Greetings,
Hopefully this will shorten the learning curve for someone. If not, at least I can search the forum for my own post at some point if I have a disaster.
Setting up multi room audio with multiple pine devices. Want to play internet radio, a small audio library, and Spotify through the house.
The journey starts with Volumio - distros are available for most of our devices. The Volumio forum has the latest links. gkkpch has done a lot of work. I need to buy him a beer. You do too.
Rock64: https://volumio.org/forum/volumio-rock64-t9467.html
Pine64/LTS-SOPINE: https://volumio.org/forum/volumio-pine64...t9465.html
Burned these onto their respective flash cards. Decided to have a Rock64 as the server and a Pine64 as the client.
Initial install was pretty straight foward. There is a guided setup for the software through the web interface once you launch.
Now you have two media boxes. They show up together in Volumio but they play different streams. To connect the boxes together you need a way to synch the audio. I choose Snapcast. You need to install both the Snapcast application and the Volumio Snapcast plugin for command and control.
At the time of writing the latest version was here:
https://github.com/badaix/snapcast/releases/tag/v0.15.0
You will need the client and the server. The server will need to install both but for the client . . . only the client.
Grab the arm versions (armhf). Get them to your pines in the manner you see fit. To install:
sudo dpkg -i snapclient_0.15.0_armhf.deb
sudo dpkg -i snapserver_0.15.0_armhf.deb
sudo apt-get -f install
The Snapcast app and overview is described on Github: https://github.com/badaix/snapcast
Now you need the plugin. As it is not an official Volumio plug in you need to load it manually. Instructions are here: https://github.com/Saiyato/volumio-snapcast-plugin. In short:
git clone https://github.com/Saiyato/volumio-snapcast-plugin.git
cd volumio-snapcast-plugin/
rm volumio-snapcast-plugin.zip
Now . . . there is currently an issue. It may be fixed but you need to put in one more command before the plugin install.
npm i
Then:
volumio plugin install
On the server, go to the snapcast plugin. Enable the server, pick any sample rate that you want as long as it is 44,100Hz, 16 bits, 2 channels. For both the server and client enable the client. Server's host should be local while client's host should be server. (Duh) Pick the right sound port. Especially if it's 2am and you're pulling your hair out. MPD choose the same sample rate, bit depth, all that everywhere. For the server select FIFO only. For the client select ALSA.
Spotify Integration. (Still in the Snapcast Plugin.) I used no dedicated stream - and the spotify web connect. The sample rate, bit depth, channels should be the same for server and client and mpd. Don't dinker with Librespot.
Leave the rest of the stuff alone if you value your sanity.
Reboot your devices for good measure.
To test your masterpiece try this on the server:
sudo cat /dev/urandom > /tmp/snapfifo
Dumps white noise out your speakers. All your stations should start and end at the same time. If not . . . problems. You should hear a delay.
Next see if you can play a webradio from server to client. Does it sound good? Nice. Do you want Spotify too? Probalby not working yet.
What I did that works:
On the server go to /data/plugins/music_service/volspotconnect2 and find the volspotconnect2.tmpl file.
Replace the one meaningful line in the file with the below:
./librespot -b 320 -c /tmp ${shared} ${normalvolume} --name '${devicename}' --backend pipe --device /tmp/snapfifo --disable-audio-cache --initial-volume ${initvol}
Save. Go to the Spotify plug in, make a change, and save. This will burn a new startconnect.sh file with your changes. The original version had the backend as alsa and the output device as a local device. So the music only played to the server's device.
Try Spotify. Cross your fingers real hard. Open your Spotify client, find your server under "connect to device" and play some nice tune.
If you have done everything right you will get beautiful music out of all your speakers. If you have not lived life on the straight and narrow bad stuff will happen. Now it's time to swear a bit and figure out what went wrong.
Gotchas / notes
The default sample rate of 48kHz and 16 bits works just fine for web radio. For Spotify it sucks out loud. The audio is higher pitched and warbles. It's a sampling rate problem between the Spotify stream and the resampling. (I read this somewhere, maybe I will find it again some day.) There might be another way around it, but just be sure everything matches up and you should be fine.
