ECHO NEXT User Guide

This guide is written the practical way: where to click after opening the app, what a normal result looks like, and where to check first when something goes wrong.

You do not need to understand the engineering first. Learn to import local songs, play them, find them, and switch output devices; then move on to lyrics, the equalizer, remote libraries, and plugins. The official product does not provide third-party streaming-platform search, login, online playback, or downloads.

Installed from Steam? Cloud, achievements, Listen Together, Workshop, and Pro DLC are in Using the Steam edition. Daily listening is the same as the website build: import files, then play.

How to read this

Came here with a specific problem?

Do not read this manual top to bottom. Use Quick Navigation to jump by goal or symptom, or search the docs for the symptom directly.

If you are new, read in this order:

1. Start with Quick Start or the “First use” section on this page.
2. Prefer learning day by day? See the First Week plan.
3. Once you hear sound, read Daily Listening.
4. Stuck? Match your symptom in Common stuck points.
5. Albums or covers a mess? See Library.
6. Lyrics off? See the Lyrics guide.
7. Enable remote libraries and plugins last.

If you only want to know how one page works, jump straight to its section. This page is the full manual; the shorter guides above are better for following along click by click.

Chapter map

What you need	Jump to
First run, afraid of breaking things	Follow along from zero and Places beginners should not touch
Copy an exact click path	Shortest paths to common goals
Import and organize music	Local library, Import Folder, Songs, Albums
Playback, queue, playlists	Queue, Playlists, Playback controls, Lyrics
Sound tuning	Audio output and HiFi, Equalizer, ReplayGain and loudness
Remote libraries and devices	Remote library, LAN playback, Plugins
Something broke	Common diagnosis routes and What to include in a report

UI quick reference

Page name	What it is for
Import Folder	Add a local music directory to ECHO NEXT
Inbox	Newly imported, not-yet-organized tracks
Songs	The main all-songs list; daily search starts here
Albums	Album wall and album details
Artists	Browse the library by artist
Queue	The temporary playback order
Playlists	Long-term saved sets of songs
Liked	Quick-mark favorite tracks
History	Find what you recently played
Remote Library	WebDAV, Jellyfin, Emby, Subsonic, and other external sources
LAN Playback	DLNA, AirPlay, and other local-network devices
Settings -> Playback	Output device, WASAPI, ASIO, ReplayGain, the playback chain
Settings -> EQ / DSP	Equalizer, preamp gain, DSP processing state

A few technical names stay in their original form throughout: audio protocols, file formats, plugin permissions, and third-party tools such as WASAPI, ASIO, FLAC, and ReplayGain.

Follow along from zero

This section assumes you have never used a music player like this. Do not rush to understand every term; walk through it once. If you can play, find songs, and adjust output, you are through.

Remember three places on screen:

Screen area	What you use it for
Left menu	Decides what you are doing now: import, find songs, browse albums, change settings
Middle list	Shows the current page’s content: song lists, albums, playlists
Bottom player	Tells you whether playback actually started: title, cover, progress bar, and volume live here

The most common beginner mistake

“I clicked the song but nothing plays.” Selecting a track only selects it. Real playback needs a double-click or the play button; once playing, the bottom player switches to the current song and the progress bar moves.

Prepare before you start

Do not scan the whole drive right away. Prepare a small test directory and prove the basic chain first.

1. Create a folder on your computer, for example D:\Music\Test.
2. Put 3 to 10 tracks you know are good inside.
3. Include at least one normal MP3.
4. If you have FLAC, add one FLAC too.
5. Do not start with exotic formats, corrupt files, or cloud placeholders.
6. If the songs are on an external drive, confirm the drive is plugged in.
7. If the songs are in a cloud sync folder, confirm the files are really downloaded, not just cloud placeholders.

Pick test files like this:

File type	Why it is a good test
Normal MP3	Easiest to play; confirms the basic sound chain
Normal FLAC	Confirms lossless files and tag reading
An album track with a cover	Confirms cover and album display
No ultra-rare formats	Round one proves the app works; do not challenge the edges yet

Once the test folder plays, import the full library. That way, when something breaks, you know whether basic playback is broken or the problem comes from a large library, special files, or device settings.

Get local playback working in five minutes

Goal: confirm ECHO NEXT can scan your local songs and play them.

1. Prepare a small folder such as D:\Music\Test.
2. Put a few tracks you know are healthy inside, ideally MP3 and FLAC.
3. Open ECHO NEXT.
4. Leave settings alone for now; look at the left menu.
5. Find Import Folder.
6. Click Import Folder.
7. The system shows a folder picker.
8. Navigate to D:\Music\Test.
9. Select the folder, not one song inside it.
10. Confirm the import.
11. Back in ECHO NEXT, wait for scanning to start.
12. Do not poke dangerous settings mid-scan; let these few files finish.
13. If the UI says scanning, reading, or importing, wait a moment.
14. Open Inbox.
15. Check whether those tracks appeared.
16. Open Songs.
17. Find one of the normal MP3s.
18. Double-click it, or hit the play button.
19. Check whether the bottom player shows the current song.
20. Check whether the progress bar starts moving.
21. Check that the volume is above 0.
22. Listen for sound in your headphones or speakers.

A normal result:

Place	Normal behavior
Inbox	Newly imported tracks visible
Songs	Title, artist, and duration visible
Bottom player	Shows the current track
Progress bar	Moves forward during playback
Audio output	You hear sound

If every item is normal, the most important step is done: local import and basic playback work. Lyrics, the equalizer, and remote libraries can all wait.

If you cannot see the imported tracks, check in this order:

1. Did you select a folder, and not an empty directory?
2. Does the folder actually contain audio files?
3. Are the files real local files, not cloud placeholders?
4. Is the scan still running?
5. Check both Inbox and Songs.
6. Is there leftover text in the search box? Clear it.
7. Are the file extensions common audio formats such as MP3, FLAC, WAV, M4A?

