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iTunes - HQPlayer front-end re-visited


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Hi All,

 

I decided to completely re-write my iTunes to HQPlayer front end.

 

The new version is attached. The interface for choosing preferences is now based on Obj-C. This has allowed me to present all prefs in a single window.

 

Once your prefs are set you can choose to not show these prefs again. If you do that the only way to get them back will be to delete the .plist file in your ~Library/iTunes/Scripts folder.

 

This feature was suggested by Carl for headless server operation. Thanks Carl and thanks also for your testing and feedback during this development.

 

In case any of you are still using the old version, you will need to delete the .plist file produced by that version before using this one.

 

All required files are now bundled with the single app, apart from that .plist file which must be produced by the app.

 

The creation of temp files is now optional, if your files are in a format, such as '.aif' which is supported by HQPlayer.

 

I haven't got around to revising the manual yet. Hopefully though it's fairly self explanatory and you'll all be able to figure it out.

 

Geoff

 

 

iTunes - HQPlayer Server.app.zip

Owner of: Sound Galleries, High-End Audio Dealer, Monaco

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Congratulations on learning AppleScript Objective-C!  That's something I look forward to tackling.  Did you rely primarily on Shane Stanley's book?  Do you recommend any other Obj-C books or tutorials?

 

I've been reading Apple's iBook "App Development with Swift".  I recommend it if you want to learn to use NSURLSession.

HQPlayer (on 3.8 GHz 8-core i7 iMac 2020) > NAA (on 2012 Mac Mini i7) > RME ADI-2 v2 > Benchmark AHB-2 > Thiel 3.7

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On 12/15/2017 at 2:17 AM, Geoffrey Armstrong said:

Hi All,

 

I decided to completely re-write my iTunes to HQPlayer front end.

 

The new version is attached. The interface for choosing preferences is now based on Obj-C. This has allowed me to present all prefs in a single window.

 

Once your prefs are set you can choose to not show these prefs again. If you do that the only way to get them back will be to delete the .plist file in your ~Library/iTunes/Scripts folder.

 

This feature was suggested by Carl for headless server operation. Thanks Carl and thanks also for your testing and feedback during this development.

 

In case any of you are still using the old version, you will need to delete the .plist file produced by that version before using this one.

 

All required files are now bundled with the single app, apart from that .plist file which must be produced by the app.

 

The creation of temp files is now optional, if your files are in a format, such as '.aif' which is supported by HQPlayer.

 

I haven't got around to revising the manual yet. Hopefully though it's fairly self explanatory and you'll all be able to figure it out.

 

Geoff

 

 

iTunes - HQPlayer Server.app.zip

 

Thanks so much for putting this together.  I'm not enamored with Roon, so this is a very inviting  alternative.

 

1) With your app, HQP and iTunes launched - the volume in iTunes automatically goes down to zero.  When I turn it back up, it stays up for a few seconds, and then returns to no volume.  I did this over and over, same result.  What can I do to fix this?

 

2) Do you have a manual that explains how to fill out the preferences? I didn't alter anything, and the ones in the attached photo, I had no idea what to put.

 

Thanks again! 

Screen Shot 2017-12-16 at 2.53.05 PM.png

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Geoffrey, as you know I love HQPlayer and appreciated your JRiver work.  But on this one I am totally flummoxed; is this MAC only?  What about those file formats not supported by iTunes (my majority, i.e DSF and FLAC)?  Is the Apple remote app in play?  Where is an overview of this project?  You mention a manual but I found none in the attached zip file.  Thx

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I sort of figured out the volume issue.  It was turned down in HQP.  Turned it back up, and was ok.

 

First, it sounds amazing paired with iTunes.  But, right off the bat, had a number of bugs.

 

1) I paused a song in iTunes due to a phone call.  Had the song start over.  It started over in iTunes, but continued at the previous stoppage point in HQP.

 

2) After the first song - which sounded so so good - I switched to another song in iTunes.  HQP and your HQP server app could not make the transition.  Both froze and I had to quit.

