lamstones

Hi I have ripped all my CDs into Apple Lossless format and stored on a Synology DS409 NAS. I have updated all latest S/W on this NAS. This is connected to a Mac Mini (10.6.3) running latest itunes. The Mac is then plugged into my amp via a Benchmark DAC. So far so good. Most files play fine except there are always tracks within some album that itunes complains not finding the file. I deleted and re-loaded all the files into itunes. I have tried physically linking missing tracks to the itunes library but sometimes it losses the location info again. If I look into the file info, the non-playable tracks will always have this location file://localhost/volumes/music/itunes/...album and track name. While the error free racks will be music:itunes1/...album and track name. I connect the NAS using Connect Server at boot up and since itunes can find most tracks there is no reason to think it is the file or directory problem. What am I missing?

Plugging a screen into the mini, I found that all is well for the first album, then I get all kind of error messages but "(-1409) itune library cannot be saved" is the most common. On looking into the iTune preferences, my library location will have been changed from my set "volume/music/iTunes1" to "volume/music/iTunes1/automatically add to iTunes". It is as if playing the first album causes the library location to change. Obviously then cannot play any subsequent music! Has anyone seen this before?

Ditto - I store everything in a folder mirroring the 'music' folder on the NAS. Still cannot work out why other applications can find the NAS after MacMini been asleep but not itune? Should it wake with the same condition as prior to sleep? I now have turned the itune server option off on the NAS. For now my only option is to turn the Mini off after each use.

After a few more experiments, I find that the problem does not seem to be the disk not being mounted as NAS1 continue to be shown in the iTune'Share' option and I can play the music from there. It just seems that the main iTune index cannot locate the files on the NAS. However I have changed nothing before and after the hibernation?

Funny you raised that issue! I also have a Squeezebox Boom running in the network and one of the issue is that it keeps the NAS awake even though it is set to hibernate after a couple of hours. So right now, I don't think the NAS (a Synology 409 with 4 1T Western Digital disks) is hibernating. At least my MacPro, on the same network, does not seem to have any problem talking to the NAS every hour for the Time Machine back up. Is there any harm just leaving the NAS on all the time?

Chris Thanks for the prompt reply - alas day job kept me from responding! All my media files, together with the library index (.itl, .xml) etc are all stored on the NAS. So I do get the 'not finding files error' message. It works fine if I turned off the Mini every time and turn it on to use. If I leave it to hibernate for a while then the problem of not finding the files occurs when I come to play the music. Looks like the mounted NAS disappears when it hibernates. Is this right? Anything I can do to keep it mounted? Thanks

My set up is Synology NAS ->LAN -> MacMini ->iTunes -> Benchmark DAC -> Jeff Howland Amp. I have it all set up and music playing fine. But lately I found that if I play the music after a day or two of gap, iTunes cannot find the media files. When I look into the Preferences tab, under where library files are stored, it would have changed from what I set up, which is NAS1/music/itunes1 to something else. Yesterday it changed to NAS1/music/itunes1/automatically add to itunes. I have absolutely done nothing to change the set up and the computer has not been turned off, just hibernated. What am I doing wrong?? Thanks

Have put the SB Boom in for 3 days now and the wireless drop out - especially on streaming Internet Radios - is regular enough to be annoying. Next step will set Squeezebox server up on my Synology and test how music within the same network will fare. I do not have any Aiport Extreme or Express in the 'music' network except for the remote iPhone (the Mac Mini is wired and its wifi turned off to keep processing on the machines minimal). Next I will try a pair of Ethernet over Power plugs to see if it will improve the drop out. Reason for opting for the SB Boom is the ability to play different music in different rooms. Also the iPhone is already working hard enough without fear of being dropped into boiling water! Sound wise it is good enough for background music but for my ears it is very forward and a bit "tinny" - but then I am used to listening to speakers in wooden boxes!

This set up is in the kitchen so, while not aiming for the high end, the sound would still needs to be not tiring on the ears. I am a bit worried about the WiFi stability especially when I live in Hong Kong with internal concrete walls. Does anyone know whether the Aiport Express is a better wireless streamer than the SB? My router is a Linksys supplied by the phone company, not Aipport Extreme. I can try to use Ethernet over Power to extend network to the kitchen but has any one had good experience with 'wired' streamers other than SB?

Got the main set up going, now trying to extend it to kitchen wirelessly. 2 options come to mind; 1) Airport express + a pair of active speakers (hard to put any DAC or amp there). But this would need to go through iTune on Mac Mini. 2) Squeezebox Boom accessing music files directly on NAS Can anyone comment on the relative stability and sound quality of the two options?

Just want to say thank you for all the help from you guys. From a total newbie, I am now proud owner of the set up as below. Music quality far exceeds my expectation - I am still a vinyl addict and this set up is for everyday listening :-). Now I am on the first step, all the possibilities awaits me....AIFF files, Amarra or similar, better DAC and that's before playing around with power and cables!! BTW what would you say will be the first tweak that will improve the 'musicality' most?? I am most interested in the results rather than the technology. Wai Yee

I believe I did that and what ended up was a list of the songs in my iTune library but when I click onto the song, it says it cannot locate the file. I have to physically either play or drag that song into iTune. Was hoping to avoid having to do this a few thousand times!

Thanks for the suggestion. By iTune window I presume you mean on my Mac Pro or Mac Mini. So there is no other way of creating the library file except to drag each of the ALAC files manually into iTune? Just that there is about 200G of music!! I tried just dragging the folder of files in and no can do!

A friend has given me a copy of my CDs which he ripped into Apple Lossless files via itune except he only gave me the music files and not any of the library or album cover files. I have my brand new NAS and mac Mini blinking at me waiting to be loaded up. What is the quickest and most painless way to turn these files into an itune library on my NAS that both my new Mac Mini and Mac Pro can access? Mac Mini is to be the music sever and the Mac Pro for maintenance and day job! Thanks guys. Wai Yee

Which cable did you use at the end? Have you tried HiFace yet? Just wonder if it is worth the effort? Thanks