[PROBLEM] Static and skips with large Qobuz song

[dgelman]

Hi, I'm a relatively new user and I'm running into a somewhat thorny issue.

I'm trying to play https://open.qobuz.com/track/8429028. I've tried using both Audirvana and MConnectHD on my Mac to do so, but every time I try, it will get partially through and then quit in a sustained burst of loud static. Sometimes there are also some early skips when the song starts playing.

I'm running Moode 7.0.1  using a pi 4b 8gb with a schiit bifrost 2 DAC connected through USB. I'm not using any hats

here is the tail of /var/log/syslog

Mar 12 11:49:56 moode systemd[1]: Created slice User Slice of UID 1000.
Mar 12 11:49:56 moode systemd[1]: Starting User Runtime Directory /run/user/1000...
Mar 12 11:49:56 moode systemd[1]: Started User Runtime Directory /run/user/1000.
Mar 12 11:49:56 moode systemd[1]: Starting User Manager for UID 1000...
Mar 12 11:49:56 moode systemd[1889]: Starting D-Bus User Message Bus Socket.
Mar 12 11:49:56 moode systemd[1889]: Listening on GnuPG network certificate management daemon.
Mar 12 11:49:56 moode systemd[1889]: Listening on GnuPG cryptographic agent and passphrase cache (access for web browsers).
Mar 12 11:49:56 moode systemd[1889]: Reached target Timers.
Mar 12 11:49:56 moode systemd[1889]: Listening on GnuPG cryptographic agent and passphrase cache (restricted).
Mar 12 11:49:56 moode systemd[1889]: Reached target Paths.
Mar 12 11:49:56 moode systemd[1889]: Listening on GnuPG cryptographic agent and passphrase cache.
Mar 12 11:49:56 moode systemd[1889]: Listening on GnuPG cryptographic agent (ssh-agent emulation).
Mar 12 11:49:56 moode systemd[1889]: Listening on D-Bus User Message Bus Socket.
Mar 12 11:49:56 moode systemd[1889]: Reached target Sockets.
Mar 12 11:49:56 moode systemd[1889]: Reached target Basic System.
Mar 12 11:49:56 moode systemd[1889]: Reached target Default.
Mar 12 11:49:56 moode systemd[1889]: Startup finished in 191ms.
Mar 12 11:49:56 moode systemd[1]: Started User Manager for UID 1000.
Mar 12 11:49:56 moode systemd[1]: Started Session 1 of user pi.
Mar 12 11:52:43 moode upmpdcli[922]: :2:src/mpdcli.cxx:283::MPDCli::openconn failed: Timeout
Mar 12 11:52:43 moode upmpdcli[922]: :2:src/mpdcli.cxx:340::MPDCli::updStatus: connection failed
Mar 12 11:52:46 moode upmpdcli[922]: :2:src/mpdcli.cxx:283::MPDCli::openconn failed: Timeout
Mar 12 11:52:46 moode upmpdcli[922]: :2:src/mpdcli.cxx:333::MPDCli::updStatus: no connection
Mar 12 11:58:33 moode systemd[1]: Starting Cleanup of Temporary Directories...
Mar 12 11:58:33 moode systemd[1]: systemd-tmpfiles-clean.service: Succeeded.
Mar 12 11:58:33 moode systemd[1]: Started Cleanup of Temporary Directories.

[TheOldPresbyope]

@dgelman

I'm a very literal reader. Let me make sure I understand your circumstance.

1. The title says "large Qobuz song." Does this means only long tracks are a problem and short ones play ok?

2. You mention two different control programs but not the method of interaction with Qobuz servers. By this I mean

a) one can configure the moOde UPnP Renderer/Qobuz plugin with one's login credentials, after which moOde acts a proxy for the Qobuz servers, or
b) one can configure some control program with one's Qobuz login credentials directly (for mconnectLite on my iPad, for example, Qobuz is found under "Internet Music"), after which the control program acts as a proxy for the Qobuz servers.

Which method are you using?

I have to warn that method a) is still rather unreliable with the version of upmpdcli included in moOde 7.0.1. The next release of moOde includes a newer, much more reliable version of upmpdcli. I recommend method b).

I just listened to the 19-minute track you identified using method b) --- Lovely music and deft conducting by Previn. No static, no skips.

Regards,
Kent

[dgelman]

@dgelman

I'm a very literal reader. Let me make sure I understand your circumstance.

1. The title says "large Qobuz song." Does this means only long tracks are a problem and short ones play ok?

2. You mention two different control programs but not the method of interaction with Qobuz servers. By this I mean

a) one can configure the moOde UPnP Renderer/Qobuz plugin with one's login credentials, after which moOde acts a proxy for the Qobuz servers, or
b) one can configure some control program with one's Qobuz login credentials directly (for mconnectLite on my iPad, for example, Qobuz is found under "Internet Music"), after which the control program acts as a proxy for the Qobuz servers.

Which method are you using?

I have to warn that method a) is still rather unreliable with the version of upmpdcli included in moOde 7.0.1. The next release of moOde includes a newer, much more reliable version of upmpdcli. I recommend method b).

