Mozaiklabs TUNE Player (free alternative to Roon)

[Keith_W]

I have been playing with Mozaiklabs Tune music player.

This is how you set it up:
1. Download the package from the website and install it. Then run the server. It will launch in a CMD window.
2. Open the web control using a browser. Point it at localhost:8888. Go to settings and change language from French to English.
3. Add your music directory and link streaming services (Tidal, Qobuz, Deezer, Spotify, and Youtube Music supported)
4. Set up your outputs (it only appears to support WASAPI Exclusive and Shared, no ASIO!)
5. On your phone or tablet, open a browser and set it to ipaddress:8888 (on Windows, run ipconfig from a command prompt)
6. Sit back and listen to music

I don't use Roon because I do not like subscription based software. Not to mention my other general frustrations with it. I have been using JRiver as a DLNA endpoint, and using BubbleUPNP to stream to JRiver. Whilst this solution works, it's rather ugly. BubbleUPNP's interface looks like it was designed 20 years ago. The latency is tremendous - a good 4-5 seconds between sending a simple command (e.g. skip to the next track) and music coming out the speaker. And it only supports Tidal or Qobuz.

Why it's better than JRiver/BubbleUPNP:
- it's free!!!
- it supports more streaming services than BubbleUPNP
- the web interface on your tablet is the same as the interface on the PC, so there is no need to use the PC to control the music.
- there is a voice AI assistant, you can either speak what you want or type it in.
- Plugin support (proprietary Tune plugins, not VST plugins). Check them out here. Some of them look very interesting, e.g. you can use Tidal Connect directly to your Tune server, or use it as a Roon endpoint, add lyrics, Home Assistant integration, etc) ...

Negatives:
- music queuing seems a bit clunky with this current iteration. There is no way to select the tracks in an album that you want to play, you either play the whole album or an individual track. Select another track, and it plays immediately (can't add it to a queue). Maybe I haven't quite figured this one out yet.
- no ASIO (it says that it has ASIO, but it can't see my ASIO devices)
- lose JRiver's ISO226 volume control and no ability to host VST's (but then, Roon doesn't have this either).
- no ability to browse your local collection by folder. It's similar to Roon, you can only browse by metadata.
- it would be nice if the menu on the left could be collapsed, so that you get a cleaner interface.
- no Roon-like music discovery (I don't care about this feature, maybe you do).
- lacks Roon and JRiver's DSP engine. Supposedly some plugins add this feature, or you may have to upgrade to the Premium version. Or you can BYO DSP engine (e.g. Hang Loose Convolver or Acourate Convolver). Maybe even EQAPO.

There is a paid version (EUR70/yr or 349/lifetime) that unlocks more Roon-like features. For now, the free version does almost everything I want, and I see no reason to upgrade to the paid version.

IMO this is a very exciting and welcome addition. You guys should give it a try.

 

[ShadowBoxer]

I would be curious to learn if the app can play to WiiM endpoints. Thanks for the heads-up.

 

[OCA]

I don't use Roon because I do not like subscription based software.

Roon makes a lot more sense if you purchase the life-time membership. If you live 5 years or longer after the purchase, it amortizes itself. If you are 25 today and expect to live for another 50 years, Roon costs $1.40/month - essentially free

 

[101geo]

Roon makes a lot more sense if you purchase the life-time membership. If you live 5 years or longer after the purchase, it amortizes itself. If you are 25 today and expect to live for another 50 years, Roon costs $1.40/month - essentially free

And if you're in your '60s?

 

[CDMC]

And if you're in your '60s?

Hope you live into your 90s, can still hear, and call is $2.80 a month.

 

[Chr1]

Looks good to me. To me Roon is a complete rip off tho.

Unable to play local files without WiFi? WTAF?!

(Still think Foobar2000 rules the roost myself...Free. Uses VSTs. MathAudio RoomEQ - free. Etc etc.)

 

[OCA]

And if you're in your '60s?

I bought it when I was 48, now I am 56. I have been using Roon free since 2.5 years already and every day I live is another free Roon day.

 

[Keith_W]

Unable to play local files without WiFi? WTAF?!

Umm, I don't think that's true? I have a NAS and it is able to pull music from the NAS via a wired ethernet connection.

(Still think Foobar2000 rules the roost myself...Free. Uses VSTs. MathAudio RoomEQ - free. Etc etc.)

Foobar2000 does not natively support streaming. If it did, I would use it.

I listen by plonking my fat ass on a sofa. Once I'm there, I don't want to get up. I cue up all my music on my tablet. That tablet remote control is very important to me, and I will not consider any solution that does not support that. If you were to tell me that I could use Tidal Connect on my tablet and stream directly to Foobar on my PC, I would switch to Foobar immediately. But Tune does that. I still have some gripes about the interface, but ... they haven't been around for long, and since I made this post there have been two updates with more features and bug fixes. Right now it works well enough for me.

