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Zen Music Servers

 

User Manual

 

 

 

 

 

Version 2.3        
11/24/2015

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Powered By

 

 

Summary of Contents for ZEN

Page 1: ...Zen Music Servers User Manual Version 2 3 11 24 2015 Powered By ...

Page 2: ...erver 10 CD DVD Ripper 11 FLAC Mirror 12 Network Configuration 13 System Configuration 14 USB Backup 15 Configure Player 16 Vortexbox Upgrade 17 Connecting the Zen to your Music System 18 Using the Sonos system 18 Adding the Zen to Sonos Music Library 18 Rescanning the Sonos Music Library 19 Using the Naim Uniti or Mu so 19 Using the Naim App to browse and play music from the Zen 19 Rescanning the...

Page 3: ...other compressed music to the Zen 29 Deleting music from the Zen 30 Converting your music to mobile formats 30 Configuring automatic conversion to mp3 30 Editing Unknown or Incorrect Album data 31 Some background information about music tagging 31 Installing Kid3 31 Correcting an unknown album with Kid3 on Windows 32 Correcting an unknown album with Kid3 on Mac OS X 36 Backing up your Zen 39 Prepa...

Page 4: ...niti Linn DS and many others 3 As a Music Server for multi room wireless speakers such as Sonos 4 As a Music Server streaming or downloading music to mobile devices In fact the Zen Music Server supports all of these scenarios simultaneously This means for example you can have the Zen connected to a Hi Fi on your main listening room streaming to a Naim Uniti on the office and serving music to Sonos...

Page 5: ...3 Basic Connections Basic Connections Front Panel Controls and Connections Back Panel Connections ...

Page 6: ...4 Basic Connections Connecting the Zen to power Turning on the Zen ...

Page 7: ...5 Basic Connections Connecting to the Network Directly to the router Using Powerline Homeplugs ...

Page 8: ...B Backup drive The Zen can use both self powered and externally powered USB drives Innuos recommends the Western Digital Elements line of USB drives which have been tested and found to be reliable with the Innuos Zen Turning off the Zen ...

Page 9: ...eb UI please ensure the following steps 1 The Zen is connected to your network and turned on as per previous instructions 2 Your tablet smartphone computer is connected to the same network router as the Zen either wirelessly or via Ethernet cable Accessing the Web UI On Windows 1 Open your web browser 2 Open http zen on the address bar 3 You should now access the Zen s web interface On an Mac iPho...

Page 10: ...scan your network This should list the IP number for the Zen 192 168 x x 3 Open the Android web browser 4 Type on the address bar http IP Number where IP number is the IP obtained on Step 2 5 You should now access the Zen s web interface If you can t access the Zen s web interface please check the Network Troubleshooting section on this manual or contact support innuos com for help ...

Page 11: ...s Home The homepage will provide system information about your Zen Music Server such as the Vortexbox version network IP number and how much storage you have available 1 Vortexbox system version 2 IP number for the system 3 Used storage space 4 Available storage space ...

Page 12: ...software for the Zen Music Server indexing and organising the music stored on the Zen It s a multi room music system allowing several compatible music players such as the Zen Music Player Wave Music Player and Squeezebox devices to be used as a multi room audio system 1 Music Library 2 Internet Radio 3 Streaming Services 4 Favorites 5 List of players multi room 6 Settings ...

Page 13: ...you to check the ripping status of your CDs as well as cancel the ripping process 1 Cancel ripping and eject disc 2 View Ripping Log 3 Clear Ripping Log 4 Get Cover Art for any music in the music library FLAC format only 5 DVD Ripping options not configured 6 CD Ripping Log ...

Page 14: ...he FLAC music in your music library in a separate folder 3 Stop the music mirroring 4 View mirroring log for any errors 5 Clear Log 6 Delete all MP3 copies created by the FLAC mirror 7 MP3 Quality Selection 8 Number of processes used for the conversion not used 9 Check if you want to convert to MP3 automatically after storing a CD 10 Check if you want cover art embedded in the MP3 file recommended...

Page 15: ...en via the network If you wish to setup a static IP address for your Zen we recommend doing so on your network router Please check your network router manual for more information about reserving IP addresses for your devices 1 Network name for the system 2 Shared folders workgroup name 3 Select between DHCP dynamic IP address or static IP 4 Static IP parameters ...

Page 16: ...n In this section you can set the regional settings for the Zen as well as shutdown or restart the Zen 1 Reboot the system 2 Shut down the system 3 Timezone 4 Language selection for the interface Currently only English is available 5 Clear LMS cover art cache ...

Page 17: ...e Zen Please note the backup options will only show if a USB backup drive is connected 1 View Backup Log 2 Clear Backup Log 3 Start Backup of the Zen s Music Library to the USB Backup Drive 4 Start Restoring the Music Library backed up on the USB Drive to the Zen 5 Cancel Backup Restore 6 Format USB drive to be used for backing up the Zen ...