 

So your app worked great for one song as long as there aren't any pauses!

 

Advice is welcome.

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6 hours ago, DancingSea said:

 

Thanks so much for putting this together.  I'm not enamored with Roon, so this is a very inviting  alternative.

 

1) With your app, HQP and iTunes launched - the volume in iTunes automatically goes down to zero.  When I turn it back up, it stays up for a few seconds, and then returns to no volume.  I did this over and over, same result.  What can I do to fix this?

 

2) Do you have a manual that explains how to fill out the preferences? I didn't alter anything, and the ones in the attached photo, I had no idea what to put.

 

Thanks again! 

Screen Shot 2017-12-16 at 2.53.05 PM.png

I minimise the volume in iTunes deliberately. I believe this has always been the case with other apps that use iTunes as a front end. Amarra, Audirvana and Pure Music. Why would you want the volume coming out of iTunes if you are playing through HQPlayer?

Owner of: Sound Galleries, High-End Audio Dealer, Monaco

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6 hours ago, ted_b said:

Geoffrey, as you know I love HQPlayer and appreciated your JRiver work.  But on this one I am totally flummoxed; is this MAC only?  What about those file formats not supported by iTunes (my majority, i.e DSF and FLAC)?  Is the Apple remote app in play?  Where is an overview of this project?  You mention a manual but I found none in the attached zip file.  Thx

Ted, this is MAC only, because although iTunes exists on Windows it isn't scriptable.

You can though, use it to send music to HQPlayer running on another machine, which could be Windows. You will just need a Mac for running iTunes and this app. Any Mac that can run iTunes will do.

 

Regarding the file formats not supported by iTunes, those files wouldn't be in iTunes in the first place, so the short answer is, it must be an iTunes supported format. Having said that I have written another small app for DSF that creates surrogate files in an iTunes supported format and adds those to iTunes. When you ask iTunes to play the surrogate files it is actually the original DSF files that are sent for playback to HQPlayer.

 

The older version of this app had a manual, which I will revise for this version. I just haven't had time.

 

Here is a quick summary of how to set the preferences:

 

1/ Do not show this message again

 

If checked the preferences window will not appear in subsequent launches. Useful for headless servers

 

After that the only way to get it back again will be to delete the .plist file in the ~/Library/iTunes/Scripts folder

 

2/ Client machine address

 

When both iTunes and HQPlayer are running on a single Mac, leave at "localhost"

 

If HQPlayer is running on a different machine, e.g. a windows machine, put the ip address or host name of that machine here.

 

In that case don't forget to activate the network button in HQPlayer's interface on the other machine running HQPlayer.

 

3/ Mapped location of this Mac's iTunes music folder on client

 

If both HQPlayer and iTunes are running on a single Mac, leave as the default; "Not Applicable"

 

If you are running HQPlayer on another machine, that machine will need to get access to the iTunes music folder.

 

On that other machine you'll need to access the iTunes music folder on your local network and map it to a driver letter. Then enter that drive letter here.

 

4/ Share name on Client machine as it appears on this Mac

 

If both HQPlayer and iTunes are running on a single Mac, leave as the default; "Not Applicable"

 

For temporary file creation (where desired or necessary) if HQPlayer is running on a different machine to iTunes, you will need to provide a shared network location on the machine running HQPlayer. This is where the temporary files will be written.

 

For example, let's say you've created a ram disk on a WIndows machine and assigned the drive letter "M". Share that drive from the WIndows machine and also make the share name "M". Turn on all permissions.

 

5/ Choose the operating system of the client machine

 

If both HQPlayer and iTunes are running on a single Mac, leave as the default "Mac", otherwise choose the appropriate type of client machine from the drop down menu.

 

6/ To create a Ram disk enter the percentage of Ram.

 

If both HQPlayer and iTunes are running on a single Mac you can create a Ramdisk to hold any temporary music files that need to be created. the Ram disk can be either 50% or 75% of available Ram.

