Client Server ?? How to build a Music Centre ;-)

[admin_exported]

Hello Peeps.

I'm trying to build a music system to really kick ass and would love some pointers.

I'm using an old Dell which I have souped up to a gig of RAM and added an external 500GB of Hdd. I have been slowly filling Media Monkey and Itunes with mostly ripped CD's and afew downloads from MP3 fiesta. So far there's 12Gb of music.

Have now added a squeezebox duet, and got some s-hand nordost red dawns to connect to my pre-amp. (Quad QC) Quad 606 Kef Ref's

Sounds great but PC' still a bit slow despite a complete reinstallation, defrag, Virtual Memory tweaks etc.

anyone know how to get Album art onto squeeze centre and any suggestion about how to improve the system further

Cheers

 

[John Duncan]

A DAC for your squeezebox for starters, otherwise I suspect you;re wasting those Red Dawns!

No idea about album art though, am not a Squeezebox user - where's fr0g?

Oh and as for PC speed - what's the processor?

 

[Anonymous]

High fidelity Wolfson© 24-bit DAC built into the reciever already JD ;-)

 

[Anonymous]

There are two clues in your post.

Old Dell - what processor are you using and what OS?

I assume the added HDD is USB? are you sure the PC is supporting USB2?

Also have you configured the OS to act "mainly as a server" assuming is XP home that's on the PC?

If you've dedicated the PC to this task then remove all the software you don't need and do a registry clean up.

All you should need is some decent AV software (I would think AVG should be OK for this type of app.) the latest copy of IE and Media player and you're done. Check the number of processes running after the boot up has settled down. Target having less than 30

Oh - if you have the facility partition the HDD in the PC and move the swap file into it's own partition (make it fairly big as well or at least as big as windows is asking for) This won't make the PC quicker but it'll help it not to slow down once you've got it running as you would like it to.

 

[John Duncan]

Ah OK - Quad not my speciality as you can tell....on your own from here on in then!

Seriously though, I don't think there's much you can add to your PC to make it go faster other than a different processor, but then you get into new motherboards and stuff. The external hard drive could be a bottleneck, depending on its speed - some are crippled in firmware to run like dogs. Also, search the slimdevices forum for album art - there are a few different issues on there which may take you in the right direction.

 

[Anonymous]

You need to use either MP3Tag or AlbumArtGenerator. The former allows you to embed the album art, they both find it.

I used AAG, and didn't bother embedding. All the Album Art shows up in Squeeze Center. I'm told that will work for the Duet remote as well.

 

[JoelSim]

Is it just me or is this thread gobbledegook?

Maybe the mag needs to rename itself

WHAT HIFI SOUND & VISION & COMPUTER EQUIPMENT CLIENT SERVER NONSENSE SQUEEZEBOX XT GIGABYTE RAM WITH SD SOUNCARD DOCKING STATION MONTHLY

 

[fatboyslimfast]

Oooh, handbags at 20 paces...

 

[John Duncan]

Smooth and relaxed handbags though.

 

[Anonymous]

JoelSim:

Is it just me or is this thread gobbledegook?

Maybe the mag needs to rename itself

WHAT HIFI SOUND & VISION & COMPUTER EQUIPMENT CLIENT SERVER NONSENSE SQUEEZEBOX XT GIGABYTE RAM WITH SD SOUNCARD DOCKING STATION MONTHLY

You have nothing to fear - it's just a sign of converging technologies.

The mag is better than most in the sector already at embracing it.

 

[John Duncan]

Though admittedly this would probably most appropriately sit in the "Computer-Based Music" forum..........

 

[fatboyslimfast]

JohnDuncan:Smooth and relaxed handbags though.

Made from chamois?

 

[John Duncan]

No, real.

 

[PJPro]

JohnDuncan:Though admittedly this would probably most appropriately sit in the "Computer-Based Music" forum..........
I would agree. Don't suppose a moderator could transfer this to the right forum? Would remove the need for JoelSim to wade through goobledegook in the Hifi forum.

 

[JoelSim]

PJPro:JohnDuncan:Though admittedly this would probably most appropriately sit in the "Computer-Based Music" forum..........I would agree. Don't suppose a moderator could transfer this to the right forum? Would remove the need for JoelSim to wade through goobledegook in the Hifi forum.

Thanks PJP.

ÿ

 

[Anonymous]

What part isnt hifi then Mr "Sim"

surely building a huge music library is best posted on Gardeners World.

please advise.

Actually dont bother...

jaysus.

Thanks to everyone else who grasped it with ease. ;-)

 

[John Duncan]

S'ok, he's a traditionalist, and in the majority - we're the weird ones round here.

 

[Anonymous]

Me too I love old stuff and the squeezebox was initially just a music archive project. then it just seemed to be a good idea to build a decent archive.

Sorry Joel Sim, got a hangover today...