Import Audio Sources

This page answers one question: you have music, or you have a source — how do you get it into ECHO Next?

In ECHO Next, “audio source” can mean three completely different things. Pick the path that matches what you actually have:

What you have	Where to go	Where to check afterward	Do first
Local MP3, FLAC, WAV, or M4A files	Import Folder	Inbox, Songs, Albums	Import a small test folder first
NAS, WebDAV, Jellyfin, Emby, Subsonic, or Navidrome	Remote Library	Remote Library, or the remote source switch in song views	Test the connection, then browse a small folder
A third-party plugin source	Plugins	The search entry declared by the plugin	Review permissions, then enable

Do not mix these up. A local folder is not a remote library, a remote library is not a plugin source, and enabling a plugin source does not automatically add tracks to your local library.

Option 1: Import a local music folder

Start here if you already have music files on your computer. This is the path every new user should get working first.

1. Prepare a test folder

Do not import an entire drive on the first run. Create a small folder, for example:

D:\Music\Test

Put 3 to 10 tracks you know are good inside it. Try to include:

File	Why
A normal MP3	Easiest way to verify basic playback
A normal FLAC	Verifies lossless, tags, and artwork
A track with embedded artwork	Verifies the album wall and player cover

Leave these out of the first round:

Do not include	Why
The whole C:\ drive	Scans system files, caches, and junk directories
A whole downloads folder	Usually mixed with installers, archives, temp files
Cloud placeholder files	Look local, but are not actually downloaded
Corrupt files or exotic formats	First prove the basic flow works
.zip, .rar, archives	Folder import is not an extraction tool
Shortcuts to songs	ECHO reads real audio files, not shortcuts

2. Click Import Folder

1. Open ECHO Next.
2. Look at the left navigation.
3. Find Import Folder and click it.
4. Windows opens a folder picker.
5. Navigate to D:\Music\Test.
6. Select the folder itself.
7. Click Select Folder, OK, or the equivalent button.

Select the folder, not one file inside it. If you drill in and highlight a single song, the picker may not have the right directory selected.

3. Wait for the scan

After import, ECHO reads files, tags, artwork, duration, and format information, then writes the library index.

While scanning, do not:

1. Unplug the external drive.
2. Move the folder you just imported.
3. Rename a batch of files immediately.
4. Start a full remote index at the same time.
5. Hammer the rebuild-database button mid-scan.

A few tracks should be fast. Large libraries being slow is normal, but a test folder should not hang for long.

4. Check Inbox and Songs

When the scan finishes:

1. Open Inbox and confirm the imported tracks appear.
2. Open Songs and search for one title.
3. Find a normal MP3.
4. Double-click to play.
5. Confirm the bottom player shows this track.
6. Confirm the progress bar moves.
7. Listen for sound.

You have succeeded when:

Place	Normal result
Inbox	Newly imported tracks visible
Songs	Title, artist, and duration visible
Albums	Tracks with album tags grouped into albums
Bottom player	Shows the current track
Progress bar	Moves forward during playback
Sound	Headphones, speakers, or DAC produce sound

If tracks do not appear, check these first:

Problem	How to check
Wrong folder selected	Reopen Import Folder and confirm you picked the level that has the music
Folder is empty	Open the directory in File Explorer; confirm real audio files exist
Cloud files not downloaded	Download files to the local disk in File Explorer first
Leftover search text	Clear the search box on the Songs page
Scan not finished	Wait for the status to finish, then look again
Odd file format	Verify with a plain MP3 / FLAC first

If the progress bar moves but there is no sound, do not touch the database. Check system volume, ECHO’s bottom volume, the output device, and Settings -> Playback first.

Option 2: Add a remote library

Use this if you already run your own server or storage service: WebDAV, NAS, Jellyfin, Emby, Subsonic, or Navidrome.

Prepare this information first:

Needed	Example
Source type	WebDAV, Jellyfin, Emby, Subsonic
Display name	Home NAS, My WebDAV
Server URL	https://example.com/dav/music/
Account	Your service account
Password or token	The service password, app password, or token
Music root	The directory on the server that actually contains music

Then:

1. Open Remote Library.
2. Choose the real source type.
3. Fill in a display name you will recognize.
4. Fill in the server URL.
5. Fill in the account and password or token.
6. If there is a root directory option, point it at the music directory.
7. Click Test Connection first.
8. Save only after the test passes.
9. Browse a small folder.
10. Play one normal MP3 or FLAC.
11. Only after browsing and playback work, enable indexing or sync.