If there is no sound, do not rebuild the database. Check in this order:

1. Is the system volume muted?
2. Is ECHO NEXT’s bottom volume too low?
3. Is the current output device the headphones or speakers you are using?
4. Try another MP3 you know is good.
5. In Settings -> Playback, switch the output mode back to System or shared output.
6. Turn off EQ, ReplayGain, and speed change.
7. Play again.

Tip

If the progress bar does not move, suspect the file, path, or decoding. If the progress bar moves but there is no sound, suspect volume, output device, or output mode. Do not mix the two problem types and change things at random.

After the first success, check four things

Once the small test folder plays, run four simple checks.

1. In Songs, confirm titles, artists, and durations look roughly right.
2. In Albums, confirm albums appeared.
3. Play a track with a cover and confirm the bottom player shows it.
4. Type part of a song title into the Songs search box and confirm it is found.

Read the results like this:

Symptom	What it means	Do first
Plays, but the title is garbled	Usually source-file tag encoding or tag content	Check the same file’s info in another player
Plays, but one album split into several	Inconsistent album name, album artist, or disc number	See “Organize one album” below
Plays, but the cover is wrong	Embedded or folder covers are inconsistent	Check the source files before clearing any cache
Cannot find a song	Wrong search terms, unfinished scan, or a leftover filter	Clear search and filters, then look in Songs

The goal of this round is not a perfect library. It is confirming the app can read files, display them, and play them.

First full library import

Goal: add your long-term music directory to ECHO NEXT.

1. Confirm the small folder test already works.
2. Confirm the drive holding the full library stays online.
3. For external drives, confirm the drive letter will not suddenly change.
4. For NAS or sync drives, confirm the network is stable.
5. Confirm you are importing the music root, not the whole system drive.
6. Do not sweep C:\, download caches, game folders, or program folders into the scan.
7. Open Import Folder or Folders.
8. Select the full music root, for example D:\Music.
9. Start the import.
10. Let the first scan run to completion.
11. You can browse Songs while it scans, but do not start a full remote index at the same time.
12. A busy computer during the first scan is normal, especially while reading many covers and tags.
13. When the scan ends, open Albums.
14. Check that the album wall looks roughly right.
15. Open Artists.
16. Check for obvious duplicates or garbled names.
17. Open Inbox.
18. Check the newly imported content.
19. Play a few tracks in different formats.
20. Only then start tag cleanup, playlists, and lyrics.

A slow first scan does not mean something broke. It has to read files, tags, covers, durations, and album info. Large libraries take time.

After the full import, resist bulk fixes. Look in this order:

Look at	Why
Songs count	Confirm roughly everything came in
Inbox	See where the new content landed
Albums	Spot obviously split albums
Artists	Spot garbled or duplicated artists
Shuffle a few tracks	Confirm more than the test folder plays

If you have tens of thousands of songs, day one only needs import, search, playback, and albums working. Do not combine bulk tag rewriting, cache clearing, database rebuilding, plugin installs, and a full remote index on day one.

Daily listening

The simplest daily flow:

1. Open ECHO NEXT.
2. Go to Songs.
3. Use the search box, or switch to Albums for albums.
4. Find what you want to hear.
5. Play it directly, or right-click to add it to the queue.
6. A temporary batch goes in the Queue.
7. Long-term keeps go into Playlists.
8. Special favorites get a like; find them later in Liked.
9. Forgot what you just heard? Check History.

Tip

Do not cram everything into the queue. The queue is temporary; playlists are for keeps.

Organize one album

Goal: correct album display, correct track order, correct cover.

1. Open Albums.
2. Search the album title.
3. If the album appears more than once, open each and inspect the tracks.
4. Check that every track’s album name matches.
5. Check that every track’s album artist matches.
6. Check that track numbers run 1, 2, 3.
7. For multi-disc albums, check disc numbers.
8. If anything is wrong, go back to Songs.
9. Find those tracks.
10. Right-click and edit tags.
11. Return to Albums and confirm the merge.
12. If the cover is wrong, check the embedded cover or the folder cover.

The fields that matter most:

Field	Why it matters
Album name	Names the album; tag field album
Album artist	Decides whether same-named albums merge; tag field albumArtist
Track number	Sets the track order; tag field trackNo
Disc number	Sets multi-disc order; tag field discNo
Year	Shown as the release year; tag field year
Cover	Determines how the album wall looks

Build a playlist

Goal: keep a batch of songs long term.

1. Open Songs.
2. Search for the songs you want.
3. Select one or more.
4. Right-click.
5. Choose add to playlist.
6. Pick an existing playlist or create a new one.
7. Open Playlists.
8. Find the playlist.
9. Confirm the songs are inside.
10. Next time, start from Playlists directly.

Suggested playlist categories:

Playlist	Purpose
Daily	What you play most
New, to sort	Just imported, undecided
Headphone test	Bass, vocals, soundstage, sibilance
Hi-res test	Hi-Res, DSD, different sample rates
Night	Stable loudness, not harsh
Car	Road listening

Adjust audio output

Goal: hear sound first, chase higher-end output later.

1. Play a known-good track on the default output first.
2. Once you hear sound, open Settings -> Playback.
3. Find the output device.
4. If unsure, use System output.
5. For stable daily Windows output, try WASAPI Shared.
6. Only if you specifically want exclusive access, try WASAPI Exclusive.
7. Only with a professional sound card, try ASIO.
8. After every mode switch, play the same song and confirm.
9. On any problem, switch back to the last working mode.
10. Turn off EQ, ReplayGain, and speed change while adjusting output.

How to judge whether output is healthy:

Item	Normal behavior
Device	You can see the headphones, speakers, or DAC you want
Playback	Progress moves after pressing play
Sound	No pops, no obvious stutters, no strange speedup
Status	No persistent errors
Track change	Previous and next work

View lyrics

1. Play a song first.
2. Open Lyrics.
3. See whether lyrics appear automatically.
4. If none appear, check the lyric source settings.
5. If the whole file is early or late, adjust the time offset.
6. If the wrong version matched, pick a candidate manually.
7. If the font is too small, adjust the size in lyrics settings.
8. If a busy background hides the text, enable readability enhancement or change colors.

