[split] WebUI performance

[sultanoswing]

@TheOldPresbyope do you have a view on the optimal memory for a Raspberry Pi 4 Model B - 1,2, 4 or 8GB?
Thanks

For the most part, I'm running vanilla moOde players with either DAC HATs or USB DACs and not making extraordinary demands in terms of CamillaDSP processing or other memory-intensive tasks. I find even the 512MB model Pis, such as my favorite, the 3A+, are adequate.

A Pi 4B 1GB model works for me; a Pi 4B 2GB model has more than enough headroom; and the 4GB and 8GB models are overkill for playing music IMHO.

I do not try to make the Pis serve multiple purposes by loading other programs to run along-side moOde. That could increase the demand for memory but how much depends on specifics.

I'm running moOde on a Pi 3B, using a USB DAC, connected over WiFi, and no Bluetooth (I use the SMSL C200's bluetooth as needed instead). 

It's working fine - no audio drop outs or anything.

Only *very* minor issue is a slight lag in the web interface. I have a 120GB music collection stored on a NAS. 

Would a Pi 4B have a slightly faster / no-lag web interface?

[Tim Curtis]

How many tracks in your collection?

[sultanoswing]

How many tracks in your collection?

22788 tracks, spread across 1580 albums, lasting 9 weeks 1 day, 4 hours, 54 minutes and 54 seconds

It really isn't laggy in any meaningful way: scrolling through the album covers is smooth, it takes about 5 seconds when clearing a search for the full library to redisplay, and ~2 seconds to search for 'Knopfler' and get results displayed.

To be honest I couldn't ask for better & I'm probably just itching for an excuse to buy a Pi 4.

[DRONE7]

How many tracks in your collection?

22788 tracks, spread across 1580 albums, lasting 9 weeks 1 day, 4 hours, 54 minutes and 54 seconds

It really isn't laggy in any meaningful way: scrolling through the album covers is smooth, it takes about 5 seconds when clearing a search for the full library to redisplay, and ~2 seconds to search for 'Knopfler' and get results displayed.

To be honest I couldn't ask for better & I'm probably just itching for an excuse to buy a Pi 4.

This seems about right for my library....(buy a pi5 and never worry again :-)   cheers Bob NZ)

[Tim Curtis]

How many tracks in your collection?

22788 tracks, spread across 1580 albums, lasting 9 weeks 1 day, 4 hours, 54 minutes and 54 seconds

It really isn't laggy in any meaningful way: scrolling through the album covers is smooth, it takes about 5 seconds when clearing a search for the full library to redisplay, and ~2 seconds to search for 'Knopfler' and get results displayed.

To be honest I couldn't ask for better & I'm probably just itching for an excuse to buy a Pi 4.

The number of tracks is pretty typical for an "enthusiast" collection. If you would have added a zero on the end then :-0
Those times aren't too bad.

Overall throughput with moOde is determined by the combined throughputs of:

1. Client/Browser
2. Server/moOde
3. Network
4. Server/Storage medium for collection

Improving throughput is a matter of improving the throughput of any 1 - 4 above but the challenge is to isolate which of them is causing a bottleneck.

Couple things to try are:

1. Clear/empty the client Browser cache. Really large Browser caches can cause slow Browser performance.
2. Upgrade to a faster Pi. In this case try a Pi-4. 
    Note: that moOde is not available for pi-5 yet (timeframe TBD).
3. Use Ethernet connection if slow WiFi is suspected
4. Move collection to USB attached storage if it's currently on a NAS and slow NAS is suspected

[Tim Curtis]

New thread started with yesterday posts split from the "RPi hardware requirements" thread in FAQ and Guides https://moodeaudio.org/forum/showthread....4#pid48074

[sultanoswing]

Thanks Tim - good tips.

I'm sure I won't be able to resist a Pi5 once the compatible version of moOde is released, so will have a play then

[TheOldPresbyope]

Two thoughts spawned from Tim's list of things to try-

1. Regarding the browser accessing the moOde WebUI, you didn't mention which browser (and on which OS) you're using. Try different browsers---e.g., Chromium, Firefox, Edge, Safari, etc., whatever is available. They behave differently at different tasks. Also, if you're using privacy/security add-ons, try disabling any checking of your moOde player "site".

2. Regarding WiFi, go to the 5 GHz band if you're still using 2.4 GHz. Fundamentally, the throughput will be better and there's likely to be less interference which also affects throughput.

3. On the moOde side, using an SSD on one of the USB3.0 interfaces of an RPi4B should give very good Library performance. The RPi5B may yield even faster performance but it's a matter of diminishing returns and, for me, increasing cost/performance ratio. This is especially so since the RPi5B will almost always need active cooling and a more muscular power source, which also add to the cost.

Meanwhile, enjoy the music  

Regards,
Kent

[sultanoswing]

1. Regarding the browser accessing the moOde WebUI, you didn't mention which browser (and on which OS) you're using. Try different browsers---e.g., Chromium, Firefox, Edge, Safari, etc., whatever is available. They behave differently at different tasks. Also, if you're using privacy/security add-ons, try disabling any checking of your moOde player "site".

2. Regarding WiFi, go to the 5 GHz band if you're still using 2.4 GHz. Fundamentally, the throughput will be better and there's likely to be less interference which also affects throughput.

3. On the moOde side, using an SSD on one of the USB3.0 interfaces of an RPi4B should give very good Library performance. The RPi5B may yield even faster performance but it's a matter of diminishing returns and, for me, increasing cost/performance ratio. This is especially so since the RPi5B will almost always need active cooling and a more muscular power source, which also add to the cost.

Also thanks!

1. Brave browser, on Android phone & iPad4. When I use the desktop PC with Brave the library refreshes in around 3 seconds, and does the 'Knopfler' search also in 3 seconds - very speedy, and slightly quicker than on the phone or iPad.

2. I'm stuck on 2.4Ghz due to the location of the Pi & my AP's.

3. As above - the performance is probably limited by phone / iPad browser related based on #1, rather than my otherwise speedy NAS. 

TLDR; am therefore happy with the Pi 3B after all  . Especially since I had been concerned about the USB-network shared BUS, but it's not a practical concern.

[Nutul]

I am on a Pi4 4GB, about 15k tracks in 1k2 albums, and on my 7'' display, reloading the entire library takes about 3/4 seconds; the search results are returned within 2/3 seconds.
It depends for sure on the Pi horsepower, but also on the SD card read speed (and my current one is not high-performance)... I don't remember what were the timings when I had moOde running on a Pi3, and anyway, at that time my CD library was not yet completely transferred to it, so the volume of information was way too little to compare with yours.

Maybe today I'll reflash the 8.3.7 onto a high-speed video-grade SD card (I think it's about time, almost one year has passed since when I first considered doing it...), perform some searches, and try to see if any speed gain can be achieved.