The advantage of a NAS is that it can communicate directly with devices in and outside the home network. You can leave the device on all day, so that music you store on a NAS is continuously available for your PC, smartphone or tablet. But how exactly does it work?
Tip 01: NAS
There are several NAS manufacturers that all have their own operating system. In our opinion, Synology is currently the best brand you can buy, as this manufacturer is always ahead of the curve with its software. For that reason, we explain in the following tips how you can manage your music collection with a Synology NAS and how you can play the files on all your devices.Tip 02: Audio Station
With Audio Station, Synology has developed a handy application with which you can make the music collection available for other playback devices. Open a browser and enter the URL where the contents of your NAS can be reached. Login with your username and password. We assume you have the latest version of Diskstation Manager (DSM 5.0) installed. Open the main menu in the top left and choose Package Center. Then navigate to the section Multimedia. rear Audio Station do you choose to install. After the installation, the folder 'music' will automatically appear on your NAS. Open the main menu and click File Station.All folders on your NAS are now visible. click on music. Through Upload / Upload - Skip add the music to the storage device. Of course, you can alternatively drag music files from Windows Explorer to the NAS. Go to the main menu again and click Audio Station. You will see that the audio files are present in the music library. Nice is that Audio Station also supports the storage of flac and wav files. Use the control buttons to play the songs from Diskstation Manager. Because you can also access a NAS via the internet outside the home, you always have good music at hand.
Tip 02 Audio Station makes your music collection available for other devices.
Tip 03: Add music folder
You may already have an extensive music collection on your NAS. Of course you want to add it to Audio Station. This application initially only scans the default music folder for audio files, but luckily you can change that. Open the main menu and navigate to Control Panel / Media Library /Indexed folder. click on To make and give means Selecting in which folder the music files are stored. Confirm with Selecting. In any case, make sure that behind File type the part Music is checked. Finally, close the windows with OK and Save. Your entire music collection is now available in Audio Station.
Tip 03 You can also easily add your own folders to Audio Station.
Tip 04: Mobile streaming
Synology has developed an app for iOS, Android and Windows Phone that allows you to easily stream music from your NAS. Go to the application store on your device and search for DS Audio. Download and install the app. Then enter the IP address at which your NAS can be reached. Within the home network, the app itself is able to detect the NAS.If you have created a QuickConnect ID, you can also fill it in. After entering the username and password, tap To register. When other AirPlay, DLNA or UPnP players are active in the local network, you can indicate with which device you prefer to play the music. Examples are, for example, a suitable television or receiver. The smartphone or tablet then acts as a remote control. Of course it is also possible to play music via the mobile device. Make a choice and select the desired album from your media library.
Tip 04 You can easily access the music collection on your NAS with a mobile device.
Tip 05: Listen offline
It is best to listen to music on your NAS via a WiFi connection with your smartphone or tablet. Unfortunately, it is not always available everywhere. Because streaming via a mobile data connection can be quite expensive, it is smart to listen to songs offline. This can be done by temporarily storing files in the device's memory.Find a music album that you want to listen to offline and tap the icon with the dots next to a song. Then choose To download. It is also possible to select several tracks at the same time. To do this, press the square with the arrow, after which you select the desired numbers and press the down arrow at the bottom. Are you curious which songs are stored locally? Go to the main menu and ask via Downloaded songs an overview.
Tip 05 Download music from your NAS to the memory of your smartphone or tablet.
