sashua

Anyone else have a suggestion for a Windows program to remove all the underscores?

I am one of the few I-tunes holdouts. No, this is just a simple external hard drive with about 4TB of FLAC files on it. All the file names and the individual tracks were ripped on a Meridian Sooloos so they all have that universal format with underscores between each word. The tags are fine and they show up correctly on my Linn DS but they are a PITA when it comes to organizing and reading the file names on a computer. You could probably write me a Unix code script to fix this but seeing as how I don't even know what that IS (my guess is that it is a type of soft cheese, generally served with a rich Bordeaux) I suppose it might be lost on me :-)

Anybody?

I would like to find a single software solution (or 2 different ones if need be) to help me with the following chores: 1. Re-tagging files with a simple right click interface if possible. I tried "Tag and Rename" and I just don't want to invest the time needed to learn this program unless it is the only viable solution. I need something simpler :-) 2. I have a NAS full of Flac audio files from a friend. All the titles have underscores everywhere. I need a simple, easy to use batch converter that will take all these FLAC folders and convert them and their contents into plain readable text with all the spaces properly in place. Could I please have some suggestions for software to accomplish the above with the least time invested and the minimal amount of brain-power required? Thanks!!!!! Russ

Agreed. We seem to be in the same place here. I wonder if Jesus over at Sonore would take up the flag with something like this. Seems to me that he has the market for it.

Can someone here tell me what options exist (if any) for playing multi-channel FLAC files through a music server? I assume it would need to be a computer-based solution with dedicated analog outs? Is there even a software player that will play them? I'm new to this whole game and would appreciate knowing all the options to pulling an SACD or DVD Audio off the shelf and loading it into the OPPO BDP95 (just imagine the physical effort required LOL) Thanks all!

Catastrofe, When you say that Sonore runs Vortexbox directly, what exactly do you mean? Wouldnt a Linn DS also "run" Vortexbox? Is there some interface required that I am perhaps unaware of? As far as I know, Vortexbox is just a ripping NAS drive that runs on a Linux based platform. Similar to my RipNAS but (hopefully) more stable and with better customer support. Am I missing a major difference? What advantage would Sonore plus a DAC offer over a Linn device?

I am sorry for not responding to all these wonderful posts. I have been without power since Ilene hit us here on Long Island about a week ago. I have had my hands full! I have weighed all the various +/- and here is what I have decided to do. I will buy a VortexBox 6TB Music box and transfer all my files over from the Ripnas. I will then erase the drives on the Ripnas and replace the bum drive. I will then sell the Ripnas. I no longer have any faith in the company and their service is not only non-existant but what little they offer is either bad information or deceitful. Someone smarter than myself who needs no help with such gear will make good use of this unit as it is very slick and high-end looking. I will buy a Linn Renew or Akurate DS as an interface for the VortexBox. For software I would like to use Sonata, which is based on the JRiver platform I understand. Is this possible or does Linn have a proprietary GUI? Does anyone know? I think staying with a networked solution through UpNP is the right choice for me. I'd like to be a tweaker and do the whole thing through a computer based platform but I know that it is not in my heart and with my lack of interest in I-Tunes I believe that this is my safest and most stable move. I'd love to hear your opinions on my decision. I realize there will be those who agree and those who disagree but the opinions that help me the most are the ones that tell me if the decision is somewhat stable and less likely to self destruct over the coming years :-) Thanks VERY MUCH to everyone who responded to my post and invested their precious time into helping me with expert advice! -Russ

Barrows, While I can afford top notch gear I am not in the camp of those who spend money haphazardly. I have heard the KLIMAX DS and it is brilliant but I am concerned that music servers of ANY variety are doomed to an early death because the state of the art is changing faster in this area than in any other. It may also be a misapprehension but I just assumed that setting up something modular that would perhaps include a USB/SPDIF convertor and a good DAC along with some software solution like JRiver would be more future proof. Spending 3-5 grand and finding your equipment redundant a year later stings...but a lot less than 16-20 Grand :-)

I have the 861 V4.2. The latest iteration before the V6. Does this mean that I can't use the Sooloos because of a lack of card support?

As I stated previously, for better or for worse I have spent the last 8 months of my life loading thousands of CD's into my RipNAS and transferring hundreds of high resolution downloads in 24/96 and 24/192 to it.....all in FLAC. My understanding of I-Tunes is that it will not play FLAC and I dislike the other 2 options: 1. Convert everything over to Apple Lossless and take a chance that there will be artifacts, lost bits and bytes, compression causing loss to microphonics, etc. 2. Re-Rip everything and invest another 8 months of my precious time. I have nothing against Apple and I think their interface is brilliant. It's just that there are too many compromises required to implement their solution. Of course my evaluation here could be wrong so I allow for my inexperience to be corrected by more educated and learned people :-) Russ

