Serving Mediamonkey
October 12, 2013 4:34 AM   Subscribe

How can I use an old laptop and a MyBook NAS drive to develop a music setup suitable for my modest needs?

This is what I want to do:

I have music stored on a NAS drive, the MyBook Live which comes with Twonky (not set up). I want to be able to use my new laptop to update my iPod Nano - both music and podcasts - using MediaMonkey. I want to be able to do this remotely, ie when I'm travelling.

I would also like to be able to channel my music library to our music system - at present we just hook up the iPod to the amp when need be, which is foolish and time consuming.

I don't use iTunes. I like MediaMonkey but will reluctantly consider switching.

I also have an old laptop running Windows 7 which I am happy to turn into a server if need be (and if I have a good guide on how to do this). If so, I would like to also be able to use it as a print server on our home network. It is currently connected via ethernet cable to the wireless router as its wifi card is dead.

Can you direct me to, or provide, step by step instructions on how to achieve this? I have enough savvy that I can figure things out if I have a starting point, but I haven't found anything suitable yet, especially since an upcoming trip means I don't have much time for tinkering.

Here is the hardware we have.

- WD MyBookLive
- Old laptop running Windows 7 - can be cannibalised
- New laptop running Windows 7
- iPod Nano 6th gen
- iPad 2
- Nexus 7 tablet
- Two Android phones
- An elderly HP DeskjetJet printer/ scanner
- a PS3 which takes care of all other media needs and is hooked up to our Denon amp.
- (for what it's worth) a Harmony Ultimate remote

All these are located in one room - we're in a small London flat for the foreseeable future, so there is no need for multi-room solutions.

And finally: I am someone who doesn't stream outside Netflix or download stuff other than podcasts for my iPod and ebooks for my Kindle. Any creative suggestions for making fuller use of this setup?
posted by tavegyl to Computers & Internet (1 answer total)
 
When you say "I want to be able to do this remotely, ie when I'm travelling." Do you mean that you want to have your laptop and iPod with you but update it with music that's stored on the NAS at your home? You might be able to do that with a VPN setup, but if consider that a fairly advanced use case.

Also, there's nothing really special about setting up a computer "as a server". These days, if you're doing that with consumer hardware, like a laptop, it just means that you've installed some software on it that is designed to be accessed over a network.

The easiest way to play the music from your computer onto your stereo will probably be to get an airport express and connect it to your stereo. You can then control it with Airplay..

Or, perhaps look into Rogue Amoeba's software since I see you have the Android tablet and might want to control the music from that. Not sure if they support Android, but it's worth a look.

Although, since your NAS supports Twonky, you could just set that up and use your PS3 to access Twonky. I'm not sure what the usability factor on that is though.

Twonky's website will have a guide on how to set things up.

And media monkey's site will tell you if your iPod is able to be loaded by it.

BTW, are you trying to do all of this for free? Or do you have a budget?
posted by reddot at 2:37 PM on October 12, 2013


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