Swinsian front end to HQPlayer

[Geoffrey Armstrong]

Attached please find my Swinsian front end to HQPlayer.

 

Swinsian has the advantage that is supports flac and DSD formats (dsf and dff), so there is less need to create temporary files than with my iTunes front end to HQPlayer. You may still wish to do this for sound quality reasons. That's your choice.

 

Unfortunately Swinsian currently lacks an IOS remote app (unlike iTunes), the developer is reportedly working on it, though I don't know the timeline.

 

Please provide any feedback here if you're a Swinsian user. In case this causes any of you to purchase a license for Swinsian, now that you can use it as a front end to HQPlayer, please let the developer know.

 

Thanks

 

Geoff

Swinsian - HQPlayer Server.app.zip

[Superdad]

@Geoffrey Armstrong Hi:

Very happy to see that you done this for the excellently written Swinsian, which is a near-perfect iTunes replacement.  

 

However, for a very significant rise in SQ, I have moved to using HQ Player Embedded under a custom-tuned version of AudioLinux (which in turn feeds to a custom NUC/AL/NAA).

My user interface/control player machine is an i7 iMac on my desk. Right now I feed the  HQP Embedded machine via Roon (now with the Core on the same AL/HQPe machine). I am not what I would call a “Roony”. I use it because it is darn-near the only alternative to @Miska‘s own primitive Client and Roon manages access to my music file libraries without any pain.

 

Which brings me to my question: 

Would your new script allow me to use Swinsian as local front end to an HQ Player Embedded machine on my network?

If so, that would be amazing—possibly the most no-sonic-compromise solution allowing an iTunes-like interface.

 

Perhaps I am misunderstanding what your “script “ actually does (I never tried running the original iTunes version of it).

Please let us know your thoughts on this.

Many thanks,

—Alex C.

[Geoffrey Armstrong]

Quote

Would your new script allow me to use Swinsian as local front end to an HQ Player Embedded machine on my network?

Hi Alex,

 

I'm afraid this wouldn't work as it requires a version of HQPlayer Desktop.

 

Best,

Geoff

 

 

[Superdad]

1 hour ago, Geoffrey Armstrong said:

I'm afraid this wouldn't work as it requires a version of HQPlayer Desktop.

 

Hi Geoff:

Thanks.  That's sad.  

I was hoping it would work since Jussi split HQ Player Desktop into separate Engine and Client apps, and since his Client can talk to any HQP Embedded instance on the network.

Audirvana can send to HQP Embedded, but that is via UPnP.  But the audio data path Audirvana runs though in feeding HQPe very much adds its own flavor.  Plus it does not play native DSD tracks to HQPe.

 

Guess I'll just have to learn to love Roon more (it's just visually to busy with too much information for my ADD brain). 

 

Given that Roon managed to add direct support for HQ Player, it ought not to be too hard for some other s/w developer to do so as well.  (And Jussi is well aware that while his engine/filters/NAA are loved, his Client front-end is not.)  I know that @DancingSea wrote a letter to the developer of Swinsian begging for them to look at adding such integration--but he was rebuffed with "the market is too small."

 

Cheers,

--Alex

[Geoffrey Armstrong]

Well on MacOS the version 4 HQPlayer Client app includes the hqp-control2 app. It’s that app I’m using to control HQPlayer4Desktop. I didn’t think HQP Embedded could accept commands from the hqp-control2 app and be controlled by it. I could be wrong though.

 

It’s not something I’ve tested.

 

It’s probably a good idea to check this with Jussi.

 

 

[Miska]

1 hour ago, Geoffrey Armstrong said:

Well on MacOS the version 4 HQPlayer Client app includes the hqp-control2 app. It’s that app I’m using to control HQPlayer4Desktop. I didn’t think HQP Embedded could accept commands from the hqp-control2 app and be controlled by it. I could be wrong though.

 

It’s not something I’ve tested.

 

It’s probably a good idea to check this with Jussi.

 

hqp-control2 works with Embedded as well, both use exactly same control interface. Of course if Embedded is running on a remote computer and you refer to a local file path, that won't be accessible for the remote machine. However, if you for example set HTTP URLs or similar, that works. (also local references if you know where a certain file appears from Embedded's perspective - ie. filesystem mounts)

 

[Geoffrey Armstrong]

Thanks Jussi.

 

My app allows you to specify the path to the music folder on your Mac, as it appears as a network shared location on the remote machine running embedded. Then, of course, you’d need to specify the IP address of the client machine where embedded is running in place of “localhost”, again in my app’s preferences.

 

It’ll be great if we can get this to work. I didn’t realize it could potentially work with embedded.

[Superdad]

4 hours ago, Geoffrey Armstrong said:

It’ll be great if we can get this to work. I didn’t realize it could potentially work with embedded.

