After using #rAudio on my old 2014 Pi B+ for a few months, I realized that I was avoiding using it because adding new music took too much time to copy and then add to the database by rescanning the music. Optimizing for a small database should not be so slow. And the web UI was very slow and just getting to be a pain to use. I suspect the js code was just trying to do too much.

So, I just installed #OSMC / #Kodi on it, and *so far* it is much more responsive, plus I can SFTP files to it. 👏

Phil Dick was a favorite writer growing up in the 70s. When Blade Runner hit it was a wild guess as to how close it would be to the rich, strange book, but it was good even if it glossed over so much.

Vangelis was not my cup of tea, but I liked the soundtrack, more mainstream that what we synth weirdos were doing. I stumbled up on the “Esper Edition” CD, which became a delight to listen to. I just copied it to my Pi #rAudio player and I’m looping “Blade Runner Blues”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTcYCsH8fjA

I’m still in my recycling phase, digging up old music that I haven’t heard in years…decades, and putting it all on a old Raspberry Pi running #rAudio

Today is it Joan Osborne’s “St. Teresa” from 1995,s Relish album. I love her voice and this is a great tune and well-played.

Not sure what I think of rAudio. I’ve had #OSMC running on the same model Pi and hooked up to my TV for nine years and it is pretty solid and kept up to date. I might just try OSMC for music playing after I back this up.

Another pick for my Pi #rAudio player, this time it is the 1973 art rock album “Vive La Trance” by Amon Düül II, not to be confused with the original Amon Düül! I don’t know why I started buying these strange old albums in used record stores back in the late 70s/early 80s. I just loved the oddness and fun quality of them.

This is first track, “A Morning Excuse” and if you like this you should check out the rest of the playlist:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUriCiI6Aac&list=OLAK5uy_kgNcGUV7AZHUgQNiBnxlPoTDaS4SzUGI8

Another old album I dug up for my Pi #rAudio player is 1993’s “For The Beauty Of Wynona” by Daniel Lanois. I haven’t gotten past the first cut, “The Messenger”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWnwl6Fp8P8

Moving more music to my #rAudio Pi, and decided to pull some Traffic albums out. I found this great version of “Giving To You” that was the B-side of “Paper Sun” and is a little different than the track from the Mr. Fantasy album.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sd7oD1kTMCI

Still at it, moving music over to the #rAudio player that I installed on an old Raspberry Pi. The UI is a bit sluggish on this old 2014 era Pi, but the audio quality and playback is great.

It has been fun digging through my collection to find gems that I haven’t listened to for ages and rediscover what I liked about them. Today I found “Sweet Earth Flower: a tribute to Marion Brown,” which was put together by #HisNameIsAlive which I did not expect! I love this track:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELT0C6wDDi4

Still moving music over to my #rAudio Pi device. It has been fun to dig out old favorites from the collection that I have not listened to for years.

Today, it is Sea Change by #Beck and I recall that I really like the tune, Lost Cause. Well, I like the whole album, but this tune is sticking in my head today:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iEId2vmb0M

Since I've got a new install of #rAudio on a Pi with 250G free on the SD card, I've been copying things over. Since I've always used MP3 or FLAC for my collection I have a lot of music ready to go and no fuss.

Today I put some #NickDrake albums on there that I haven't listened to for ages. I used to love Pink Moon, but today I'm fully taken with Bryter Layter. Initially, I was turned off by the strings, but it is OK today, for some unknown reason. What a sad, bright and melancholy soul he was.

I tried other images for turning a Pi into a music player, but #rAudio seems to be the least burdensome and isn't trying to take rent. It runs on my 2014 Pi B+, which I used for years as a cheap dev Mongo server.

I love repurposing old devices and this works OK, but the web UI is odd, different on every browser, not documented well, so trial and error is needed to figure it out. 🤷

I've been using #OSMC on a Pi 3 on the TV for years, and it is painless, I like it. May switch to OSMC if needed.