Music Server format?

Thanks. Seems daunting. I did check into computersudiophile but hard to sift.
trying to move to full music file and avoid MP3/MP4 formats or anything that compresses original recorded music.
Like you say, don't want to do process over and over.
So hard to find expertise locally. Relying on on line forum help from those that learned as they go.

thank you again for taking time to reply.

Use Exact Audio copy to rip your CDs to individual tracks. Each song will be a track. EAC is free and will make a bit perfect rip. Verify your rip with the Accurip database to make sure it is error free. Rip your CDs to either wav or Flac. I prefer Flac, They are still lossless but take up less space. Also you can use tags. Since Flac is lossless you can always convert back to wav if you wanted. It is important to get things right the first time. You don’t want to end up ripping twice.

I like to use QuickSFV to make a sfv file. SFV is simple file verification. A track can become corrupt on occasion. It is nice to have a way to check the rip for errors.

Another handy free program is cuetools. You can use cuetools to verify rips in accurip, convert files from one format to another and a lot more.

Back up your rips! If a drive fails and it will, you don’t want to re-rip your CDs. I have copies of all my music files on both my server and another drive.

Good luck. Ripping is a lot of work but it is worth it in the end.

Thanks for the ideas!
What is this software Roon I keep hearing about? Not familiar at all.

awooof

By the way, you can build your own linux music server (minus DAC) for around $650 for a 2TB system.  Using Logitech Media Server and Squeezelite you can get iPad/Android support as well.

I use it with a DSD capable DAC and play PCM and DSD just fine. Here's my instructions if you want to roll up your sleeves:

http://inatinear.blogspot.com/2016/08/ubuntu-mytek-brooklyn-dsd-setup-guide.html

Roon is software subscription ($120 yr) that combines your library with a rich grphics and music database.  It is a player that handles virtually every music file format including high resolution files.  it has powerful yet easy to use features that allow for whole house music systems where different music could be playing ineach room (endpoint) or the same music in every room. Or it could be as simple as running on your laptop with headphones. It can be integrated with a Tidal subscription (10 or 20 mth depending on service). You have hyperlinks between artists, albums, composers with bios and reviews. Roonlabs.com for more info.

Roon is definitely a high fidelity product meant for listeners who want to get the best out of their hifi investment. But, though sophisticated, it is easy to use.  Very powerful features.  

Roon can help manage your library but youll still need to use another piece of software to rip cds.  The Roon community forum is another excellent resource for help from people who are doing or have done what you want to do. I recommend it and if your pc is ready, give the Roon free two week trial a go. At the very least, join the Roon community and start asking questions there.  Start by describing the size of your collection and what you want your server to do. Looking for a multiroom setup or just a great way to listen to your cds sitting in your listening chair and controlling playback with your phone or pad? See you there.