Playing randmon tacks from a sub folder

[Floyd]

I have Asset v7.4 and the free version of Minimserver on a Synology NAS DSM7 ( but same thing used to happen on DSM6.
I have arranged my music files basically in a folder called FLAC.
Within FLAC are other sub folders usually band names plus a large folders for compilations.(Some people just have Various Artists but I have name mine differently.)
If within a folder I have have something like:
FLAC>
50s-60s-70s Compilations>
The Complete Motown Singles Discs 1-6 (This Folder I create and copy the 6 albums into it)>
The Complete Motown Singles Disc 1
The Complete Motown Singles Disc 2
The Complete Motown Singles Disc 3
The Complete Motown Singles Disc 4
The Complete Motown Singles Disc 5
The Complete Motown Singles Disc 6

Same thing if if I have say:
Ten Years After (Studio Albums) then have all the Ten Years After studio albums within this Folder or any other artist.
Can play and shuffle all songs in an individual album within the folder just not shuffle all albums in the folder.
Or any other folder could be 10cc or The Beatles or ZZ Top... etc etc etc

If I use Minimserver I can randomly play all songs from the folder The Complete Motown Singles Discs 1-6.
If I use asset all I get is "Your playback queue is empty"
My settings for Asset are basically default.
There is nothing I can set up in Minimserver besides what directory to point to to index.
Is there a way of configuring asset to achieve what I want to do?
Tried changing some of the Browse Tree setting in Advanced to no avail so I just hit the default button.
Hopefully I have explained this satisfactorily enough?
So hopefully someone will have the answer for me?
I would rather use Asset but the ability to shuffle from a whole folder of albums is what I like to do sometimes and unfortuately I have to use Minimserver to do this.
Thanks.

[simbun]

There is nothing I can set up in Minimserver besides what directory to point to to index.

I assume you mean that you haven't configured anything in MinimServer, as there is A LOT that can be.

MinimServer doesn't offer any shuffle functionality natively so it must be your control point offering this, so what control point are you using, and are you browsing by folder or tag (I assume folder but just want to confirm)?

[Floyd]

Thanks.
The Minimserver I have been using is the free version and hence I cannot see any way of configuring.
So I am unsure of how Minimserver is handling it.
I do browse by Folder in both Asset and Minimserver. UPnP.
Played from Samsung Tablet or Samsung Phone.
The music player I use usually is an app called HiFiCast.
Is there an more indepth read on Asset besides the help selection in Asset?

[simbun]

I do browse by Folder in both Asset and Minimserver.
The music player I use usually is an app called HiFiCast.

I've used Hi-Fi Cast before and have just reproduced your findings, it just doesn't want to enqueue songs from a higher level folder with Asset (it does however work at any level using tag view). Using BubbleUPnP however does work (my control point of choice with MinimServer), so I'm not sure which one is at fault!
BubbleUPnP does go out of its way to work with just about everything, so it could be the way Asset is doing it isn't to spec, or it could just be a bug/feature of Hi-Fi Cast.

Is there an more indepth read on Asset besides the help selection in Asset?

The only help I'm aware of is this.

[Floyd]

Thanks again for your help.
Will look at BubbleUPnP and see what it can do..
I like HiFiCast (probably the best $3 I've ever spent imho ) for a few reasons..one of them being is that it displays the composer info on the screen of the track being played.. and as I have gone to a lot of effort to input and correct this (on over 100000 tracks) at ripping time Id like to continue to see it.
Be interesting if anyone else has any suggestions?

[simbun]

BubbleUPnP has the option (Now Playing: Show Composer) to display the Composer next to the Artist on the now playing screen, but it doesn't show it in the track listing like Hi-Fi Cast does.

One of the reasons I use MinimServer is its ability to virtually manipulate tags to be passed onto the renderer e.g. If you wanted to see Composer in addition to Artist wherever you'd normally see Artist (like in the track listing), use the configuration option 'Artist.displayFormat={$Artist^$Composer^ (^)^}', which tells MinimServer to send the tag Artist to the control point with the value %artist% (%composer%).
You can get really creative, and it allows you to store tags the way you want to, not the way you have to in order to get the control point to display them a particular way e.g.

TITLE=Bag Lady
SUBTTILE=Cheeba Sac Radio Edit
TRACKTYPE=Bonus

Using the option: Title.displayFormat={$title^$subtitle^ (^)^$trackType^ [^ Track]^}, displays "Bag Lady (Cheeba Sac Radio Edit) [Bonus Track]" in EVERY control point.

[Floyd]

You are right.. BubbleUPnP does allow me to shuffle from the higher folder but doesn't show it in the track listing like HiFiCast does..
And BubbleUPnP lists the "Artist.Composer1:Composer2;Composer3" etc.
This is different to HiFiCast.
I take it that you have the full licensed version of Minimserver?
Not sure where I would put in your suggested config option.. in Minimerver?
I don't particularly want to have pay for another as I already bought Asset.
Likewise I have purchased about a dozen music players so while I guess I could spend more on BubbleUPnP
I was hoping that it was going to be solved by a setting in Asset as I like the way HiFicast looks and is easy to use (for me anyway).?