If there is a volumio update and you want to upgrade - you can do it through the app but you need to go enable "test" softare. Go to your volumio box url and add "/dev" after the address. Push the right button. Turning on SSH while you're there probably is smart.
The Rock64 Volumio build does not support the rtl8812au based wifi adapter sold in the Pine store. There has been discussion on this but it still is not there. I tried cheating a bit to build a driver but not all the bits were in the load to make that happen. Left this for another day.
---
Bonus Round! Making a Rock64 Ubuntu Bionic Client
This is pretty easy as well. Grab the 64 bit version of your choice from ayufan's git. Burn it to a memory thingie and start the silly thing up.
EvilBunny has done the WiFi driver work for you. Grab the file, load it, be sure you've got python installed. (sudo apt install python)
sudo dpkg -i drivernameofyourchoice.deb
sudo depmod
sudo modprobe 8812au
Configuring WiFi - you're on your own.
There is no arm64 bit Snapcast on Git, you you need to build your own. Luckily there are step by step instructions on the site.
https://github.com/badaix/snapcast/blob/...nux-native
The instructions work. Start at the top then follow the Debian instructions. The build runs on one core so it takes a bit.
Repeat the dpkg stuff from above and . . .
Craft the command for the snapcast client. Check the plug names with aplay -l and choose which one you want to use. (You should be able to have more than one client running but my testing has ended poorly on that front. More work to be done there.)
The client command documentation is a little light. "snapclient --help" gives you the basics. I used the following with a static internal IP address as the server.
sudo snapclient -s I2S -h 192.qq.yy.xx -d --user snapclient:audio
This will automagically run at startup. I haven't figured out how to kill it actually . . . but that's for another day (and more edits).
---
Yeah I should still do some more experimenting and close the loop with some folks. But for now I'm going to take a break from pulling my hair out and enjoy the sweet sound of success.
I will maintain this post based upon learnings, feedback is appreciated and welcomed.
Best Regards,
Matthew
Hopefully this will shorten the learning curve for someone. If not, at least I can search the forum for my own post at some point if I have a disaster.
Setting up multi room audio with multiple pine devices. Want to play internet radio, a small audio library, and Spotify through the house.
The journey starts with Volumio - distros are available for most of our devices. The Volumio forum has the latest links. gkkpch has done a lot of work. I need to buy him a beer. You do too.
Rock64: https://volumio.org/forum/volumio-rock64-t9467.html
Pine64/LTS-SOPINE: https://volumio.org/forum/volumio-pine64...t9465.html
Burned these onto their respective flash cards. Decided to have a Rock64 as the server and a Pine64 as the client.
Initial install was pretty straight foward. There is a guided setup for the software through the web interface once you launch.
Now you have two media boxes. They show up together in Volumio but they play different streams. To connect the boxes together you need a way to synch the audio. I choose Snapcast. You need to install both the Snapcast application and the Volumio Snapcast plugin for command and control.
At the time of writing the latest version was here:
https://github.com/badaix/snapcast/releases/tag/v0.15.0
You will need the client and the server. The server will need to install both but for the client . . . only the client.
Grab the arm versions (armhf). Get them to your pines in the manner you see fit. To install:
sudo dpkg -i snapclient_0.15.0_armhf.deb
sudo dpkg -i snapserver_0.15.0_armhf.deb
sudo apt-get -f install
The Snapcast app and overview is described on Github: https://github.com/badaix/snapcast
Now you need the plugin. As it is not an official Volumio plug in you need to load it manually. Instructions are here: https://github.com/Saiyato/volumio-snapcast-plugin. In short:
git clone https://github.com/Saiyato/volumio-snapcast-plugin.git
cd volumio-snapcast-plugin/
rm volumio-snapcast-plugin.zip
Now . . . there is currently an issue. It may be fixed but you need to put in one more command before the plugin install.
npm i
Then:
volumio plugin install
On the server, go to the snapcast plugin. Enable the server, pick any sample rate that you want as long as it is 44,100Hz, 16 bits, 2 channels. For both the server and client enable the client. Server's host should be local while client's host should be server. (Duh) Pick the right sound port. Especially if it's 2am and you're pulling your hair out. MPD choose the same sample rate, bit depth, all that everywhere. For the server select FIFO only. For the client select ALSA.