 

You and @Miska are smart cookies.  Put your heads together to make this work near as easily as it does for Roon>HQP and you'll both be heroes to a lot of people!  

I'm happy to be a beta test guinea pig... 

[DancingSea]

Amen!  A robust Mac based library management system that allows all file types, that can be a front end for HQP for a mere $20, will indeed make many people happy.  Especially if it can be at a Roon level of integration.  

 

Hopefully the Swinsian remote won’t be too far away.  Roon will still have Tidal and Quboz support as and advantage.  But at $480 more expensive than Swinsian, I can live with that!

[Le Concombre Masqué]

11 hours ago, Superdad said:

 

Hi Geoff:

Thanks.  That's sad.  

I was hoping it would work since Jussi split HQ Player Desktop into separate Engine and Client apps, and since his Client can talk to any HQP Embedded instance on the network.

Audirvana can send to HQP Embedded, but that is via UPnP.  But the audio data path Audirvana runs though in feeding HQPe very much adds its own flavor.  Plus it does not play native DSD tracks to HQPe.

 

Guess I'll just have to learn to love Roon more (it's just visually to busy with too much information for my ADD brain). 

 

Given that Roon managed to add direct support for HQ Player, it ought not to be too hard for some other s/w developer to do so as well.  (And Jussi is well aware that while his engine/filters/NAA are loved, his Client front-end is not.)  I know that @DancingSea wrote a letter to the developer of Swinsian begging for them to look at adding such integration--but he was rebuffed with "the market is too small."

 

Cheers,

--Alex

I can't let you dig the Audirvana solution's grave...

good to know money can buy a working solution but I have neither the inclination nor the money for Roon ;

and 4Client with Embedded can't be a good solution with or without Swinsian, IMO. Yes 4Client connects automagically but for what benefit? Transport list brings a welcome alphabetical order but no mention of rate etc is present under that view. Filters in use don't show with Embedded, time lapse appears only at connection etc etc : I'll be happy to be proven wrong but I don't expect anything good from a SWINSIAN/4Client/Script solution.

Miska seems busy at the moment but he had written he would look at the DSD files issue with Audirvana. He has already identified what causes interrupts especially with Hires : I'd rather trust Miska to make that solution work. 

As of the audio path flavour : rather than triggering a direct tap from Embedded into the music files, Audirvana loads in RAM in the machine that runs it (don't think @damien78 would help make an instance of Audirvana that would not be a RAM Player and just a front end to HQPs but, for the record, here is the idea). The lags and interrupts caused by that RAM thing plus the DSD issue don't make Audirvana a viable solution as of today but, when it worked, I didn't complain about the flavour. I even preferred it over HDD directly connected to the Embedded machine. No long investigation, just an impression, maybe nourished by the illusion I was WIFI tapping from my main drive as with Desktop ; and that is not only convenient but also investigated as excellent SQ wise.

 

Note that directly connected HDD + Embedded control web page on my smart phone is a solution I find convenient per se, except that I always want to listen to something that is not on the connected HDD. Which can't be too loaded to keep the solution convenient

 

[Geoffrey Armstrong]

In case anyone is getting any write permission errors as dancingSea experienced with the iTunes app, here is a new version where I've opened permissions on the two files my script needs to write to.

 

Please test and let me know. Thanks

 

 

Swinsian - HQPlayer Server.app 2.zip

[DancingSea]

13 hours ago, Geoffrey Armstrong said:

In case anyone is getting any write permission errors as dancingSea experienced with the iTunes app, here is a new version where I've opened permissions on the two files my script needs to write to.

 

Please test and let me know. Thanks

 

 

Swinsian - HQPlayer Server.app 2.zip 7.48 MB · 2 downloads

 

Thanks for putting this together.  But exact same issue as with your iTunes/ HQPlayer app.  And also will not send music from Swinsian to HQPlayer 3....  the .py file in Resources in read/ write for "everyone".  I'm not sure which .plist file to check.

[Miska]

15 hours ago, Le Concombre Masqué said:

Yes 4Client connects automagically but for what benefit? Transport list brings a welcome alphabetical order but no mention of rate etc is present under that view.

 

Hmmh, what?

 

 

And I can also do search like this...

 

 

15 hours ago, Le Concombre Masqué said:

Filters in use don't show with Embedded, time lapse appears only at connection etc etc

 

Really?

 

 

 

[Geoffrey Armstrong]

8 hours ago, DancingSea said:

 

Thanks for putting this together.  But exact same issue as with your iTunes/ HQPlayer app.  And also will not send music from Swinsian to HQPlayer 3....  the .py file in Resources in read/ write for "everyone".  I'm not sure which .plist file to check.

