The Benefits of Using RuneAudio on Raspberry Pi 4 for Music Lovers

RuneAudio: A Free and Open Source Hi-Fi Music Player for Raspberry Pi 4

If you are looking for a way to turn your Raspberry Pi 4 into a powerful and versatile Hi-Fi music player, you might want to check out RuneAudio. RuneAudio is a free and open source software that transforms embedded hardware into Hi-Fi music players. In this article, we will explain what RuneAudio is, what features and benefits it offers, how to download and install it on your Raspberry Pi 4, and how to use it to enjoy your music collection. What is RuneAudio?

RuneAudio is a custom-built Linux-based operating system (RuneOS) and a web player (RuneUI) that allows you to remote control playback and setup options, from multiple devices (desktop PC, netbook, tablet, smartphone). It is designed to be easy to use, platform-independent, and optimized for low-consumption and high-performance devices. RuneAudio aims to provide a high-quality audio playback system for GNU+Linux, supporting various audio formats, DACs, network drives, web radios, streaming services, and more. Features and benefits of RuneAudio

Here are some of the main features and benefits that come as standard with RuneAudio: - Very easy to install and use - A custom-built, optimized and small footprint Linux-based operating system (RuneOS) - Runs on a variety of embedded platforms - Works with almost every commercially available model of DAC, including USB, S/PDIF and I2S - Bitperfect and gapless playback of common audio formats, including but not limited to: FLAC, WAVE, MP3, AAC and ALAC - Supports native DSD playback with DSD-over-PCM - Easily set up and seamless playback from network drives (over CIFS and NFS protocols) and USB drives (FAT32, NTFS, HFS+) - Easily set up of Wi-Fi connection - Playback of web radio streams - Airplay support (via Shairport) - A user friendly and polished built-in web interface (RuneUI) for playback and setup control - Supports control by a number of third party clients, both desktop and mobile - Supports USB Audio Class 2 - Design optimized to reduce SD card wear Supported devices and platforms

RuneAudio supports a wide range of devices and platforms, including: - Raspberry Pi (model A/A+/B/B+/Zero/Zero W/Zero 2/2/3/4) - Beaglebone Black - CuBox - UDOO - Cubietruck (Cubieboard3) - ODROID C1/C1+ - Sparky SBC How to download and install RuneAudio on Raspberry Pi 4

To download and install RuneAudio on your Raspberry Pi 4, you will need the following: - A Raspberry Pi 4 board - A microSD card (at least 4GB) - A power supply for your Raspberry Pi 4 - A USB DAC or an analog jack (optional) - A USB storage device or a network drive (optional) - An ethernet cable or a Wi-Fi dongle (optional) Download the latest RuneAudio image for Raspberry Pi 4

The first step is to download the latest RuneAudio image for Raspberry Pi 4 from the official website: The image file is compressed in a .zip format, so you will need to extract it using a program like 7-Zip or WinRAR. The extracted file will have a .img extension, which is the image of the RuneAudio operating system that you will write to your microSD card. Write the image to a microSD card

The next step is to write the RuneAudio image to your microSD card using a program like Etcher or Win32 Disk Imager. These programs will erase all the data on your microSD card, so make sure you have backed up any important files before proceeding. To write the image, follow these steps: - Insert your microSD card into your computer using a card reader or an adapter - Launch the program of your choice (Etcher or Win32 Disk Imager) - Select the RuneAudio image file (.img) that you have extracted - Select the drive letter of your microSD card - Click on "Flash" or "Write" and wait for the process to complete - Safely eject your microSD card from your computer Boot up your Raspberry Pi 4 with RuneAudio

Now that you have written the RuneAudio image to your microSD card, you are ready to boot up your Raspberry Pi 4 with RuneAudio. To do this, follow these steps: - Insert your microSD card into your Raspberry Pi 4 - Connect your USB DAC or analog jack to your Raspberry Pi 4 (optional) - Connect your USB storage device or network drive to your Raspberry Pi 4 (optional) - Connect your ethernet cable or Wi-Fi dongle to your Raspberry Pi 4 (optional) - Connect your power supply to your Raspberry Pi 4 - Wait for a few minutes for RuneAudio to start up Configure your RuneAudio settings and preferences

