Ripped first CD to Apple Lossless. Time for a NAS ?

[richardw42]

I've used iTunes for some time, but just got round to ripping a CD in Lossless.

Almost half a gigabyte !!!. Thinking about it I should have known, but still a little shocked. As my PC is only 320 GB, think I'd best get a NAS pretty sharpish.

Can you reccommend one, preferably idiot proof.

Although I buy all these gadgets I do tend to bluff my way through somewhat.

Any help gratefully received.

Also I understand I can downgrade files when syncing to an ipod or ipad. Is this easy to do ?

 

[professorhat]

I've used iTunes for some time, but just got round to ripping a CD in Lossless.

Almost half a gigabyte !!!. Thinking about it I should have known, but still a little shocked. As my PC is only 320 GB, think I'd best get a NAS pretty sharpish.

Can you reccommend one, preferably idiot proof.

Although I buy all these gadgets I do tend to bluff my way through somewhat.

Any help gratefully received.

There are sooo many different NAS devices, it's tricky to pick one out from all the others. I personally use a Buffalo Terastation which I bought many moons ago, but if I were to choose today, I may well get a different one. Is this purely going to be for music or would you perhaps store photos, videos on it as well? Would you have any requirements of it other than to store files and serve them to the network e.g. some NAS devices can be DLNA compatible to allow devices like your TV or AV receiver to talk directly to them? Or perhaps iTunes Server would be useful (allowing you to access the NAS through as a Shared device within iTunes? Would you want RAID built in (i.e. the ability to mirror disks or make one a parity disk, protecting you from data loss if one disk fails)? And are you likely to want to upgrade it in the future to allow you to get more storage? Finally, do you have a price in mind?!

Also I understand I can downgrade files when syncing to an ipod or ipad. Is this easy to do ?

There's a tick box on your iPod Touch / iPhone / iPad when you connect it into iTunes which says to "Convert higher bit rate songs to 128 kbps AAC" - tick this to do this. That's your only option though, and it will mean syncing songs will take a while as this process occurs.

 

[MajorFubar]

I've used iTunes for some time, but just got round to ripping a CD in Lossless.
Almost half a gigabyte !!!. Thinking about it I should have known, but still a little shocked.

Uncompressed, a full CD is about 700Mb, and lossless compression won't give you huge savings because the codec needs enough data to be able to exactly reconstruct the file. You could always instead consider ripping to 320Kbps MP3, which will give you much better compression. There are people who swear blind they can't tell the difference (and also say that those who can tell the difference are kidding themselves), and some others who can tell the difference say it's not big enough to worry about in most cases. Certainly worth considering as an option

 

[richardw42]

Prof : I really want to keep it as easy as possible. The RAID is what I'd like (always nice to have a back up). I guess 2 x 1TB will see me ok for the foreseeable future. I'd like to be able to shove my current iTunes onto the NAS, and also any future rips and downloads go to the NAS. When you open iTunes can it automatically open to the NAS? It's really only to service my Sonos' and I wouldn't intend keeping photos or anything else on it or even bothering with DLNA capabilities. Budget not too much of an issue as simplicity and usability is number one.

 

[richardw42]

Major : what do you think could be a good compromise in file size to quality ?

 

[The_Lhc]

Prof : I really want to keep it as easy as possible. The RAID is what I'd like (always nice to have a back up).

RAID is NOT a backup, it protects you from one disk failing, nothing else.

 

[professorhat]

Prof : I really want to keep it as easy as possible. The RAID is what I'd like (always nice to have a back up). I guess 2 x 1TB will see me ok for the foreseeable future. I'd like to be able to shove my current iTunes onto the NAS, and also any future rips and downloads go to the NAS ... It's really only to service my Sonos' and I wouldn't intend keeping photos or anything else on it or even bothering with DLNA capabilities. Budget not too much of an issue as simplicity and usability is number one.