 

If this is left at No Ram disk (the default) temporary music files will be created in ~/Music/HQP Server temps

 

7/ Always create temporary files or only when necessary?

 

The default "Only when necessary" will only create temp files for file formats not supported by HQPlayer, such as Apple lossless.

 

In all other cases the original file urls will be loaded in HQPlayer.

 

If you believe you get better sound quality by always creating temporary files in flac or wav format, then you will want to choose to always create them. This will take a little longer than just loading original file URLs. WAV are created faster than flac.

 

Combine this with the above option to create a Ram disk and those temporary files will be created on the Ram disk. You may feel this provides the ultimate sound quality.

 

8/ Format of temporary files:

 

Choose WAV or flac from the drop down menu.

 

Which you prefer will depend on which one sounds better to you. Obviously flac will take up less space. As mentioned above, WAV are faster to create and some people feel they sound better. YMMV. The files are deleted when an album or playlist is finished, or when you select a different album or playlist.

 

9/ Launch HQPlayer

 

Choose No or Yes if you want HQPlayer to be launched by this app.

 

(iTunes will always be auto launched by this app, if it's not already running).

 

That's it! I hope it's clearer now.

 

Geoff

 

 

 

Owner of: Sound Galleries, High-End Audio Dealer, Monaco

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4 hours ago, DancingSea said:

I sort of figured out the volume issue.  It was turned down in HQP.  Turned it back up, and was ok.

 

First, it sounds amazing paired with iTunes.  But, right off the bat, had a number of bugs.

 

1) I paused a song in iTunes due to a phone call.  Had the song start over.  It started over in iTunes, but continued at the previous stoppage point in HQP.

 

2) After the first song - which sounded so so good - I switched to another song in iTunes.  HQP and your HQP server app could not make the transition.  Both froze and I had to quit.

 

So your app worked great for one song as long as there aren't any pauses!

 

Advice is welcome.

I have thoroughly tested this and I promise you pause and resume do work as you would expect.

 

The only possible situation I can think of that might have lead to your problem is if you tried to pause while the app was still loading files or file urls into HQPlayer.

 

Was that the case?

 

If so, please try to test with a single album and make sure all the files are loaded before trying to pause.

 

Long playlists will obviously take a long time to load into HQPlayer, especially if temporary files have to be created.

Owner of: Sound Galleries, High-End Audio Dealer, Monaco

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1 hour ago, Geoffrey Armstrong said:

Ted, this is MAC only, because although iTunes exists on Windows it isn't scriptable.

You can though, use it to send music to HQPlayer running on another machine, which could be Windows. You will just need a Mac for running iTunes and this app. Any Mac that can run iTunes will do.

 

Regarding the file formats not supported by iTunes, those files wouldn't be in iTunes in the first place, so the short answer is, it must be an iTunes supported format. Having said that I have written another small app for DSF that creates surrogate files in an iTunes supported format and adds those to iTunes. When you ask iTunes to play the surrogate files it is actually the original DSF files that are sent for playback to HQPlayer.

 

The older version of this app had a manual, which I will revise for this version. I just haven't had time.

 

Here is a quick summary of how to set the preferences:

 

1/ Do not show this message again

 

If checked the preferences window will not appear in subsequent launches. Useful for headless servers

 

After that the only way to get it back again will be to delete the .plist file in the ~/Library/iTunes/Scripts folder

 

2/ Client machine address

 

When both iTunes and HQPlayer are running on a single Mac, leave at "localhost"

 

If HQPlayer is running on a different machine, e.g. a windows machine, put the ip address or host name of that machine here.

 

In that case don't forget to activate the network button in HQPlayer's interface on the other machine running HQPlayer.

 

3/ Mapped location of this Mac's iTunes music folder on client

 

If both HQPlayer and iTunes are running on a single Mac, leave as the default; "Not Applicable"

 

If you are running HQPlayer on another machine, that machine will need to get access to the iTunes music folder.

