Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Streaming dBpoweramp plug in failures

Have you thought that maybe Meridian are not stupid as you think and have already done something about it in the form of the dBpoweramp plugin?

Maybe, instead of shoehorning a hasty solution into an architecture that was designed for whole disc rips, they have provided the plugin now to allow people to rip with the required metadata ahead of a proper engineered solution at some later date?

I don't think, at this stage, any solution could be accused of being rushed, or hasty, could it?

I'm curious as to why you think it would it occur to me, since Meridian haven't mentioned it, even when I emailed them specifically about it after the dBpa plugin was released? Perhaps you have some privileged information, which might explain why you think this is old news?

If so, please do let us know - that would be brilliant and I'll hold off ripping the rest of my collection, I do not want, or have the time, to re-rip all that later on with track level data.

3dit0r

If anyone has does indeed have 'privileged information' then by its very nature I would say it can not be disclosed, maybe a little reading between the lines is required, as for ripping I would/have gone ahead as waiting for the next big improvement or change means you will always be waiting.

Russ

That's exactly why it seems rather unreasonable; to get testy with me for not being privvy to something privileged? Assuming that hypothetical 'something' does exist.

If M are actively working on such a thing, it would be really helpful to be given a heads-up. For example, would such a solution enable integration of track level data to albums already ripped, without affecting carefully groomed metadata already there, etc., or are we doomed to rip our entire catalogue again?

Most of my info comes from a public event held at Meridian Oxford couple of years back and interpreting the response from a person. Meridian clearly acknowledged the problem but pointed out that a solution was not easy. If you looked back at comments around Meridian Oxford opening, you will probably see my comments on this. I personally came away from the event gutted that S0oloos tracklevel metadata was a long way off and that a quick fix for 80% of the useful info was not on any radar that Meridian was publically going to disclose.

Since then dBpoweramp plugin has come. Having personally seen what Sooloos stores regarding metadata from its debug pages, it is clear that it does not store the relevant information needed to support full track level metadata. I'm not privy as to whether dBpoweramp does indeed fill this void and have not used it myself, but it is clear to me that using a full track level ripper such as dBpoweramp and retaining this information as the plugin seems to do is going to result in rips that contain all the necessary track level info that may or may not be needed by a future version of Sooloos or indeed a music system from another manufacturer?

Who knows how you are going to get this missing information back into your carefully groomed metadata if its not already there in the first place?

It's at this point that someone points out that the plugin does not store track level artist info etc. anyway and blows by argument out of the water...

Importing either way with dBpa (via plugin or drag/drop) preserves meta-data in the files. As posted many times this works for systems that use meta tags (Squeeze, Sonos, Foobar etc)

I don't think you have to be a genius or in any privileged position to join the dots between Sooloos/HP Connect/dBpa/NAS support etc and speculate where M might be headed.

If anyone gets to Bristol or the other SE roadshow locations it would be good to see if there is any more info.

HQ have been pretty good of late to share/announce new info here on HH on or before general release. Am optimistic that we'll be among the first to know whether any speculation is right or not.

Hi Ian,

Thanks for the clarification, you're completely right it makes sense to embed as much metadata as possible at the ripping stage in light of any possible future developments/other systems.

Sorry to repeat the frustration here, but I'm certainly not bleating on about it for the heck of it, this is a big flaw for me and bugs me on a daily basis (perhaps I have a higher proportion of albums in my music library which require track level data than some?). I too have had somewhat cryptic hints, when I've complained to Meridian about it and requested some kind of fix. When the dBpa plugin was released, I even got an email from HQ telling me they hoped that dealt with my issue, which I found, frankly, mystifying - how could it, as it doesn't address the issue? TBH, if anything, I found it even more frustrating it filled in the track level fields only for Sooloos to ignore them on restore!

Meridian and others constantly repeat Sooloos is a very powerful way of organising your music library, and in some ways of course it is, but only when you neglect to include those albums which require track level data. If you were to include those, it's missing a fundamental foundation upon which the 'power' features, such as Swim/Focus, etc. all rely. As it is, I still have to keep the CDs themselves lying around, as I often need to look up who, or what, a particular track is, which doesn't exactly feel very convenient, powerful, or game changing.

