iTunes - HQPlayer front-end re-visited

[Jamesroy]

I use A+ with Stellar Gain Cell DAC

[Geoffrey Armstrong]

14 hours ago, Sevenfeet said:

In the future, could the opening dialog box include a small version number?  That way it'll be easier to track that we are indeed on the correct version.

Good suggestion and I've added that in the version (1.45) attached.

Of course you can't tell just from the version number that you have the latest version. I've added the date as well so you can see how recent the version you have is. …and we can all refer to these version numbers in subsequent discussions.

 

Geoff

iTunes - HQPlayer Server.app.zip

[ivarsmu]

Hi Geoff,

recently noticed such behaviour: if some album not contain first track, then script simply didn't start to play.

If album don't contain some track in the middle of album , then script stops on missing track number and didn't proceed further.

Maybe it's possible to handle somehow that missing track thing?

 

Best,

Ivars

[Geoffrey Armstrong]

On 3/15/2018 at 11:35 AM, ivarsmu said:

Hi Geoff,

recently noticed such behaviour: if some album not contain first track, then script simply didn't start to play.

If album don't contain some track in the middle of album , then script stops on missing track number and didn't proceed further.

Maybe it's possible to handle somehow that missing track thing?

 

Best,

Ivars

Hi Ivars,

 

Apologies for the slow response to this one. I've been working on another project.

 

This is a reasonable request. I've come across it when we did shows and one of my partners had albums with just one or two tracks in iTunes for demo purposes.

 

I've attached a new version with a fix for this. Just bear in mind though, that you should make sure all the tracks you do have for an album have the correct total track count set in meta-data, even though some of those tracks may be missing.

 

This is the only way I can guarantee this fix to work. Especially if the missing tracks have never been present in your library.

 

You can view the log file I write for each album in your logs folder within your library folder: iTunes - HQPlayer Server.log

 

This will identify which tracks appear to be missing according to the total track count you should have set for the album. It may be helpful when trying to resolve missing track issues.

 

The new version 1.46 with the fix is attached.

 

Best,

 

Geoff

iTunes - HQPlayer Server.app.zip

[Jonathan Page]

Hi 

I am new to Computer Audiophile and HQ Player and "iTunes - HQPlayer Server". The sound of the player is superb, like liquid gold. I've been an Audirvana user for years and an Audiophile for decades.

If I can seamlessly use iTunes as the front end for HQ Player I'm in heaven.

I'm just learning the ropes.

Two questions please.

I get an error message (attached).

Also has anyone written an easy sequence in which to automatically log in and setup the iTunes / HQ player setup with the script running. I'm finding the blog a bit bewildering.

Thanks so much

 

Jonathan

[Bob Stern]

If you are running Geoff's app on a different computer from HQP, you need a copy of HQP in the Applications folder of both computers.  Only the copy of HQP on the computer connected to your DAC has to be registered; it does not matter whether the copy on the other computer is registered.

[Jonathan Page]

Thanks Bob. I just run a MacMini with an external hard drive. 

[asdf1000]

Hi @Geoffrey Armstrong

 

Does this work with Apple Music within iTunes?

 

[Geoffrey Armstrong]

41 minutes ago, Em2016 said:

Hi @Geoffrey Armstrong

 

Does this work with Apple Music within iTunes?

 

No unfortunately. Because it's DRM protected.

[Geoffrey Armstrong]

Why don't you try this solution? It will work with Apple Music

 

 

 

 

[DancingSea]

15 hours ago, Geoffrey Armstrong said:

Why don't you try this solution? It will work with Apple Music

 

 

 

 

 

Aloha Geoffrey,

 

Do I recall correctly that you have a script that allows DSD files to be added to iTunes?

 

Thanks

[Geoffrey Armstrong]

Aloha,

 

I do. Of course it creates substitute files as DSD files themselves can't actually be added to iTunes. When you play one of these files, my script sends the original DSD file to HQPlayer instead.

 

I haven't used it for a while. I'll test it next week with the current version of iTunes and send you a copy, if you wish.

 

 

[DancingSea]

On 4/12/2019 at 8:05 PM, Geoffrey Armstrong said:

Aloha,

 

I do. Of course it creates substitute files as DSD files themselves can't actually be added to iTunes. When you play one of these files, my script sends the original DSD file to HQPlayer instead.

 

I haven't used it for a while. I'll test it next week with the current version of iTunes and send you a copy, if you wish.

 

 

 

Yes, that would be great, thanks!

 

I'm going to give your iTunes/ HQP app another go.  I've since updated Mac OS to Mojave and HQP to the latest desktop version, hoping that will be more successful than when I tried before.  Would be wonderful to get it going.  As it is, I'm dragging stuff from iTunes into HQP.

 

What is the link to the latest version of your iTunes/ HQPlayer Server app?

 

Thanks again.

[Bob Stern]

@DancingSea Since you are dragging files from iTunes to HQP, I assume you are not playing DSD files that way.  If Geoff's app doesn’t meet your needs, I have an AppleScript I use to append to HQP's queue a selection of files from the iTunes window.  My script is less ambitious than Geoff's app: I haven't attempted to include DSD, and I don’t create a RAM disk.

 

OTOH, I suggest trying Swinsian as a replacement for iTunes as a database manager.  I plan to try switching from iTunes to Swinsian when I get some free time in a couple of months.  My beef with iTunes is its flakiness:  It often says it cannot find a music file, and sometimes it discards my edits to metadata.