I just listened to the 19-minute track you identified using method b) --- Lovely music and deft conducting by Previn. No static, no skips.

Regards,
Kent

Kent,


Thanks for replying.

1) I've had the problem off and on with small songs, but inconsistently, and only when I was interacting with the UPnP controller (eg. pausing or scanning). This song was the first that I could not play through at all. It's also the longest one I tried to play. I am assuming a connection, but have not rigorously tested it.

Though after your reply, and after rebooting both the pi and the controller, I was able to play through the song without issues for the first time (well, there was some pauses in the first few seconds). That said, I've 'solved' the problem several times with rebooting and it has always reappeared at some future point.

2) I am using method b with both Controllers

[TheOldPresbyope]

@dgelman

With method b), the audio data streams from the Qobuz server through the Internet to your ISP to your LAN to the control point (mconnect, say) and then back through your LAN to the UPnP Renderer in moOde.

You can see this by, for example, clicking on m>Audio info while playing a Qobuz track. The URL you see on the source line will point to the control point, not to Qobuz.

An example on my system just now. The Audio info popup says I'm playing http://192.168.4.30:15838/qobuz/113510224.flac, where 192.168.4.30 is my iPad running mconnectLite with Qobuz as the Internet Music source.


In addition, UPnP services themselves exercise your LAN in various ways.
 
Given what you'd said, I'd be looking for LAN/Internet connectivity issues.

Regards,
Kent

[dgelman]

@dgelman

With method b), the audio data streams from the Qobuz server through the Internet to your ISP to your LAN to the control point (mconnect, say) and then back through your LAN to the UPnP Renderer in moOde.

You can see this by, for example, clicking on m>Audio info while playing a Qobuz track. The URL you see on the source line will point to the control point, not to Qobuz.

An example on my system just now. The Audio info popup says I'm playing http://192.168.4.30:15838/qobuz/113510224.flac, where 192.168.4.30 is my iPad running mconnectLite with Qobuz as the Internet Music source.


In addition, UPnP services themselves exercise your LAN in various ways.
 
Given what you'd said, I'd be looking for LAN/Internet connectivity issues.

Regards,
Kent

LAN/internet issues wouldn't surprise me. That said, loud static isn't a great error response.

[TheOldPresbyope]

@dgelman

That said, loud static isn't a great error response.

No argument here. It's easy for me to associate network issues with audio skips/dropouts but not with loud static. I've never experienced such an outcome with the UPnP renderer.

You might want to pose your problem to the upmpclii maintainer (Jean-Francois Dockes) on his site https://www.lesbonscomptes.com/upmpdcli/. He may be able to provide some insight into where to look or what to try.

Regards,
Kent

[dgelman]

I'll give that a shot. On a related note, do you know if there's any way to see how much of a song has been downloaded by Moode? Or to set how much it will buffer before playing?

[TheOldPresbyope]

I'll give that a shot. On a related note, do you know if there's any way to see how much of a song has been downloaded by Moode? Or to set how much it will buffer before playing?

Sorry, I don't know of an easy way to monitor song download progress. As for buffering, upmpdcli is a frontend to MPD. I don't much about the internals of upmpdcli but I assume it buffers input data and certainly MPD buffers input data as well. Again, J-F Dockes is the expert here.

Regards,
Kent

[Zigzag]

@dgelman

I'm a very literal reader. Let me make sure I understand your circumstance.

1. The title says "large Qobuz song." Does this means only long tracks are a problem and short ones play ok?

2. You mention two different control programs but not the method of interaction with Qobuz servers. By this I mean

a) one can configure the moOde UPnP Renderer/Qobuz plugin with one's login credentials, after which moOde acts a proxy for the Qobuz servers, or
b) one can configure some control program with one's Qobuz login credentials directly (for mconnectLite on my iPad, for example, Qobuz is found under "Internet Music"), after which the control program acts as a proxy for the Qobuz servers.

Which method are you using?

I have to warn that method a) is still rather unreliable with the version of upmpdcli included in moOde 7.0.1. The next release of moOde includes a newer, much more reliable version of upmpdcli. I recommend method b).

I just listened to the 19-minute track you identified using method b) --- Lovely music and deft conducting by Previn. No static, no skips.

Regards,
Kent

Hi @TheOldPresbyope - I’ve just done a quick read of upmpdcli’s documentation and as far as I can tell while version 1.5.5 restores its ability to handle Qobuz this actually depends upon ‘uprcl’ a plugin module acting as a media server - so effectively an alternative to miniDLNA .  Apparently this can be configured to act as a gateway to a number of streaming services, albeit sadly not Tidal.   I haven't tested uprcl yet, but it seems that Jean-Francois aspires to model this on MinimServer...

[TheOldPresbyope]

@Zigzag

I follow JFD too. I chose not to get into that server subtopic 'cuz it seems very much to be a work in progress. Maybe in the end it'll be the cats pajamas but I'm not holding my breath.

Regards,
Kent