View picture

There is no official platform MV search. If you attached a local video or a custom URL yourself, treat it as extra picture and do not expect millisecond alignment with the audio. Details in the Lyrics guide.

Add a remote music library

1. Open Remote Library.
2. Choose the source type: WebDAV, Jellyfin, Subsonic, and so on.
3. Fill in a display name.
4. Fill in the server URL.
5. Fill in the account and password or token.
6. Choose a sync mode.
7. Click test connection first.
8. Save only after the test passes.
9. Try browse-only or a small index first.
10. Build the full index once things are stable.

Do not launch heavy jobs against a huge remote library right away. Confirm connect, browse, and play first.

Enable a plugin

1. Open Plugins.
2. Look at the plugin name and source first.
3. Open the plugin details.
4. Review the permissions it requests.
5. Be especially careful with settings:write, library:write, and network.
6. Enable only if you trust it.
7. After enabling, watch the activity summary and logs.
8. If the plugin errors, disable it first.
9. Repeated startup failures may get it quarantined by the host.

Beginners should start with the sample plugin only. Do not enable high-permission plugins from unknown sources.

When the interface confuses you

This section is for “I do not know what is happening right now.” Do not panic; figure out which page you are on and what kind of thing you are doing.

Look at the left menu first

You clicked	You are looking at
Songs	The song list
Albums	Albums
Artists	Artists
Folders	Local import directories
Inbox	Newly imported tracks
Queue	The current temporary playback order
Liked	Favorites
History	Playback history
Playlists	Long-term playlists
Remote Library	Remote source configuration
LAN Playback	Local-network casting devices
Plugins	Plugin management
Settings	Global settings

Then the bottom player

The bottom player shows the current playback state. Check in order:

1. Is there a song title?
2. Is there a cover?
3. Is the button showing play or pause?
4. Is the progress bar moving?
5. Is the volume too low?
6. Are there error messages?
7. Is the current output device correct?

If a list has songs but the bottom player never changes, you probably only selected a song and never actually started playback.

Then the right-click menu

The right-click menu tells you what the current object is.

Right-click target	You may see
Local song	Edit tags, open folder, copy path, delete
Remote song	Add to queue, play, like — fewer local file actions
Album	Play album, add to queue, edit album tags, save cover
Queue item	Remove from queue, play next
Plugin	Enable, disable, reload, view logs

If a button is missing, ask: is this object remote? Does this page support the action? Is anything actually selected?

Then the status text

Common statuses mean roughly this:

Status	Meaning	What to do
Loading	The page or data is still preparing	Wait; do not hammer clicks
Scanning	A library scan is running	Let it finish
Queued	The task has not started	Wait its turn
Downloading	A download task is running	Watch progress and speed
Importing to library	Results are being written to the library	Check Inbox afterward
Failed	The task did not finish	Open the error or check logs
Cancelled	You or the system cancelled it	Restart it if needed
File unavailable	The file or remote resource is missing	Check path, disk, remote source

If you do not know where to click

Find the entry by goal:

Goal	Go to
Import local songs	Import Folder
Find a song	Songs
Listen by album	Albums
See new songs	Inbox
Line up songs temporarily	Queue
Build a long-term playlist	Playlists
Adjust sound output	Settings -> Playback
Adjust EQ	Settings -> EQ / DSP
Adjust lyrics	Settings -> Lyrics or Lyrics
Attach a local video	Lyrics guide
Download music	Not provided. See Download And Plugin Source Boundaries
Connect a remote library	Remote Library
Change the theme	Settings -> Appearance
View logs	Settings -> About or the diagnostics entries
Do a risky repair	Settings -> Danger Zone, after backing up

Places beginners should not touch

Caution

These features are not forbidden — you just need to know what you are doing. If you are unsure of the blast radius, do not click yet.

Feature	Why be careful
Delete songs	May affect real files or library records
Rebuild database	Affects the library index, scan state, and local records
Clear caches	Covers and temp files may need regenerating
High-risk plugin permissions	Plugins may change settings, use the network, write the library
Change proxy	Affects lyrics, covers, and network metadata
Switch output to exclusive or ASIO	Device or driver issues can cause silence or failure
Bulk tag edits	Mistakes scramble albums, artists, and search all at once
Full remote index	Large remote libraries can run for a very long time and eat bandwidth

The safe pattern:

1. Try a small scope first.
2. Understand what will be affected.
3. Back up when you can.
4. When unsure, do not press the dangerous button.
5. On problems, revert the last step; do not keep changing things.

Shortest paths to common goals

Play one local song

1. Songs.
2. Search the title.
3. Find the track.
4. Double-click or press play.
5. Watch the bottom player.
6. Sound means done.

Play a whole album

1. Albums.
2. Search the album title.
3. Open the album.
4. Check the track order.
5. Press play album, or right-click the album and choose play.

Line up songs after the current one

1. Songs.
2. Select the tracks.
3. Right-click.
4. Choose “Play next” or “Add to queue”.
5. Check the order in Queue.

Add a song to a playlist

1. Songs.
2. Find the track.
3. Right-click.
4. Choose add to playlist.
5. Pick the playlist.
6. Check in Playlists.

Fix a song title

1. Songs.
2. Find the track.
3. Right-click.
4. Choose edit tags.
5. Change the title.
6. Save.
7. Search the new title to confirm.

Fix a split album

1. Albums.
2. Find the split album.
3. Note which tracks belong together.
4. Back to Songs.
5. Find those tracks.
6. Edit tags.
7. Unify the album name and album artist.
8. Save.
9. Back to Albums to confirm the merge.

Change the output device

1. Plug in the headphones, speakers, or DAC.
2. Confirm the system recognizes the device.
3. Open Settings -> Playback.
4. Find the output device.
5. Choose the target device.
6. Test with System or shared output first.
7. Play one song.
8. Only after that consider exclusive output or ASIO.

Stop songs from jumping in loudness

1. Open Settings -> Playback.
2. Find ReplayGain.
3. Enable loudness processing.
4. Play tracks from several albums to test.
5. If you want bit-perfect, turn ReplayGain off instead.

