Hi all,
Does anyone know how to do this? I can’t find it in the OS version of n-Serve.
Keith
You could use DBPoweramp for Mac
How Michael,
Do you mean take a copy of the Unitiserve CD rips and do some kind of mass update using DBPoweramp?
Are you asking how to set the UnitiServe to transcode, or how to convert the files themselves from WAV to flac? If the latter, are these files Serve rips stored on the Serve, or other files?
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Yes, sorry that was what I was thinking. That you wanted to convert your WAV files to Flac. HH quite rightly asks whether in fact you want to keep them as WAV files and simply transcode to Flac on the fly, for which there is a setting on the Unitiserve.
Hi Nigel,
I’m asking how you do it using the OS app. I don’t have a laptop or a monitor with a VGA input, although I guess VGA to HDMI must exist.
I’m looking at retiring the Unitiserve, but I’m aware that the Naim rips don’t work well outside the Naim infrastructure. I primarily use Roon, but if I also have a non-Naim UPnP server I believe it’s better to have FLACs for better metadata?
To do either conversion you need to do it via the Naim Desktop Client running on either PC or Mac. What i have done and i think is quite common is convert all the UServe rips to Flac stored on the UServe and future rips stored as Flac and then have them converted to WAV on the fly when they are played. You cannot convert the Naim WAV files stored on the UServe to Flac with dbpoweramp it must be done by the UServe.
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You could get a demo version of DBPoweramp and give a try to see whether it manages to do a batch conversion (number limited on demo version if I remember correctly), incorporating the metadata and artwork successfully. If it fails, you could try XLD, which has a clunkier interface but was once lauded for superior sounding rips, not that I could tell any difference myself…
I’m afraid I can’t be more helpful than that, having never owned a Unitiserve. But from what Trevor has just replied, it loks as if you can do this using Naim’s own SW for the purpose…
Showing my man flu there - any conversion on the fly is of course in the other direction Flac → WAV! Sorry if that’s confused things…
Thanks Michael,
I already have DBPoweramp as the Naim ripper has become unreliable. I didn’t realise it could do that so sounds like a good option. The alternative would be to buy a VGA to HDMI adapter for £10 as the OS app doesn’t seem to have the option to convert, as far as I can see.
You cannot do it with dbpoweramp. You need to access the Serve using the desktop client. You don’t connect direct to the serve, but access via the network. You go to the music library, right click at the top of the tree and an option to convert to flac appears. As you know, it’s essential to convert to flac if you want to use your files on a non Naim server.
I used the DTC on a windows laptop. I’m not sure if there is a Mac version. It may be there is nServe for Mac, if so you still need to get to the top of the tree.
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To use the rips from the UServe on another server you will need to convert all the rips to Flac as stated above then do a back up of the created UServe Flac files to a NAS. These files can then be used on another server. All this will need to be done via the Desktop Client program.
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The problem is there isn’t a desktop client for Mac, only a version of nServe that doesn’t have the WAV to FLAC functionality, unless I’ve missed it.
I’m catching up finally. So you have the OS. Can you get to the top of the MQ library. If so, do the equivalent of right click and the option should appear, if it’s anything like windows. If it appears, try it on one or two albums before setting the whole thing running, as it may take several days.
You do it on the N-Serve app on OSX. Control-click (the Mac equivalent of right click) on any album, group, or your whole library, and a dropdown list will appear. This includes the option to transcode your selection to FLAC.
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That’s great Chris, so like it is on Windows. Just to be clear for Keith, by transcode your mean convert of course.
Ah, yes. If I highlight an album or albums and right click then I can encode to FLAC. As a rest, I’ve tried it on Big Star #1 Record.
Thanks Chis 
Hi Nigel,
Yes, convert and I can confirm the Big Star album was successfully converted.
