Roon Voice Commands with Google Assistant
Overview
Activating and configuring the MMM-GoogleAssistant and MMM-Detector modules on a MagicMirror can enable the use of recipes to control Roon with voice commands using Google Assistant.
Google Assistant voice control of Roon utilizes a command line interface that issues commands to the Roon Core. The shell command is executed by a MagicMirror module without the need for SSH.
To utilize this method of Roon voice control it is necessary to get a voice assistant working then create voice triggers in that assistant that activate a corresponding action which executes a RoonCommandLine command.
I will describe in detail this method for voice control of Roon using Google Assistant and the setup precedure required.
Google Assistant Requirements
This method for voice control of Roon requires a MagicMirror with the MMM-GoogleAssistant wiki and MMM-Detector wiki modules activated and configured properly. Setup for this method is considerably more difficult but once accomplished results in a superior quality setup with far more ease and flexibility of use. The Siri setup requires SSH and the Apple Shortcuts are more difficult to setup and maintain than the Google Assistant voice recipes. However, Apple Shortcuts do offer advantages over Google Assistant, especially in a noisy environment where voice commands may be unreliable. I use both.
The Google Assistant setup requires a MagicMirror - something I am guessing most people do not have. However, the MagicMirror is super cool so set one up then use this Roon voice control method :smiley: To get started with a MagicMirror installation, see the MagicMirror Documentation. Alternately, and preferably, install the MirrorCommand package which performs an automated installation and configuration of MagicMirror along with required modules.
Google Assistant Setup
If you have a MagicMirror with a microphone then you can setup Google Assistant by following the instructions at the MMM-GoogleAssistant wiki. This setup is not simple as it requires a Google Project with Actions and OAuth credentials. However, I found this 12 year old girl on YouTube who did it and so I figured I could too. It turns out I could so you probably can too.
MMM-GoogleAssistant requires MMM-Detector which can also be setup and configured following the instructins at the MMM-Detector wiki.
Google Assistant Roon Control Setup
After activating and configuring MMM-GoogleAssistant and MMM-Detector it is now time to tackle setting up Roon control with Google Assistant. Test the initial MMM-GoogleAssistant setup by saying something like “Hey Google” or “OK Google” or “Computer” or whatever your MMM-Detector “Model” setting is. MMM-Detector should wake up and listen. Then say something like “What time is it” and verify that you get a response from Google Assistant. It it’s working we can proceed.
RoonCommandLine Setup
Voice control of Roon as described in this document requires the use of a command line interface to issue the Roon commands. This is accomplished with the RoonCommandLine package which contains a shell command that acts as a frontend to the Python Roon API.
See the RoonCommandLine website for an overview of this package and documentation on its installation, configuration, and use.
RoonCommandLine Requirements
RoonCommandLine can be installed on either Linux or Mac OS X systems. It requires a Roon Core System reachable on the local network, Bash, Python 3, and the Python Roon API. The Python Roon API will be installed as part of the RoonCommandLine installation process.
Ensure that a Roon Core System is running on the local area network and Python 3 is installed on the Linux or Mac on which you wish to install the RoonCommandLine package. Most modern Linux systems will have Python 3 already installed. A good guide for installing Python 3 on Mac OS X can be found at https://docs.python-guide.org/starting/install3/osx/
RoonCommandLine Installation
RoonCommandLine v2.0.0 and later can be installed on Linux systems using either the Debian packaging format or the Red Hat Package Manager (RPM). Support is also included for installing on Mac OS X. Other systems will require a manual installation described below. The Mac OS X installation procedure may also work under Microsoft’s Windows Subsystem for Linux but it is as yet untested.
Debian Package installation
Many Linux distributions, most notably Ubuntu and its derivatives, use the Debian packaging system.
To tell if a Linux system is Debian based it is usually sufficient to check for the existence of the file /etc/debian_version and/or examine the contents of the file /etc/os-release.
To install on a Debian based Linux system, download the latest Debian format package from the RoonCommandLine Releases.
Install the RoonCommandLine package by executing the command
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sudo apt install ./RoonCommandLine_<version>-<release>.deb
or
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sudo dpkg -i ./RoonCommandLine_<version>-<release>.deb
RPM Package installation
Red Hat Linux, SUSE Linux, and their derivatives use the RPM packaging format. RPM based Linux distributions include Fedora, AlmaLinux, CentOS, openSUSE, OpenMandriva, Mandrake Linux, Red Hat Linux, and Oracle Linux.
To install on an RPM based Linux system, download the latest RPM format package from the RoonCommandLine Releases.
Install the RoonCommandLine package by executing the command
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sudo yum localinstall ./RoonCommandLine_<version>-<release>.rpm
or
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sudo rpm -i ./RoonCommandLine_<version>-<release>.rpm
Mac OS X installation
RoonCommandLine requires Python 3. See the excellent Hitchhiker’s Guide to Python for step by step instructions to install Python 3 on Mac OS X. If you already have Homebrew installed on your Mac then you can install Python 3 with:
brew install python
Once the Python 3 dependency is met, install RoonCommandLine by cloning the RoonCommandLine repository and executing the Install script:
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git clone `https://github.com/doctorfree/RoonCommandLine.git`
cd RoonCommandLine
./Install
Note: A cleaner installation can be accomplished by executing the Install script as a user with sudo privileges and as the user which will be used to SSH in to the system. If you are not going to enable SSH support, at least make sure the user has sudo privileges.
