LaCie Ethernet Disk mini Home Edition

[wgb113]

So I thought I had everything set, purchased a 1TB LaCie Ethernet Disk mini Home Edition (LEDHE), a 1TB external drive to back up the LEDHE, an Airport Express, and put the CD player up for sale to fund a Cambridge Audio DacMagic. The goal was to have sound quality equal to the Rotel 1072 I just sold with the convenience of an iPod (I'll be using an iPod Touch w/ Remote App).

 

The LaCie Ethernet Disk mini Home Edition (LEDHE) is a NAS drive and billed as a Personal Media Server. It comes bundled with Hipserv software that includes an embedded iTunes Server. Perfect for a Mac user right? I thought so.

 

After struggling to get the LEDHE set up (the owners manual is poorly written) and transferring over a few albums of music from my iMac. The LEDHE shows up in iTunes as it's own library under "SHARED". Tested to see if the files successfully transferred and they did. Fired up the Touch's Remote App and...it can't access a shared library as it forces you to enter a unique code for each iTunes library. Since my iTunes library is already paired with the Touch, it's the only library I can access and control. Bummer.

 

So now I'm returning the LaCie drive for another external. I'm going to go the route of creating another library that I'll have to access using the "Option+click iTunes" function each time I want to access the no-MP3 versions of my CD's for playback on the HiFi. My goal is to have my CD collection in two versions, one stored as MP3 files on my iMac's internal drive for syncing the entire library with my iPod. The second is going to be stored as either AIFF or WAV files on an external drive connected via FireWire to my iMac for streaming to the Airport Express connected to the DacMagic or to our AppleTV in our second system.

 

Which format to use is for a whole different thread...on to that thread...I just wanted to share this info with other users that might be contemplating the LaCie as a NAS drive.

 

Bill

 

[souptin]

...in particular this one:

http://dougscripts.com/itunes/scripts/ss.php?sp=losslessaccworkflow

- it's intended to automate the creation and transfer of smaller AAC files to your iPod from lossless versions on your hard drive, without having to maintain a separate AAC library.

 

Even if it doesn't work as you'd like, the site is a handy one to bookmark as a source of useful applescripts.

 

Thanks for the heads up on the limitations of the embedded iTunes server on the Lacie. As you say, bummer.

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

Hi Guys - As many CA readers know I am not a fan of the built-in iTunes servers. A shared library is far to limited for most uses. unfortunately you found out the hard way, but nonetheless you're on your way to a better setup.

 

[webby]

Bill,

 

I'd love to know what drive and method you eventually went for because what you said in paragraph 4 is exactly what I want to do.

 

Please can you link me to your new thread (I can't seem to find it) or update us as to what you did next.

 

Cheers

 

[wgb113]

I've pretty much done just that. I returned the drive, purchased a LaCie Quadra drive, connected it to my iMac and began re-ripping my collection to AIF files in a separate library for streaming to my stereo. It's worked out very well.

 

Bill

 

[webby]

Nice one Bill.

 

A Lacie Quadra eh? I'm glad it's all worked out for you. Thanks for popping back to let us know.

 

Do you connect to the DAC via USB or Optical?

 

[wgb113]

Optical, picked up a regular-->mini cable from MonoPrice. Highly recommended.

 

[got tinnitus]

Hi Bill

 

I've just come across your post as I'm currently in the same boat as you; ie, I want to have AIFF on an external and MP3 on the Mac Book (please see my post in the Music Library forum).

 

Right now I have ripped 90GB of CD's onto the Mac so I need to now look at moving things over to the external (LaCie Quadra).

 

Can I ask, how do I go about having the 2 libraries? In practical terms, do you mind stepping me through with some basic instructions?

 

Regards

James

 

 

 

 

[Tog]

Yep a lot of people have reported niggles with LaCie drives but they are apparently getting better - the 2Big Network seems to work quite well...

 

Haven't had a problem with my WD Mybook via firewire except that the self power-down sometimes glitches.

 

Bill your main problem is with Itunes and the "remote" software - I hate the fact I can't control a streamed library using "remote" on the ipod touch. Itunes server anyone... Apple???

 

Yours, remotely, tog

 

[Audio_ELF]

James,

 

If you're using Mac, I've found the iTunes Library Manager from Doug's Apple Scrips site (sorry no link here - use Google) as an easier method than Option Clicking iTunes, if using multiple iTunes library. The other option is to use two user accounts and keep each iTunes library in a separate account.

 

Eloise

 

[webby]

Or, also on a mac, you could use Libra.

 

[wgb113]

I ended up just moving the MP3 version of the library off to our MacBook Pro and keeping the AIFF library on the LaCie external connected via FireWire.

 

Everything's hunky-dory now in my music world...waiting on the Beatles remasters...and enjoying my music collection and stereo system more now than ever.

 

Bill