How to keep music folders tidy

ECHO reads files on your computer. The songs stay in those folders. The app only builds an index so you can search.

A messy disk is not a broken player. A tidy disk still helps: the album grid is easier to scan, and backups are simpler.

This page is only about files on disk. Import steps are in Import audio sources. Tag fixes are in Library.

Two rules

1. ECHO mainly reads tags inside the file, not just the folder name.
2. Folders are still worth tidying, because you can find albums and covers often live next to the tracks.

Tags are the title, artist, and album written in the file. Folder names are street signs for humans. Make them say the same thing.

A layout that is enough

This is enough for most people:

D:\Music
  Radiohead
    In Rainbows (2007)
      01 - 15 Step.flac
      02 - Bodysnatchers.flac
      cover.jpg
  Various Artists
    A Soundtrack (2018)
      01 - Theme.flac
      cover.jpg

Keep it short:

Rule	Why
One music root	Do not mix downloads, movies, and installers
Artist / album / tracks	Easy to find and easy to back up
Track numbers in file names	Explorer order matches the album
Cover in the album folder	Helps when the file has no embedded art

Compilations and soundtracks should not be forced under one artist. Use Various Artists or a Compilations folder.

Start with a tiny folder

If you have never imported anything, do not reorganize a ten-year archive first.

1. Create D:\Music\Test.
2. Put 5 to 10 tracks you know will play.
3. Import it with Quick Start.
4. When search and sound work, tidy the real D:\Music.

Move albums in batches. Do not drag the entire Downloads folder in.

Layouts that cause pain later

Layout	What happens
Every track in one flat folder	Hard to browse; covers collide
Folders named New folder (3)	You will not recognize the album
MP3 and FLAC copies of the same album	The library looks like two albums. See Audio formats
Tracks still inside .zip	ECHO is not an unzip tool
Shortcuts only	The app needs real audio files
Cloud placeholders	They may appear, then fail to play
Mixed with movies and photos	Scans get slower and noisier

Keep two formats of the same album only if you have a real reason. For daily listening, one FLAC set or one decent MP3 set is enough.

Where the cover goes

Think in this order:

1. Embedded art in the file is the most reliable.
2. cover.jpg or folder.jpg in the album folder.
3. Fill gaps in the app later if needed.

One cover file per album is enough. Twenty different images in the same folder make it hard to guess which one to use.

If one album looks wrong, inspect that album. Do not rebuild the whole library first.

What to import

When you click Import Folder, choose the music root, such as D:\Music.

Do not choose:

• The whole C:\ drive
• Desktop
• Downloads
• A single track buried under one artist

Let the first scan finish. When you add albums later, rescan that same root. If only one album is wrong, fix that album instead of the whole library.

Move one piece at a time

Do not drag hundreds of albums around while you listen.

Safer:

1. Confirm the app can search and play.
2. Pick one messy album.
3. Move those files into the right artist / album folder.
4. Fix tags if needed.
5. Rescan that area, or wait for the next scan.

If you move folders but leave old tags, the album view may still split. Change both when they disagree.

After the folders are tidy

Next	Go here
Import	Import audio sources
Album still split	Library
Coming from a phone app	Switching from streaming apps
MP3 vs FLAC	Audio formats in plain language