 

On that other machine you'll need to access the iTunes music folder on your local network and map it to a driver letter. Then enter that drive letter here.

 

4/ Share name on Client machine as it appears on this Mac

 

If both HQPlayer and iTunes are running on a single Mac, leave as the default; "Not Applicable"

 

For temporary file creation (where desired or necessary) if HQPlayer is running on a different machine to iTunes, you will need to provide a shared network location on the machine running HQPlayer. This is where the temporary files will be written.

 

For example, let's say you've created a ram disk on a WIndows machine and assigned the drive letter "M". Share that drive from the WIndows machine and also make the share name "M". Turn on all permissions.

 

5/ Choose the operating system of the client machine

 

If both HQPlayer and iTunes are running on a single Mac, leave as the default "Mac", otherwise choose the appropriate type of client machine from the drop down menu.

 

6/ To create a Ram disk enter the percentage of Ram.

 

If both HQPlayer and iTunes are running on a single Mac you can create a Ramdisk to hold any temporary music files that need to be created. the Ram disk can be either 50% or 75% of available Ram.

 

If this is left at No Ram disk (the default) temporary music files will be created in ~/Music/HQP Server temps

 

7/ Always create temporary files or only when necessary?

 

The default "Only when necessary" will only create temp files for file formats not supported by HQPlayer, such as Apple lossless.

 

In all other cases the original file urls will be loaded in HQPlayer.

 

If you believe you get better sound quality by always creating temporary files in flac or wav format, then you will want to choose to always create them. This will take a little longer than just loading original file URLs. WAV are created faster than flac.

 

Combine this with the above option to create a Ram disk and those temporary files will be created on the Ram disk. You may feel this provides the ultimate sound quality.

 

8/ Format of temporary files:

 

Choose WAV or flac from the drop down menu.

 

Which you prefer will depend on which one sounds better to you. Obviously flac will take up less space. As mentioned above, WAV are faster to create and some people feel they sound better. YMMV. The files are deleted when an album or playlist is finished, or when you select a different album or playlist.

 

9/ Launch HQPlayer

 

Choose No or Yes if you want HQPlayer to be launched by this app.

 

(iTunes will always be auto launched by this app, if it's not already running).

 

That's it! I hope it's clearer now.

 

Geoff

 

 

 

Sorry I left one out here. Before item 4/ there should have been:

 

Location of temporary files on client machine.

 

If this is a single drive letter you can just type the letter here, e.g. "M".

 

If a path type the full path e.g. "C:\SGMusic"

 

In the latter case I have given this the share name "SGMusic" on Windows

 

This will appear as simply "SGMusic" on the Mac so the following preference "Share name on Client machine as it appears on this Mac" would be entered as "SGMusic".

 

 

Owner of: Sound Galleries, High-End Audio Dealer, Monaco

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1 hour ago, Geoffrey Armstrong said:

I have thoroughly tested this and I promise you pause and resume do work as you would expect.

 

The only possible situation I can think of that might have lead to your problem is if you tried to pause while the app was still loading files or file urls into HQPlayer.

 

Was that the case?

 

If so, please try to test with a single album and make sure all the files are loaded before trying to pause.

 

Long playlists will obviously take a long time to load into HQPlayer, especially if temporary files have to be created.

 

I'm not sure about HQP loading things.  I launched your app, HQP launched, and then iTunes.  The first song I select plays normally.  Everything after that has been problematic, with both playlists as well as stand alone albums.

 

If I switch to another song, HQP continues to play the first one.  Another issue is that once a track has been changed, the volume on HQP goes to zero and cannot be raised back up.  I've quit everything and relaunched several times, same thing.  HQP becomes detached from iTunes and the volume in both iTunes and HQP becomes defeated.

 

Would love to know how to fix it!

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8 hours ago, Geoffrey Armstrong said:

This is truly bizarre! I've never come across this behaviour. In this version I'm also not doing anything which could effect the volume setting in HQPlayer.