Spotify Integration. (Still in the Snapcast Plugin.) I used no dedicated stream - and the spotify web connect. The sample rate, bit depth, channels should be the same for server and client and mpd. Don't dinker with Librespot.
Leave the rest of the stuff alone if you value your sanity.
Reboot your devices for good measure.
To test your masterpiece try this on the server:
sudo cat /dev/urandom > /tmp/snapfifo
Dumps white noise out your speakers. All your stations should start and end at the same time. If not . . . problems. You should hear a delay.
Next see if you can play a webradio from server to client. Does it sound good? Nice. Do you want Spotify too? Probalby not working yet.
What I did that works:
On the server go to /data/plugins/music_service/volspotconnect2 and find the volspotconnect2.tmpl file.
Replace the one meaningful line in the file with the below:
./librespot -b 320 -c /tmp ${shared} ${normalvolume} --name '${devicename}' --backend pipe --device /tmp/snapfifo --disable-audio-cache --initial-volume ${initvol}
Save. Go to the Spotify plug in, make a change, and save. This will burn a new startconnect.sh file with your changes. The original version had the backend as alsa and the output device as a local device. So the music only played to the server's device.
Try Spotify. Cross your fingers real hard. Open your Spotify client, find your server under "connect to device" and play some nice tune.
If you have done everything right you will get beautiful music out of all your speakers. If you have not lived life on the straight and narrow bad stuff will happen. Now it's time to swear a bit and figure out what went wrong.
Gotchas / notes
The default sample rate of 48kHz and 16 bits works just fine for web radio. For Spotify it sucks out loud. The audio is higher pitched and warbles. It's a sampling rate problem between the Spotify stream and the resampling. (I read this somewhere, maybe I will find it again some day.) There might be another way around it, but just be sure everything matches up and you should be fine.
If there is a volumio update and you want to upgrade - you can do it through the app but you need to go enable "test" softare. Go to your volumio box url and add "/dev" after the address. Push the right button. Turning on SSH while you're there probably is smart.
The Rock64 Volumio build does not support the rtl8812au based wifi adapter sold in the Pine store. There has been discussion on this but it still is not there. I tried cheating a bit to build a driver but not all the bits were in the load to make that happen. Left this for another day.
---
Bonus Round! Making a Rock64 Ubuntu Bionic Client
This is pretty easy as well. Grab the 64 bit version of your choice from ayufan's git. Burn it to a memory thingie and start the silly thing up.
EvilBunny has done the WiFi driver work for you. Grab the file, load it, be sure you've got python installed. (sudo apt install python)
sudo dpkg -i drivernameofyourchoice.deb
sudo depmod
sudo modprobe 8812au
Configuring WiFi - you're on your own.
There is no arm64 bit Snapcast on Git, you you need to build your own. Luckily there are step by step instructions on the site.
https://github.com/badaix/snapcast/blob/...nux-native
The instructions work. Start at the top then follow the Debian instructions. The build runs on one core so it takes a bit.
Repeat the dpkg stuff from above and . . .
Craft the command for the snapcast client. Check the plug names with aplay -l and choose which one you want to use. (You should be able to have more than one client running but my testing has ended poorly on that front. More work to be done there.)
The client command documentation is a little light. "snapclient --help" gives you the basics. I used the following with a static internal IP address as the server.
sudo snapclient -s I2S -h 192.qq.yy.xx -d --user snapclient:audio
This will automagically run at startup. I haven't figured out how to kill it actually . . . but that's for another day (and more edits).
---
Yeah I should still do some more experimenting and close the loop with some folks. But for now I'm going to take a break from pulling my hair out and enjoy the sweet sound of success.
I will maintain this post based upon learnings, feedback is appreciated and welcomed.
Best Regards,
Matthew
