Make the pre-configured image easier to use as a "Music Provider" for "Music Assistant" (a.k.a. MA)?

[Hedda]

@quebulm you heard about Music Assistant (MA) project and any chance you be interested in making it easier to use this for it?

• https://music-assistant.io
  • *https://github.com/music-assistant

The "Music Assistant" server is a music-streaming cross-ecosystem interoperability open-source software project that can work as a standalone product but is actually tailored to use side-by-side integration for Home Assistant (home automation software) as an addon.

Read this article announcement about new Music Assistant 2.0 release explaining how it works (and integrates with Home Assistant):

https://www.home-assistant.io/blog/2024/05/09/music-assistant-2/

Would be awesome if you could would make it even easier stream music from AUX input to a "Music Provider" inside Music Assistant.

https://music-assistant.io/music-providers/

Any chance you consider building a super easy pre-configured image to achieve this concept via "Music Provider" for Music Assistant?

https://music-assistant.io/music-providers/url

Music Assistant already has support for manually adding a radio station URLs to the database via "Music Provider". The user can add a locally created station from an Icecast server (or any online Icecast stations):

https://music-assistant.io/faq/stream-to/

I Want To Stream To - Music Assistant: "You could use Darkcast to stream to Icecast which in turn sets up a web radio stream that you could add to MA! You could use this to stream your turntable around the house for example. Here is a generic tutorial and for those that like a nice step by step look here. For input a HiFiBerry could be used or a USB Audio Interface like this one or this one"

PS: Off-topic but noticed possibly more elegant looking hardware solution mentioned in link there is to use HiFiBerry's ANALOG INPUT products "HIFIBERRY DAC+ ADC PRO", "HIFIBERRY DAC2 ADC PRO", or "HIFIBERRY DAC+ ADC" as ADC instead of a USB Audio Device as input for a very clean and almost the look of a all-in-one commercial appliance:

https://www.hifiberry.com/shop/boards/hifiberry-dac-adc/

https://www.hifiberry.com/shop/boards/hifiberry-dac-adc-pro/

https://www.hifiberry.com/shop/boards/hifiberry-dac2-adc-pro/

All of those are add-on boards for Raspberry Pi's GPIO Pin header:

https://www.hifiberry.com/blog/need-some-input/

[quebulm]

@Hedda didn’t know about the Music Assistant project, but it sounds cool! I’ll look into it and might also try out the Raspberry Pi extensions.
Thanks for sharing!

[Hedda]

FYI, I have posted a link to your guide in Music Assistant documentation for reference -> https://music-assistant.io/faq/stream-to/

Music Assistant

You could use Darkcast to caputure and Icecast to build a solution will digitize and stream audio from your analog audio equipment like a vinyl record player (turntable/phonograph/gramophone) as a web radio stream (URL) that you could add as a Music Provider in Music Assistant.

For such a project you need audio-capture and ADC (analogue-to-digital converter) device hardware that provide audio-input and digitalization. For example, you can use either a USB Audio Device Interface adapter from Behringer or IK Multimedia, or a HiFiBerry board with ADC.

You can find a generic tutorial here, and for those that like step-by-step guides look here and here (the first of which also offers a pre-configured Linux appliance image for Raspberry Pi 3 / Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W).

[Hedda]

@Hedda didn’t know about the Music Assistant project, but it sounds cool! I’ll look into it and might also try out the Raspberry Pi extensions. Thanks for sharing!

@quebulm slightly off-topic but maybe you would even be willing and interesting to consider adding these functions to "Music Assistant Companion" which is a remote-control desktop-application side-project (written in Rust programming language) that they have for remotely controlling playback for the Music Assistant server from any Linux/Mac/Windows computer on the same local network, see related feature request for them here -> music-assistant/tauri-companion-app#40

[Hedda]

FYI, if anyone is interested then please check out these related feature requests and discussions for upstream Music Assistant here:

• https://github.com/orgs/music-assistant/discussions/1156
• https://github.com/orgs/music-assistant/discussions/2343
• https://github.com/orgs/music-assistant/discussions/384

By the way, Music Assistant currently have a feature request poll going for votes and the "Local Audio In" is currently in the lead:

• https://github.com/orgs/music-assistant/discussions/2356

[droeloe1818]

Hello,

Did anyone has it got working with music asstant?

Ive got the vinylstream up and running, but I don't know how to add it in Music Assistant?

[Hedda]

Not using it as it was not user-friendly for the family but remember that before have to manually add URL as a Web Radio (web radio station URL) as Music Provider in Music Assistant. That does not look like it is an available option today. So I guess that how you might need to either add it via Radio Browser Provider as a Music Provider or under MPD (Music Player Daemon) as a Player Provider?

https://music-assistant.io/faq/stream-to/

[droeloe1818]

I fixed it! Using a button on my dashboard.

