Scanning music library runs VERY slow

Plex Media Server Desktops & Laptops
1

Hi,

I have been trying for days to scan my (large) FLAC music library, but after 30 hours of 100% CPU I need to CTRL+ALT+DEL out of plex to quit the scan, trying to figure out what went wrong (Server is Intel i3 7300T 3.50GHz / 8GB Ram) .

Seems like the first 250 albums are fairly quick. From then it crawls to a halt.

My files are correctly tagged in MediaMonkey. Every folder has folder.jpg with albumart.
I would only like to download: concert information, popular track information, similar artists (in case it is an online feature), artist bio and artist image.

These are the settings I use (plex premium):

AGENT SETTINGS:

  • local Media Assets are on top

  • Fanart and lyricFind are DISABLED

  • Last.FM:

    • genre tags DISABLED
    • download concert
    • download popular track information

  • Plex Premium Music Settings:

    • download concert information
    • download popular track information
    • download album reviews DISABLED

Library settings:

  • Analyze audio tracks for loudness: NEVER

Scanner settings:

  • Create a premium Plex music library!
    • Include in dashboard
    • Use embedded tags
    • Include related content from shared libraries
    • Plex Premium Music Settings
      • Gracenote genre level: NONE
      • Download concert information
      • Download popular track information
      • Download album reviews DISABLED

What I notice when Plex (Version 1.14.0.5470) start scanning is

  • It first downloads an albumcover from the web, then it replaces it with my local folder.jpg.
  • CPU start with 75%, after 200 albums it is at 100%

Please some advice?
Thanks,
Jelle

2

when plex is scanning, you should check the status window or log file.

try https://app.plex.tv/desktop# > settings > status > alerts

you should be getting a flood of alerts about scanning/adding/loading metadata while it is scanning your files.

if there are no updates or very slow (they should be flying by), then it sounds like there is some file or files that plex is getting stuck on scanning.

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The first albums where scanned within seconds (1 hour ago) . Now it takes 3 minutes to scan a single album, and i get a lot of lost connections to server. Seems like it will take longer the more filles have been scanned.

4

Some troubleshooting I did:

  • Scanning using Plex Premium Agent is very slow and locks up my PC after 1 hour.
  • Scanning using the Basic Library (last.fm agent) runs smooth without any problems.

So What I’m currently missing is the ‘play similar songs’ and 30 bucks.

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5

If your PC is locking up, then I would suggest you have other hardware issues besides plex.

If plex is going to 100% and getting stuck, then you have a bad file somewhere, and only you will be able to find it.

But yes, premium music scanner is very slow, you will simply have to wait for it.

To help isolate the bad file(s), you could start by temporarily splitting your library into smaller sections and scanning those folders separately:

  • using separate paths, add 1 path and scan that first and if it completes, edit the library and add the 2nd path and rescan.
  • like /media/music1 then /media/music2 (you can have multiple paths in the same music library)
  • keep an eye on the server and scanner logs (@ https://support.plex.tv/articles/200250417-plex-media-server-log-files/ ) to help you identify where or which files it starts to get hung up on.
6

Thanks for the advice. There is a huge speed difference in scanning with or without Premium!
I did a basic scan and it did it without hiccups. Keeping this for now. :slight_smile:

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