NAS Storage ?

[admin_exported]

I need some help / advice on choosing some NAS storage for my music.
I intend to rip my cd collection (about 800) into FLAC or high bitrate MP3 using EAC.
Therefore I need storage that will be big enough for my current collection and have enough room for expansion. Also looking for security so RAID is a must.

I will be accessing the storage from a PC running XP and from a labtop running vista. The plan is to connect the labtop to my Onkyo 875 via the HDMI connection.
I'm currently trialling iTunes, MediaMonkey and WinAmp as my player. I really like iTunes but frustrated by the fact it does not support FLAC. And I don't want to be restricted to just apple formats. Which is why I'm considering High Bit Rate MP3.

Any thoughts or recommendations on choice of hardware, media player or best EAC settings will be greatly received.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks fr0g for the prompt reply.
You are right RAID does not provide a backup, I had not considered that. I currently do the same as you and back up my data hard drive onto a usb external, using super flexible synchonizer.

So maybe all I need is a single NAS drive and an additional usb external. Then I can backup my music files to the new external drive and my other data to the existing usb drive. That should be cheaper then a fully blown NAS solution with RAID

I'll do some more research on NAS drives before deciding on the file format to rip to.

 

[Anonymous]

Definitely stay away from the Maxtor Shared Storage II series. IME, they are rubbish. I had three before finally getting a refund.

I now have a Linksys NAS200. Good, but doesn't have gigabit ethernet, which was an oversight on my part.

I hear pretty good things about the Zyxel NSA-220.

Most consumer NAS boxes have similar features, but in most cases the built-in media server isn' that great. You'd be better off getting the NAS box purely for storage, and maybe FTP and torrent duties, and buying a WHS for media serving duties. I've got my eye on a Tranquil T7.

HTH

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the advice I'll keep clear of the Maxtor, the Zyxel is a possibility.
After a bit of research I'm impressed with the QNAP TS 109 pro or 209 pro.
Just a question of whether I can justify the extra cost for RAID.

 

[Anton90125]

You might be able to pick up a SH Maxtor MSS+ (older then the replacement MSS II series). You can update the OS to a moded version (sanctioned by Maxtor ). This has been opened up to to allow telnet access. This will allow you to to put Firefly on it.

 

[Anonymous]

A NAS is a handy way of storing the FLAC files for you, but you won't need a RAID one, since as Frog said, it won't be a real backup, and besides, why is it so important to back up the NAS if you have all the original CDs anyway?

I rip my CDs to FLAC and then convert then convert the FLAC files to high bitrate OGG and AAC (the formats I use for my mp3 player and car stereo respectively) and then burn the FLAC, OGG and AAC files to either a CD or DVD which I put in a CD wallet as my backup copy of the original CD. I also put the FLAC files on my NAS for playback through my computer and HiFi. When I go to put tracks on my mp3 player or car stereo, I just copy either the OGG or AAC files from the backup CD I made straight onto the player. I find this the quickest and most secure way of having to use different music formats for my different devices, and means I never end up having to re-rip CDs in the future. I use media monkey to manage both the FLAC files on the NAS, and it keeps track of the physical/backup CD too. It is an excellent management tool which has extremely powerful tools and is simple to use.

If I had a faster computer, then I would get media monkey to auto-convert the FLAC files on the fly as it transfers them to the protable devices instead of copying the files from my backup CD, since you can give it rules for transfering to different devices, however on my current PC I find that a little bit too slow.

As for a decent NAS, make sure you get one that doesn't require special software to be installed on the PC to access it. You need one that just maps as a normal network drive so it will play nice with different devices and operating systems.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks Rigadig, some good information there.

I have decided to rip my CD's to FLAC, and manage using MediaMonkey. I will then convert to MP3 using MediaMonkeys transcode facility.
This will allow me to use the MP3's for iTunes/Ipod, and the FLAC files for playback on my PC / HiFi.

I may try the auto-convert FLAC files on the fly once I'm comfortably with the software.

I have recently installed a 500 gb drive in my PC, so I'm tempted to put the FLAC files on it, and then use a single disk NAS drive for backup, and playback via my laptop / Hifi.

 

[Anonymous]

Sounds like a good plan. To use the auto transcode in media monkey, you need to pay for the gold version, but it is only about $20 for a lifetime liscence to all future gold versions. If you have a dual core (or better) processor, the transcoding from FLAC to MP3 is very fast, unfortunately my computer is a bit older and so takes its time.

You really only need a NAS if multiple devices need access to the files (e.g. a music streamer and a PC) and you don't wnat your PC on whilst listening to the music. If you don't have multiple devices that will use the files, or you don't mind having your PC on, then its much cheaper and easier to store the files on your 500GB computer HDD.

As for backup, just keep the original CDs. Failing that, the safest backup is to burn the FLAC files to CD or DVD since you can store the backup CD/DVDs safely out of the way, whereas a NAS is still vulnberable to the same dangers as a PC. CDs and DVDs are also a lot cheaper than a NAS and don't use electricity all the time!

 

[professorhat]

Or if you just want a drive for backup only, a simple Firewire / USB hard disk would be cheaper than a NAS.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the advice, looks like I'm gonna save myself some money.
Which can go into my new TV fund.