Once RuneAudio has started up, you will need to configure some settings and preferences to suit your needs and preferences. To do this, you will need to access the RuneUI web interface from any device that is connected to the same network as your Raspberry Pi 4. You can use any web browser on any device, such as a desktop PC, a laptop, a tablet, or a smartphone. To access the RuneUI web interface, follow these steps: - Open your web browser and type in the IP address of your Raspberry Pi 4 in the address bar. You can find the IP address by typing "hostname -I" in a terminal window on your Raspberry Pi 4, or by using an app like Fing on your smartphone. Alternatively, you can type in " if you have Bonjour installed on your device. - You should see the RuneUI web interface, which looks like this: ![RuneUI web interface] - From here, you can configure various settings and preferences, such as: - Audio output: select the audio output device that you have connected to your Raspberry Pi 4, such as USB DAC or analog jack - Network: set up the network connection for your Raspberry Pi 4, such as ethernet or Wi-Fi - Sources: add and manage the sources of your music library, such as USB drives, network drives, web radios, streaming services, etc. - MPD: adjust the settings of the Music Player Daemon (MPD), which is the core of RuneAudio's playback system - System: update and backup RuneAudio, change the hostname and password, reboot or shutdown the system, etc. How to use RuneAudio on Raspberry Pi 4

Now that you have configured RuneAudio on your Raspberry Pi 4, you can start using it to enjoy your music collection. Here are some of the main features and functions that you can use with RuneAudio: Access the RuneUI web interface from any device

As mentioned before, you can access the RuneUI web interface from any device that is connected to the same network as your Raspberry Pi 4. This means that you can control and manage RuneAudio from anywhere in your home or office, without having to use a keyboard or mouse attached to your Raspberry Pi 4. You can use any web browser on any device, such as a desktop PC, a laptop, a tablet, or a smartphone. You can also bookmark or create a shortcut to the RuneUI web interface on your device for easy access. Browse and play your music library from various sources

With RuneAudio, you can browse and play your music library from various sources, such as USB drives, network drives, web radios, streaming services, etc. You can also search for specific tracks, albums, artists, genres, etc. using the search function. To browse and play your music library with RuneAudio, follow these steps: - On the RuneUI web interface, click on the "Library" tab on the top left corner - You should see a list of sources that you have added and configured, such as USB, NAS, WEBRADIO, SPOTIFY, etc. - Click on the source that you want to browse and play - You should see a list of folders, files, playlists, stations, etc. that are available on that source - Click on the folder, file, playlist, station, etc. that you want to play - You should see the track information and cover art on the bottom right corner - Click on the "Play" button to start playing the track - You can also use the "Add" button to add the track to the queue, the "Replace" button to replace the queue with the track, or the "Save" button to save the track as a playlist Control the playback and volume with physical buttons or remote clients

With RuneAudio, you can control the playback and volume of your music with physical buttons or remote clients. You can use the buttons on your Raspberry Pi 4 or your USB DAC to play, pause, stop, skip, or adjust the volume of your music. You can also use various third party clients, both desktop and mobile, to control RuneAudio remotely. Some of the supported clients are: - MPDroid: an Android app that allows you to control MPD servers like RuneAudio - M.A.L.P.: another Android app that allows you to control MPD servers like RuneAudio - MPoD: an iOS app that allows you to control MPD servers like RuneAudio - MPaD: another iOS app that allows you to control MPD servers like RuneAudio - Cantata: a cross-platform desktop client that allows you to control MPD servers like RuneAudio Enjoy high-quality audio output with bitperfect and gapless playback

With RuneAudio, you can enjoy high-quality audio output with bitperfect and gapless playback. Bitperfect means that RuneAudio does not alter or degrade the audio signal in any way, preserving the original quality of your music files. Gapless means that RuneAudio does not insert any silence or pauses between tracks, creating a seamless listening experience. To enable bitperfect and gapless playback with RuneAudio, follow these steps: - On the RuneUI web interface, click on the "MPD" tab on the top right corner - You should see a list of MPD settings that you can adjust - Make sure that the "Volume control" is set to "Disabled" or "Hardware" - Make sure that the "Resampling" is set to "Disabled" - Make sure that the "DSD over PCM (DoP)" is set to "Enabled" if you have a DSD-capable DAC - Make sure that the "Gapless MP3 playback" is set to "Enabled" - Click on the "Apply settings" button to save your changes Conclusion

RuneAudio is a free and open source Hi-Fi music player for Raspberry Pi 4 that allows you to turn your embedded devic