Post installation configuration
Default settings are applied during the installation process. The primary area of post-installation configuration is setting the ZONEGROUPS and DEFAULT values in the file /usr/local/Roon/etc/roon_api.ini. The RoonCommandLine installation attempts to automate this configuration and should have provided a good starting point with default settings in roon_api.ini but you may wish to adjust these.
In Roon, you can view your existing zones by visiting Settings->Audio. The names of the enabled audio devices are your zones. You can change the name of a zone by clicking the “pencil” icon next to the name in the Roon audio settings screen.
Modify roon_api.ini with your desired zone groupings and default values. In particular, set the DefaultZone value in the DEFAULT section to a zone that will be available, enabled, and one you wish to use as your primary default fallback zone. The installation picked a DefaultZone for you and you may be satisfied with that automatic setting.
Note, the DefaultZone setting is used when no zone is specified, RoonCommandLine commands all accept a -z zone argument that can be used to specify the zone to be used as well as a -G <group> that can be used to specify the zone grouping to use.
Note also that should you change the name of a Roon audio device in the future then that name change will also need to be reflected in the roon_api.ini groupings.
MirrorCommand Setup
Many Google Assistant voice triggers are preconfigured as MMM-GoogleAssistant recipes in the MirrorCommand package. Installation of MirrorCommand is not required but greatly eases initial setup of the Google Assistant recipes for voice control of Roon. Installation is recommended. See the MirrorCommand README for installation and setup instructions. The initial installation is similar to that for the RoonCommandLine package:
MirrorCommand Installation
Many Google Assistant voice triggers are preconfigured as MMM-GoogleAssistant To install MirrorCommand on the MagicMirror system:
Download the latest Debian or RPM format packages
NOTE: The automated configuration requires access to some X11 graphical utilities. Depending upon your system’s X11 configuration, it may be necessary to grant the root user access to the display. To do so, prior to installation issue the command:
xhost +si:localuser:root
or grant everyone access with
xhost +
Install the package on Debian based systems by executing the command
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sudo apt install ./MirrorCommand_<version>-<release>.deb
Install the package on RPM based systems by executing the command
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sudo yum localinstall ./MirrorCommand-<version>-<release>.rpm
Post installation, configure /usr/local/MagicMirror/etc/mirrorkeys with any keys used by your modules. Once keys are configured, execute the command:
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/usr/local/bin/showkeys
NOTE: The MirrorCommand installation will install MagicMirror and required modules if you have not already installed MagicMirror. This automated installation and configuration of MagicMirror and modules is the preferred installation procedure.
MagicMirror Configuration
MagicMirror with the MirrorCommand package uses config files in /usr/local/MagicMirror/config/ to control the behavior of the MagicMirror. The MirrorCommand package installs many preconfigured MagicMirror config files including /usr/local/MagicMirror/config/config-roon.js. This MagicMirror config file can be used as an example of how to enable the Google Assistant recipes for voice control of Roon. In config-roon.js see the recipes: section and note the inclusion of the RoonCommand.js recipe. Include this Google Assistant recipe in your MagicMirror config file to enable the preconfigured Roon voice commands.
Activate Roon Voice Control
Once a MagicMirror config file has been created with the RoonCommand.js Google Assistant recipe included in the recipes: section of the MMM-GoogleAssistant module, activate Roon voice control via the command line. Assuming the MagicMirror config file you wish to activate is /usr/local/MagicMirror/config/config-roon.js, execute the command:
mirror roon
This should copy the config-roon.js file into config.js and start MagicMirror using this config file. If startup is successful the preconfigured Roon voice commands should be available. These voice commands include:
- “play default album”
- “play default artist”
- “play default genre”
- “play default playlist”
- “play default tag”
- “play default radio”
- “music stop”
- “music off”
- “music mute”
- “music on”
- “music unmute”
- “play album <album name>”
- “play artist <artist name>”
The MMM-Detector module is used to detect Google Assistant voice activation. In the MMM-Detector configuration section of the MagicMirror config.js a keyword or key phrase is defined. See the Model: setting(s) in the MMM-Detector config. When this “Model” phrase is spoken it wakes up MMM-Detector and the module listens for a command or query. For example, the default config-roon.js uses the Model keyword “computer” to instruct MMM-Detector to listen for a command. Other “Model” settings use “ok google” or “hey google” to wakeup MMM-Detector.
Test the MagicMirror Google Assistant by saying something like “computer, what time is it” or “hey google, what is the weather”. Pause briefly between the keyword/keyphrase and the query/command. If this is not working, a common problem is misconfiguratioin of the MagicMirror audio input and output devices. ALSA audio input/ouput configuration can be performed by executing the command sudo /usr/local/bin/set_asound_conf -e. After reconfiguring ALSA, try the simple Google Assistant commands again.
Test voice control of Roon with a simple command like “computer, play default radio”. Stop playback by saying “computer, music stop”. If this is working try something a little more difficult like “computer, play artist Deep Purple”.