Great and very helpful posting! Currently I am using a Meridian 861 Controller and a Quad set of Spectron amplifiers running a surround setup of MBL 101's. I have an OPPO BDP-95 for all my various silver disc needs. This unit also streams data by the by. I am not playing any computer audio from my RipNAS through this system yet. At the moment I am at the stage where I have just finished spending the last 8 months of my life getting my entire collection of music onto the RipNAS. I can play any of the files through my computer system and my computer is hard wired to my audio room through a network hub so I can plug in directly or stream as I choose. Everything on the RipNAS is in FLAC format so I suppose that I-Tunes is out of the question, right? In any case, the J-River Sonata software looks like a pretty sweet interface for my I-PAD. The main goal is great sound but I am confused as to what needs to connect to what really. Do I just buy a great DAC and the software for my computer and I am done or do I need one of these servers? I'd rather persist and fix the RipNAS or swap the drives into something like it. I'm afraid that I am a bit excessive and impulsive so my already enormous collection is likely to keep growing at a rapid rate. I need the ability to keep expanding my storage capacity and many of these music servers are either limited to their own storage space or else the expansion possibilities (as in the case of Sooloos for instance) are ridiculously expensive. I don't mind spending money for great value but when you buy a pair of 1TB hard drives in a slick Meridian box and pay $2K for the privilege I believe you have crossed the line from audiophile to audiophool.

Wow, lots of praise for Jesus ;-) O.K. I will be contacting him on Monday then. Meantime I couldn't agree more about all the RipNAS comments. I really put my faith in them. They are a German company and they have no real representation in the USA except for one company in Connecticut that handles repairs for them. You can't get support from Germany. The UK "team" that handles telephone support wants to charge me $150.00/hr. for it and the one place in Connecticut scammed me and tried to charge me for nothing (I have since had the charges reversed). Stay away from that company people! I will be happy to find another solution and maybe Jesus or one of the kind people here that have offered me help privately will move me towards a solution. Bottom line is that I want to thank you all. You have made me feel very welcome here. Please keep the help and the tips coming because when all this helpful advice begins to ebb, I will have some possibilities on the table to dissect and choose from! Russ

Thanks for the replies! I suppose that some clarification is needed here. I have already transferred all of collection, including many high rez files to my RipNAS. That part is done. I only need to repair or replace the bad drive (which I do not know how to do....it has the OS on it and it is one of a pair in a RAID Mirror). I also need an interface and I dislike I-tunes because of it's proprietary nature and it's Big Brother politics. I admit that this may be the inexperience talking though. Is I-tunes compatible with 192Khz sample rate files? I just need an overall solution that comes with someone to help me implement it. I can look through this site and the others that are recommended for info. I can compile options and explore their differences. There is no substitute, however, for personal help and advice from someone that can field specific questions as they arise.

This is my first post here friends so be gentle :-) I'll start by apologizing but I am not very experienced and need to ask for help. The first step is admitting that you have a problem, right? I hate to be in a position to have to ask for help because I am usually very independent...but I need the help so here I am. I am trying to make the transition from the guy who has 4000 CD's littered all over my house to the guy who has everything organized and file stored in a few small electronic devices. To this end I made a decision and purchased a RipNAS unit and extension drive. I now have a RAID mirrored setup with 4TB of storage (2TB for music and 2TB for mirror). For those of you who don't know this piece of gear it is a basically a NAS storage drive mated to a slot loaded TEAC disc drive with it's own OS that rips the CD's and downloads the cover art. It's great...but the main drive with the OS on it keeps going critical on me. I sent it to a RipNAS authorized repair center and they sent it back to me with nothing done to it. They charged me for a replacement drive but the serial number on the one inside is still the same. Essentially....I got the shaft. Now I am left with a big NAS HD with issues and no interface. This brings me to issue #2. I don't know how to go about interfacing this with my high end audio system. I was thinking about buying a Sooloos or Linn but they are a lot of money for something that will probably hit the redundant gear wall within a year. I want something that is truly a great sounding high end solution but that can be changed and upgraded over the next few years. A modular solution with maybe a really good DAC, an I-PAD GUI like J-River (no I-Tunes...yuk) and a better storage solution than the RipNAS if I can't figure out how to fix this damned thing. Here, finally, is the offer I will make. Anyone that is willing to contact me and walk me through a solution and then talk me through getting it up to speed will get a gift of high resolution music. It is a very big gift but I am new here and do not want to break any rules so let's just say for the time being that it will be a very, very worthwhile effort for the brave soul who is willing to offer me the necessary guidance. Now, I know that this site exists to help each other with just this kind of thing but the reward is just my way of saying thank you. I know this is not going to happen with a single posting worth of good advice...I need some serious hand holding here. I would love to hear from someone close to Long Island, NY so we can tweak the system together in person but I am not greedy and beggars can't always be choosers. I am happy to invest the money necessary to see this through and I am open to custom solutions. O.K. - enough said and sorry for the massive bandwith drain here :-) Contact Russ at [email protected]