Flac on Server, to ipod on PC

[Dingostrategy]

So here's my issue:

I store (mostly) FLAC files on a linux 'server' which drives SC and my devices (2x SB3, 1 Boom).

I use an iPod Touch for everything it does, including iPeng.


I need an expedient way to transcode and sync my .flac collection to the touch. The server is headless and Linux, so I want to try and do this over the network on a separate PC.


I used to use the same PC for serving flacs. In that case, I just created a second folder called 'mp3' and linked itunes to that. It meant ripping everything twice.

(Note before I had the iPod, MediaMonkey transcode on the fly was a brilliant option for my samsung mp4 player but that won't work with iPod touch)

The best I can think of is either:

a) having 2 folders - 1 of flac and 1 of mp3 on the server, and connecting itunes from a second PC to the mp3 folder, and synching like that. However, transcoding flacs on a headless server is pain in the donkey.
b) transcoding flacs from the server onto a PC, but I want to avoid this as I want the PC to be devoid of all media files (for my own reasons).

I mustn't be alone here. What do you do? Is there some s/w I don't know about to sort this out?

edit: can someone write an iphone app to login to local server/find files/transcode/sync without needing iTunes? Kindly do this right after you cure HIV and deliver world peace. Thanks.

[Nonreality]

Media Monkey now works with the touch. Maybe I don't understand you but can't you use mediamonkey to transcode all your flac to a folder of your choice in mp3 format? Or use dbpoweramp. You should now just be able to transcode to your touch from flac.

[JJZolx]

I used to use the same PC for serving flacs. In that case, I just created a second folder called 'mp3' and linked itunes to that. It meant ripping everything twice.

Ouch, ouch, ouch.

a) having 2 folders - 1 of flac and 1 of mp3 on the server, and connecting itunes from a second PC to the mp3 folder, and synching like that. However, transcoding flacs on a headless server is pain in the donkey.

That's the way. Transcoding can be done by a script. Do a search for Robin Bowes' flac2mp3.pl. Just schedule it to run nightly to keep an up to date MP3 mirror of your FLAC library.

iTunes I'm not so up on, although I've begun to use it to load tunes onto my iPods. Haven't figured out, for instance, how to get it to rescan my MP3 library and catalog new content.

[Dingostrategy]

Thanks team.

Let me re-phrase. i did not rip everything twice. I ripped to flac, then let MM sort out the transcode to mp3.

Now I think I'll do this.

-First try mapping MM to the flac folder and transcoding on the fly over wifi to the secondary XP PC (Thanks Siduhe, niec tip)

or

-Have primary .flac folder (the one scanned by SC)
-Have secondary .mp3 folder on same server (with mp3s transcoded using MM or a new piece of SW)- or maybe one of these flasho mirror options. However that means script and I am still a linux noob.
-itunes on 2o XP notebook linked to mp3 folder
-Sync should work, even if slow over wifi.

Right? Wrong? Better ideas?

[ddewey]

Quoting Dingostrategy (Dingostrategy.3trhtb1244967961 (AT) no-mx (DOT) forums.slimdevices.com):

>
> Thanks team.
>
> Let me re-phrase. i did not rip everything twice. I ripped to flac,
> then let MM sort out the transcode to mp3.
>
> Now I think I'll do this.
>
> -First try mapping MM to the flac folder and transcoding on the fly
> over wifi to the secondary XP PC (Thanks Siduhe, niec tip)
>
> or
>
> -Have primary .flac folder (the one scanned by SC)
> -Have secondary .mp3 folder on same server (with mp3s transcoded using
> MM or a new piece of SW)- or maybe one of these flasho mirror options.
> However that means script and I am still a linux noob.
> -itunes on 2o XP notebook linked to mp3 folder
> -Sync should work, even if slow over wifi.
>
> Right? Wrong? Better ideas?

I use mp3fs:

http://mp3fs.sourceforge.net

Essentially, I mount my FLAC directory using mp3fs, which exports
the flac files as mp3 without actually creating them (so uses zero
disk space). When you access the files, they are automatically
transcoded to mp3. It's pretty simple to setup (linux only) and
works great. I feed this fake-mp3 directory to iTunes and use it to
sync my Apple devices (iphone, ipods).

[JJZolx]

We're missing a couple of posts to this thread. What happened to them?

[Nikhil]

I use mp3fs:

http://mp3fs.sourceforge.net

Essentially, I mount my FLAC directory using mp3fs, which exports
the flac files as mp3 without actually creating them (so uses zero
disk space). When you access the files, they are automatically
transcoded to mp3. It's pretty simple to setup (linux only) and
works great. I feed this fake-mp3 directory to iTunes and use it to
sync my Apple devices (iphone, ipods).

I second this approach - have been using it for a bit now, and it works perfectly for me.

[bernt]

I second this approach - have been using it for a bit now, and it works perfectly for me.

+1

A few downsides.

It's slow to sync.
It can't handle the itunescompilation tag (AAAAAARRRRghhhh!!!&%¤#"#).
Albumart has to be embeded in the flac file (I think).

[tcutting]

Are you sure you can't still use MediaMonkey to transcode on the fly as it syncs to the iPod?

[Dingostrategy]

Are you sure you can't still use MediaMonkey to transcode on the fly as it syncs to the iPod?

Okay man this is a lot harder than I thought.

**MM transcode on the fly too slow, hangs, doesn't work.
the fake MP3 option didn't work (I gave up to look for alternatives, but might come back to it - even then album art might be an issue - not a major beef for me because I rarely actually depend on the touch as a portable media player and can live without art when I do.
*iTunes is crashing out on me - I think I've corrupted the db on the touch.
*I think I'm really ballzed something up here.

This, I thought, would be the least of my troubles. STUPID PROPRIETARY BLACK BOXES give me the inevitable gastric consequences of dysentry.