[simbun]

You are right.. BubbleUPnP does allow me to shuffle from the higher folder but doesn't show it in the track listing like HiFiCast does..
And BubbleUPnP lists the "Artist.Composer1:Composer2;Composer3" etc.
This is different to HiFiCast.

Correct, it just appends it to Artist on the Now Playing screen, as I suggested.

I take it that you have the full licensed version of Minimserver?
Not sure where I would put in your suggested config option.. in Minimerver?

I've been using MinimServer for at least 8 years now, but only seriously when I started ripping my collection about 5 years ago.
Those changes I suggested need to be applied in MinimServer yes. If you didn't want to see Artist when there's a Composer tag present you can use:

tagValue: Artist.replace={Composer}

If you ever want any help with MinimServer it's probably best we discuss it on the MinimServer forums :-) It does have a free trial so there's no obligation.

I was hoping that it was going to be solved by a setting in Asset as I like the way HiFicast looks and is easy to use (for me anyway).?

I couldn't see anything in the settings that would address this, but hopefully someone from illustrate can confirm if it's the expected behaviour. It might also be worth mentioning in the Hi-Fi Cast forums.

For me, these servers really shine when you're browsing by tags, is that not a possibility? I belive that does work in Hi-Fi Cast and Asset

[Floyd]

Not sure how to browse by tags?
Appreciate you taking the time to help.
Thanks

[simbun]

Not sure how to browse by tags?

If we take your starter edition of MinimServer as an example - because it's a bit less cluttered - it offers default indexes of:

n Albums
n Items
n Playlists (if any exist)
* Artist
* Date
* Genre
* All Artists
* Composer
[folder view]

All the indexes prefixed with * are configurable, and are based off the tags contained within your music files (browsing by tag). [folder view] allows you to find your files by browsing the folders in your filesystem, which in your case may be '50s-60s-70s Compilations > The Complete Motown Singles Discs 1-6 > The Complete Motown Singles Disc 1', this is known as browsing by folder.

In a default Asset install, to browse by folder you'd need to navigate to 'Additional > Folders & Filename Browsing', is this what you're doing? I assumed you were as this seems to be where Hi-Fi Cast fails to add files to the queue - you also confirmed you were in your second post, but maybe you didn't understand the terminology. I'm assuming here that you haven't configured Hi-Fi Casts 'Top Level Music Folder' as otherwise you won't see all the indexes.

My suggestion was simply to use the other indexes (which can be configured) to find your music as this seems to work in Hi-Fi Cast e.g. First select Composer or Artist or ....

[Floyd]

Thanks again.
Really helpful.
I had configured the Top Level Folder . Tried various options in Asset like Album Artist/Album etc.
I'm surprised that no one else has posted anything. Be nice to know if some other Asset setting may help.
Guess I will just have to resaerch a bit more and perserve with it
I did buy BubbleUPnP today also .. so I will further investigate it. But it does look like it will do the job
Asset and Minimserver and another music player to go with the rest .. suppose you cant have too many
although my wife does see the purchases pop up each time
Cheers.

[simbun]

Tried various options in Asset like Album Artist/Album etc.

And 'Shuffle & play' worked correctly? Asset comes with a tonne of default indexes but can be tailored just as MinimServer can.

I'm surprised that no one else has posted anything. Be nice to know if some other Asset setting may help.
Guess I will just have to resaerch a bit more and perserve with it

The cohort of people that use Folder view (which is itself a tiny percentage) AND Hi-Fi Cast is going to be few and far between, and official support here is limited at best.
You say you've spent a considerable amount of time with your tagging, so 'browsing by tags' might be worth looking further at as it's a much richer browsing experience.

I did buy BubbleUPnP today also .. so I will further investigate it. But it does look like it will do the job
Asset and Minimserver and another music player to go with the rest

BubbleUPnP is the best control point there is; I'd still like to see little visual tweaks but it wipes the floor with the majority of control points.

If you decide to use BubbleUPnP then you can also benefit from using BubbleUPnP Server. It's main benefit is in making OpenHome proxies of your existing renderers so that any playback queue is stored and advanced on the renderer (actually the proxy renderer that is the server), not your phone, so you don't need to have your phone awake to advance tracks, and you can access the playback queue from other devices.

[Floyd]

Cannot get shuffle & play to work with:
Album / Artist:
Unless I select an actual album

Folders & Filename Browsing:
Unless I select an actual album

I have tried manipulating the browse tree to now avail.
All I want to do is be able to shuffle & play from any folder within my FLAC folder.
Including any sub folders within the FLAC folder of which there are about 2400 sub folders.

Minimserver(even the starter version)on the other hand will shuffle & play on all folders as I want.
The only thing Minimserver does not seem to do is have multiple instances with Synology (as far as I know...not sure about the licensed version).
Very frustrating.