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Mac Mini as cheap music server - can anyone comment based on experience?

Darth Vader said:
Watching video doesn't need much power at all. Video editing however is a different matter and you'd also need a decent GPU so that leaves the Mac Mini out.

Cheers,

DV
Click to expand...

One of the last things I did before I retired (in 2013) was editing a doc that combined archive and original video.
I did the rough edits at home on a Mac Mini 2010 using Final Cut Express 4 - one of the reasons I upgraded my 2008 'lunchbox' version in fact.

Perfectly capable it was too ;)

Final Cut specs

Whether it would cope with modern requirements is a different kettle of worms though....
 
Sorry I haven’t read all five pages
I have a 2011 Mac mini that runs off AGM battery using a thing called a battery bus to make it quieter it was purpose built for Music only including scripts written for amara and Audirvana I have not upgraded the iOS it’s getting obvious I need to do that but I am concerned about losing sound quality the only player that is currently working is amara it does sound good
Should I upgrade the OS and not worry about whatever the Scripps did they are locked down,or go a totally different route
Thanks
 
ABruceCrum said:
Sorry I haven’t read all five pages
I have a 2011 Mac mini that runs off AGM battery using a thing called a battery bus to make it quieter it was purpose built for Music only including scripts written for amara and Audirvana I have not upgraded the iOS it’s getting obvious I need to do that but I am concerned about losing sound quality the only player that is currently working is amara it does sound good
Should I upgrade the OS and not worry about whatever the Scripps did they are locked down,or go a totally different route
Thanks
Click to expand...
If the mini is strictly being used as a dedicated music server then it doesn't necessarily need have an OS upgrade. Regardless, Mac mini mid-2011 will have shipped with OS X 10.7 Lion and officially supports up to and including macOS 10.13 High Sierra.

Typically, one's biggest issue wrt OS upgrades is whether or not one's existing apps will work properly with a given newer OS. There is nothing about AppleScript that has changed between these OS versions, other than recognition of code that would control new OS features, some of which will not function on a Mac that predates a given OS release. Chances are that the scripts in question are related to overriding Apple's Midi configuration, as well as changing other sound and power management preferences in order to optimize music playback conditions. Pretty basic stuff that should translate without issue.

If, on the other hand, the mini is also being used as a workstation, then one should have the latest OS that the computer can run reasonably well with. There are some security dodges/workarounds for outdated versions of Safari, for example, such as installing genuine security trust certificate alternatives, however, the best defence is to stay as up to date as possible if the machine is being used for other internet connected purposes.
 
Thanks for your response Craig
The mini is only used for music playback I’m confused on how the Scripps could be transferred over extremely hard to know since I can’t get to them
Thanks again
 
You are welcome, Bruce.

If these are indeed AppleScripts then such are usually stored as part of what are called Automator documents. The default storage locations of Automator documents depends upon what type they are.

Application (prompts for filename and save location)
Calendar Alarm ~/Library/Workflows/Applications/Calendar
Dictation Command ~/Library/Speech/Speakable Items
Folder Actions ~/Library/Workflows/Applications/Folder Actions
Image Capture Plug-in ~/Library/Workflows/Applications/Image Capture
Print Plugin ~/Library/PDF Services
Services, or Quick Actions ~/Library/Services folder (with .workflow extension)
Workflows (prompts for filename and save location)​

Note that '~' is short for /users/yourusername

Typically, an OS upgrade installation will not remove any user created Automator files. A 'clean' install, on the other hand, will, however, these could be restored from a Time Machine backup.
 
ABruceCrum said:
They aren’t AppleScripts more written for each music player like Amara and Audirvana
Click to expand...
Written by whom, the app developers or they who modified the Mac mini?

If the app developers, have you looked within the contents of each app?

i.e. Using Finder, navigate to Applications and then Right Click (or Control + Click) on the relevant app icon and select Show Package Contents.

Many Mac apps include java scripts with the extension .js. These are actually text files, the contents of which can be viewed with any text editor.
 
Mini 2010, 2.4ghz core 2 duo running High Sierra, LMS/iTunes/Qubuz over wired ethernet to SB Touch/coax/BM Dac2 here, sounds bloody marvellous(ok tops out at 24/96 on hi-res stuff) been running trouble free for donkeys years and all controlled via iPad using iPeng app.
 
Craig B said:
Written by whom, the app developers or they who modified the Mac mini?

