Frequently asked questions

General

Is Tunetorch really free?

Yes. The self-hosted platform with all its core features is and stays free. The optional Pro subscription allows more user accounts and makes curating more convenient: with automatic information from the internet, more colour schemes, your own server name and moving a whole library in one file. No audio feature depends on it, and you can always get your music back out without Pro too.

What does “self-hosted” mean?

The server runs on your own hardware, such as a Raspberry Pi, a NAS or a small home server. Your music and your data stay there.

Do I need technical knowledge?

Docker is enough to set it up. The installation guide takes you through it step by step, and you can use the example configuration almost unchanged.

Does it run on a Raspberry Pi?

Yes, that's exactly what Tunetorch is built for. Scan, import and export are frugal with memory and don't do too much at once. That keeps the interface usable even during large runs.

What data does Tunetorch collect?

None. There's neither tracking nor telemetry, and your data stays on your server. The server only connects to the internet for three features that you trigger yourself and that all require Pro: the online image search, MusicBrainz enrichment and the licence check. On top of that comes one you switch on yourself: if you use CD ripping, the server checks ripped CDs against the AccurateRip database. Only the CD's ID goes out, and the check can be switched off separately. Without Pro and without CD ripping, your server talks to nobody. Exactly what goes where is described under Security & backup.

Music

Which formats are supported?

MP3, FLAC, AAC/M4A, OGG, Opus, WAV, AIFF and WMA. For playback, Tunetorch converts to Opus on the server when needed, depending on the quality level you've chosen. The original stays unchanged.

How do I get my collection in?

You can upload, import an existing collection once, mount a folder and have it scanned, or rip CDs directly on the server. You'll find a comparison of the ways under Adding music.

Where is my music stored?

Only on your own server, in the data directory or in the music folder you mounted. None of it ends up in a cloud.

Does Tunetorch change my files?

Tunetorch only ever reads a mounted music folder; nothing changes there. For uploads and the collection import, Tunetorch creates a copy of its own and strips the tags from it (the metadata then lives in the database). Your original collection stays unchanged.

Why are some tracks louder than others?

That's normal in a collection that has grown over time. Tunetorch evens it out with loudness normalisation to −16 LUFS, for loud and quiet tracks. It's measured on upload, and the server makes up for missing values the first time a track plays (in the app, the browser and when casting). If you don't want to wait until every track has had its turn once, let the “Measure loudness” maintenance task run once. That's especially worth it for a mounted folder, because nothing is measured when reading it in.

Devices

Does playback work in the background?

On Android, reliably with the Android app, which keeps playing independently of the browser. The PWA can do it too, but depends on the system's power-saving mode. Battery exceptions for the browser help there.

Can I listen to music offline?

In the Android app, yes. Tracks, albums or all of an artist's tracks can be downloaded permanently, and the app also caches tracks you've already listened to automatically. Without a network, offline mode switches on by itself. See App, PWA & offline.

Can I stream to my speakers?

Yes, via DLNA/UPnP; see Casting on your home network. Casting is off out of the box and needs a little setting up.

Is there an iOS app?

Not a separate one. On iOS you install Tunetorch as a PWA via Share → Add to Home Screen. Your server has to be reachable over HTTPS for that.

Accounts

Can several people use the same server?

Yes. Every account has its own playlists, favourites, settings and statistics. You grant permissions individually; see Users & permissions.

Can I restrict music for children?

Yes. You can mark an account as restricted. It then only sees music that has been explicitly shared with it, by genre, artist or individual tracks. An assigned supervisor looks after what's shared, not the admin. The server itself checks the restriction, so it can't be got round.

I've forgotten the admin password.

If another account is the server's owner, they reset the password in the user administration — only the owner may change admin accounts. Otherwise reset it on the server:

docker exec -it tunetorch tt admin-reset <username>

The account then has the preset password again, and the next time you sign in, Tunetorch immediately asks for a new one. Details under Resetting the admin password.

Operation

How do I back up my data?

Regularly back up the data directory (/app/data). Everything is in it: database, music files, cover art, keys. There's a guide under Security & backup.

How do I update Tunetorch?

With docker compose pull and docker compose up -d. Tunetorch applies changes to the database itself on start-up, and your data is kept. If such a change is due, the server first makes a copy of the database. If something goes wrong, you restore it with tt db-einspielen (see Security & backup). That doesn't replace a backup of your own, because the copies live in the same directory and only contain the database.

I've found a bug. What now?

Please report it via the contact form (topic Bug report) or on the Discord server — write in English or German, we answer in both. Helpful are the Tunetorch version (shown in the server status), what you did and what happened then. For playback problems you can also attach the debug log as a file.

Something doesn't work as expected.

The most common cases with cause and solution are under Troubleshooting.