Quick Start

The first time you open the app, do three things: import something, find a song, and hear sound. Everything else can wait.

Before you start

Prepare a small test folder, for example:

D:\Music\Test

Put 5 to 20 files you know are good in it, ideally covering the common formats:

Format	Why it helps
MP3	Most common; confirms basic playback
FLAC	Common lossless; confirms tags and covers
WAV / M4A	Optional; confirms more formats

Do not import a whole drive on the first run. Get this small folder working first.

1. Download and install

1. Open the download page.
2. Confirm the page shows the latest version.
3. To verify the release source, you can also check GitHub Releases.
4. Download the Windows installer.
5. Install and launch ECHO Next.

Download and install details are in Install And Download.

2. Import the test folder

1. Open ECHO Next.
2. Find Import Folder in the left navigation.
3. Click the import entry.
4. Select the small folder you prepared in the file picker.
5. Confirm the import.
6. Wait for the scan to start.
7. While scanning, do not launch remote syncs or heavy plugin tasks at the same time.

After importing, watch the screen — do not rush into settings:

1. The left side still shows Inbox, Songs, Albums.
2. The middle list is no longer empty. Titles appear, some with covers.
3. If the middle keeps spinning or says scanning, let it finish. A few tracks is usually fast.
4. Open Inbox and confirm the songs from your test folder are there.
5. Open Songs and search for one of the titles.

If you cannot see the songs, check whether you picked the wrong folder, the files are cloud placeholders, or the scan has not finished. Do not rebuild the database first.

3. Check that the library came in

Open Songs and check these:

Check	Normal result
Title	Song names visible, not a column of blanks
Artist	Most tracks show an artist
Album	Albums show when FLAC / MP3 tags are healthy
Duration	Track lengths visible
Cover	Files with covers show them, or a default placeholder

If titles, artists, and albums are all wrong, check the source file tags first. ECHO can organize a library, but it cannot invent metadata that is broken or missing in the files.

4. Play the first song

1. In Songs, find an MP3 you know is good.
2. Double-click it, or hit the play button.
3. Check that the bottom player shows the current track.
4. Check that the progress bar moves forward.
5. Listen for sound.

Reading the result:

What you see	What it means
Progress moves and you hear sound	Basic playback works
Progress moves, no sound	Almost always an output device or system volume issue
Progress bar does not move	Possibly file decoding, playback engine, or a path problem
It skips to the next track immediately	Possibly a corrupt file or a decode failure

5. No sound? Check in this order

Do not clear the database first. Silence during playback is almost never a database problem.

1. Windows system volume is not muted.
2. The volume at the bottom of ECHO Next is not 0.
3. The current output device is the headphones, speakers, or DAC you are actually using.
4. Switch back to System output first.
5. On Windows, if you want stable playback, then try WASAPI Shared.
6. Temporarily turn off the equalizer and loudness tools.
7. Try another MP3 you know is good.
8. Restart ECHO and try again.

If it still fails after all that, see Audio Output.

6. Then import the full library

Once the small folder works, import your full library.

Suggestions:

1. Make sure the music drive stays online.
2. Do not unplug external drives during a scan.
3. For NAS or remote drives, confirm the network is stable first.
4. Import your main music root folder; do not scan the whole system drive.
5. Be patient on the first scan of a large library.
6. You can listen while it scans, but avoid running mass downloads or a full remote index at the same time.

The first scan reads files, tags, covers, durations, and album info. A large library being slow is normal — as long as the status keeps advancing, let it finish.

7. What to read next

Once you can	Next step
Imported but can’t see, hear, or find songs	Common stuck points
Not sure where “audio sources” import from	Import audio sources
Local songs work; want a daily routine	Daily listening
Prefer learning day by day, not all at once	First week plan
Want the complete manual	User guide
Want to organize albums and tags	Library
Want lyrics and candidate switching	Lyrics guide
Want to change output devices	Audio output
Want to tune EQ / DSP	EQ guide
Want WebDAV, Jellyfin, Emby	Remote sources
Want to write plugins or enable extensions	Plugin guide

Shortest route

If you just want music fast, remember this:

1. Download the latest installer.
2. Import one small folder.
3. Open Songs.
4. Play an MP3.
5. Once you hear sound, import the full library.
6. If output misbehaves, go back to System output first.

Get it working, then tinker. That is the stable order.

When reporting a problem, include

“It doesn’t work” alone is hard to help with. Try to include:

1. The steps you clicked.
2. A screenshot or the error.
3. Windows version, ECHO version, and which headphones you use.

Windows is the main supported platform. Linux can be built from the Linux Build Guide with no promises about advanced output. There is no official macOS package. For a fuller reporting guide, see How To Solve Problems.