Make lyrics earlier or later

1. Play the song.
2. Open Lyrics.
3. Decide whether the lyrics are early or late.
4. Open the lyrics settings.
5. Adjust the time offset.
6. Nudge a little, then play to check; do not make big jumps.
7. After saving, listen to a chorus to confirm.

Attach a video of your own

Official platform MV search is not maintained. If you have a local video or your own URL:

1. Play the corresponding song first.
2. Attach it following “Video you attach yourself” in the Lyrics guide.
3. Confirm the video and audio are the same version.
4. Do not expect millisecond alignment.

Basic concepts

ECHO NEXT is not a bare file opener. It is closer to a local music management system, built from a few layers:

Concept	Meaning
Local files	The real audio files on your disk: FLAC, MP3, WAV, M4A
Library	The catalog the app builds from folders; songs stay on their original disk
Tags	The title, artist, album, year, and track number written inside the file
Cover cache	Small images for lists and the album wall — your originals are not deleted
Queue	Tonight’s temporary order
Playlist	A set of songs you keep coming back to
Remote source	Your own NAS, Jellyfin, Navidrome, or similar service
Network metadata	Cover or info candidates from the internet — for filling gaps only
Audio output	Which device the sound goes to and how
Plugins	Small local tools whose permissions you review before enabling

Local first

ECHO NEXT centers on the local library. Remote libraries, network metadata, and plugins are extensions. They serve the local listening experience; they do not turn the player into a shell for third-party streaming platforms.

Stability first

Playback stability beats feature count. Scanning, cover generation, remote completion, plugins, and diagnostic windows must not preempt the playback chain.

Clarity first

If EQ or loudness processing is on, the app will not pretend the sound is untouched. Covers and lyrics found online are candidates only; the tags you edited by hand are more trustworthy.

First use

Recommended route

Do not import your full library the first time. The steadier route:

1. Prepare a small folder with 10 to 50 tracks in common formats.
2. Open ECHO NEXT.
3. Import that folder with Import Folder.
4. Check the new tracks in Inbox.
5. Search, sort, and play a few songs in Songs.
6. Check album grouping and covers in Albums.
7. Open Lyrics and confirm familiar songs roughly line up.
8. Open Settings -> Playback and confirm the output device.
9. Only if all of this works, import the full library.

The benefit: if scanning, playback, covers, output, or lyrics is broken, you can see it within a dozen songs, instead of drowning in tens of thousands of tracks and a pile of background tasks.

Things not to do at the start

Not recommended	Why
Importing a directory with hundreds of thousands of files at once	The first scan is slow and problems are hard to locate
Enabling remote libraries, plugins, and network completion together	Stacked background chains hide the real cause
Scanning a full library from an unstable external drive	Produces missing, inaccessible, and failed-scan states
Declaring the app broken over inaccurate lyrics	Automatic matching depends on tags and online candidates; some error is inherent
Rebuilding the database over playback issues	Most playback problems never involve the database

Page overview

Page	Main purpose	Most common actions
Import Folder	Import local music folders	Pick a directory and start the scan
Folders	Manage import roots	Check scan state, maintain directories
Inbox	View newly scanned tracks	Inspect new imports
Songs	The main library list	Search, sort, play, right-click, edit tags
Albums	Album wall and details	Play by album, check covers, organize albums
Artists	Browse by artist	Check artist grouping
Queue	Current playback queue	Adjust the temporary order
Liked	Liked songs	Quick access to favorites
History	Playback history	Recover what you just played
Playlists	Playlists	Manage long-term sets
Lyrics	Immersive lyrics page	Read lyrics, adjust offset, view helper text
Remote Library	Remote sources	Add WebDAV, Jellyfin, Subsonic, and more
LAN Playback	Local-network playback	Discover and connect DLNA, AirPlay devices
Plugins	Plugin management	Enable, disable, review permissions and logs
Settings	Global settings	Playback, lyrics, MV, EQ, appearance, library, danger zone

Local library

The local library is the core of ECHO NEXT. The better its quality, the more reliable search, the album wall, lyric matching, MV matching, playlists, and statistics become.

File organization advice

Recommended structure:

Music/
  Artist/
    2024 - Album Name/
      01 - Track.flac
      02 - Track.flac
      cover.jpg

Not mandatory, but a stable structure cuts future cleanup cost.

Suggestions:

1. Keep one album per folder where possible.
2. Keep album name and album artist consistent within an album.
3. Fill in disc and track numbers for multi-disc albums.
4. Do not use a temp download folder as your long-term library.
5. Keep external drive and NAS paths stable.
6. Filenames help you recognize files, but do not rely on filenames alone.

Supported common formats

The project’s file associations cover many formats. Common ones:

Type	Examples
Lossless	FLAC, WAV, ALAC, AIFF, APE, WavPack
Lossy	MP3, AAC, M4A, OGG, Opus, WMA
DSD	DSF, DFF
Video or containers	MKV, MP4, MOV, WebM, MKA
Other	MPC, TAK, TTA, CAF, DTS, CUE

Whether a file plays smoothly depends on the decoder, the file itself, the container, and the current audio chain.

Import Folder

Entry points

You can import through:

1. The sidebar Import Folder.
2. The add entry on the Folders page.
3. The folder management area in Settings -> Library.

What happens during import

After importing a folder, ECHO NEXT will:

1. Record the root directory.
2. Scan it in the background.
3. Find the audio files.
4. Read embedded tags.
5. Read or extract covers.
6. Write to the library database.
7. Group albums and artists.
8. Refresh Songs, Albums, Artists, Inbox, and other pages.

Reading scan status

A scan may pass through these stages:

Stage	Meaning
Queued	Waiting for the scan task to start
Discovering files	Walking directories to find audio files
Checking incremental cache	Deciding which files are unchanged
Reading metadata	Reading title, artist, album, duration, and more
Extracting covers	Reading embedded or folder covers
Organizing albums	Grouping albums and ordering tracks
Writing database	Saving results
Done	This round finished
Failed / Cancelled	This round did not finish

Large-library import tips

If your library is large:

1. Keep the disk online during the first scan.
2. Do not run mass downloads, remote sync, and plugin batch jobs at the same time.
3. Browsing during the scan is fine, but avoid rapidly switching wide filters.
4. If the scan fails, look at the failing path first; do not jump to rebuilding the database.
5. Later scans reuse unchanged files and are usually faster than the first.