 

So I'm sorry; but at the moment I haven't a clue as to how to solve your issues.

 

Geoff

 

 Bizarre indeed. It simply doesn’t function.

 

You mentioned loading tracks from itunes into HQP.  Is that process any different than simply playing a track in iTunes?

 

Or is there a pre-load step?

 

Thx

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9 hours ago, DancingSea said:

 

 Bizarre indeed. It simply doesn’t function.

 

You mentioned loading tracks from itunes into HQP.  Is that process any different than simply playing a track in iTunes?

 

Or is there a pre-load step?

 

Thx

The process is no different from your point of view than simply playing a track in iTunes. The first track of an album (or the track you want to start playback from) is loaded first and playback begins. Playback continues while the subsequent tracks load.

 

Temporary files will be created for file formats not supported by HQPlayer and it's those temp files which will be loaded to HQP.

 

Otherwise the original file URLs will be loaded, unless you've chosen to always create temp files in the prefs for this app.

 

I need you to check a few simple things:

 

1/ This will only work for local music files stored in your iTunes music library. Not Apple music streams. Are you trying to play back streams?

 

2/ Do you have iCloud music library turned on in iTunes prefs?

 

3/ Are your files all correctly tagged?

 

4/ Where is your iTunes music library located (default location on the Mac or elsewhere)?

 

5/ Are you playing from Albums view or a different view in iTunes. If different, which one?

 

6/ Which version of iTunes and which version of HQPlayer? This has been tested with the latest versions of both. If you are running an older version of either one, can you upgrade to the latest versions and let me know if that changes anything?

 

Something you can do is to create a virgin iTunes music library. Hold down the option/alt key when launching iTunes and it will give you this option.

 

Call it "iTunes Test" or something. Just add one or two albums, keep it simple, make sure they're tagged correctly. Then try with this lib and let me know if this works.

 

You can revert back to your regular library by holding down the option/alt key again when launching iTunes and choosing the lib you want to use.

 

If you can post screen shots of your iTunes prefs and the albums view of your library it could help. Or send me them by PM if you prefer.

 

Thanks

 

Geoff

Owner of: Sound Galleries, High-End Audio Dealer, Monaco

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Hi,

I had tested your latest process, but always the same message

 Capture d’écran 2017-12-17 à 17.10.25.png

 

I have the latest version of iTunes and HQP

I had created a vigin iTunes library on my mac, created a "Scripts" folder

inser an AIFF album in new iTunes library

 

My original library is not on the default location, because on an external SSD not on my Mac SSD

I'm with sierra (not high sierra)

 

thanks for help

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So I take it that you’re booting from this SSD as it contains your ~/Library folder?

 

I can’t see any reason why the .plist file is not being created and can only guess it’s due to this non-standard location.

 

…or it could be a permissions problem?

 

Do you also have the ability of booting into your Mac’s internal drive, or was this replaced by the SSD?

 

I’ll take a look at the code and try to figure out if your SSD library location could be causing the problem.

Owner of: Sound Galleries, High-End Audio Dealer, Monaco

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On 12/17/2017 at 9:50 PM, Geoffrey Armstrong said:

The process is no different from your point of view than simply playing a track in iTunes. The first track of an album (or the track you want to start playback from) is loaded first and playback begins. Playback continues while the subsequent tracks load.

 

Temporary files will be created for file formats not supported by HQPlayer and it's those temp files which will be loaded to HQP.

 

Otherwise the original file URLs will be loaded, unless you've chosen to always create temp files in the prefs for this app.

 

I need you to check a few simple things:

 

1/ This will only work for local music files stored in your iTunes music library. Not Apple music streams. Are you trying to play back streams?

 

2/ Do you have iCloud music library turned on in iTunes prefs?

 

3/ Are your files all correctly tagged?

 

4/ Where is your iTunes music library located (default location on the Mac or elsewhere)?

 

5/ Are you playing from Albums view or a different view in iTunes. If different, which one?

