Achieving Gapless playback for mix albums copied to USB

[Big Simon]

Hi,

I have a large digital library of files, all of which I own and are DRM protection free etc.

All of these have been imported to Apple Music which I use as the management platform for correcting all tags, updating file metadata etc.

Most of the files in my library are AAC or a few MP3.

I have a large amount of mix albums in my collection which Apple Music correctly identifies as gapless playback and there is a seamless transition between tracks, no jumps etc.

Problem arises when I start exporting some of these mix albums to a USB drive that I have connected to my Yamaha CD-NT670D.

Using the Music cast app I access and play the files, all good. However for the mix albums there is no longer a smooth transition between tracks and it jumps, spoiling the overall experience.

I have read that if you covert these files to a ‘lossless’ format it should correct same but thought I should seek advice first.

I have a lot of the original cd’s but tipping them all again would be a huge process and isn’t really an option. I understand that I cannot improve the quality of the file by changing from AAC or MP3 to lossless.

I have a few queries?

1. Is there a format I could convert these files to which is also accepted (can play) in Apple Music and subsequently might stop mix albums jumping between track transition when I export to USB?

2. As a follow on from 1., is there a file type that can achieve same but won’t drastically increase the size of file? Library size is currently about 220GB and I’m using a 256GB USB. Even though I will only be converting mix albums I would like them all to fit on the drive if possible.

3. Lastly, I would like an option to convert files that ties in with 1. and 2. above to support file metadata, artwork etc. I know this can be problematic for WAV files. I can re-import artwork to files if needed but I want to retain core track info on any conversion option.

I realise I am probably asking a lot here but thought I would ask the experts.

Your help and input is greatly appreciated.

Best

Simon.

 

[Cebolla]

Is there a specific reason for having to copy the files to a USB drive to play them on the Yamaha CD-NT670D?

For example, the CD-NT670D is a network audio file player aka streamer, so instead of going through the hassle of physically converting the files to a lossless format, why not simply get a suitable UPnP/DLNA media server to transcode them on the fly to the required lossless format which then gets streamed over the network for the CD-NT670D to play instead?

 

[Big Simon]

Is there a specific reason for having to copy the files to a USB drive to play them on the Yamaha CD-NT670D?

For example, the CD-NT670D is a network audio file player aka streamer, so instead of going through the hassle of physically converting the files to a lossless format, why not simply get a suitable UPnP/DLNA media server to transcode them on the fly to the required lossless format which then gets streamed over the network for the CD-NT670D to play instead?

Hi,

Thank you for responding, i do appreciate it.
i'm using USB primarily because i want to display all my album artWORK and Metadeta on a small tablet i have connected to the system which runs the MusicCast app

I do use Airplay at times, however even though i have my entire library stored in iCloud through iTunes match, it does not display artwork etc over Airplay. I have found the most reliable way to achieve same is via USB?

As i live rurally my internet connect is also very slow, (circa 3MB) and i wont be able to avail of fibre for about two years yet. Airplay can there be intermittent if the network is slow, hence why again USB would be more reliable?

Im open to ideas but ideally want to use the MusicApp to control my music and still avail of all the metadeta on the files with gapless playback.

perhaps i am missing something but i really do value your input and help.

I agree converting the files could be time consuming etc, however one other advantage is that i own all m own music. Im not tied to Apple, Spotify etc in the future.

Perhaps what you propose as a UPnP/DLNA media server could be a solution, but in truth i have no idea how this works or even what it is, interfacing with MusicCast etc

Best

Simon.

 

[Cebolla]

You appear to be confusing your home network's speed (& the streaming mechanisms that run on your home network, such as AirPlay, UPnP/DLNA, etc) with your internet connection speed - they have nothing to do with each other.

Yes, having your music file collection stored on a device at home, such as the USB drive you mention, rather than accessible from the cloud via a particularly slow internet connection would be more reliable. However, that would include using AirPlay to stream over the network the audio output from iTunes (gaplessly) playing your files on a computer with the USB drive attached (if that's where you've decided to store the files). Or instead of using iTunes, the same computer running a media server (in the background) to transcode the files to a lossless format for streaming over the network & using the MusicCast app for control (like I mentioned earlier) - the point being you are not restricted to just plugging a USB drive containing the music files directly into the Yamaha and therefore being forced to convert the files to a lossless format for gapless playback to be supported.