Download the m3u file and upload it to home assistant. Then you can play it from the media section or a script

[Hedda]

Would still be a much easier end-user experince if Music Assistant came with dedicated ”music provider” (plugin) out-of-the-box for simpler setup. See these related discussions and requests with more ideas and brainstorming concepts:

• https://github.com/orgs/music-assistant/discussions/2343

  • https://github.com/orgs/music-assistant/discussions/3763

• https://github.com/orgs/music-assistant/discussions/4200

• https://github.com/orgs/music-assistant/discussions/1156

[Hedda]

@quebulm by the way, while not a stand-alone remote solution like your setups, you might be interested in also helping out Torrax with his ”Local Audio-In” feature for Music Assistant (which will also work with their add-on for Home Assistant Operating System) here:

• Added Local Audio Source Provider music-assistant/server#2356

The idea that his native music provider for "Local Audio-In" is included with Music Assistent dy default but will only be able to access audio-input locally from different "sound cards" directly from Music Assistant server stand-alone and Music Assistant add-on running in Home Assistant Operating System as an ADC-input appliance.

• music-assistant/server@33f74ef

  What it does

  • Bring outside audio into Music Assistant. Use your computer as the bridge.
  • Any ALSA input. Line-in jacks, USB audio interfaces, or built-in mic/line sources.
  • Simple to set up. Choose the input, start the stream, and it shows up as a source in your players.
  • Custom source personalization. Give it your own display name and thumbnail image for a polished, personalized feel in the Music Assistant UI.

  Use cases

  • Quick-Connect Bluetooth Receiver Plug a Quick Connect BT receiver into your PC’s line-in. Anyone can quickly pair their phone without having to confirm the connection, and their music instantly plays across your whole-house system.
  • Announcements & Paging Microphone Plug in a USB microphone and use it for announcements. Great for paging in a business, office, or house intercom setup.
  • Vynyl Turntable/Player Connect your turntable (via phono preamp) directly to your PC’s line-in, and enjoy your vinyl collection throughout your Music Assistant ecosystem.

  Requirements

  • Music Assistant server.
  • Linux host with ALSA.
  • A capture device (line-in, USB interface, mic, etc).

The specific use case I am wondering is the scenario of buying and connecting a compatible retail USB-soundcard direct to the USB-port on official Home Assistant Green and/or Home Assistant Yellow (or similar Raspberry Pi 4 / Raspberry Pi 5 HAOS installations) for LP-turntables.

Asking this since just spottet this new pull request by @sairon for HAOS that will add driver for Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi sound card series:

• Add driver for Creative Sound Blastr X-Fi PCI cards home-assistant/operating-system#4331

I understand that he uses Behringer UFO202 USB sound adapter to test currently but suggested they also test/verify compatibility with other popular "high-fidelity" quality USB Audio Device ADC-adapters that uses the USB Audio Class 2.0 pipeline to support high-definition audio formats up to 192KHz and 32bits using a standard digital audio interface.

As you are aware, another common hardware option for anRaspberry Pi based setup are HiFiBerry's ADC ANALOG INPUT products like "HIFIBERRY DAC+ ADC PRO", "HIFIBERRY DAC2 ADC PRO", or "HIFIBERRY DAC+ ADC" as input. As a bonus those should provide a very clean and almost the look of an all-in-one commercial appliance if using Home Assistant Operating System with a Raspberry Pi setup (and the official HiFiBerry cases for Raspberry Pi for matching enclosure):

• https://www.hifiberry.com/blog/need-some-input/ (blog post which describe the purpose of HiFiBerry ADC HATs for Raspberry Pi GPIO)
  • https://www.hifiberry.com/shop/boards/hifiberry-dac2-adc-pro/
  • https://www.hifiberry.com/shop/boards/hifiberry-dac-adc-pro/
  • https://www.hifiberry.com/shop/boards/hifiberry-dac-adc/
    • https://www.hifiberry.com/docs/data-sheets/datasheet-dac-adc/
  • https://www.hifiberry.com/shop/0-development-kits/stage-devkit/

Again, having that feature built-into the Music Assistant server which will limit you to a single audio input source and not allow you to place the audio-input device anywhere in your home, however it might be more accessable and simpler to setup for first-time users who do not want to deal with the complexity of maintaining a remote Raspberry Pi.

PS: Ping @gieljnssns too as he wrote this related guide https://github.com/gieljnssns/darkice-libaacplus-rpi-guide

[quebulm]

@Hedda Yeah, I think that’s a good idea and would definitely improve the user experience - I’m just not sure if I’ll find the time to work on it right now. But I’ll take a look at it when I get the chance.