 

6/ Which version of iTunes and which version of HQPlayer? This has been tested with the latest versions of both. If you are running an older version of either one, can you upgrade to the latest versions and let me know if that changes anything?

 

Something you can do is to create a virgin iTunes music library. Hold down the option/alt key when launching iTunes and it will give you this option.

 

Call it "iTunes Test" or something. Just add one or two albums, keep it simple, make sure they're tagged correctly. Then try with this lib and let me know if this works.

 

You can revert back to your regular library by holding down the option/alt key again when launching iTunes and choosing the lib you want to use.

 

If you can post screen shots of your iTunes prefs and the albums view of your library it could help. Or send me them by PM if you prefer.

 

Thanks

 

Geoff

 

 

Aloha Geoffrey,
 
Answers in red, and a few questions at the end….
 
1/ This will only work for local music files stored in your iTunes music library. Not Apple music streams. Are you trying to play back streams?
 
My files used for iTunes are stored entirely in my iTunes music library.  To my knowledge, I'm not playing back streams, its all local files.

 

2/ Do you have iCloud music library turned on in iTunes prefs?
 
Its off.  Though I have iTunes match, so probably worth turning it on!  What works best with your app?

 

3/ Are your files all correctly tagged?
 
Its 55K tracks, so I would say the vast majority are tagged correctly.  But can’t say 100%.  Tagging has not been an issue in A+, A4L, Fidelia, iTunes, Roon, HQP, etc….
 
4/ Where is your iTunes music library located (default location on the Mac or elsewhere)?
 
External hard drive connected by USB to MacBook Pro.

 

5/ Are you playing from Albums view or a different view in iTunes. If different, which one?
 
From album view primarily.

 

6/ Which version of iTunes and which version of HQPlayer? This has been tested with the latest versions of both. If you are running an older version of either one, can you upgrade to the latest versions and let me know if that changes anything?
 
iTunes 12.7.2.6    HQP 3.19.1  I'm on latest Sierra as well....
 
Which particular iTunes Preference pane screenshot would be helpful?
 
And anything in particular for the album view screenshot?  It just looks like iTunes normally does.
 
Does your app only work in Album View mode?
 
Thanks for your help!
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2 hours ago, Lio_B said:

Find a Screen Shot of my 2 SSD:

let me know if it's better to follow this discussion in MP

thanks

iTunes folders.png

You seem to have a "scripts" folder in your iTunes folder where your iTunes .xml library and Media/Music folder reside.

 

…but the iTunes/Scripts folder I'm referring to is the one in your Library folder. This is the folder which supports all Application support files and preferences.

 

In the Finder Click on the "Go" menu and choose the item "Go to folder"

 

In the box that appears enter "~/Library"

 

This will open the Library folder which contains an "iTunes" folder.  If there isn't already a "Scripts" folder within the "~/Library/iTunes/" folder then create one in there.

 

If there is already a scripts folder in the "~/Library/iTunes/" folder then check if there's already a "itunesHqpserver.plist" in there. If there is, send it to the Trash and delete the Trash.

 

The ~ (tilde) character is shortcut for your home folder in case you didn't already know. I get the impression you've been confusing the iTunes music library location with the actual Library folder that holds all the application support files.

 

If I'm right, then following the above steps should solve your problem.

 

Obviously you will need to substitute some of the commands with the French equivalents, such as Biblioteque for Library.

 

Let me know if it helps.

 

 

Owner of: Sound Galleries, High-End Audio Dealer, Monaco

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1 hour ago, DancingSea said:

 

 

Aloha Geoffrey,
 
Answers in red, and a few questions at the end….
 
1/ This will only work for local music files stored in your iTunes music library. Not Apple music streams. Are you trying to play back streams?
 
My files used for iTunes are stored entirely in my iTunes music library.  To my knowledge, I'm not playing back streams, its all local files.

 

2/ Do you have iCloud music library turned on in iTunes prefs?
 
Its off.  Though I have iTunes match, so probably worth turning it on!  What works best with your app?