Folders

Folders manages import roots.

Good for

1. Seeing which music folders are added.
2. Adding new roots.
3. Checking whether a directory is still accessible.
4. Triggering or watching scans.
5. Spotting directories that may be failing.

Common problems

Symptom	Likely cause	Suggestion
Folder suddenly unavailable	External drive offline, drive letter changed, permissions changed	Restore the path first; do not rush to delete
Slow scan	First scan, many covers, many lossless files	Wait it out; avoid running heavy jobs alongside
New files not appearing	No rescan yet, odd format, path outside the root	Refresh manually or check the directory
Duplicate songs	Both a parent and its subdirectory were added	Keep one root

Inbox

Inbox is the checkpoint for new content.

Good for

1. Just downloaded a batch of songs.
2. Just copied in an album.
3. Just imported a new folder.
4. Quickly screening whether new tracks are healthy.

Checklist

Check	Look for
Title	The real song title, not a garbled filename
Artist	Consistent
Album	Grouped into the right album
Cover	The right cover shows
Duration	Not 0 or obviously wrong
Playback	Plays normally
Format	Matches what you expected

If new content is low quality, fix the source file tags first, then re-read or rescan.

Songs

Songs is the most important daily page. Finding, playing, organizing, and diagnosing mostly run through here.

Search

Search is good for:

1. Song titles.
2. Artists.
3. Albums.
4. Version keywords.

Suggestions:

1. In a large library, search first; do not rely on scrolling.
2. If search misses, check the tags — not just the filename.
3. Empty artist or album fields degrade search results.

Sorting

Sort	Good for
Default	Everyday browsing
Created time asc / desc	Finding new or old imports
Title A-Z / Z-A	Organizing by title
Duration short-to-long / long-to-short	Finding oddly short audio, long audio, single-track rips
File modified old-to-new / new-to-old	Finding recently changed files
Quality / size	Finding high-spec or suspiciously small files
Most played	Finding your frequent plays
Random	Shuffled browsing
By artist	Checking artist grouping
By album	Checking album fields
Recently updated	Seeing recent scan changes

Switching between local and remote sources

The songs page can switch between the local library and remote sources. The difference:

Source	Can do	Limits
Local	Play, edit tags, open folder, copy path, delete, cover actions	Depends on the local file existing
Remote	Browse, play, queue, like, add to playlist	May not support tag editing or local paths

Missing right-click actions on remote songs are a normal boundary.

Multi-select

Multi-select is good for:

1. Batch add to queue.
2. Batch add to playlists.
3. Batch like.
4. Batch remove from queue.

Do not run high-risk changes on a huge selection at once. Deleting, tag writing, and tag re-reading are best done in confirmed batches.

Duplicate filtering

The duplicate filter is good for cleaning:

1. The same file copied multiple times.
2. The same song at different bitrates.
3. The same album imported twice.
4. Downloads folder overlapping the real library.

But these are often not duplicates:

1. Live versions.
2. Remasters.
3. Radio edits.
4. Instrumentals.
5. Covers.
6. Different language versions.
7. Album and single versions.

Before deleting, compare at least the path, duration, bitrate, album, and file size.

Right-click menu

Common actions on local songs:

Action	Meaning	Risk
Add to playlist	Save to a long-term playlist	Low
Play next	Insert after the current track	Low
Add to queue	Append to the queue	Low
Like / unlike	Toggle favorite	Low
Edit tags	Change library or file tags	Medium
Re-read embedded tags	Refresh the record from file tags	Medium
Open osu! timing	View or adjust timing	Low to medium
Jump to album	Open the album detail	Low
Show in folder	Open the system folder	Low
Copy path	Copy the local path	Low
Open with system	Hand to the system default app	Low
Copy title and artist	For searching or sharing	Low
Copy / save cover	Export the cover	Low
Delete song	Delete or remove the song	High

Tag editing

Tag edits change library display and, in some cases, write back to file tags.

Suggested field rules:

Field	Suggestion
Title	The song title only; do not stuff the artist in
Artist	The performers or main artist
Album	Consistent across the album
Album artist	Unified across the album
Year	The release year; do not mix in date strings
Track number	A number
Disc number	Set for multi-disc albums
Genre	Rough is fine; do not fragment it

Songs-page diagnosis

Problem	Check first
Song not found	Folder imported? Scan finished? Tags empty?
Garbled title	Source tag encoding or filename origin
Split album	Album name / album artist consistency
Cover missing	File has a cover? Folder has cover/front image? Cache generated?
Playback fails	File exists? Format decodable? Output device healthy?
Right-click options missing	Remote song? Unsupported context?

Albums

Albums is the main album browser.

Good for

1. Listening by album.
2. Checking covers.
3. Organizing multi-disc albums.
4. Checking whether same-named albums merged wrongly.
5. Finding albums with missing covers.
6. Queuing or playlisting a whole album.

Album sorting

The album page sorts by title, artist, created time, duration, file modified time, recently updated, random, and more. Common uses:

Goal	Sort
Find recently added albums	Created desc or recently updated
Check titles	Title
Check artists	Artist
Pick one at random	Random
Find odd albums	Duration

Album details

Inside an album, check:

1. Track order.
2. Disc numbers.
3. Complete track numbers.
4. The cover.
5. Artist and album artist as expected.

Album right-click menu

Action	Purpose
Play album	Play the whole album from the start
Add to playlist	Save to a long-term playlist
Add to queue	Add to the temporary order
Like album	Mark a favorite album
Edit tags	Fix album-level info
Copy album info	Copy title, artist, and so on
Copy / save cover	Handle the cover
Delete album	High risk; be careful

Album grouping errors

Symptom	Likely cause	Fix
One album split into several	Inconsistent album name or album artist	Unify tags and re-read
Multiple albums merged into one	Same title, missing album artist	Fill in the album artist
Wrong track order	Missing track or disc numbers	Fill them in
Wrong cover	One track embeds a different image	Unify embedded or folder covers
Wrong year	Messy year tags	Fix year

Artists

Artists is for checking artist grouping.

