Talking Books mp3 files from a NAS

T

Hi i am new to the forum and have a question about listening to talking books. We both have the app on our phones logged in via one account and my wife listens to music and i want to mostly listen to talking books but music as well. The great majority of our content both music and books is stored on our NAS server in separate folders.

 

In the App there is only one music library so books and music get mixed up when looking in Albums or artists etc. I know you can access the folders separately within the music library but then the search by folder/artists etc is not so good and you have more menus to get through.

Does anybody have a solution for this? or would a development request to Sonos be the best way to go?

 

Thanks

13 replies

Schlumpf
Userlevel 7
Badge +16

@TLW1958 

You can reorganize the location of the audiobooks main folder on your nas to a higher path on same level as the main folder for music and set up two different music libraries in Sonos app each with a different path. 

Ralf
T

Hi thanks for the reply. My music and audiobook folders are separate and at the same level on the NAS. But I dint see how to set up two music libraries in Sonos. I can add a separate “books” folder alongside the music one but they are both in the same library so get mixed up unless you access via the Folders option.

Is there a way to have Two music libraries that don’t interact

Schlumpf
Userlevel 7
Badge +16

@TLW1958

I didn‘t try yet, but for me it looks like you can add a second library. Via + symbol you can add new data. 
 

 

Ralf
T

Hi

thanks again for the reply. I have tried that. It adds a second source folder for books or music but it loads it into the same library so mixing up the book authors with the music album artists. So it remains one Library with two source folders. Its a shame as I have seen other posts where people in the same family want to keep their own libraries separate from others and my question is essentially the same thing. think I’ll have to ask Sonos if they could look at this

Schlumpf
Userlevel 7
Badge +16

@TLW1958

In generell imo it should be possible to use separate music libraries, because in the past I tried to add a second one on a win pc to the existing one you can see in my screenshot. And if I remember correctly, there were two libraries in the Sonos app at sources. 
I suppose it has to be a complete different path as it was in my case with folders on different devices. If your nas would have separated partitions I think it could work. 

Ralf
T

Thanks that’s a good idea. I might try adding a folder from my Win PC first before creating a NAS partition to see if that would work.

Schlumpf
Userlevel 7
Badge +16

Thanks that’s a good idea. I might try adding a folder from my Win PC first before creating a NAS partition to see if that would work.

I‘m sorry… did not trust my mind and added my macs music folder as a test. And unfortunately Sonos music library just shows it as a different folder and for example as you said all artists of both folders are listed. 
So only chance is searching for content by folders. 
 

 

Ralf
T

Ok thanks. really appreciate the help

👍

Schlumpf
Userlevel 7
Badge +16

@TLW1958

One more idea as a workaround… 

If your files are tagged correctly you could ad the „music style“ „audiobook“ of your library to your Sonos favorites. There within audiobooks are sorted by artist and you would get a quick access to it. 

Ralf
T

Again thanks but it would still mean my wife can see all the audiobooks and authors and all she wants to see is the music. Separate libraries i think is the only practical solution. I see there are some other Sonos App developers about so I might contact them to see if they do it, or might develop it to help sell their apps.

Schlumpf
Userlevel 7
Badge +16

@TLW1958 

Ok… I agree from your wife’s point of view. 😅

Just for you it could have been a workaround, but we know… „all for love“. 😉👍🏻

Ralf
Stanley_4
Userlevel 7
Badge +22

Add two Genres tags, music and audiobook and tag each track with the appropriate one. Maybe _music and _audiobook if they sort to the top of the Genres list?

 

Any decent tag editor should do that as a mass-change operation taking only a few minutes.

Reindex when it finishes.

T

Thanks for the help. It doesn’t get round the issue of Artists and Authors all mixed up if you are selecting that way (as my wife does). I’ve seen a few people asking for separate libraries as well just to keep partners music libraries separate on the selection list. I hope Sonos respond to that some day. Thanks again

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