Page 18: ...Zen as a music player Here you can configure the settings to connect to a USB DAC as well as list any USB DACs connected to the Zen 1 Music Player Name 2 Audio output settings Pre configured by default to USB DAC supporting DSD and a maximum PCM rate of 192KHz 3 List of soundcards DACs present on the system ...

Page 19: ...n t recommend installing any packages except MinimServer as instructed in the section Using the Linn DS system 1 Check for new upgrades and upgrade if available 2 See upgrade log 3 Clear upgrade log 4 Reboot the Zen May be required after some upgrades 5 Optional Packages at the moment we don t recommend installing any packages except MinimServer if you have a Linn DS streamer ...

Page 20: ...os 2 Naim Uniti 3 Linn DS 4 Directly to an Hi Fi using a Digital to Analog Converter If your system isn t covered in this section don t hesitate to contact us at support innuos com and we ll be happy to help Using the Sonos system Adding the Zen to Sonos Music Library The Sonos system connects directly to the shared folders on the Zen As such you will need to tell Sonos where to find the music you...

Page 21: ...c Library with the new music You can do this easily from the Sonos app 1 On the Sonos app go to Settings 2 Within Settings choose Manage Music Library 3 Choose Update Music Index Now Using the Naim Uniti or Mu so Using the Naim App to browse and play music from the Zen The Naim Uniti and Mu so use the UPnP Universal Plug n Play protocol to stream music from servers The Zen includes an UPnP Server ...

Page 22: ... with OpenHome so it will be necessary to replace it with an OpenHome compatible server The Zen allows easy installation of the MinimServer minimserver com which is fully compatible with the Linn DS system as well as UPnP The first step is to disable the internal UPnP server on the Zen which will no longer be required 1 Go to the Zen Web UI 2 Click on the Squeezebox Server icon 3 Click on Settings...

Page 23: ...sing your Hi Fi with a Digital to Analog Converter The Zen Music Server includes a high end music player which can be connected via USB digital output to a Digital to Analog Converter DAC compatible Digital Amplifier or active speaker with USB input The Zen Music Player can also be connected to equipment containing a coaxial or optical digital input using a USB to SPDIF converter sold separately O...

Page 24: ...22 Connecting the Zen to your Mus ic System Option 2 Connecting the Zen to a standalone DAC If you have a separate DAC with USB input you can check the connections below ...

Page 25: ...iPhone iPod Touch iPeng 9 provides a remote app that is easy to use and looks great With both a mobile and tablet interface it will suit all your iOS devices A player plugin can be bought as an in app purchase if you d like to stream music from the Zen directly to your mobile device Now also available on the Apple Watch You can buy iPeng from the App Store Orange Squeeze Android Orange Squeeze is ...

Page 26: ...action is required However if you copy music across the network to the Zen s shared folder then you ll need to rescan the music library manually Here is how you can rescan the music library 1 Access the Zen Web UI 2 Click on the Squeezebox Server icon 3 Click on Settings bottom right corner of the page 4 Click the Rescan button in the Rescan Media Library section ...

Page 27: ...creates shared folders on your network If you have downloaded music on your computer that you would like to store on the Zen need to delete music or simply would like to access your music using a music player on your computer you can access the shared folders easily The shared folders are set for anonymous access so no user password is required for access Below are the steps to access the shared f...

Page 28: ...requesting credentials is shown please select to login as guest Understanding the Shared Folder Structure Files This is where your music library resides and where you can actually copy new music or delete existing music Music_readonly Read only shortcut to your music library To be used for music players accessing the Zen music directly such as computers and Sonos systems Movies_readonly Reserved f...

Page 29: ...rary Flac converted to MP3 if you have set the FLAC Mirror accordingly so it can be used with mobile devices or network players not supporting the FLAC lossless format See the section Converting your music to mobile formats wav The Wav folder is a temporary folder where the CDs are first written before being converted to FLAC m4a The Alac folder contains the same music as in the main music library...

Page 30: ...er to the Files Music Flac folder If not we recommend creating the Album Artist Album folder structure first and then copying the files to keep the consistency Warning The Album Artist Album folders and filenames do not influence the data shown on the remote control apps like Squeezepad or Sonos Changing the folder names or track names will not make a change on what is shown on the apps This is be...

Page 31: ...puter to the Zen The iTunes Music folder is located by default on Windows C Users username My Music iTunes iTunes Media Music Mac Finder Go Home Music iTunes iTunes Media Music Just copy and paste the folder above to Files Music Shared on the Zen Copying other compressed music to the Zen The Zen can separately manage your existing music in compressed format such as music bought from Amazon or Goog...

Page 32: ... format This results in smaller files with ample device compatibility including smartphones tablets SmartTVs iTunes and many others Configuring automatic conversion to mp3 1 Access the Zen Web UI 2 Click on the Flac Mirror icon 3 Choose the MP3 quality you d like to have 4 Tick the box to enable automatic mp3 mirroring and embedded cover art 5 Click on Start mp3 mirroring button The mirroring proc...

