My suggestion would therefore be: buy a seperate NAS for storage and keep on using the US. In the end it is also possible to install e.g. MinimServer on the NAS so the US is not needed at all...

In the end ... the QNAP with MinimServer might be all you need :-) 

Thanks - much useful info. I think the seperate NAS (I.e. seperate to my existing backup Synology), dedicated purely to overflow storage, will be the way to go. Do you know if the US can be set up to treat the NAS as part of its own storage, so that ripping can be done as normal, with the ripped WAV files seen as part of the server, not as an imported Downoad? If it can't, and I have to rip all future CDs via my iMac, I might as well get rid of the Serve and put everything onto the NAS. That said, I'd rather not as I like the ease and convenience of the whole ripping process via the Serve, and using n-Serve for all editing.

you can attach permanently an external usb drive like ssd sandisk, so you can add about 1to of storage ( still powered by unitserve) and continue to rip....

Posted on: 02 November 2017 by Manu

But the USB storage can't be a store, so first you can't rip to it, and if you transfer some of your music, it won't be editable...

Posted on: 02 November 2017 by French Rooster
Manu posted:

But the USB storage can't be a store, so first you can't rip to it, and if you transfer some of your music, it won't be editable...

you are sure you can’t rip to them?  maybe i am wrong so...

Posted on: 02 November 2017 by Klout10

Tim,

I do not know all the details, but  yes - Network Shares can be converted to operate as UnitiServe Music Stores – locations where the data from ripped CDs is stored.

Please have a look at page 20 of the owners manual:

https://www.naimaudio.com/site...english_issue-5c.pdf

Posted on: 02 November 2017 by Timmo1341
Klout10 posted:

Tim,

I do not know all the details, but  yes - Network Shares can be converted to operate as UnitiServe Music Stores – locations where the data from ripped CDs is stored.

Please have a look at page 20 of the owners manual:

https://www.naimaudio.com/site...english_issue-5c.pdf

I think the answer I require is there!! I'm really not very good with networking, but will give it a go with an external hard drive. Thanks.

Posted on: 02 November 2017 by ChrisSU

If you have 2 or more music stores, you just rip on the US as normal, and it will save the rip to the external store. 

Posted on: 02 November 2017 by French Rooster

i was not wrong so....

Posted on: 02 November 2017 by Klout10
ChrisSU posted:

If you have 2 or more music stores, you just rip on the US as normal, and it will save the rip to the external store. 

You have to define one of the music stores as a ‘Primary’ store, your rips will be stored here. If you have any problems, do not hesitate to contact your friendly dealer or Naim directly. Althouh here on this forum there is also an awful lot of knowldge available ...

Posted on: 02 November 2017 by ChrisSU
Klout10 posted:
ChrisSU posted:

If you have 2 or more music stores, you just rip on the US as normal, and it will save the rip to the external store. 

You have to define one of the music stores as a ‘Primary’ store, your rips will be stored here. If you have any problems, do not hesitate to contact your friendly dealer or Naim directly. Althouh here on this forum there is also an awful lot of knowldge available ...

I don’t think the OP needs any more help, as he has now read the manual;-)

Posted on: 02 November 2017 by Manu

A USB drive is NOT shareable with a UnitiServe, so can't be used as a Store. It is with the Core.

Posted on: 02 November 2017 by Klout10
Manu posted:

A USB drive is NOT shareable with a UnitiServe, so can't be used as a Store. It is with the Core.

Correct, I was talking about his NAS drive

Posted on: 02 November 2017 by French Rooster
ChrisSU posted:

If you have 2 or more music stores, you just rip on the US as normal, and it will save the rip to the external store. 

manu says that an usb drive is not shareable with the serve, only with the core.....who is right? david hendon knows certainly, he has both...

Posted on: 02 November 2017 by No quarter

I would believe Manu,he is a Naim Rep in Canada I believe,and yes David Hendon will know for sure.

 

Posted on: 02 November 2017 by French Rooster

chrissu has the serve too....Anyway i am curious to know, because i have the serve.  With the core i have tested, i could have ripped on an external usb drive.  But i think also that manu is right.

Posted on: 02 November 2017 by ChrisSU

Manu is correct, a directly attached USB device cannot be a Music Store on the Unitiserve, only drives available on your network can do this. Here’s a theory, which I have not tested, but whuch I suspect might work. If you attach a USB drive to another device which is on your network, such as a NAS, a PC, or perhaps even a RPi, it may be possible to use it as a music store if you don’t want to add a full blown NAS. Just an idea!

Posted on: 02 November 2017 by French Rooster

so the op can’t rip more cds on his unitserve now?   because his serve has less than 50Gb space remaining.  Perhaps naim can replace the inside hdd with a bigger memory capable one?

Posted on: 02 November 2017 by ChrisSU

I wasn’t referring specifically to the Unitiserve, but any drive that is very close to being completely full is likely to cause problems. 

Posted on: 02 November 2017 by French Rooster
ChrisSU posted:

I wasn’t referring specifically to the Unitiserve, but any drive that is very close to being completely full is likely to cause problems. 

with the core you can extend the memory with an external usb drive and still have the possibility to continue to rip.  You can replace the hdd or ssd inside drive also, with bigger memory and just transfer what you have stocked before.

So not a big problem to my eyes.  Apparently, with the serve, it may be more problematic....

Posted on: 02 November 2017 by No quarter

That’s for sure Chris,when I first got my Core I accidentally copied too much data on it from an external drive,it was a nightmare trying to get it to do anything, until I managed to delete some files...thanks to David Hendons help.

Posted on: 02 November 2017 by garyi

This is the beauty of the HDX/Serve etc, so your internal drive is full? No bother just create a store on a networked PC or NAS and carry on. All the music will be presented as a single library.

The USB drive is a red herring.

Posted on: 03 November 2017 by ChrisSU
garyi posted:

This is the beauty of the HDX/Serve etc, so your internal drive is full? No bother just create a store on a networked PC or NAS and carry on. All the music will be presented as a single library.

The USB drive is a red herring.

I’m inclined to agree with you. USB might seem like a cheaper, more convenient way to connect storage, but putting it on a network can be more flexible. 

Posted on: 03 November 2017 by Timmo1341
ChrisSU posted:

If you have 2 or more music stores, you just rip on the US as normal, and it will save the rip to the external store. 

Thanks.