doubleTwist on Linux
Update: a much easier solution was to use the Shuttle Music Player instead. It automatically downloads album art, includes an equalizer, integrates with RunKeeper, and supports gapless playback and volume normalization for free.
Update #2: the latest Shuttle update ruined the app (removed features, themes, etc.) so for now I'm just using Apollo.
My old Shuttle settings (for reference):
Display:
______________________________
Legacy (non-working) instructions for reference:
There are a lot of online posts indicating doubleTwist does not work on Linux (or it does with with MTP but is a pain to set up). For me, though, doubleTwist works fine with Lubuntu and CyanogenMod 11.
When I plug in my device via USB, it's automatically detected and file manager opens it via the MTP protocol:
When I add mp3 files to "SD card/Music", "SD card/doubleTwist", or "Internal storage/Music" doubleTwist loads them just fine. I can also delete files in the "SD card/doubleTwist" folder via the doubleTwist app GUI.
The only thing that's annoying is that many of my albums do not display a cover art image. I can either pay $$ for doubleTwist Pro (which automatically retrieves missing high-quality album art) or I can add the artwork manually to each song's ID3 metadata. Note: This needs to be done on your PC prior to copying over the files to the doubleTwist folder (apps like Cover Art Downloader do not work).
Since doubleTwist doesn't support custom ROMs (like CyanogenMod), I decided on the latter approach using a handy (albeit non-intuitive) app called MP3 Diags.
1. sudo apt-get install mp3diags
2. Open the app via Start > Sound & Video > MP3 Diags and click on the sprocket icon, then check all the folders that have music and click the Scan button
3. Click on the gray disc icon and then select the desired album you want to add cover art to by clicking on the blue right arrow.
4. The selected album songs will now appear in the list. To perform a general cleanup, click on the hammer #4 icon and then click Yes. Repeat this process for each desired album by clicking the blue right arrow and repeating this step.
5. Next, click on the tag icon
6. Click the MusicBrainz icon, then check the box for "Track count", and click the Search button. After verifying the information looks correct, click the "Save all" button and then click the floppy disk icon to apply the changes. Repeat this process for each album by clicking the blue right arrow and repeating this step.
7. Once done editing the tags, close the Tag Editor screen. Make sure the gray disc icon is selected and then click on the wave-graph icon then click "Normalize" to normalize the sound levels. Repeat this process for each album by clicking the blue right arrow and repeating this step.
8. Next, click on the pen-on-blue-folder icon
9. Click on the "%n.%t" textbox icon and in the popup create your file rename format (I used %n - %t) and then click OK.
10. Click on the hammer icon to rename the files (click Yes to confirm). Repeat this process for each album by clicking the blue right arrow and repeating this step.
11. Close the MP3 Diags application and copy your updated music folders to your smartphone. Open doubleTwist to verify the album art appears and the tracks play correctly.
Update #2: the latest Shuttle update ruined the app (removed features, themes, etc.) so for now I'm just using Apollo.
My old Shuttle settings (for reference):
Display:
- Default Page: Albums
- View Options > Albums: Grid
- Enable Lockscreen Controls: checked
- Hybrid
- Download Artwork Automatically: checked
- Download Via Wi-Fi only: checked
- Use Gmail Style Placeholders: unchecked
- Pause on Disconnect: checked
- Gapless Playback: checked
- Enable Scrobbling: unchecked
______________________________
Legacy (non-working) instructions for reference:
There are a lot of online posts indicating doubleTwist does not work on Linux (or it does with with MTP but is a pain to set up). For me, though, doubleTwist works fine with Lubuntu and CyanogenMod 11.
When I plug in my device via USB, it's automatically detected and file manager opens it via the MTP protocol:
When I add mp3 files to "SD card/Music", "SD card/doubleTwist", or "Internal storage/Music" doubleTwist loads them just fine. I can also delete files in the "SD card/doubleTwist" folder via the doubleTwist app GUI.
The only thing that's annoying is that many of my albums do not display a cover art image. I can either pay $$ for doubleTwist Pro (which automatically retrieves missing high-quality album art) or I can add the artwork manually to each song's ID3 metadata. Note: This needs to be done on your PC prior to copying over the files to the doubleTwist folder (apps like Cover Art Downloader do not work).
Since doubleTwist doesn't support custom ROMs (like CyanogenMod), I decided on the latter approach using a handy (albeit non-intuitive) app called MP3 Diags.
1. sudo apt-get install mp3diags
2. Open the app via Start > Sound & Video > MP3 Diags and click on the sprocket icon, then check all the folders that have music and click the Scan button
3. Click on the gray disc icon and then select the desired album you want to add cover art to by clicking on the blue right arrow.
4. The selected album songs will now appear in the list. To perform a general cleanup, click on the hammer #4 icon and then click Yes. Repeat this process for each desired album by clicking the blue right arrow and repeating this step.
5. Next, click on the tag icon
6. Click the MusicBrainz icon, then check the box for "Track count", and click the Search button. After verifying the information looks correct, click the "Save all" button and then click the floppy disk icon to apply the changes. Repeat this process for each album by clicking the blue right arrow and repeating this step.
7. Once done editing the tags, close the Tag Editor screen. Make sure the gray disc icon is selected and then click on the wave-graph icon then click "Normalize" to normalize the sound levels. Repeat this process for each album by clicking the blue right arrow and repeating this step.
8. Next, click on the pen-on-blue-folder icon
9. Click on the "%n.%t" textbox icon and in the popup create your file rename format (I used %n - %t) and then click OK.
10. Click on the hammer icon to rename the files (click Yes to confirm). Repeat this process for each album by clicking the blue right arrow and repeating this step.
11. Close the MP3 Diags application and copy your updated music folders to your smartphone. Open doubleTwist to verify the album art appears and the tracks play correctly.
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