I have around 200 files I want to add to the Downloads folder for the Naim Uniti Core and I am unable to find specific instructions on how to do that. BTW, I am using Windows 7 and I have no difficulty with access. I can open and peek inside all the Naim folders with no problem.
I will have to edit each file addition I want to make one by one because the incoming files are organized by catalog number, not by artist or title. Does anyone know where I can look up the folder hierarchy for the Downloads file?
Will it look like the Music/MQ file? When I peek inside the Music Folder’s MQ file it seems to be organized by the Artist. ( Which, incidentally, puzzles me greatly because I would have expected it to be organized by Album Title and I can’t help but wonder why it isn’t.) When I double click on the Artist, I see track information. Unless it’s a multi-disc album and then the next level contains a folder for each disc. The album cover jpg file appears below the track info.
The location of the album cover makes me think the Downloads folder must be organized differently because it wants album cover in a separate folder called folder.jpg.
I hope someone can explain how to organize single and multi disc albums in the Downloads folder.
I like to keep the Core internal drive just for Core rips. So I keep any downloads, Hi-res music, problem rips, or recordings on a separate attached USB drive. I first clean up the file metadata on a dedicated laptop computer and add any album art - this should always be labelled as folder.jpg and held within the album folder to which it applies. Folder structure goes Artist folder, which then holds Album folder, which then holds track files, artwork (folder.jpg), and any notes in a text file. Using a program such as dbpoweramp, you can also associate and embed the album art with each track too.
Once loaded onto the drive I just plug it in to the back of the Core and it soon gets added.
As Richard says, organising by artist is the standard was to do it. For multidisc albums you just call them Disc 1, Disc 2 etc, or whatever you want. If you have embedded artwork you do not need the folder.jpg.
I’m not entirely sure why Richard isn’t putting this in the downloads folder, which is what I’d do. If you use downloads you set up the heirarchy as Richard explains. Just make sure you back up whatever is in the Core’s internal drive.
You can use any folder setup you like in the Downloads folder. Unlike the MQ folder, you will be creating the folders yourself, so do it in whatever way suits you.
It never occurred to me to maintain them separately; it just seems sensible to keep them all together and I’ve assumed that’s what I’d do.
Nevertheless, it would actually make things a lot cheaper for me to maintain them separately. The present internal hard drive inside the Uniti Core is a 1 TB SSD, a Samsung 850 EVO. To maintain the files together I’ll need to invest in a 4TB Drive and since I have no use for the present one, it becomes a discard (that SSD cost me about $350 or more - ouch).
I’m such an Audio purist at heart that I will want to buy another Samsung SSD. A 4 TB Samsung EVO is around $660! So I’m at war with myself over this pricey little problem and just maybe I ought to opt to keep them separate. Though I don’t want to!
Remember that the server will display your music as a single library, even it it is stored in more than one location. That includes the MQ and Downloads folders, USB drives, and any other storage locations on your network.
That’s what I’d like to do, but I thought I had to stick fairly closely with the pattern established by the Music/MQ file. If I could do it my way, the hierarchy would be Composer:Title in the case of classical and opera (the great majority) and otherwise Artist:Title. That’s how I’ve edited/standardized the metadata for all my ripped files. And then the Downloads would merge seamlessly with the ripped albums, alphabetized the same way (I think). I’ll have to experiment a little.
Remember that the server will not be looking at your folders, as it uses metadata instead. So even if your folders are in a state of complete chaos, it makes no difference. Just make sure that the metadata is correct and consistent, and you should be OK.
Z[quote=“ChrisSU, post:6, topic:2160, full:true”]
Remember that the server will display your music as a single library, even it it is stored in more than one location. That includes the MQ and Downloads folders, USB drives, and any other storage locations on your network.
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Thanks, luckily I do have that figured out by experience. I attached my new file of hi-res copies to a USB port on the back of the Uniti Core, not knowing what to expect, and I was pleased to see it try to integrate itself sensibly into the app’s display. Unfortunately, it’s not very sensible because the incoming files are headed by album catalog number, so I will have a ton of editing ahead of me. But at least I see the possibilities. Now for some experimenting.