Is Ampache right for me?

[Mighty Malcolm]

Hello everybody,

I've recently installed Ampache on my server, but now I'm wondering if it is what I am actually looking for.

TL;DR

I would like to

- be able to store my music library (tagged files, playlists, ...) on a central server for access anywhere.

- preferably use a sophisticated desktop programme to administrate my music library (do the sorting, arrange my playlists, play songs).

- sync the changes I have made locally to the central database.

- be able to download playlists for offline use.

Can Ampache and any of the manifold clients it claims to support do all that? If yes, which client do I need? If no, is there any other software that can help me?

At the moment, I am using MusicBee, which I have grown quite fond of. Additionally, I have my local music folder synced with the help of Nextcloud. This combination works okay-ish most of the time, but when I re-organise (i.e. renaming) a file on computer A, my MusicBee instance on laptop B does not find it anymore and I have to relocate it. Nasty business.

My dream would be to keep using MusicBee together with Ampache. I did a moderate amount of research on that but I'm not sure if the plugin I found is still actively maintained / compatible.

Any help with these questions will be greatly appreciated :)

Cheers,

Malcolm

[kuzma]

Hey Malcom, 

Thanks for your interest in Ampache! From what it sounds like, Ampache may almost work in the way you want it to. I'll answer your questions the best I can.

> be able to store my music library (tagged files, playlists, ...) on a central server for access anywhere.

Yes, this is probably what Ampache does best. Ampache reads tag information, and stores it in a database. If set up properly you can connect to it from any other network/internet connected device.

> preferably use a sophisticated desktop programme to administrate my music library (do the sorting, arrange my playlists, play songs).

Ampache has a decent web interface for desktop use. It can search by different metadata fields (artist, tittle, album, etc), provide random songs/albums, create playlists, and yes, play music. The interface has a little work to do, and so some things are a little odd right now. An updated interface is at the top of my priorities for Ampache, though it will take some time to come to fruition.

> sync the changes I have made locally to the central database.

Any changes you make in the Ampache interface is immediately reflected in the database (and written to the music's tags if you want). If you make any changes to your music files outside of Ampache you just run an update on your catalog and the database will reflect the changes. This update can be done from the web interface, or command line. 

> be able to download playlists for offline use.

This is not possible at this time with the Ampache web interface. Ampache has an API for several backends (such as subsonic) which allows it to function with any client that supports the subsonic API. I use DSub for Android which supports saving music for offline use. The plug-in you mentioned is probably a good way to go, and should work fine. Looks like it is still actively maintained as of February of this year which seems good.

Hopefully this sheds some light on using Ampache. Since I can't help myself, I would highly recommend the music tagger beets (http://beets.io/). It's command-line based, but does an amazing job at tagging and organizing music. Ampache does also have the ability to use a beets database directly.

If you have any other questions let me know!

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[Wagnered]

Kuzma,

Malcom's questions and your responses would make the start of an informative "Ampache knowledge base" or at least a good "Questions answered" page in the wiki and referenced from a sticky note in this group.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/ampache/CAFGbF_27NUFGJiWFdZMtxuF6O%2BU8f%2Bu87B1P5DmDWEuZqiod%3Dw%40mail.gmail.com.

[kuzma]

Yes, I think that would be a great idea. There is a FAQ section in the wiki, but is geared more towards technical troubleshooting. I think there is use for a "usability questions" type page on how Ampache can be used. I'll think about the best way to add it in, and make a new section.

[lachlan-00]

Fyi you can download zip files of playlists in the web interface.

If you want me to have a look at the musicbee plugin post an issue and I'd be happy to at least look at it. I recently spent a lot of time updating the subsonic backend to v1.13.0 and have made a lot of fixes to how Ampache uses the subsonic API.

For changes the way I manage them is I have a primary music folder on a file server where I make changes. It syncs with rsync to my web server each hour. Then i run the Catalog updates after that with a verify once a week to update tag changes in the database.

Ampache has a few decent native clients but also supports subsonic clients. On Android ultrasonic is popular. (My favourite is dsub.)

One thing I'm working on before the next release is a python library for the API so I can convert all of my personal scripts into something usable for other people. This will include a playlist sync so you can download files without having to go to the interface. (I use it to sync a USB for my car) Right now I'm working on covering the newest API revision but then I'll work on converting my scripts for regular users.

For tag management I just use Picard from musicbrainz.

For kuzi this should go as a wiki q/a for sure but I think we should update the website as well. The title of this post is the perfect title for the wiki and site.

I would also like to say thank you for posing this question. I've been using Ampache for over a decade now and I really resonated with the tag line "for the love of music"

I do this because I love music and Ampache has really helped me live that passion.

[Mighty Malcolm]

So before I say anything else, I believe a profound 'wow!' is in order. On the internet, I have very seldomly (if ever) received so many nice and helpful replies in such a short time. Hence: thank you! :) You gave me quite a number of leads to go on and I'm looking forward to doing so.

If you want me to have a look at the musicbee plugin post an issue and I'd be happy to at least look at it. I recently spent a lot of time updating the subsonic backend to v1.13.0 and have made a lot of fixes to how Ampache uses the subsonic API.

That would be awesome! I do know the benefits of working through a web interface, believe me, but I'd appreciate it if I could continue using the tool I am familiar with. If Ampache could just take away the pain of getting my music to several platforms without constantly breaking my library (as is the case with my makeshift solution), I could not express how happy that would make me. Like, really really really happy. Really.

Yes, this is probably what Ampache does best.

\o/

I just wanted to leave this comment here before consulting with my shower and starting this day. Things on my to do list:

• post the issue concerning the MusicBee plugin
• check out DSub
• check out beets

I'd be glad if my questions already helped improve the Ampache FAQ so If I am able to get Ampache to flirt with my MusicBee (or whatever else the final solution might look like), I could offer to write a short how-to guide for anyone who'd like to try the same. Maybe you'd have some use for that?

Cheers,
Malcolm

[kuzma]

I have created a new page in the wiki for the various information we have talked about here, under https://github.com/ampache/ampache/wiki/Ampache-Use-Cases. If it makes more sense to title it as the subject of this topic, that's fine too, but I figured that "Ampache Use Cases" might be a better phrase. I did put a section titled "Is Ampache Right for Me?" in the home page, with a link to that, as I figure most will read through the home page, but might not look at the sidebar.

Malcom, if you wish to document the process for using MusicBee, I think that could be helpful for others. Create a new page, then I think the best place to link it, would be in the sidebar under "Installation" > "Clients list" as a sub-bullet.

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