Page 33: ...usic files as changing the filenames and folders will not have any effect the music library only cares about the tags within the files Innuos recommends the Kid3 application which is available for both Windows and Mac OS X to make such changes The Kid3 application allows you to Add delete or change the tags contained on the music files Play your music files so you can identify them Obtain the musi...

Page 34: ... with Kid3 on Windows The process below summarises the process to correct the metadata for an unknown album 1 Identifying the Unknown Album 2 Adding the album and track information tags a From an online database b Manually 3 Renaming the folder and file names 4 Rescan the music library to apply changes Step 1 Identifying the Unknown Album 1 Open the Kid3 application 2 Go to the File menu then choo...

Page 35: ...artist corresponds the Unknown Album we can now correct the metadata First we will try to get the album data automatically from Discogs or Amazon 1 Select all files by going to Edit Select All 2 Go to File Import from Discogs 3 Type the Artist and Album name and click the Find button 4 A list of results will show as shown in the screenshot below ...

Page 36: ...ind the album information on the online database then you can add the information manually 1 Select all files by going to Edit Select All 2 Fill in the Album Artist Album Artist and optionally the Date and Genre fields 3 If the album is a compilation ex Now 51 set the Compilation to 1 4 Now select track 1 and add the Title and update Artist if required 5 Repeat to remaining tracks 6 To add cover a...

Page 37: ...o save changes This may take some time depending on your network speed Once completed it will show the updated filenames on the left pane 2 Go to Tools Rename Directory 3 Click Next option artist album should be pre configured 4 Click Finish 5 Drag the Artist folder to the flac folder one level above on File Explorer Step 4 Rescan the music library to apply changes All metadata changes are now com...

Page 38: ...ry to apply changes Step 1 Identifying the Unknown Album 1 Open the Kid3 application 2 Go to the File menu then choose Open Directory 3 Navigate to Shared Zen Files Music Flac Unknown Artist folder and choose the Unknown Album folder 4 A list of files will now open on Kid3 as shown in the screenshot below 5 In order to identify the album you will need to open them on the Vox player installed in th...

Page 39: ...on 1 Select all files by going to Edit Select All 2 Go to File Import from Discogs 3 Type the Artist and Album name and click the Find button 4 A list of results will show as shown in the screenshot below 5 Double click on an entry This will update the Import window Check if all tracks are listed and no fields are highlighted in red 6 Once you re happy with the data click the OK button on the Impo...

Page 40: ... button 7 Your browser will open automatically on Google Images with images for the artist and album selected Select an appropriate cover image and drag and drop it into Kid3 window 8 Save your changes on File Save Step 3 Renaming the folder and file names Kid3 can automatically rename the folder and file names to match the metadata on your files 1 Click the Tag 2 button on the From line as shown ...

Page 41: ...your music collection safe in case anything happens to your music server The backup has the following features Incremental Backup Every backup session only copies the new files on the server Universal The backup drive can be connected to a PC or Mac and all the files are readily accessible including cover art and metadata Secure Contrary to the use of RAID mirroring systems backing up to an extern...

Page 42: ...rive to the Zen as instructed in the Basic Connections section 2 Go to the Zen Web UI and click on the Backup icon 3 Click the Backup to USB button Depending on how much music has been added since the last session the backup may take several hours Please make sure the USB drive remains connected until the message You can now safely disconnect your USB drive is shown on the web interface Configurin...

Page 43: ...the parameters as follows 1 Open the Zen Web UI 2 Click on the Configure Player icon 3 The audio output device replace the existing line for hw 1 0 D r 384000 4 Click the submit button Configuring premium streaming services Spotify In order to play Spotify on your Zen Music Player you will need to have a Premium Spotify Subscription 1 Go to the Zen Web UI 2 Click on Squeezebox Server icon 3 Click ...

Page 44: ...e Ze n Music Player 5 Tick the I agree box and click Apply 6 Insert your Spotify username and password and click the Apply button 7 Check your connection by scrolling down and confirming account is connected to Spotify ...

Page 45: ...am com index php Open_Beta_Squeezebox_Installation If ickStream is not pre installed on your Zen then follow these steps 1 Click the Plugins tab 2 Scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page On an empty line in Additional Repositories add the following line http repository ickstream com squeezebox repository linux xml 3 Click the Apply button Then scroll all the way down and the ickStream pl...

Page 46: ...e Zen Web UI on http IP Number Ex http 192 168 0 138 This is especially valid for Android phone which do not recognise internal servers by name If the Zen does not show on the Fing app then check the following Ensure the Zen is connected to the same network as the device you are using to access the Zen Web UI Network devices can only see each other if they are on the same network A common problem ...

Page 47: ...he backup icon again on the Web UI and the backup progress will resume Setting up a remote session A remote session is basically an online meeting where you can share your computer screen with an Innuos assistant and even provide mouse control to the assistant so we can troubleshoot and solve any problems much faster than the usual email question response cycle 1 On your PC or Mac go to http join ...

Page 48: ...46 Troubleshooting I still can t get my problem sorted No worries we are here to help Just contact us at support innuos com and our expert team will get you on track in no time Enjoy your Zen ...

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