Using Local Music Files in tinytunes DJ

tinytunes DJ is built to work great with tracks stored directly on your computer.
This guide explains how to add local files, how tinytunes DJ remembers them, and what to do when files move or go missing.

1. What counts as a “local file”?

A local file is any audio file that lives on your:

• Laptop internal drive,
• External hard drive or USB drive,
• Network share mounted as a drive,

and is played directly from your device. When you add files or folders, your browser will ask for permission.

Commonly supported formats (browser-dependent):

• mp3
• wav
• flac
• aac

If the browser can decode it, tinytunes DJ can usually play it.

2. Adding local tracks

You can add files in two ways:

2.1 Add individual files

1. Click Add local tracks (or similar) in the library.
2. Choose Files.
3. Select one or more audio files.
4. Confirm browser permission.

tinytunes DJ will:

• Read basic metadata (title, duration, etc.).
• Add entries to your local library.

2.2 Add a folder (recommended)

1. Click Add local tracks.
2. Choose Folder.
3. Select a folder that contains music (optionally with subfolders).
4. Grant permission when prompted.

Benefits of using a folder:

• New files dropped into that folder can be discovered on a rescan.
• Structure (artist/album) is preserved in your organization.

3. How tinytunes DJ remembers your files

tinytunes DJ saves your local library on this device.

This means:

• If you clear your browser's site data for tinytunes DJ, you'll need to re-add your music folders.
• If you switch browsers or devices, you won't automatically see the same local library until you add your folders there too.
• Your audio files stay on your device. tinytunes DJ does not upload your local audio.

4. Rescanning folders

When you:

• Add new files to a folder tinytunes DJ already knows about, or
• Remove old ones,

run a rescan to update the library:

1. Open the library panel.
2. Find the folder or collection you want to update.
3. Use Rescan or Refresh (depending on the UI label).

On rescan, tinytunes DJ will:

• Add new tracks it discovers.
• Mark removed files as missing (see below).

5. Handling moved or missing files

If you rename or move files/folders:

• tinytunes DJ may no longer be able to access them.
• Affected tracks will be marked as missing.

5.1 Recognizing missing tracks

Indicators may include:

• A “missing” or warning icon in the track list.
• Tracks not appearing in playable lists.
• A toast or banner after library load.

5.2 Fixing missing tracks

If you moved a folder:

1. Re-add the new folder location.
2. Run a rescan.
3. tinytunes DJ will try to match known metadata (filename, duration, etc.) to the files in the new folder.

If you permanently removed files:

• You can:
  • Leave them as missing (for historical set lists), or
  • Delete the tracks from the library to clean things up.

6. Local files on multiple devices

Local tracks are device-specific. When you use tinytunes DJ on another device:

• You may see tracks that you added elsewhere, but they won't play until the audio files exist on this device and you've added the folder here.
• Set lists will skip tracks that aren't available on this device.

To make your local tracks playable on a second device:

1. Copy the audio files to that device.
2. Add the folders in tinytunes DJ.
3. Let the app rescan and match them.

7. Best practices for local libraries

• Keep a clear folder structure, e.g.:

  • Music/House/Artist/Track.mp3
  • Music/Practice Sets/YYYY/Month/…

• Avoid renaming/moving files unnecessarily once you’ve built cue points.

• Consider:

  • A “Primary DJ laptop” with the full local library.
  • Secondary devices focused on a smaller subset or online sources.

• Back up your music folder regularly (external drive or cloud storage outside tinytunes DJ).

With these patterns, tinytunes DJ becomes a fast, reliable front-end to your local music library, without giving up control of your files.