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Getting started

Motif begins with the music and project folders you already use. It watches the locations you choose, identifies supported files, and presents them in your Library without moving or rewriting the originals. This guide gives you a useful first route through the product. You do not need to connect every service or configure every Studio workflow before you can organize and listen to local music.

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1. Complete first launch

On the first run:
  1. Select Continue with Google and complete sign-in in your browser.
  2. Choose Artist, Producer, or Both.
  3. Select open a folder and choose the location that contains your exported music.
  4. Let Motif begin its first scan.
Read First launch for what each role changes, how to choose a folder, and what Motif does with the files it finds.

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2. Confirm your Library

Open Library → All. You should see supported music from the selected folder and its subfolders. The first scan can continue filling in information after tracks begin appearing. Large collections may need time to finish duration checks, type interpretation, version grouping, and related project matching. Play several tracks and confirm that:
  • titles represent the expected files;
  • playback works;
  • beats, loops, or songs appear under the expected type;
  • collaborator groupings make sense where creator information is available;
  • related exports appear as versions when their names can be matched.
If one track is interpreted incorrectly, right-click it and choose Edit tags. You can correct BPM, key, detune, type, For, By, and custom tags without renaming the source file.

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The main areas

  • Library organizes local music Motif finds and the Custom collections you create.
  • Listening keeps playback, waveform navigation, visualizers, details, and versions together.
  • Tracked follows specific optional external sources separately from your local Library.
  • Studio contains Opportunities, Send Outs, and Content workflows.
  • Settings controls your role, folders, account, appearance, file behavior, updates, and optional connections.

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3. Learn the Library views

Move through the left sidebar:
  • All — every local track in watched folders;
  • Types — music grouped by beat, loop, or song context;
  • Collab — music grouped around available creator or collaborator information;
  • Custom — collections whose purpose and membership you decide;
  • Tracked — selected external sources rather than watched local folders.
These views do not duplicate your audio. They are different ways to retrieve and work with it. See Library overview for when to use each view.

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4. Create one Custom collection

Open Custom and create a collection for a real current purpose: a pack, shortlist, project, collaborator, or release. Add tracks by right-clicking a track and choosing Add to category, or drag a track onto the collection card. Give the collection a cover if visual recognition will help. This is the clearest way to understand Motif’s organizational model: the collection lives in Motif, while the audio remains in its original Windows folder.

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5. Use the listening space

Select a track. The Now Playing bar appears at the bottom of Motif and remains available while you navigate. Try:
  • play, pause, previous, and next;
  • shuffle and repeat modes;
  • seeking through the progress bar;
  • muting and changing volume;
  • expanding the player;
  • switching between the waveform and visualizer;
  • selecting another visualizer scene;
  • comparing versions when a track contains them.
Read Playback controls and Expanded player for every control.

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6. Connect only the services you need

Open Settings → Connections when you are ready to use an online workflow. Connections have distinct purposes:
  • Gmail, Telegram, and Discord can support private sending workflows;
  • Discord and Telegram can provide selected Tracked sources;
  • Google Drive and Dropbox can provide selected Tracked folders;
  • YouTube supports eligible publishing;
  • BeatStars supports its available listing workflow.
Connecting a service does not automatically follow every source or publish anything. You make those choices afterward in the relevant Tracked or Studio flow.

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7. Understand Studio before sending

If Producer is enabled for your role, the sidebar includes:
  • Opportunities for possible destinations and the context around them;
  • Send Outs for repeatable deliveries to regular recipients;
  • Content for supported publishing preparation.
Create a draft or test entry before sending real music. Review the destination, selected files, and message in the final preview.

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8. Review Settings

Open Settings and check:
  • creative role;
  • watched Library folders;
  • theme and sidebar preference;
  • file handling, especially Prefer MP3 when dragging;
  • connected services;
  • installed version and updates.
Motif is local-first, but account access, updates, connected sources, sending, and publishing require the relevant online service. Read Local and connected activity when you want to understand that boundary.