Common reasons artists split:

1. Aimer vs aimer.
2. YOASOBI vs Yoasobi.
3. Artist feat. B vs Artist / B.
4. Mixed native and English names.
5. Leading or trailing spaces.
6. Different punctuation.

Decide on a naming rule first, then organize tags in bulk.

Queue

The queue is the temporary playback order.

The queue is for

1. Today’s spur-of-the-moment batch.
2. Temporarily lining up search results.
3. Testing formats or sample rates.
4. Quickly inserting the next track.

The queue is not for

1. Long-term collections.
2. Themed playlists.
3. Lists that need cross-device or long-term upkeep.

Long-term content belongs in Playlists.

Suggested use

1. Temporary listening: queue.
2. Confirmed keepers: playlist.
3. Testing audio gear: build a dedicated playlist instead of re-queuing every time.

Liked

Liked is the quick favorite.

Good for:

1. Marking frequent plays.
2. Collecting songs you like on the fly.
3. Starting playback from favorites quickly.

Not good for:

1. Complex categorization.
2. Multi-theme organization.
3. Album-level structure.

Complex organization belongs in playlists.

History

History records what you played.

Good for:

1. Recovering a song you forgot to like.
2. Reviewing recent playback order.
3. Checking whether one song keeps failing.
4. Confirming whether playback really advanced to the next track.

Playlists

Playlists are for long-term organization.

Suggested playlist types

1. Daily picks.
2. Night listening.
3. Work background.
4. Headphone test.
5. Speaker test.
6. Hi-res test.
7. New-album candidates.
8. Car sync.
9. Local lossless picks.
10. One artist’s best.

Queue vs playlist

Feature	For
Queue	Temporary playback order
Playlist	Long-term saving and organizing
Liked	Quick favorite marking
History	Recovering play records

Playback controls

The bottom player is the global control area.

Common controls

1. Play / pause.
2. Previous / next.
3. Progress bar.
4. Volume.
5. Current title, artist, and cover.
6. Queue entry.
7. Lyrics entry.
8. MV entry.
9. Output or status hints.

Playback diagnosis

Symptom	Check first
Play pressed, no sound	System volume, app volume, output device
Progress does not move	File decodable? Audio host started?
Skips to next immediately	Corrupt file? Early end? Decode error?
Progress jumps around	Output mode, device, playback diagnostics
Slow track changes	Scanning, downloading, remote completion, or plugin jobs running?
Some files will not play	Format, container, corruption, FFmpeg support

Do not rebuild the database at the first playback problem. The playback chain and the database are different things.

Lyrics

The lyrics experience covers display, matching, translation, romanization, kana enhancement, offset, and styling.

Lyric sources

Lyrics may come from:

1. Local LRC files.
2. Embedded lyrics.
3. Online candidates.
4. Manually chosen candidates.
5. Enhancement sources, such as Japanese kana or reading aids.

Lyric settings

Common ones:

Setting	Purpose
Lyric sources	Where lyrics are searched
Time offset	Fix uniform earliness or lateness
Font	Lyric typeface
Font size	Reading size
Line width limit	Prevent long lines from overflowing
Translation	Show helper translation
Romanization	Reading aid for Japanese and other languages
Kana enhancement	Show kana or reading hints when available
Readability enhancement	Keep lyrics readable over busy backgrounds

Out-of-sync lyrics

Case	Fix
Everything is late by the same amount	Adjust the offset in the matching direction
A few lines are off	The lyric file’s own timeline is weak
Matched a different song	Pick a candidate manually
A live version will not line up	Find live-version lyrics or adjust manually
Translation does not pair with the original	Source data quality issue

Kana and romanization

Kana and romanization are helper text; they must not replace the main lyric timeline. Good for:

1. Learning Japanese.
2. Reading unfamiliar characters.
3. Singing along.
4. Comprehension.

If an enhancement source is poor, hide it rather than let it degrade the main lyrics.

Local video or custom picture

The official product does not maintain platform MV search. If an old entry is still visible in the UI, do not treat it as “click here for the official video”.

When you attach a local video or URL:

1. Confirm the video and the current audio are the same version.
2. If versions differ, changing the video beats endless sync tuning.
3. Do not confuse picture problems with silence or a broken library.

Full steps in the Lyrics guide.

Audio output and HiFi

Audio output is a focus of ECHO NEXT — and also the part most influenced by your hardware environment.

Output modes

Mode	Meaning	Good for
System	System default output	Regular users, quick diagnosis
WASAPI Shared	Windows shared output	Stable daily playback
WASAPI Exclusive	Exclusive device access	More direct device output
ASIO	Professional sound-card chain	Sound cards, recording gear, low latency
DirectSound	Compatibility output	Odd devices or diagnosis

Picking one

1. Unsure? Start with System.
2. Stable daily playback: WASAPI Shared.
3. Testing exclusive output: WASAPI Exclusive next.
4. Professional sound card: then ASIO.
5. On any problem, return to System or shared output first.

bit-perfect

bit-perfect means the app barely changed the sound in the original file. These usually break it:

1. EQ.
2. Preamp gain.
3. ReplayGain.
4. Speed change.
5. Resampling.
6. System mixing.
7. Some device driver processing.

Do not force EQ and loudness off just to keep a pretty label on screen. If you want it to sound better or more even, accept that the signal is processed.

Sample rate

Sample rate state may involve:

1. The file’s sample rate.
2. The decoder’s output rate.
3. The requested output rate.
4. The device’s actual rate.
5. The shared-mode device rate.

Differences between these values are not automatically bugs. Shared output, system mixing, and device limits all shape the real result.

Equalizer

The equalizer shapes the sound. Once it is on, the sound is processed: bass, vocals, volume, and speed may all change. The app states this clearly instead of pretending the file is still passing through untouched.

The simple rule: with EQ, loudness normalization, speed change, or any other processing on, output is no longer a raw file dump. To verify the raw sound, turn them all off and return to System output — or a WASAPI / ASIO path you already confirmed stable.