Do not full-index the entire NAS on the first round. A slow remote library is not automatically an ECHO bug — it can be the network, the server, certificates, transcoding, sleeping drives, or permissions.

When a remote connection fails, check in this order:

Symptom	Check first
Cannot connect	URL, port, account, password, certificate
Connects but no files	Root directory, account permissions, server media library config
Can browse but not play	File permissions, transcoding settings, network bandwidth
Very slow	Wi-Fi, NAS performance, server sleep, proxy
Only some files show	Server-side index, file formats, directory permissions

Only connect content you have the right to access and use. ECHO does not bypass payment, copyright, region, DRM, or platform access controls.

Option 3: Import a plugin source

Plugin sources are search candidates and playback resolution provided by plugins. They are not official ECHO music sources, and they are not download portals.

You may receive one of two things:

What you got	What to do
An ECHO plugin package .json	Use the import action on the Plugins page
A plugin folder	Put it in the plugin directory that ECHO’s plugin page opens

Import a plugin package

1. Open ECHO Next and go to Plugins.
2. Find the plugin package import action.
3. Select the .json plugin package.
4. After import, do not enable it right away.
5. Open the plugin details.
6. Review the permissions it requests.
7. Enable only if you trust the source.
8. After enabling, check the plugin logs for errors.
9. Try the source in the search entry the plugin declares.

Drop in a plugin folder

1. Open the Plugins page.
2. Click Open Directory.
3. The system opens the real plugin directory.
4. Put the plugin folder inside it.
5. Return to ECHO and refresh.
6. Review the details and permissions, then enable.
7. Check logs and try the plugin’s declared search entry.

Do not guess the plugin directory path. The directory that ECHO’s plugin page opens is the source of truth.

Think twice when you see these permissions:

Permission	Why be careful
network	The plugin makes external network requests
sources:provide	The plugin provides custom source candidates
library:read	The plugin reads public library fields
settings:write	The plugin may change settings
library:write	The plugin may write to the library — higher risk

Unknown high-permission plugins should stay disabled. Plugin sources should only return legally accessible http / https audio URLs; they should not bypass platform authorization, membership limits, copyright limits, or access controls.

Where to look after each action

What you just did	Where to confirm
Imported a local folder	Inbox, Songs, Albums
Rescanned a local folder	Songs, Folders, the affected albums
Added a remote library	Remote Library, and the remote source switch in song views
Enabled a plugin source	The search entry declared by the plugin

If you expect tracks in Songs but all you did was enable a plugin source, they will not appear there. Plugin sources are searched in the plugin’s own search entry; only content you explicitly save or import lands in the local library.

Most common mistakes

Mistake	Do this instead
Importing a whole drive on the first run	Import a small folder of 3 to 10 tracks first
Selecting the wrong folder level	Select the directory that actually contains music files
Treating cloud placeholders as local files	Download them to the local disk first
Thinking import copies files	Import builds an index; source files stay where they are
Declaring “no songs” before the scan ends	Wait for the scan, then check Inbox and Songs
Clearing the database because playback is silent	Check volume, output device, and output mode first
Importing a remote service as a local folder	Add remote services under Remote Library
Treating a plugin source as an official music library	Plugins are third-party; you verify their legality yourself
Searching the local Songs page for plugin results	Use the search entry the plugin declares
Enabling a pile of plugins while debugging	Enable one at a time and check its logs

Shortest route

If you just want to hear the first song:

1. Create a D:\Music\Test folder.
2. Put a few known-good MP3 / FLAC files inside.
3. Open ECHO Next.
4. Click Import Folder on the left.
5. Select D:\Music\Test.
6. Wait for the scan to finish.
7. Open Inbox and confirm the tracks are there.
8. Open Songs.
9. Double-click an MP3.
10. The bottom progress bar moves and you hear sound — done.

Once this works, import the full library, add remote libraries, or enable plugin sources. Getting the minimal flow working first keeps later troubleshooting from turning into guesswork.