Personally, at this stage, I'm with Sooloos because the way it's implemented, and the Meridian end-points, provide superior SQ to my ears, and also because I love Meridian's overall approach (e.g. DSPs), but unfortunately not because I believe Sooloos is a superior way of cataloguing or interacting with my music collection.

Since other manufacturers/software providers do offer track level data, it's clearly possible, does anyone know how hard this really would be to implement? It's only a database, at it's heart, isn't it? I admit know very, very little about that, but perhaps some on here might?

I'm neither a genius nor privileged, care to offer speculation?

A fully open architecture rather like the solutions offered by other providers? Less reliance on making money out of storage? Breaking the link with AMG?

Just guesses!

The lack of Track Level Metadata within Sooloos has been discussed here for more than 4 years, which predates your and most peoples' investment in Sooloos.

It is then incredibly disingenuous to CONTINUOUSLY complain about the lack of that same feature, which you should have understood before your purchase... and if it was as important as you make it appear from your continuous complaints, then it would have been better to choose a different solution.

Most here made an informed decision to purchase Sooloos because of the expectation of optimum Sound Quality and for that advantage, were prepared to live with the other inconveniences of Sooloos.

Also, If you think that the other systems to which you refer actually IMPLEMENT Track Level Metadata in a useful and friendly way, then you simply haven't spent the time to investigate how they really present and use that information.

The Strengths and Weaknesses of Sooloos have been understood by most here for several years. If you chose to purchase a system which did not best suit your requirements, then whose fault is that? After all, one does not buy a well-known sportscar and then complain about its lack of rear seats or luggage space.

So please, try a little more Listening and a lot less complaining, because as Ian has said, it does get more than a little tiresome.

Wow, that was quite a rant. Please point out how many times I've actually complained about this on here IN TOTAL, as CONTINUOUSLY (IN CAPITALS) makes it sound like I've gone on about nothing else, for the entire time I've been here?

Again, I have to ask why you're being so defensive - if it's been discussed on here endlessly as you point out, isn't it rather awful customer service that despite all that desire for it among paying customers Meridian have done nothing?

You didn't read my posts very carefully before attacking me - I've already said I am in it for the sound quality. I've also said that I was astonished to find this functionality wasn't there - exactly because Sooloos had been so heavily marketed as the most powerful system of it's kind. The truth is because of that, and because the Naim system I previously owned had track level data (yes, I have used that, and iTunes before, I'm not just assuming it's there and it's not really useable as you suggest) I simply didn't stop to think, or check, such a basic aspect wouldn't be?

To use your sports at analogy, that would be like buying a sports car marketed as the most fully equipped of it's kind only to find it had two gears and then be told it's my fault for not checking it didn't have more - this is not advanced functionality, it's basic stuff upon which the more powerful features rest.

You actually are saying you're prepared to 'live with the... inconveniences of Sooloos' well why, exactly, should one have to make that choice when one is paying a gigantic premium for something which is advertised as so powerful?

I didn't say that it had been discussed "Endlessly", so please don't misquote me. I merely said that it had been discussed and understood by those here.

If you were indeed "astonished to find that functionality wasn't there" then whose fault is that. That's akin to claiming "I'm astonished to find that this car has only 2 Seats".

All Companies market their products, but given what you describe as the "gigantic premium" in purchasing Sooloos why not do your own Due Diligence beforehand?

Again, one does not buy a Sportscar and then complain about the lack of rear seats!!... Imagine the reaction you would get on a Ferrari / Porsche forum if you continuously posted about the lack of rear seats and expected the Manufacturer to change that feature. You would be 'endlessly' mocked for not having done your due diligence in the first place.

The lack of Track Level Metadata in Sooloos was well known before you decided to purchase and you should have known that and made a balanced purchasing decision knowing the Strengths (Sound Quality) and Weaknesses (Tagging) of Sooloos.

Most here decided to buy Sooloos for the Strengths and live with the Weaknesses until Meridian sort them out. Why not do the same?

Alternatively, if you bought the wrong product for you, then you have the choice to sell it on and purchase another solution.