DIY Audiophile Media Center

Update 22/9/11

Audacious 2.5
http://www.webupd8.org/2011/04/audacious-250-released-with-option-to.html


To Install:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:nilarimogard/webupd8
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install audacious

and if encountering error:
rm -r ~/.config/audacious

For slow computers like mine (PIII running Ubuntu Lucid via USB 1 !!):
- Choose Output-Only (not Duplex) from Ubuntu Preference->Sound
- Select PulseAudio, 10000 buffer, and 16 bits from Audacious.


.oOo.


My music collection has been growing, and in a good way. About 250GB of which 70% are native 16/96kHz and 24/96kHz recording in lossless FLAC format. Mostly sourced from Vinyl/LP rips. They are superior than normal CDs which are recorded at 16/44.1kHz.

As on-the-shelf audiophile media center or server is very expensive (read: Linn DS is $15,000!) I want to have a media center to allow me sit back and enjoy the music without fiddling with laptop keyboard as now.

I tried many Linux implementation of media center and finally settled on MyMediaSystem. It is pretty, fast, and useful with little non-needed gimmicks. There are additional 'bonus' such as movie player, TV player, internet radio, and photo viewer.



This is what I did. The hardware are:

IBM Thinkpad T23
DAC: SoundBlaster 24 bit Live!
Ubuntu 10.04 or above
Remote:
TBA

Resources:
Ubuntu
MMS installation how-to
  • Install Ubuntu then run updates.
  • Install Ubuntu Restricted extra (to be able to play mp3 etc.)
  • Add the following lines from Accessories > Terminal

    sudo add-apt-repository ppa:mms-prodeia
    sudo apt-get update
    sudo apt-get install mms
    sudo apt-get install mms-plugin-audio
  • Edit the AudioConfig file in /etc/mms/. From Terminal type:

    sudo gedit /etc/mms/AudioConfig

    edit this line (after mapping a drive as explained here)

    audio_dir_no_watch = /media/wdtv/04. MEDIA/01. MUSIC
    audio_player = AlsaPlayer

    If the collection is on network drive like the example above, one needs to use smbmount as in this article here or here
That's it.

Note: The SoundBlaster Live needs to be selected as default from System >Preference > Sound. In the past, this was done using asoundconf (retired now)

The above option installs a minimalist version of the Media Center basically audio player and Internet radio.

My collection of 24/192kHz recording :)
note that this was old screenshot using Ubuntu 7.10

To share directory
Install smbfs: sudo apt-get install smbfs

Create mydriveconnect.sh and make it executable

#!/bin/bash
sudo mkdir /media/mydrive
# unmount previously-mounted drive
sudo umount /media/mydrive

sudo smbmount "//192.168.1.11/wdtv_data/04. MEDIA/01. MUSIC" /media/mydrive -o username=defaults,password=defaults
#sudo smbmount "//192.168.1.10/sh_widhibrata/_backup/04. MEDIA/01. MUSIC" /media/mydrive -o username=widhibrata,password=password

in case RW is desired, use uid and gid option:
sudo smbmount "//192.168.1.11/wdtv_data" /media/mydrive -o username=default,password=default,uid=999,gid=999

find out the uid using "id" command from terminal



With Lubuntu, install xfce4mixer to select sound card:



sudo apt-get install xfce4-mixer gstreamer0.10-alsa

to run

type xfce4-mixer in a lxterminal

Slightly more heavyweight - you could install pulseaudio and thus use the pulseaudio packages such aspavucontrol




sudo apt-get install pulseaudio pavucontrol

to run

type pavucontrol in a lxterminal

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