I will burn the FLAC's to DVD, I have an external USB hard drive, but its full of other stuff.

My PC is a dual processor, so FLAC on the fly could be an option.

Any idea how much space about 800 CD's will take once converted to FLAC?

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks fr0g.

I'm nearly ready to start. Have been doing a bit of research regarding EAC,
and was intending to configure as per
http://www.lunetta.net/lossless/#eac-config,
Does it seem reasonable settings. Sorry if I'm going on a bit, but this is something I only want to do once!

 

[Anonymous]

I agree, may as well create the playlist whilst doing the rip.

Will try a few test rips, and see how I get on.

Thanks for the advice.

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="willi333"]
Any idea how much space about 800 CD's will take once converted to FLAC?

[/quote]

Wow, thats a lot of CDs to rip! should keep you occupied for a while.

You will need about 70 single layer DVDs to store the FLAC files on, and you can pick up a spindle of 100 DVDs from a decent brand for between £10 and £15.

You could also use Dual Layer disks in which case you will need about 35 - 40 discs, however these are just under double the capacity of a single layer disk, but cost quite a lot more, so it would cost about £25, but they are more convenient since there are less to store.

Hopefully in a year or so Blu ray recorder drives and media should be reasonably priced allowing you to backup your entire collection on a few discs

 

[Anonymous]

I already sync my other data from the hard drive to an external USB drive
So I'll just have to fork out for another one. Thanks for the link to Aria

I have ripped my first three CD's without a problem using EAC.
Think I will still be hard at it in 12 months time. God what have I started!

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="fr0g"]Not being funny, but it would be much easier, and no more expensive to simply buy a cheap USB external drive such as this rather than faffing around with burning 40 DVDs!!! [/quote]

Thats ok, but when I first suggested using DVDs, I didn't know how many CDs he had. For the large amount that he wants to back up, a USB HDD would indeed be more convenient to begin with, but I have found in the past that the best form of backup is removeable media since it is much less prone to damage and malfunction and can be stored away in a safe place, which is afterall the point of a backup. Even if 1 DVD did get damaged, then the majority of the music collection would still be fine. If you drop a USB HDD, it will probably be knackered.

Once the backup DVDs for your current albums are burnt, there will not be much difference in convenience between a USB HDD will not be much since these are a backup afterall. It would only mean burning 1 Dual layer DVD for approximately every 25 new albums or so, which shouldnt be much of a problem. Someone who currently has 800 CDs can surely find space for about 40 backup DVDs.

Also that USB drive is more than twice the price of the DVD option, and cost could be an important factor for willi333, the £35ish difference could buy quite a few more albums, go towards a TV or HiFi equipment, or get you a damn good night out (OR at least it can up here in newcastle

)

 

[Anonymous]

Have just ordered the Freecom 500GB 7200RPM 16MB USB2 3.5"

 

[Anonymous]

All

Just wanted to bring a few things here which may be of interest - some with my sales hat on and some with my sales hat off.....

Off : as an alternative to EAC, try our freeware - www.ripstationmicro.com , free, professional cover art , error checking and fast - try it and I think you'll like it ....

On: NAS with integrated CD ripping - www.ripfactory.com/ripserver

I'd also concur with others here on the merits of a couple of USB backups - quick and easy.

as a note, we drive most of the automated cd ripping systems worldwide so happy to add our little bit of experience here on the forums , feel free to throw questions in my direction...

 

[PJPro]

[quote user="fr0g"][quote user="ripfactory"]

All

Just wanted to bring a few things here which may be of interest - some with my sales hat on and some with my sales hat off.....

Off : as an alternative to EAC, try our freeware - www.ripstationmicro.com , free, professional cover art , error checking and fast - try it and I think you'll like it ....

On: NAS with integrated CD ripping - www.ripfactory.com/ripserver

I'd also concur with others here on the merits of a couple of USB backups - quick and easy.

as a note, we drive most of the automated cd ripping systems worldwide so happy to add our little bit of experience here on the forums , feel free to throw questions in my direction...

[/quote] Okay a quick (1 track) test, and the WAV from EAC and the WAV from ripstation are different lengths... ?

(And I am pretty certain the EAC produced WAV is accurate)?
I think for best quality purposes I will stick with EAC using LAME or FLAC as external encoders.
The metadata collection does look good though.
[/quote]
Enough said. EAC for me.

 

[Anonymous]

ideally you should buy a q-nap http://www.qnap.co.uk/ nas as they support itunes and have twonkyserver built in (allows streaming to a PS3 etc). As for playback software, you cant beat the support offered by Dbpoweramps Digital audio player. With the codecs installed (available on the site (follow the links to the legacy codecs!) it supports apple Lossless, Flac, mp3, etc etc, any format you could possibly mention and its free. The company also sells software for converting audio from any format to anything you like, ie, from apple lossless to flac, flac to apple lossless etc etc

www.dbpoweramp.com

 

[Anonymous]

bionicvapourboy, thanks for the info, i'll check out the sites you mentioned.

 

[Anonymous]

You're welcome! Im currently ripping alot of cd's myself, dbpoweramp rips directly to any format you like too!