Okay, groovy, any old NAS with RAID will do then I would say. Looking at dabs.com, looks like £270 - £300 is your budget. There's the Buffalo 4 TB LinkStation Duo or the TeraStation Duo - the advantage of the TeraStation is the hot swap disks - this makes things easier if you do need to replace a disk as they simply slide out. There's also the Seagate 4 TB BlackArmor NAS and the LaCie 4 TB Network Space MAX. I have no experience really with these but they all have 2x 2 TB disks so you can set to RAID 1 to ensure if one disk goes pop, everything will still be on the second disk. Hopefully some other people can make some recommendations, though my Buffalo TeraStation is about 4 or 5 years old now and is still going strong.

However, as The_Lhc has already commented, it's important to distinguish RAID from backups - RAID is about redundancy i.e. if one disk fails, your data is still safe on the other disk. You then need to replace the faulty disk to ensure everything is protected again. I would stress that you still need a backup with this though - RAID doesn't protect against a file getting corrupted or accidentally deleted (as it will be simply be corrupted or deleted on the other disk too). So you should really get yourself a cheap 2 TB USB disk as well to periodically back everything up to, just in case.

When you open iTunes can it automatically open to the NAS?

Yup, just follow WHF's video to relocate your iTunes to the NAS.

 

[MajorFubar]

Major : what do you think could be a good compromise in file size to quality ?

With MP3, don't go less than 320Kbps. You still get great file-size compression and 8 out of 10 cats said their owners can't tell the difference between 320K MP3 and WAV/lossless.

That said, I'm a WAV/FLAC/ALAC man all the way, except in the car and on my phone.

 

[michael hoy]

However, as The_Lhc has already commented, it's important to distinguish RAID from backups - RAID is about redundancy i.e. if one disk fails, your data is still safe on the other disk. You then need to replace the faulty disk to ensure everything is protected again. I would stress that you still need a backup with this though - RAID doesn't protect against a file getting corrupted or accidentally deleted (as it will be simply be corrupted or deleted on the other disk too). So you should really get yourself a cheap 2 TB USB disk as well to periodically back everything up to, just in case.

The above is just what I do with my server, I have a 250GB drive partitioned for the OS (WHS 2011) and program installation.

I then have a 2TB drive for my Music, this is then mirrored to identical 250GB and 2TB drives, I also have a external 2TB drive which backs up the OS and my Music.

HP currently have a £100.00 cash back offer on the proliant server from £225.00 (£125.00 after cash back), add WHS 2011 from £39.00, you would have to add a 1 or 2TB drive on top but this works very well.

Just a thought if you wanted an alternative device.

 

[BillDay66]

Ive got a 1TB WD MyBookLive very simple, quite limited features but does exactly what you want it to do with very little faffing about for about £80 -£90

I also keep a back up on a USB drive, which I manually back up with a free program called MS SyncToy. A raid drive will obviously do this automatically but I like to do it manually and make sure it done...I know, buts thats me and besides I have to have something to do instead of finding cds :type:

Alternatively my brother has a Netgear ReadyNas about £200 from eBuyer which has all manner of whistles and bells, including replaceable drives, usb slots etc - but then you'll have to leave it alone and trust its working :O

 

[Anonymous]

Just buy a cheap external HD, you already have backup with your iPod and can put the tunes back if required. I bought a Western Digital 250 GB Elements for £24 on eBay. Works a treat, discrete and uber portable.

 

[Anonymous]

Yep, it's already been said.

Buy a couple (or one) external HDs. I use 2 x WD Elements. Nice looking and £50 each. For 1Tb that is.

Sling all you want on there.

 

[PEAYEL]

Hello. why don't you take a look at (Google) ........ LIV Digital Home Technology. They do both 2tb raid and non-raid NAS devices and are plug in and play. They use Vortexbox software, which is a breeze to use. They will set it up to work with Sonos, mirror to mp3, and have the ability to store/rip movies, pictures etc and stream them around the house and will work with your Ipod/itunes.We also store our Docs on it for sharing from the laptops/PCs. Their units can also provide you with an output to an amp and have a headphone output. They are also knowledgable and provide good service after the purchase. I have ripped up to N (1,499 cds) and have not had a single problem thus far.

I am a Techhead...... Seriously, but ,I choose this because I have over 2,500 CDs and needed the ability for both my wife and son to buy/select a cd, pop it in the tray, wait a few minutes, select sonos index update and they can listen to it. No waiting for me to do it when i get in and no nagging. Result, sinple to use, and all are happy with the system.
Good luck.