 

3/ Are your files all correctly tagged?
 
Its 55K tracks, so I would say the vast majority are tagged correctly.  But can’t say 100%.  Tagging has not been an issue in A+, A4L, Fidelia, iTunes, Roon, HQP, etc….
 
4/ Where is your iTunes music library located (default location on the Mac or elsewhere)?
 
External hard drive connected by USB to MacBook Pro.

 

5/ Are you playing from Albums view or a different view in iTunes. If different, which one?
 
From album view primarily.

 

6/ Which version of iTunes and which version of HQPlayer? This has been tested with the latest versions of both. If you are running an older version of either one, can you upgrade to the latest versions and let me know if that changes anything?
 
iTunes 12.7.2.6    HQP 3.19.1  I'm on latest Sierra as well....
 
Which particular iTunes Preference pane screenshot would be helpful?
 
And anything in particular for the album view screenshot?  It just looks like iTunes normally does.
 
Does your app only work in Album View mode?
 
Thanks for your help!

From your responses everything looks good to go.

 

It shouldn't matter if you have iTunes music library turned on; but you need to be aware that none of the music fetched from the cloud is going to work with my App. Only the locally stored files.

 

So the only items to suspect are 1/ Yes, if there are some problems with tagging in your fairly large library, it could be causing issues with my app. It's a little more picky in this regard.

 

2/ In case the external location of the music files is not being recognised for some reason. Although this should work without a problem.

 

To try and determine if it could be one of these reasons, did you try creating a separate "Test iTunes" Library on your Mac Book Pro's internal drive, as I suggested?

 

A screen shot of the iTunes advanced preferences screen could be useful.

 

All the views should work just fine. Album view is the easiest to test from though, as it's the most straight forward.

 

Artist view will play tracks from all the albums you have of that particular artist. A playlist view will play the entire playlist. Either of these could result in a mixture of tracks which temporary files need to be created for and those that do not. Unless you've turned on the feature to always create temp files.

 

 

 

 

Owner of: Sound Galleries, High-End Audio Dealer, Monaco

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1 hour ago, Geoffrey Armstrong said:

From your responses everything looks good to go.

 

It shouldn't matter if you have iTunes music library turned on; but you need to be aware that none of the music fetched from the cloud is going to work with my App. Only the locally stored files.

 

So the only items to suspect are 1/ Yes, if there are some problems with tagging in your fairly large library, it could be causing issues with my app. It's a little more picky in this regard.

 

2/ In case the external location of the music files is not being recognised for some reason. Although this should work without a problem.

 

To try and determine if it could be one of these reasons, did you try creating a separate "Test iTunes" Library on your Mac Book Pro's internal drive, as I suggested?

 

A screen shot of the iTunes advanced preferences screen could be useful.

 

All the views should work just fine. Album view is the easiest to test from though, as it's the most straight forward.

 

Artist view will play tracks from all the albums you have of that particular artist. A playlist view will play the entire playlist. Either of these could result in a mixture of tracks which temporary files need to be created for and those that do not. Unless you've turned on the feature to always create temp files.

 

 

 

 

 

Aloha Geoffrey,

 

I created a test iTunes library.  Both on an external hard drive, as well as on the internal Mac HD.  I put 8 CD's in the library.

 

The results are very poor.  The external HD setup didn't work at all.  The internal one did play, but erratically. 

 

When I launched a Nickel Creek (AIFF) track in iTunes, a Michael Hedges (ALAC) track played on HQP instead.  Stopping the Nickel Creek track had no effect on the Hedges track on HQP, it just kept playing.

 

When I stopped the Hedges track in HQP, suddenly the Nickel Creek track began to play in HQP even though it was stopped in iTunes.  At that point, iTunes and HQP were no longer connected.

 

I repeated this several times, same thing.

 

Here's a screenshot of the test iTunes advanced preference pane...

 

Thanks

 

 

 

 

Screen Shot 2017-12-20 at 12.36.34 PM.png

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