Local Music Basics
This page is for people who have never dealt with local music. No setup steps here — just the core ideas. Once you finish, you will know what ECHO actually manages, where your songs live, and which scary words you can ignore.
Local vs streaming, what lives inside a music file, how to read formats, what sample rate means, why volume exists in three places, and how headphones connect. Concepts only, no install steps. Want to start clicking? Go to Beginner Setup.
Local music vs streaming
Section titled “Local music vs streaming”In a streaming app, “your music” is a list of favorites on the platform’s catalog. The songs live on their servers; what you own is permission to play them. In a local player, songs are real files on your disk. ECHO only lists them, plays them, and helps you keep them tidy.
- Songs live on the platform’s servers; you hold a play permission.
- Takedowns, expired memberships, or account issues make songs vanish.
- Search, recommendations, and downloads come from the platform.
- Songs are files on your disk. Deleting them is your call.
- No account needed, no takedowns, works offline.
- Where songs come from and how they are organized is on you.
The trade-off is right there: the songs have to be yours already. ECHO does not search or download from any platform, and it does not bypass paid access. Accept that once and everything else falls into place. Coming from NetEase, QQ Music, or Spotify? The habit gap is covered in Switching from streaming apps.
What lives inside a music file
Section titled “What lives inside a music file”A music file is more than sound. It usually carries information too:
| Content | What it is |
|---|---|
| Audio data | The bulk of the file |
| Tags | Title, artist, album, year, track number, written inside the file |
| Cover art | Usually an embedded image, sometimes a cover.jpg next to the file |
| Duration | Read from the audio data, nothing for you to fill in |
The key point: after importing into ECHO, the file stays in its original folder. ECHO builds a catalog, it does not move or copy your songs. Delete the file in Explorer and ECHO obviously cannot play it anymore.
Tags are the only source a player has for display. If the file has no artist written in it, the player cannot show one — that is not a bug. Fixing messy tags is covered in Library.
Formats in one line each
Section titled “Formats in one line each”| Format | One line |
|---|---|
| MP3 | Lossy, most compatible, the best choice for a test file |
| AAC / M4A | Lossy, common in the Apple world, usually a bit better than MP3 at the same size |
| FLAC | Lossless compression, right for keeping your own library long-term |
| WAV | Lossless and uncompressed, biggest files, weak tag support |
Lossy trades away detail your ears rarely notice to save space; lossless keeps everything. Lossless does not automatically sound better: if the original recording is muddy, FLAC cannot rescue it.
For choosing formats and transcoding pitfalls, read Audio formats.
Sample rate and bit depth, without the fear
Section titled “Sample rate and bit depth, without the fear”File properties often show 44.1 kHz / 16 bit. Unpacked, it is two sentences:
- Sample rate
44.1 kHz: the sound is sliced 44,100 times per second. - Bit depth
16 bit: how finely each slice is measured.
A CD is 44.1 kHz / 16 bit. That is the complete CD information, not a “budget version”. When you see 96 kHz, 24 bit, Hi-Res, or DSD, do not panic: a higher spec is not automatically better sound, and it is not what you need to study right now.
Get stable sound first, worry about specs later. When marketing words pile up, check the HiFi Audio Glossary instead of treating shop listings as textbooks.
Folder, library, inbox, playlist, queue
Section titled “Folder, library, inbox, playlist, queue”These five words get mixed up the most:
| Word | Where | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Folder | On disk | Where files actually live; visible in Explorer |
| Library | In ECHO | The catalog built after scanning; files stay in their folders |
| Inbox | In ECHO | Newly imported tracks you have not sorted yet |
| Playlist | In ECHO | A set you want to come back to |
| Queue | In ECHO | Tonight’s temporary order, gone when you are done |
Removing a track from the library does not delete the file; the reverse also holds — rename or move a folder and the library may lose track of the songs. For how queue and playlists work day to day, see Daily Listening.
Volume has three layers
Section titled “Volume has three layers”No sound, or sound that seems wrong? Remember volume exists in three separate places:
| Layer | Where to adjust | Behavior |
|---|---|---|
| Windows system volume | The speaker icon in the taskbar corner | Governs the whole PC; muted here, nothing makes sound |
| ECHO player volume | The bottom player bar | Affects ECHO only |
| Device volume | Knobs and buttons on headphones, speakers, or a DAC | The hardware’s own volume; software cannot see it |
The layers multiply, they do not take the maximum: if any layer is at zero, the result is zero. When troubleshooting, start at the system volume and work down one layer at a time.
Do not max out all three layers and then put the headphones on. Take them off first, set each layer to medium, confirm sound, then fine-tune. You only get one pair of ears.
Some tracks being much louder than others is a different problem — see Why some songs are much louder.
Bluetooth, 3.5mm, USB
Section titled “Bluetooth, 3.5mm, USB”The three most common ways to get sound out:
| Path | One line | Watch out |
|---|---|---|
| 3.5mm wired | Plug into the headphone jack and it works; the least fuss | Push it in fully, and not into the microphone jack |
| Bluetooth | Wireless and convenient; the sound is re-encoded on the way | Stay on system output; do not enable exclusive mode |
| USB (DAC / USB headset) | Data goes over USB; an external device turns it into sound | Wait for Windows to recognize it, then pick it as the output device |
For a first run, use wired headphones or the laptop speakers to confirm playback, then switch to Bluetooth or a DAC. Output modes, exclusive, and ASIO can wait — the entry point is Audio Output.
Five rules before your first library cleanup
Section titled “Five rules before your first library cleanup”- Test the import with a small folder of 5 to 20 songs. Do not scan the whole disk on day one.
- Tidy the folders before importing. “Artist / Album / Track” three levels deep works well.
- If tags are messy, fix the tags inside the files. Do not fight the displayed result in the player.
- Keep one format per album in your main library. Do not keep MP3 and FLAC copies side by side.
- Back up before bulk deleting or renaming. ECHO cannot undo what you do to the disk.
For concrete folder layouts, see How to keep music folders tidy.
Keep reading
Section titled “Keep reading”- Ready to install: Beginner Setup
- Installed, want sound now: Quick Start
- Coming from a streaming app: Switching from streaming apps
- Format details and transcoding myths: Audio formats
- Output paths and modes: Audio Output
- Albums, tags, and covers: Library