NAS with MusicBee directly to HiFi via cable, playback controlled via Android Ap

[deeno]

Dear MB forum,

currently I am using a Synology NAS with an USB AudioCard, connected directly to my HiFi system. Music is played back directly from the NAS (no streaming), but controlled via an Android App.

Due to the fact, that Synology has not been including the much requested sound normalization support for years now, I am looking for alternatives to my setup.

I came upon MusicBee, which looks very promising.

Is it possible to run a similar setup with it? If yes, what would this be? I am aware, that the NAS should run Windows in order to work with MB.

All best and thanks in advance for any idea/answer/suggestion!

Deeno

[frankz]

Yes, it is possible.  There is an Android app to control MB.

https://getmusicbee.com/addons/plugins/75/musicbee-remote-plugin/

[deeno]

Thanks! Just tested it, works great so far.

Next step would be to find a solution where MB can run on a NAS-like Windows based device, without WIN-Login (because that device will be hidden behind/inside a tray - so no screen) and where MB would run on startup. Any ideas/suggestions/experience with a similar setup? The idea is that 2-3 Android devices in our household can playback the stored music.

I just found online the following (ASRock J5005...):
https://www.newegg.com/asrock-j5005-itx-mini-itx/p/N82E16813157808
Could this be a suitable solution?
As far as I can tell right now, I would need to include some RAM modules and the HDs for the music collection.
- How much RAM would be recommended for MB?
- Does it make sense to have the MB installation on a separate HD (maybe a SDD?) as the music collection in terms of speed? I read about other solutions (like ROON for example) where they recommend having that because of the DB the application creates and manages...

Best regards

[frankz]

I have all of my music files sitting on my desktop computer in a network share (effectively a NAS as far as function). 

I have MB installed on that computer, on a laptop, and, in my living room, running quite capably on one of these connected to my home theater receiver.

MB is very light on resources. The library database is pretty small. It does create a lot of image files for artists and stuff that take up considerable storage space.  Maybe you can find a way to stop that, or maybe someone knows how, but I haven't looked into it because it hasn't bothered me.

[Mr. Trev]

I have all of my music files sitting on my desktop computer in a network share (effectively a NAS as far as function).  

I have MB installed on that computer, on a laptop, and, in my living room, running quite capably on one of these connected to my home theater receiver.

MB is very light on resources. The library database is pretty small. It does create a lot of image files for artists and stuff that take up considerable storage space.  Maybe you can find a way to stop that, or maybe someone knows how, but I haven't looked into it because it hasn't bothered me.

Hmm, I'm curious now…

So do you just have MB set to auto start on your desktop pc and just leave it running?
I'm currently running DAPhile as my server off my old laptop. The laptop is a dual boot with Win7 and I've never really thought about using MB as a headless music server on its own.

[frankz]

You're thinking of my setup the wrong way. It's not a server/client situation. All three installs are clients that access a central MusicBee library (database) and shared music files.  When I'm in the living room, I open MB on the living room mini PC and then operate it with the android remote.  When I'm in my den, I open MusicBee on my laptop.  When I'm at my desk, I open MB on the desktop.

The only caveat is that I wouldn't have more than one instance of MB open at any given time or you risk corrupting your library.

What I was suggesting for you is a Mini PC hooked up to your entertainment system with MB installed.  It can't be truly headless because you can't maintain / add to your library with the android remote program.  That app is only to control playback.  To do these maintenance things on my minipc, I use Chrome Remote Desktop from my desktop computer into the minipc.  That way I don't have to have a keyboard/mouse for it.  You can set MB to open with windows so you don't have to Remote Desktop each time to do it.  It won't be a problem if you only have one install.  I wouldn't do that if you have more than one.

Keep your music files on your NAS and save your MB library database to it, too.  That way whatever limited storage in on the minipc can be used to MB's temporary files (and Chrome, which you'll need to install to use Chrome Remote Desktop).  For playback, use the Android Remote app.

[phred]

To do these maintenance things on my minipc, I use Chrome Remote Desktop from my desktop computer into the minipc.  That way I don't have to have a keyboard/mouse for it.

...

Keep your music files on your NAS and save your MB library database to it, too.  That way whatever limited storage in on the minipc can be used to MB's temporary files (and Chrome, which you'll need to install to use Chrome Remote Desktop).

To all who are toying with trying this, I suggest looking at a VNC instead of Chrome Remote Desktop. Especially if you're not a fan of the Chrome/Google syndicate. I have been using TightVNC for many, many years. It's free and it's lightweight. I have a PC that is headless (no keyboard, mouse, or monitor) and I use TightVNC to access it whenever I need. There's also an Android version called Remote Ripple from the same developer.

[Mr. Trev]

You're thinking of my setup the wrong way. It's not a server/client situation. All three installs are clients that access a central MusicBee library (database) and shared music files.  When I'm in the living room, I open MB on the living room mini PC and then operate it with the android remote.  When I'm in my den, I open MusicBee on my laptop.  When I'm at my desk, I open MB on the desktop.

The only caveat is that I wouldn't have more than one instance of MB open at any given time or you risk corrupting your library.

What I was suggesting for you is a Mini PC hooked up to your entertainment system with MB installed.  It can't be truly headless because you can't maintain / add to your library with the android remote program.  That app is only to control playback.  To do these maintenance things on my minipc, I use Chrome Remote Desktop from my desktop computer into the minipc.  That way I don't have to have a keyboard/mouse for it.  You can set MB to open with windows so you don't have to Remote Desktop each time to do it.  It won't be a problem if you only have one install.  I wouldn't do that if you have more than one.

Keep your music files on your NAS and save your MB library database to it, too.  That way whatever limited storage in on the minipc can be used to MB's temporary files (and Chrome, which you'll need to install to use Chrome Remote Desktop).  For playback, use the Android Remote app.

Ah, I see. That is a bit different than what I was thinking, but it should still be possible for me. MB on my old laptop is just a copy of the portable setup on my new(er) laptop. I use it for playback only, so the app should still work for my use.

I do have my music files on the NAS, but the one time I tried putting the MB database on it too, the file paths got horribly corrupted. Not sure how it happened, never had MB running on more than 1 computer at a time and as I mentioned earlier, only use my newer laptop for maintaining the library.

[deeno]

Great stuff so far!
Especially the two suggestions for remote controlling the headless MiniPC with the MB instance on it.
Will try out soon!