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iOS app that combines Tidal and local music?

Jas0_0

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Hi there,

Does anyone know of an app that combines music stored locally on an iPhone with music from Tidal - a sort of Audirvana for iOS?

I’d like to make playlists combining my own mp3s and lossless files with tracks from Tidal without having to switch between two apps - is there something that would allow this?

Many thanks,

James
 

Jimbob54

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Hi there,

Does anyone know of an app that combines music stored locally on an iPhone with music from Tidal - a sort of Audirvana for iOS?

I’d like to make playlists combining my own mp3s and lossless files with tracks from Tidal without having to switch between two apps - is there something that would allow this?

Many thanks,

James
USB audio player pro. But you'd have to make playlists including both sources like you say. Cheaper than a plex or roon subscription.

EDIT- I'm an idiot! Sorry- not iOS
 
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Jas0_0

Jas0_0

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Plex and Roon do this.

Many thanks, I have downloaded plex but can’t seem to find a way for it to see music stored locally on my phone (like Onkyo player does for example)

Also I get to a page for tidal that says “Once you have a Tidal subscription...” but no way to log into Tidal.

Do I need to pay the £4.99 upgrade for Plex to see music on my phone, and allow me to sync with Tidal?

Also with Roon, the only app I can see on the App Store is Roon Remote, which I presume is just for controlling other end points?
 

doctorjuggles

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Also with Roon, the only app I can see on the App Store is Roon Remote, which I presume is just for controlling other end points?

Roon isn’t a localised device service. You have to be connected to your Roon core (ie on the same network) to use it. I’d avoid it if you aren't using it for that purpose, it cant access your music stored locally on the device itself (unless there’s a mod/extension I’m unaware of, in which case I’d love to know about it)

There are users who have managed to set up VPNs to allow remote access, but it’s not a simple process
 

Jimbob54

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With Plex you’ll first need to install their server software on your PC and use this to sync your music to your phone.

https://www.plex.tv/your-media/

I dont believe that is the case, not on Android anyway. If you have a linked Tidal account you can play that via the Plex app and it will also play local files on the phone. I dont know if you can make playlists that combine both sources. You dont need a plex server on a pc/ nas unless you want to play music on your network throough your phone.

EDIT- I think I am wrong- I think the app has changed, doesnt look like the android app shows local music on your phone anymore. Sorry
 
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astr0b0y

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I dont believe that is the case, not on Android anyway. If you have a linked Tidal account you can play that via the Plex app and it will also play local files on the phone. I dont know if you can make playlists that combine both sources. You dont need a plex server on a pc/ nas unless you want to play music on your network throough your phone.
Thanks, sounds interesting and certainly not a feature I was aware of (playing locally stored music that wasn’t first synced via Plex server. Have been using Plex (and OSXBMC that came before it) for over a decade now, great to learn something new!
However, OP is using iOS. You’ll need a Plex server instance running on a computer, and a Plex Pass (paid version) to sync your media to your iOS device. You’ll then also be able to add your Tidal subscription and access both sources.

I also run Roon which runs in a similar way but does not allow syncing of your media to a device nor remote access (and is stupidly overpriced) so for what your wanting to do I wouldn’t recommend it.
 

Jimbob54

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Thanks, sounds interesting and certainly not a feature I was aware of (playing locally stored music that wasn’t first synced via Plex server. Have been using Plex (and OSXBMC that came before it) for over a decade now, great to learn something new!
However, OP is using iOS. You’ll need a Plex server instance running on a computer, and a Plex Pass (paid version) to sync your media to your iOS device. You’ll then also be able to add your Tidal subscription and access both sources.

I also run Roon which runs in a similar way but does not allow syncing of your media to a device nor remote access (and is stupidly overpriced) so for what your wanting to do I wouldn’t recommend it.

I gave up on Plex a couple of years ago after the Plex cloud collapse- now use Roon funnily enough. But I wouldt use the roon app as a player on my phone, simply as a remote for the server.

