Tune by Mozaiklabs

Getting Started

Tune is a multi-room music server. It indexes your music (local files, network drives) and your streaming services, then sends them to your devices: a DAC plugged into the computer, DLNA/UPnP renderers, AirPlay speakers, Chromecast, Squeezebox players and more. You control it from a web browser, on any device of your local network.

Choose your installation

You have…Install
A dedicated machine (x86-64 mini PC, Raspberry Pi 5)Tune OS, a complete ready-to-use system
A Windows PCThe Windows installer (…-windows-x86_64-setup.exe)
A MacThe macOS disk image (.dmg) or Homebrew
A Debian, Ubuntu or Raspberry Pi OS computerThe .deb package
A NAS or server running DockerThe renesenses/tune Docker image

All files are on the Downloads page.

Windows

  1. Run tune-server-v…-windows-x86_64-setup.exe. It installs into your user profile (%LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\Tune Server) and needs no administrator rights.
  2. Open Tune Server from the desktop or the Start menu. A console window opens (that is the server: keep it open), then your browser shows Tune at http://localhost:8888.
  3. If Windows Firewall asks, allow Tune on private networks. Without this, other devices and network renderers cannot reach Tune.

Tune is not installed as a Windows service and does not start with your session: start it again with the Tune Server shortcut. A .zip archive is also available.

macOS

  1. Open the tune-server-v…-macos-….dmg disk image and drag Tune Server into Applications (macOS 13 or later).
  2. Launch Tune Server. It shows no Dock icon: it starts the server and opens http://localhost:8888 in your browser.

With Homebrew:

brew tap renesenses/tap
brew install tune-server
brew services start tune-server

Linux (Debian, Ubuntu, Raspberry Pi OS)

The .deb package (amd64 or arm64) requires Debian 12, Ubuntu 22.04, Raspberry Pi OS bookworm or later.

sudo apt install ./tune-server_<version>_<arch>.deb

The tune-server service starts right away, and again every time the machine boots. Then open http://<machine-address>:8888.

sudo systemctl status tune-server     # service status
sudo systemctl restart tune-server    # restart
journalctl -u tune-server -f          # follow the log

The service runs as the tune system user (a member of the audio group, so it can reach USB DACs). That user must be able to read your music folders. .tar.gz archives are also available for other distributions; they do not install a systemd service.

Docker

services:
  tune:
    image: renesenses/tune:latest
    container_name: tune
    network_mode: host
    restart: unless-stopped
    volumes:
      - /path/to/music:/music:ro
      - tune-data:/data
    environment:
      - TUNE_MUSIC_DIRS=["/music"]
      - TUNE_AUTO_SCAN=true

volumes:
  tune-data:

Replace /path/to/music with the folder that holds your music on the machine: Tune reads it read-only (:ro). Keep the named volume tune-data for /data: Tune writes its database there, as the tune user (uid 1000). A host folder that Docker creates by itself, such as ./data:/data, belongs to root: Tune cannot write to it and the container restarts in a loop. On a Synology or QNAP NAS, follow the procedure on the Downloads page.

network_mode: host is required for Tune to discover devices on the network (DLNA, AirPlay, Chromecast). The Docker image cannot play to a sound card or a DAC attached to the machine; it serves network devices only. It does not update itself: pull the new image (docker compose pull) and recreate the container.

Tune OS

Tune OS is a complete system that turns a machine into a dedicated Tune server. Three images are available:

  • x86-64 installer (ISO): copy it to a USB stick (Rufus, balenaEtcher) and boot the machine from it. It erases the target disk, and it only installs onto an empty disk. You need a UEFI PC with Secure Boot turned off, 4 GB of RAM and a wired Ethernet connection for the first boot.
  • x86-64 flashable image (.raw.xz): write it straight to the machine's disk (balenaEtcher, or Rufus in "DD Image" mode).
  • Raspberry Pi 5 (.raw.xz): write it to the Pi's card or drive.

The first boot asks no questions. It takes 15 to 30 minutes, and the machine reboots twice on its own: wait for it to finish, even if it already answers over SSH. Then open http://tune-XXXX.local (XXXX is the last four characters of the MAC address) or http://<IP-address>. The machine's screen also shows the address and the IP.

For the console and SSH, the account is tune with password tune. Change it with the passwd command. USB drives are mounted automatically under /media. Tune OS updates from within Tune (see Configuration).

First launch

As long as the library is empty, Tune opens the Welcome to Tune Server wizard:

  1. Get Started. If you are coming from another machine, Coming from another machine? lets you import a backup.
  2. Music Library: enter the path of a music folder as seen by the machine running Tune (e.g. /mnt/nas/Music or D:\Music), then click Add.
  3. Streaming Services: connect your accounts now or later (see Streaming Services).
  4. Scan Library: Launch Scan. The scan keeps running in the background, so you can click Finish setup without waiting.

You can also skip the wizard (Skip setup) and set everything later in Settings (gear icon at the top of the sidebar).

Play your first track

  1. Tune automatically creates a zone for each device it discovers. A zone is a listening destination, with its own queue and volume.
  2. In the playback bar at the bottom, click the zone name (Switch Zone) and pick where to listen. To listen on the device that shows Tune, pick This computer (browser).
  3. Open Library in the sidebar, choose an album and click Play.

Finding your way around

  • Sidebar: Home, Search, Now Playing, Queue, History, Library, Oxygen, Streaming, Live radio, Podcasts. Then the Selections group (Collections, Playlists, Listen later, Tags, Favourites, Banned tracks) and, at the very bottom, Support.
  • Playback bar: transport controls, active zone, volume, Signal Path and Audiophile Mode (see Playback & Zones).
  • Interface level: in the account menu (avatar, top right), Interface section, choose Essential, Advanced or Expert. This only shows or hides menus and settings; it does not depend on your plan. Tune starts at Expert, which shows everything. If a menu named in this guide is missing, check this level.

Using Tune from another device

Any device on the same local network can open http://<server-address>:8888 in a browser (on Tune OS, you can leave out the port).

See also