I’ve tested on different systems with different account names;etc. and haven’t encountered this problem, and that was before opening up the permissions. So I’m at a loss.

[Le Concombre Masqué]

8 hours ago, Miska said:

 

Hmmh, what?

 

 

And I can also do search like this...

 

 

 

Really?

 

 

 

Hmmm, I got and liked that when I tried with Windows but not with Embedded. Will have to try again. 

[Geoffrey Armstrong]

1 hour ago, Le Concombre Masqué said:

Hmmm, I got and liked that when I tried with Windows but not with Embedded. Will have to try again. 

Perhaps this discussion could be moved to a separate thread?

[DancingSea]

5 hours ago, Geoffrey Armstrong said:

I’ve tested on different systems with different account names;etc. and haven’t encountered this problem, and that was before opening up the permissions. So I’m at a loss.

 

That’s disappointing for sure.  I’ve never seen that error message before in nearly 40 years of using a Mac.  Wish we could sort it out as I can’t use either of your scripts because of it!

[Le Concombre Masqué]

2 hours ago, Geoffrey Armstrong said:

Perhaps this discussion could be moved to a separate thread?

Are you serious ? If there are issues with Client, what would be the point to couple it with Swinsian via your script?And if I find out why it did not work for me while it works for Jussi, the answer belongs here IMO

[vortecjr]

On 7/2/2019 at 7:49 AM, Geoffrey Armstrong said:

Attached please find my Swinsian front end to HQPlayer.

 

Swinsian has the advantage that is supports flac and DSD formats (dsf and dff), so there is less need to create temporary files than with my iTunes front end to HQPlayer. You may still wish to do this for sound quality reasons. That's your choice.

 

Unfortunately Swinsian currently lacks an IOS remote app (unlike iTunes), the developer is reportedly working on it, though I don't know the timeline.

 

Please provide any feedback here if you're a Swinsian user. In case this causes any of you to purchase a license for Swinsian, now that you can use it as a front end to HQPlayer, please let the developer know.

 

Thanks

 

Geoff

Swinsian - HQPlayer Server.app.zip 7.48 MB · 9 downloads

Nice work. Can you reach out to me via email when you have a minute at [email protected]?

[Geoffrey Armstrong]

1 hour ago, Le Concombre Masqué said:

Are you serious ? If there are issues with Client, what would be the point to couple it with Swinsian via your script?And if I find out why it did not work for me while it works for Jussi, the answer belongs here IMO

Yes, I am serious. I opened this thread to discuss my Swinsian to HQPlayer app for Mac. I wrote this for HQPlayerDesktop and had no idea it could work with HQPEmbedded.

 

It is possible it can, because as Jussi advised, the hqp-control2 app's method calls can also be sent to HQPEmbedded. Although I currently have no means of testing this.

 

I think you are confusing the HQPlayerClient app with hqp-control2.

 

I am not making use of the HQPlayerClient app at all and I believe any discussion of its use belongs elsewhere.

 

Thanks in advance for your understanding.

[vortecjr]

Geoff can you provide an example of your server preferences? 

[Geoffrey Armstrong]

59 minutes ago, vortecjr said:

Geoff can you provide an example of your server preferences? 

Here are the default prefs. Nothing to do if you're running HQPlayer on the same Mac as Swinsian and you don't want to force creation of Temp files, create a ramdisk or launch HQPlayer using the app:

 

[vortecjr]

2 minutes ago, Geoffrey Armstrong said:

Here are the default prefs. Nothing to do if you're running HQPlayer on the same Mac as Swinsian and you don't want to force creation of Temp files, create a ramdisk or launch HQPlayer using the app:

 

Okay. I have the same error posted above:( 

[Geoffrey Armstrong]

I found a bug today in both my iTunes and Swinsian apps.

 

This bug effected handling libraries on external discs.

 

Here's the version with the bug fix for Swinsian.

Swinsian - HQPlayer Server.app.zip

[Le Concombre Masqué]

On 7/4/2019 at 3:04 PM, Geoffrey Armstrong said:

Yes, I am serious. I opened this thread to discuss my Swinsian to HQPlayer app for Mac. I wrote this for HQPlayerDesktop and had no idea it could work with HQPEmbedded.

 

It is possible it can, because as Jussi advised, the hqp-control2 app's method calls can also be sent to HQPEmbedded. Although I currently have no means of testing this.

 

I think you are confusing the HQPlayerClient app with hqp-control2.

 

I am not making use of the HQPlayerClient app at all and I believe any discussion of its use belongs elsewhere.

 

Thanks in advance for your understanding.

Ok I walk out of this thread. Before that, so that @Miska can pm me as needed, I confirm my findings with 4 Client wifi connected on a Mac running macOs 10.14.5.