Oh, and see my edit to my post- I re-installed plex app and dont seem to be able to "see" local files on phone. Pretty sure you could when i was using Plex before.
 
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Jas0_0

Jas0_0

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Thanks all - have been playing around with Plex. Downloaded media server as a test on my MBP and have synced it to Tidal and some test music files on the MBP SSD. Can now see these on the iOS app. I realise I have to buy the Plex Pass to sync files to the iPhone to play offline.

Can now create playlists and play queues from both local and Tidal, which is exactly what I was after.
 
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Jas0_0

Jas0_0

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Plex also has music playback only app called Plex Amp which is worth checking out.

This looks even better - much cleaner. Will investigate once I've decided whether to purchase a Plex Pass, which seems to be mandatory to get it to work.

Now thinking of replacing Audirvana with Plex on MacOS as well. Though need to test if it's bit-perfect using the RME bit test first. The only drawback of Plex vs Audirvana I can see is lack of a DAC-direct mode and automatic bitrate switching with Plex. Or are there others?
 

astr0b0y

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Plex isn't known for its focus on bit-perfectness (although I'd be very keen for you to test this with your RME) however I'm fairly sure it can use a direct and exclusive connection to USB DACs. Since I invested in Roon 5 years ago, I use it for playback around the house. Plex is used for video playback at home and Plexamp for music playback on my phone when outside my LAN. A bit of a hodgepodge I'm afraid.

Yes, Plex Pass is required for Plex Amp.
 
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Jas0_0

Jas0_0

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Plex isn't known for its focus on bit-perfectness (although I'd be very keen for you to test this with your RME) however I'm fairly sure it can use a direct and exclusive connection to USB DACs.

I tried the RME bit test - sadly Plex failed at all sample/bitrates. Other software (Apple Music, Audirvana) passes. Plex failed whether in exclusive mode or not. I manually changed sample/bitrate in Audio Midi in non-exclusive mode. When in exclusive mode, I noticed that Plex fixes DAC output at 192khz. This is despite it saying it passes music unchanged to the DAC.

I tried to sign up to the forum, but there doesn't seem to be a register option anywhere and when I click on login, it just says user not recognised.

In short, I think my brief hope that Plex might solve all my issues is over...
 

Jimbob54

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I tried the RME bit test - sadly Plex failed at all sample/bitrates. Other software (Apple Music, Audirvana) passes. Plex failed whether in exclusive mode or not. I manually changed sample/bitrate in Audio Midi in non-exclusive mode. When in exclusive mode, I noticed that Plex fixes DAC output at 192khz. This is despite it saying it passes music unchanged to the DAC.

I tried to sign up to the forum, but there doesn't seem to be a register option anywhere and when I click on login, it just says user not recognised.

In short, I think my brief hope that Plex might solve all my issues is over...
Simple solution, get android because uapp is brilliant
 

astr0b0y

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I tried the RME bit test - sadly Plex failed at all sample/bitrates. Other software (Apple Music, Audirvana) passes. Plex failed whether in exclusive mode or not. I manually changed sample/bitrate in Audio Midi in non-exclusive mode. When in exclusive mode, I noticed that Plex fixes DAC output at 192khz. This is despite it saying it passes music unchanged to the DAC.

I tried to sign up to the forum, but there doesn't seem to be a register option anywhere and when I click on login, it just says user not recognised.

In short, I think my brief hope that Plex might solve all my issues is over...
Ahh, that’s a pity but I’m not too surprised on their desktop app. I think I have read on their forums (sign up for a free Plex account for access) that this was done for compatibility but never investigated further.

Edit: Found a recent forum post that includes a short response from Elan, Plex founder, that confirms lack of bit perfectness and the possibility of it coming at some stage. https://forums.plex.tv/t/feature-request-plexamp-usb-dac-support-on-macos/606120/10

Good luck with your hunt, keep us posted.
 
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