Basics

1. Start from a flat or default preset.
2. Adjust in small steps.
3. Lower the preamp gain when boosting bands.
4. Do not boost all bands together.
5. Save a preset per device.

Understanding the bands

Band	Rough effect
Low	Drums, bass, body
Low-mid	Warmth and fullness; also mud
Mid	Vocals, guitar, the core
High-mid	Clarity and sibilance
High	Air and brightness; also harshness

Common issues

Problem	Fix
Sound clips or breaks	Lower the preamp gain
Bass booms	Reduce low or low-mid
Vocals recessed	Slightly boost mids
Sound is harsh	Reduce high-mid or high
Verify raw output	Turn off EQ and preamp gain

ReplayGain and loudness

ReplayGain evens out loudness across songs.

Good for:

1. Shuffling across albums.
2. Mixing music from different eras.
3. Libraries from many sources.
4. Night listening without loudness jumps.

Not for:

1. bit-perfect verification.
2. Preserving an album’s original loudness relationships.
3. Professional comparison tests.

Playback speed

Playback speed suits special cases: podcasts, practice, Nightcore / Daycore.

Note:

1. Speed change alters the audio processing chain.
2. Output at changed speed is not bit-perfect.
3. On playback problems, restore normal speed before diagnosing.

Remote library

Remote sources access music that is not on the local disk.

Supported types

Type	Good for
WebDAV / AList	Cloud drives, AList, WebDAV-capable services
Jellyfin	Self-hosted media server
Emby	Self-hosted media server
NAS / SMB	LAN shares
SSHFS	SSH file systems
Subsonic / Navidrome	Music servers

Adding a remote source

The usual flow:

1. Open Remote Library.
2. Choose the source type.
3. Fill in a display name.
4. Fill in the server URL.
5. Fill in the account and password or token.
6. Choose a sync mode.
7. Test the connection.
8. Save.
9. Start indexing when needed.

Sync modes

Mode	Meaning	Suggestion
Browse only	Nothing written to the library index	Temporary access
Build index	Remote tracks indexed; streams fetched at play time	Recommended
Mirror cache	A future extension; does not copy the library by default	Careful

Remote background tasks

Remote sources can spawn background tasks:

1. Metadata.
2. Covers.
3. Lyrics.
4. MV.
5. Duration backfill.

These should run at low priority and must not steal resources during playback.

Remote diagnosis

Symptom	Check
Connection fails	URL, account, password, certificate, proxy, firewall
Slow scan	Server speed, network, file count
Stuttering playback	Bandwidth, server response, running background tasks
Covers missing	Remote cover permissions, cache, background tasks
Missing files	Remote path changes, server index changes

LAN playback

LAN Playback covers DLNA, AirPlay, and other local-network discovery and playback.

Before using

1. The computer and the target device are on the same LAN.
2. The router does not isolate devices.
3. The firewall allows the traffic.
4. Security software is not blocking it.
5. On multi-NIC machines, the right network is selected.

Devices not discovered

Possible causes:

1. The device is on a different network.
2. AP isolation is on at the router.
3. Windows Firewall is blocking.
4. The device’s service is not running.
5. Broadcasts went out the wrong interface on a multi-NIC machine.

Fix order:

1. Restart the casting service on the target device.
2. Confirm the network.
3. Check the firewall.
4. Refresh ECHO NEXT.
5. Restart the app if needed.

Plugins

Plugins are a controlled extension capability, not a backdoor for running arbitrary scripts.

Plugin directory

Plugins usually live under plugins/ in the user data directory. Each plugin is its own folder with a manifest, scripts, and an optional panel.

Typical structure:

plugins/
  echo.example/
    echo.plugin.json
    plugin.js
    panel.html
    plugin-storage.json

Enabling flow

1. Open Plugins.
2. Create the sample plugin or import a plugin package.
3. Refresh the plugin list.
4. Review the plugin’s permissions.
5. Enable only if you trust it.
6. Check the plugin logs on errors.
7. Reload after editing plugin files.

Sample plugin types

Type	Meaning
Playback status panel	Listens to playback state and shows a small panel
Command tool	Registers manually triggered commands
Library script	Reads library summaries for light organization
Custom source	Returns search candidates and resolves explicit audio URLs at play time

Permissions

Permission	Capability	Risk
playback:read	Read playback state	Low
playback:control	Play, pause, seek	Medium
library:read	Paginated reads of public library fields	Medium
library:write	Reserved library write capability	High
sources:provide	Provide custom source candidates and playback URLs	Medium
settings:read	Read a settings snapshot	Medium
settings:write	Write settings	High
network	External network access	High
fs:plugin	Read and write plugin-directory data	Medium

Plugin safety

1. Do not enable high-permission plugins from unknown sources.
2. Do not let plugins run heavy synchronous computation.
3. Do not let plugins scan the whole library.
4. When a plugin errors, disable first, then read logs.
5. Settings writes and library writes are high-risk permissions.
6. Custom sources should only return legal http / https audio URLs — never bypass platform authorization or touch the local file system.

After enabling a custom source plugin, pick that source inside the search entry the plugin declares. ECHO only calls the plugin during search and playback resolution; playback still runs through the host’s own chain once it has an explicit audio URL.

Plugin v2 additionally supports a controlled network API, lyric providers, cover providers, and plugin-owned settings. Network access requires the network permission and only goes through the host-wrapped echo.net.fetchJson/fetchText. Lyrics, covers, and sources return candidates only; ECHO decides whether to apply or play them. Plugin package imports record checksums, and overwriting an existing plugin keeps a backup of the old directory.

Settings

The settings page is large; think of it by module. The full per-setting walkthrough is in the Settings guide.

General

Common content:

1. Language.
2. Window behavior.
3. Tray behavior.
4. Settings backup.
5. Automatic backup.

Enable automatic backup, especially if you often adjust settings, plugins, remote sources, or audio output.

Playback

Manages:

1. Output device.
2. Output mode.
3. Audio status.
4. HQPlayer settings.
5. Playback speed.
6. ReplayGain.
7. Current playback diagnostics.