 

http://swinsian.com

[superfrognyc]

I have been using this very useful iTunes to HQPlayer front end. Quick Q, is there a way to see if the HQPlayer is indeed working in the background while using iTunes?

[Geoffrey Armstrong]

You can just bring HQPlayer to the front or organise your windows so you can observe iTunes and HQPlayer side by side. Unless I’ve misunderstood your question?

[Geoffrey Armstrong]

On 4/16/2019 at 12:00 PM, Bob Stern said:

@DancingSea Since you are dragging files from iTunes to HQP, I assume you are not playing DSD files that way.  If Geoff's app doesn’t meet your needs, I have an AppleScript I use to append to HQP's queue a selection of files from the iTunes window.  My script is less ambitious than Geoff's app: I haven't attempted to include DSD, and I don’t create a RAM disk.

 

OTOH, I suggest trying Swinsian as a replacement for iTunes as a database manager.  I plan to try switching from iTunes to Swinsian when I get some free time in a couple of months.  My beef with iTunes is its flakiness:  It often says it cannot find a music file, and sometimes it discards my edits to metadata.

 

http://swinsian.com

I haven’t tried Swinsian yet. From a quick look at the site I see it’s Applescript controllable. So I will look into how easy it would be to adapt my front-end for HQPlayer.

[DancingSea]

7 hours ago, Geoffrey Armstrong said:

I haven’t tried Swinsian yet. From a quick look at the site I see it’s Applescript controllable. So I will look into how easy it would be to adapt my front-end for HQPlayer.

 

Swinsian works well, I’ve been using it the past few days and dragging from it into HQPlayer.  Swinsian easily imported my iTunes AIFF library, complete with all iTunes playlists, ratings etc. It also incorporates DSD and flac files from outside iTunes.  In that regard, it’s like Roon. The only downside I see is Swinsian seems to be memory intensive, not sure why. 

 

The Swinsian developer is working on an iOS remote as well.  Would be wonderful if we could connect Swinsian  to HQPlayer.  As documented in the HQPlayer thread, I contacted the developer but he’s too busy to connect the two. So it’s up to you and Bob!

[superfrognyc]

On 5/18/2019 at 3:09 AM, Geoffrey Armstrong said:

You can just bring HQPlayer to the front or organise your windows so you can observe iTunes and HQPlayer side by side. Unless I’ve misunderstood your question?

 

I can see HQPlayer in the background but there is zero info or any sign of "life" for that matter from HQplayer about the file being played by iTunes,  it looks like iTunes is playing by itself, Is this normal? Thanks! Alex

[Geoffrey Armstrong]

On 5/16/2019 at 8:42 AM, superfrognyc said:

I have been using this very useful iTunes to HQPlayer front end. Quick Q, is there a way to see if the HQPlayer is indeed working in the background while using iTunes?

 

[Geoffrey Armstrong]

From your previous post I got the impression it had been working for you. From your last post it sounds like it isn’t working. Can you tell me if it has ever worked for you? If it has, have you made any changes since?

 

Which versions of MacOS, HQPlayer and iTunes are you using?

 

If it’s working the music files should appear in HQPlayer’s playlist and be played by HQPlayer. iTunes volume should be minimised.

 

Is HQPlayer working for you if you just drag files onto it to play then directly?

 

Are you files in an HQPlayer supported format?

 

Are you asking my script to produce any temp files?

 

Thanks

[superfrognyc]

Hi Geoffrey, sorry for the late response.

 

I'm using the latest version of MacOS (10.14.5) HQPlayer is the version 3.25.3 and iTunes is Version 12.9.5.5.

 

HQPlayer works solo mode fine (96/24 and 192/24 files), when I launch your HQPlayer Server I get the following msg:

 

Can’t get last item of {}.

Can’t get last item of {}. (-1728))

 

Click OK, it launches iTunes but every Hi-Res music played on iTunes is output to the DAC in low resolution (according to my DAC Ayre Codex)

 

Is the error message the issue? (I think I'm running the fastest version of your HQPlayer Server)

 

Thanks,

Alex

 

 

 

[Geoffrey Armstrong]

This could be related to the .plist file in your ~library/itunes/scripts folder. Locate that and try deleting it before launching my server app again.

 

If this doesn’t fix the problem I’ll look into it further.

 

Geoff

[superfrognyc]

22 hours ago, Geoffrey Armstrong said:

This could be related to the .plist file in your ~library/itunes/scripts folder. Locate that and try deleting it before launching my server app again.

 

If this doesn’t fix the problem I’ll look into it further.

 

Geoff

 

Thanks Geoff! 

[Geoffrey Armstrong]

I have re-written my iTunes front end to HQPlayer. This new version works with both HQPlayer4Desktop and HQPlayerDesktop (series3).

 

The first time you run this, please launch HQPlayer before launching my app. This will allow my app to correctly configure itself to the version of HQPlayer you are using. Then if you subsequently launch my app when HQPlayer is not running and request my app to launch HQPlayer, it will launch the last version that you ran.

 

For those of you who go between versions 3 an 4 of HQPlayer, you'll need to repeat this exercise (launch the version of HQPlayer you wish to use before launching my app) so again my app can correctly configure itself for the version of HQPlayer being used.

 

I will post this software on my own web-site once I've had some testing feedback here.

 

Thanks

 

Geoff

iTunes - HQPlayer Server.app.zip