 

[Daverich4]

Looks good to me. To me Roon is a complete rip off tho.

Unable to play local files without WiFi? WTAF?!

(Still think Foobar2000 rules the roost myself...Free. Uses VSTs. MathAudio RoomEQ - free. Etc etc.)

There was a period of time where you needed an Internet connection to use it. Is that what you were thinking of? If so, that’s long gone, hasn’t been true for several years. If that’s not it I have no idea what you’re talking about. Roon recommended setup is to not use WiFi at all.

 

[DWPress]

Thanks for bringing this to our attention Keith! I've been looking to get away from Roon for a couple years now but love the Tidal integration. I don't use any of the extra features of Roon and I have Starlink internet so can't even use the Roon ARC feature without springing for a static IP.

 

[Redacted]

Free is good if it gives you enough of what you need, in my book. I'm not sure I get the import of all the points being made though....

If you have a streamer, do you not already have Tidal, Deezer etc as sources, optionally along with all your own bit perfect music on NAS or PC served to it via DLNA or just as shares (although many DLNA servers let you browse by folder too). My streamer does all this, controlled in one app on a cheap, dedicated tablet, and I assume streamers all do. I know Roon can do conversion and deploy EQ but many of us care for neither. It all works fine over WiFi too, so I'm not sure what that was about.

 

[ShadowBoxer]

There is no way to select the tracks in an album that you want to play, you either play the whole album or an individual track.

So, no cross-album playlists, correct?

 

[Sukie]

Unable to play local files without WiFi? WTAF?!

Roon did introduce an "always connected" requirement but this was overturned shortly after then Harman takeover. That was some time ago now.

 

[Satanica]

- no ASIO (it says that it has ASIO, but it can't see my ASIO devices)

I think ASIO is overrated, because the drivers insists on 32 bit input even when the hardware downstream is 24 bit.
WASAPI doesn't have this "feature", so if your hardware is 24 bit you can send it 24 bit.

- lose JRiver's ISO226 volume control and no ability to host VST's (but then, Roon doesn't have this either).

JRiver's LOUDNESS feature is perhaps the best thing about it in my opinion, to the point that I can't remotely contemplate moving to another player.
Originally, it attenuated both bass and treble; I requested for it to be enhanced to optionally only attenuate bass and the developers obliged.

 

[DWPress]

I downloaded the app to test it out. Still very much in Beta but with immense promise. My French is still too crappy to navigate everything despite the claimed English translation layer so difficult to negotiate all the bits and pieces that aren't. My Roon subscription doesn't renew until February so I'll be keeping a close eye on this in the coming months to see how development continues.

So far my main objections are the que, metadata acquisition far from SOTA or non-existent, artists listed separately for compilations, and the undismisable sidebar. Plugin development looks promising, the amount of updates and open source foundation is exactly what I look for in these new front ends. After working with several developers in Alpha and Beta attempts at the same sort of thing I'm impressed they already have the APIs for streaming services.

Not a Roon replacement yet but I'm looking forward to what comes next.

 

[Keith_W]

So, no cross-album playlists, correct?

I believe it supports cross-album playlists. I'm not the best person to ask, I don't make playlists. I tend to select an album and play the whole thing.

 

[DWPress]

JRiver's LOUDNESS feature is perhaps the best thing about it in my opinion, to the point that I can't remotely contemplate moving to another player.
Originally, it attenuated both bass and treble; I requested for it to be enhanced to optionally only attenuate bass and the developers obliged.

If you can host AU, VST3 plugins outside of JRiver there are quite a few free solutions out there now and some a fully user configurable.

 

[suur13]

Looks great, but seems too be missing 2 key features from Roon:

- Discovery / dynamic playlist based on my preferences
- Mobile App

 

[aedagnino]

Been trying it out this morning... it looks quite good, but the zone selection and creation is confusing, and haven't been able to make it work with my current configuration. I really want to ditch Roon as it's expensive, but it's still the best looking and most 'right' out of the box. I use Lyrion and JRiver occasionally, mostly because I think I'll stop paying for Roon once the annual suscription comes up. In terms of how it looks, Tune is the best out of those 3. I use a Mac Mini as a server.
Plus, no real remote for my phone yet, you can add a link to the web browser, but it's really still cumbersome to use.

 

[aedagnino]

I still haven't been able to solve the zone issues. This is how I normally do things with Roon: I have my server on my Mac Mini, which is connected to a MOTU M4, to 2 DIY stereo amplifiers, and DIY two-way speakers. Active crossover is done in Audio Hijack Pro, which also hosts Dirac Live. With Roon, it's super easy to select the two zones I mainly use: the Living room system (just described) and whenever I'm in my home office with my Macbook's headphones. Easy peasy, and the gain structure works perfect. With Tune I can connect to the M4, but the gain is just too loud, like it went directly to the M4.

Ease of use and having the app look good is important to me, which is why I really want Tune to work, as right now it's the best looking alternative to Roon.