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[BigMikeSantaCruz]

When I set a zone to switch tracks (e.g. Cross-fade (aggressive) -4s) and then link another zone to it, it waits until a track completes to start the next track instead of transitioning as I've set it. I can set both zones identically, and independently they work properly. As soon as I link them they behave differently.

Another problem is that seeking within a track doesn't work the same. If a zone is unlinked, it smoothly jumps to the new portion of the track according to my setting in Seek: Smooth (normal). If the zone is linked with another, there is a gap of silence before it plays again.

I've experienced this on multiple PCs, different sound cards, same sound cards, USB or Firewire or HDMI, same bitrates, every version of MC since 16, etc. The only consistent thing is linking zones causes the tracks to switch differently than I set them.

What am I missing to get this working?

[BigMikeSantaCruz]

Do others have a problem when switching tracks when zones are linked?

[Arindelle]

I set the fades on the server only, not on the client(s). Seems to be ok, depends on the state of my network though.  Maybe you could try that?

[BigMikeSantaCruz]

Thanks. It's a single PC with multi-room connections, so I don't use server/client other than DLNA controls from Gizmo.

And that's the rub. If I want the same music on the deck, in the living room, and in the billiard room, I have to forgo the fades between tracks.

If I can get this working, it would look like this:

PC->Living Room via HDMI to take advantage of 96KHz audio files
PC->Deck via TOSLink to take advantage of 48KHz resamples
PC->Billiards via analog
PC->Studio via Firewire to take advantage of DSD

[BigMikeSantaCruz]

I can't seem to get a sense on whether I suffer this problem alone, or it's such a basic setting that others think I should know the solution.

But, I've been suffering this problem for years, and I don't know any other way to get help on this problem than to post a question here.

[Arindelle]

sorry to ask you to clarify, but I don't get what you are trying to acomplish here.

I originally thought this was a problem with cross fading, but re rereading this you mention to take advanatge of toslink to "take advantage of" and you mention physical zones ... what is the rapport with HDMI and 96K files, what do you mean analog ? do you mean the renderers in each zone require these connections? Toslink can carry 96k, so can USB2 etc.

so I don't use server/client other than DLNA controls from Gizmo.

when you say DLNA from Gizmo do you mean you are pushing music to DLNA renderers (eg. an Oppo Blue ray .... like their are no client PCs at all?) - if that is the case corss-fading would be the least of the problems I'd think

or do you mean you are using gizmo as a headless controller and you are just referring to the setting in Options media network on your main PC?

Could you take a screen shot of the tree -- expanding playing now and playing from areas .. maybe it would be easier for me to understand. Thanks

[BigMikeSantaCruz]

Thanks for taking this on. I summarize this as a simple cross-fading issue. When a zone is unlinked with any other, the cross-fade works as I set it in the zone's options. When I link it to any other zone, cross-fading and intra-track seeking fails to work correctly. My goal is to get cross-fading working when zones are linked.

I don't know what a client PC is, so I'm pretty sure I don't have that. I have one HTPC that use primarily to play music in various zones throughout my home. I use Gizmo to find tracks and control the player, such as skip the current track. As far as I know, I've never used any form of media network, nor do I transmit music to Gizmo or any other device.

The description of my configuration showing HDMI, TOSLink, Firewire, etc. was to illustrate that I have different levels of sound quality I expect in different zones. I have an Onkyo TX-NR906 in the living room, so HDMI is the best way to get multichannel audio to it. I have pro audio gear in the studio using Behringer FCA610 audio card and balanced audio cables, so firewire from the PC is the best form to send audio.

I listen to music everyday in the studio. Some days I wish to play the same music in the living room or on the deck, and that's where the trouble starts.

[BigMikeSantaCruz]

Does anybody else have this problem with Linked Zones?

[Arindelle]

sorry Mike, I'll have to get back to you later on this .. haven't forgot - at least I've bumped the post for you

btw, most people are happy to listen to music simultaneously in multiple zones when  their music is actually in sync (sort of difficult to achieve a lot of the time); cross-fades are just one more thing to add to the latency. Maybe thats why no one else has chimed in.

[BigMikeSantaCruz]

Thanks. Syncing has been good since the rooms are fairly far apart, and the syncing dialog box easy to to use.

[BigMikeSantaCruz]

Is there another way to get help on this? I have resisted opening this up in the forum for years because I was afraid of being ignored.  Should I open a bug with JRiver since I have a replicable bug?

[Matt]

Track transitions are managed differently when zones are linked because it needs to try to keep sync.  Same thing with seeking.

[BigMikeSantaCruz]

I see. This is expected behavior and not a bug. This makes zones fairly useless for me since I have to branch audio circuits off my pro gear when I have parties. But it's nice to have an answer. Thank you.

[Arindelle]

@Matt.  Yes, but if his principal PC is acting as media server, and all the other "zoned" PCs are clients. The rendering PCs (clients or server) should have the same cross-fading provided that all of them are set-up the same of course.

I don't know what a client PC is, so I'm pretty sure I don't have that.

I'm wondering if Mike has the media server option checked on all of his PCs, which could mess things up maybe?

The HTPC would have to be on all of the time of course, Mike.

Anyways, if Matt says it won't do what you want, he knows 

[BigMikeSantaCruz]

Note that there is only one PC in my system. The other ones shown such as Haley-PC have never been connected even though DLNA is aware of them. That is my housemate's laptop and no part of my entertainment system.