Shortcuts

Two kinds:

Type	Meaning
In-app shortcuts	Active while ECHO NEXT is focused
Global shortcuts	May work while ECHO NEXT is unfocused

Common actions:

1. Play / pause.
2. Previous.
3. Next.
4. Stop.
5. Volume up / down.
6. Seek back / forward.
7. Show main window.
8. Boss key.
9. Speed adjustment.
10. Open audio, MV, or lyric settings.

Global shortcuts can conflict with the system or other apps. If recording fails, pick another combination.

Lyrics

Lyric settings manage:

1. Lyric sources.
2. Time offset.
3. Fonts.
4. Helper text.
5. Kana enhancement.
6. Readability.

Picture

If picture or legacy MV entries remain in settings, read them as “video you attach yourself”, never as platform search. Details in the Lyrics guide.

Integrations

Integration capabilities may include:

1. Last.fm.
2. Discord Presence.
3. Network proxy.
4. Auto update.

Proxy modes are usually:

Mode	Meaning
Off	No proxy
System proxy	Follow the system setting
Manual proxy	A hand-entered proxy address
PAC	A PAC configuration

The proxy affects online lyrics, covers, and metadata. Playing local files usually needs no proxy.

EQ / DSP

EQ settings manage:

1. The on/off switch.
2. 10-band adjustment.
3. Preamp gain.
4. Built-in presets.
5. User presets.
6. Save, import, restore.

Appearance

Appearance settings manage:

1. Theme.
2. Custom colors.
3. Fonts.
4. Wallpaper.
5. Video backgrounds.
6. Motion.
7. Corner radius, opacity, blur, and other visual parameters.

Suggestions:

1. Make text readable first.
2. Then tune decoration.
3. Video backgrounds must not affect playback stability.
4. Treat UI fonts and lyric fonts separately.

Library

Library settings manage:

1. Local folders.
2. Network metadata.
3. Library quality.
4. Duplicate songs.
5. ReplayGain analysis.
6. BPM analysis.
7. Artist image cache.
8. Database protection.

Be careful with anything touching the database, caches, or scanning.

About

Usually contains:

1. App version.
2. Project links.
3. Logs.
4. Diagnostics.
5. Crash information.

Before reporting a problem, check here for exportable diagnostics.

Danger Zone

The danger zone may contain:

1. Rebuild database.
2. Repair database.
3. Delete database.
4. Clear caches.
5. Restore default settings.
6. Database snapshots and restore.

Principle

Back up when you can. Repair a small scope instead of rebuilding everything. Never touch the database first for a playback problem. When unsure of the blast radius, stop.

Appearance and desktop experience

Fonts

Two kinds of fonts:

Type	Focus
App UI font	Readability, stable layout
Lyric font	Looks, immersion, stage feel

Do not make the whole app UI hard to read for the sake of lyric styling.

Wallpaper and video backgrounds

Wallpaper and video backgrounds add atmosphere, but:

1. Video backgrounds consume rendering resources.
2. Overhead should drop when minimized or hidden.
3. On playback stutter, turn off the video background first.
4. Skip heavy video backgrounds on low-end machines.

Network metadata

Network metadata is completion, not truth.

Suggested priority:

1. Manual edits.
2. Embedded tags.
3. Sidecar or folder information.
4. Network candidates.
5. Filename fallback matching.

Network metadata is good for:

1. Missing titles.
2. Missing artists.
3. Missing albums.
4. Missing years.
5. Missing covers.

Not for:

1. Overwriting fields you organized by hand.
2. Overwriting high-confidence embedded tags.
3. Blindly bulk-applying low-score candidates.

Backup and safety

Worth backing up:

1. Settings.
2. The library database.
3. The plugin directory.
4. Important playlists.
5. Music-file tags you spent time organizing.

Before any high-risk operation, confirm at least:

1. What is affected.
2. Whether files get deleted.
3. Whether only caches are touched.
4. Whether it can be undone.
5. Whether a backup exists.

Common diagnosis routes

No sound during playback

1. Check the system volume.
2. Check ECHO NEXT’s volume.
3. Check the output device.
4. Switch back to System output.
5. Try a known-good MP3 or FLAC.
6. Turn off EQ, ReplayGain, and speed change.
7. Check the audio status and logs.

One song fails to play

1. Play the same file in another player.
2. Check for corruption.
3. Check for an unusual format.
4. Check whether only this file fails.
5. Look for decode errors in the logs.
6. Re-import or re-read tags if needed.

Library displays wrong

1. Check the source file tags.
2. Check whether the scan finished.
3. Check for duplicate directories.
4. Check whether network metadata overwrote expected fields.
5. Re-read embedded tags.
6. Do not clear the database as a first step.

Wrong cover

1. Check the file’s embedded cover.
2. Check the folder cover.
3. Check that every track in the album embeds the same image.
4. Confirm the impact before clearing or refreshing the cover cache.

Inaccurate lyrics

1. Check for a wrong-version match.
2. Pick a candidate manually.
3. Adjust the time offset.
4. Fix the song title and artist.
5. Check for live versions, covers, or edits.

Picture off

1. Confirm the video and audio are the same version.
2. Swap the attached video — it beats endless sync tuning.
3. Do not confuse it with output or library corruption.

Remote source connection fails

1. Check the URL.
2. Check the account and password.
3. Check the certificate.
4. Check the proxy.
5. Check the server logs.
6. Check the firewall.

What to include in a report

An effective report contains:

1. The ECHO NEXT version.
2. The operating system version.
3. Installed, portable, or dev mode.
4. The page where the problem happened.
5. Reproduction steps.
6. Expected behavior.
7. Actual behavior.
8. Screenshots.
9. Logs or a diagnostic report.
10. For playback issues: output mode, device, audio format, and whether only some files are affected.
11. For scan issues: folder type, local or remote disk, and the failing path.
12. For network issues: proxy mode, source type, and the server’s response.

“Doesn’t work”, “not great”, or “it froze” alone is hard to fix. The closer your report is to the real chain of actions, the faster the cause is found.