If the app developers, have you looked within the contents of each app?

i.e. Using Finder, navigate to Applications and then Right Click (or Control + Click) on the relevant app icon and select Show Package Contents.

Many Mac apps include java scripts with the extension .js. These are actually text files, the contents of which can be viewed with any text editor.
Click to expand...
They were written by the people that modified the Mac mini
They have a dot APP after them
 
ABruceCrum said:
They were written by the people that modified the Mac mini
They have a dot APP after them
Click to expand...
Are the Scripts actually necessary? Audirvana's main USP is its bypassing of Apple's CoreAudio and disabling of background processes that are thought to be detrimental to audio playback.
 
Using an m1 imac as of last weekend, replaced a dead 2009 mbp 17". Running audivarna via USB to dac. Sounds no different to the outgoing machine butnis a joy to use now.
 
ABruceCrum said:
They were written by the people that modified the Mac mini
They have a dot APP after them
Click to expand...
Ok, now we are getting somewhere.

If these be system-wide startup items, meaning that they load at Mac startup before user login, then they need be installed within (or linked to from) /Library/StartupItems. Note, this is within Macintosh HD > Library folder, not your user account library folder. The direct path via Finder, Go, Go to Folder... would be /Library/StartupItems (i.e. no tilde before).

System-wide startup items are used to start system-wide processes that should be run before users log in to their accounts, such as anti-virus software, or to launch system-wide processes that need be available to all users, such as a background process used by a third-party application.

Note that such apps may also require one or more related Application Support files, and/or CoreMediaIO plugins, and/or Extensions (all in italics being folders under /Library).
 
I found
Craig B said:
Ok, now we are getting somewhere.

If these be system-wide startup items, meaning that they load at Mac startup before user login, then they need be installed within (or linked to from) /Library/StartupItems. Note, this is within Macintosh HD > Library folder, not your user account library folder. The direct path via Finder, Go, Go to Folder... would be /Library/StartupItems (i.e. no tilde before).

System-wide startup items are used to start system-wide processes that should be run before users log in to their accounts, such as anti-virus software, or to launch system-wide processes that need be available to all users, such as a background process used by a third-party application.

Note that such apps may also require one or more related Application Support files, and/or CoreMediaIO plugins, and/or Extensions (all in italics being folders under /Library).
Click to expand...
Craig B said:
Is there any way to get in touch with those who modded the mini? If nothing else, then just to put your mind at rest wrt possible issues related to OS upgrades.
Click to expand...
no way to get ahold of the,
I did find a folder there’s called Mach2
In there I see scripts for all the different players that were popular at the time
Inside one I chose I see a contents folder, inside that I see info.Pleistocene
Another folder MacOS, with applet,and Pkginfo
Another folder Resourses with applet.icons,applet.RSPCA’s,descr.rtfs
another folderScripts main.Scpt This says it is not editable run only
 
sq225917 said:
Using an m1 imac as of last weekend, replaced a dead 2009 mbp 17". Running audivarna via USB to dac. Sounds no different to the outgoing machine butnis a joy to use now.
Click to expand...

I also run an M1 Mac Mini with Audirvāna via a Jitterbug and USB dac - sounds superb, better than two previous dedicated streamers I used to own (Linn Majik DSM/2 and Auralic Aries mini)
 
Using (my usual) Naim CDS3/XPS DR as a benchmark (if you've ever heard one), I found a late 2012 Mac Mini playing ripped CD files in cache via Amarra 3.0, thence to an Ayre QB9 DSD DAC ever so slightly better than the CD player in that the sound signature was almost the same but the Mac/DAC seemed to present a more detailed soundscape. Unfortunately the DAC quickly developed a fault and had to go back. I haven't got around to sourcing a replacement yet - enjoying the CDS3.
 
Craig B said:
Written by whom, the app developers or they who modified the Mac mini?

If the app developers, have you looked within the contents of each app?

i.e. Using Finder, navigate to Applications and then Right Click (or Control + Click) on the relevant app icon and select Show Package Contents.

Many Mac apps include java scripts with the extension .js. These are actually text files, the contents of which can be viewed with any text editor.
Click to expand...

ABruceCrum said:
They were written by the people that modified the Mac mini
They have a dot APP after them
Click to expand...

Could they have installed CAD's OS optimisation scripts?

https://www.computeraudiodesign.com/computer-setup/

I had them installed for a while, before I started using a network bridge (initially a R-Pi, then a Cubox, finally a microRendu) which makes them redundant.
 
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