Need computer audio advice.

You have a few options.

Once you add an external hard disk, if you use iTunes, you can "uncheck" the box to keep your music library organised and prevent it from copying new songs you add into the folder you originally designated. This way, when you drag new files to iTunes to add them to the library, it will add the tracks into the library without actually copying the files over. And the files will remain in the external HDD.

Of course, you will still need an app like XLD to convert your FLAC files from HD Tracks to AIFF or ALAC.

While this method will work, I am a bit too OCD to use this. It means all your media files are all over the place and stored in a central place. This will also be important if you want to make back ups of your music library - and yous should since you know HDDs have a finite shelf life.

The method I'd propose involves getting a much larger HDD. It's cheap these days, so I am going to say 4TB. In iTunes, you have an option to specify where your music library is stored in Preferences/Advanced. Instead of user/Music folder, point it to the external HDD - say an iTunes folder in the external HDD. And in this case, you want to "check" the keep your library organised and copy files to the library.

You'll be asked if you want to move your existing library to the new location. Click Yes.

And iTunes will proceed to copy all your files across from your internal HDD to the external drive.

Easy.

Remember I said storage is cheap? Maybe get two of those of external drives. And use Disk Utilty to duplicate your first external drive on the second. Do it periodically.

It's like insurance.

OK. We got the basics covered.

Now what else can you do to improve the playback quality on your iMac?

If you are handy with opening up the machine, I'd recommend getting an SSD and as much memory as your iMac can support.

Replacing a moving array of parts in a HDD with a solid state drive with no moving parts will help the computer work better as a music server, from what I've discovered. I suspect it's all the EMI and stray RF from all the magnets and moving parts.

Loading up the RAM allows you to benefit from the next stage - memory play - where tracks are loaded from the HDD completely first into memory and then played from memory.

To do this, you will need some software. The cheapest I think should be BitPerfect. It's available from the App Store.

BitPerfect does a couple of things in addition to memory play.
A. it allows INTeger mode and an exclusive use of the audio device.
b. it dynamically switches the sample rate to mix the source file you are playing. If you don't do that, Apple's OS will try to resample your music from its original rate (say 44.1kHz from your CD rips) to say 96kHz if that's what is set in Audio MIDI control.

You might think playing at 96kHz should sound better. But in reality, it depends on the algorithms used to upsample. And the Apple OS (as with most OSes) does a shitty job of this.

So keeping it "native" is better. If you do want to upsample, apps like BitPerfect will also do that for you. And it does a better job too.

Before you decide on BitPerfect (it's the cheapest but there's no trial option), you can also run trials of Pure Music (now in v2.0), Audirvana Plus (my recommendation based on price/performance as it does DSD as well) or Amarra.

Doggiehowser, thanks for your reply. It's a lot for me to digest, since I am not a computer geek. I will proceed carefully, first with a trip to the Apple store to check out external drives. I already have a 1TB drive used as back-up, using Time Machine. Maybe as an interim solution I could use the 1TB drive for music and purchase a 4TB drive as the new back-up ? Then I would have to set it up so it backs up both the iMacs internal drive and the external music drive ? Would this work as a first step? Thanks

I had used a MacBook for a bit and then a MacMini. In both cases I bought one of these to store my music and used the FireWire interface to connect to the computer. I mapped the music software (Audirvana, JRiver, Pure Music) to this external drive and you can do the same if you want to use iTunes. A simple and cheap solution.

I have moved on to a NAS set up but find the Oyen Digital HD is a nice backup storage solution. Two are affordable and a backup is worthwhile.

http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=oyen+digital+minipro&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=23404253267&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=12140434102838234616&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&hvdev=t&ref=pd_sl_2xtdyqre5q_e

Firewire interface to an external disk is a better idea, particularly if you are planning to drive USB interface, either a USB converter or a DAC. You should minimize the other USB devices on the bus.

The computer should be dedicated to music playback and not your general purpose machine. I find the Oct 2009 Mac Mini to be a great choice because you can externally power it from a good linear power supply. Cannot do this on newer Minis unless they are modified. Laptops are not as good IME.

You can usually get a Oct 2009 Mini with Bluetooth keyboard, mouse and OS disk on ebay for around $375.00. Replace the HDD with SSD and upgrade to 8gigs memory. Put Amarra playback and XLD for ripping on it and you will have a world-class server. Also do the OS tweaks in iTunes iBooks "audio optimization guides"

Steve N.
Empirical Audio

Matt, when you use network you send data and not the music. The difference is that data has no timing - timing is recreated on the other side of network bridge. Your file format, amount of memory, type of HD, speed of computer, playback program etc. have no effect on the playback. It is remotely possible that mechanical HD will create more EMI than solid state drive but it is also possible that faster computer will do the same. I would just ignore it all. If you have choice on your Mac - get external Firewire drive (that's what I use on MacMini) - it is easier to daisy-chain them and they don't slow down main processor - minor and perhaps not important unless you use computer for other heavy tasks. External Firewire drive cost a little bit more (less common). Get two drives, as Doggiehowser suggested, and make backup. I have three drives and use "Carbon Copy". One drive is in use, one in storage and one at work. This protects me from theft/fire or computer/controller failure during backup (that could screw up both HD). I make new backup only to one drive at a time (alternate them) and only when I have more than 5-10 new CDs.