Melco Help Required!

This was prompted by my post on another thread where I said that I just tended to live with niggly issues rather than invest time in sorting them out. I would like to get this one sorted though so I’m hoping someone can help.

I bought a single track from Qobuz. Downloaded it to my MAC in WAV quality. I then transferred it to my Melco using a USB stick.

The problem is that although it plays fine, the file is not visible when I use SongKong. It has allocated the wrong artwork but because the file is not visible I can’t change it. When I access the Melco internal drive from my MAC I can see the file. Everything else is in folders, but this single track file appears not to be. It’s just on its own. So maybe this is why its not visible to SongKong.

Can anyone shed any light on this please?

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You could try editing the file in mp3tag or metadatics on your Mac, which will allow you to check the title/abum/artist tags and allocate the correct artwork

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Thanks yes I’ll give it a go. Presumably when I transfer the file again it will just over-write the existing one on the Melco.

Yes, as long as the name of the file isn’t changed. Or you can delete the file via web browser, and replace with the ‘doctored’ one

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As you bought the track from Qobuz, you can download it again, as for example in AIFF or Flac. Then it should more easily be recognised. I download now all my tracks or albums from Qobuz and Bandcamp in AIFF. No problem anymore with no cover or wrong cover. And for me AIFF sound a little better, a tiny better.

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If you have or can have the latest software version on the melco, then you can link it to your qobuz account and download directly to the melco

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Yes I tried this before and it worked for a while and then suddenly decided that it didn’t want to download any more of my purchases. So I disabled the option to download direct and now download to my Macbook and transfer to the Melco via USB stick.

It’s this sort of thing that could easily have me abandoning streaming and returning to CD. In the old days we used to say that things were faulty when they didn’t work properly. Now we say that they have ‘issues’ or ‘bugs’ that need fixing. I say no, they are just crap and don’t work properly.

Its easy as i downloaded 3 albums just last night, plus you will get a better download doing this way, as you don’t really want to introduce a noisy PC in the chain.
Just add your qobuz account on the melco and then on the melco site just hit buy and download, it then does it all for you.

As Dunc says the download feature on Qobuz is brilliant once you have entered your account details, the Melco periodically checks for albums. They also download from Hires audio as well.

Dunc and Gazza,

Thanks. Yes that’s exactly what I did. It worked fine for a while and then for no reason that I could fathom it suddenly started to refuse to download my purchases. Or say if I bought two albums at the same time it would download one and just ignore the other. I looked into it at the time and just couldn’t find any reason for it so I just gave up. Not s huge problem for me really as I rarely purchase downloads. I prefer to buy the CD and rip it myself on the Melco drive. This to me sounds slightly better than a download. (not high res of course).

As far as transferring to the Melco via a USB stick goes I don’t think there is any sound quality penalty. Yes a PC is a noisy environment but that only comes into play when music is being played from a PC in real time. You cannot transfer noise to a USB stick. You are just copying digital data. Assuming that the data has not been in some way corrupted by the noisy PC then there should be no problem. If it were the case that noise could have such a deleterious affect on file transfer then I would say that a download direct to the Melco would also be affected as the file is being transferred through a noisy network and when it reaches your home then through a noisy router. So I doubt whether there would in practice be much in it anyway.

In that case i would contact Melco or your dealer they are quite helpful.

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Maybe but for sure its far easier when it goes direct and i would rather it didn’t go via another device

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I would re do the settings and password and try again, on the quboz download site just pick the right hand box rather than the mac/pc option to download too, after that a separate box appears with download time etc and then it starts to appear on the melco

Thanks Dunc. I’m fairly sure I tried all that - it’s been a while ago now, but I’ll give it another try. What I’m concerned about though is that beacuse I’ve made purchases and transfered them via USB the Melco will not recognise this and will just download everything it hasn’t previously so I’ll have loads of duplicates.

Maybe, but if it does then you can always do a scan on the melco for duplicate tracks and then delete them

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Interesting to read how people transfer their music to their Melco’s.

As my Melco is on the network as well as my PC I habitually download to the PC first in WAV.

I often change the file names as I hate underlines etc used in filenames, then switch the Melco to LAN mode (if required), and switch SMB on. Then run a backup program on the PC to (compare and) transfer any new music to the Melco.

This gives me the security of having a proper backup of my music.

Then, importantly because it is audible, switch SMB back off. Switch back to Isolated mode, if not using qobuz.

Although I know songkong is available I generally use a combination of the NDS for browsing and bubbleUPNP for Qobuz

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Mike,

Are you saying that SMB when enabled degrades the performance? I assume I have it switched on as the Melco internal drive is visble on the LAN via my MacBook. What improvements could I expect by switching it off?

If SMB is switched off does this still allow control of the Melco via an iPad to select and play tracks?

I was looking on-line at some tips to get the best from your Meclo and it was recommended to run it in ‘isolated mode’ meaning that it is disconnected from the router. However selection of music is then via the Melco front panel only! Seems to defeat the whole point of having it as it will be so inconvenient to use.

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A case of small differences but they all add up. Usual things like vocals a touch clearer, bass a bit better defined etc. Isolated mode is more of the same.

If the macbook is connected to the network then it sounds like you have SMB switched on if it is seeing the Melco. Unless you are playing direct from the macbook then I personally would switch it off. Easy enough to switch on and off anyway.

Control from the ipad will be unaffected.

There is an Apple app from Melco (I believe it is a version of Mconnect) that allows music selection from the app rather than front panel of Melco. Not sure what you are using on the ipad - not very savvy with all things Apple.

Hi Mike,

I’m running the Melco App on my iPad for selection and playback of tracks. How do you control your Melco? Sounds like you aren’t using the Melco App?

I have a tablet running Android, I tend to use BubbleUPNP, sometimes Mconnect.