Guide

Installation

1. Download the recommended 1.0.16 installer from this website.
2. Run ULTIMATE-Setup-1.0.16.exe.
3. Accept the license agreement and choose an installation folder.
4. Wait for installation to finish. Shortcuts will appear on the desktop and in Start.

First launch

On first launch, ULTIMATE asks you to create a local profile. Enter a name, nickname, short bio, and optionally choose an avatar.

Master key

After creating the profile, you receive a profile key. Save it: your settings, history, queue, and Discover responses are linked to this key. It works only on this computer and is not a cloud account.

Library

Open the “⋯” menu at the top of the app and choose an option:

• Scan drives — find music automatically.
• Add folder — scan a selected folder.
• Add files — add individual tracks manually.

The scanner groups albums and artists, finds artwork, and filters out voice messages and utility audio files. Review newly discovered tracks in Discover and accept or reject them.

Navigation

Use Albums, Artists, Tracks, Playlists, Favorites, and Folders. Open search with the magnifying glass.

Playback

Click a track to play it within the current list. The play button on an album cover starts the full album. Click the bottom player to open Now Playing.

• Reorder tracks in the queue with drag and drop.
• Repeat modes: off, full queue, one track, or selected tracks.
• Shuffle keeps the current track first.
• Queue and playback position are remembered for each profile.

Compact player

The mini window keeps artwork and essential controls above other windows. Drag it by an empty area; double-click to return to the standard window.

Sound settings

The equalizer and Settings screens include:

• a 10-band equalizer and ready-made presets;
• profiles for earbuds, over-ear headphones, and Bluetooth speakers;
• Smart Volume with ReplayGain and compression;
• dynamic EQ, adaptive sound, UHQ, and spatial effects;
• gapless playback, 0–12 second crossfade, and optional BPM-aware timing;
• 0.5×–2× playback speed and output device selection.

Profiles

The Master key section lets you switch profiles, sign out, create another profile, or delete the current one.

• Theme, EQ, scale, history, queue, and Discover are profile-specific.
• The music library and watched folders are shared.
• Deleting a profile never deletes music files.

Smart Shuffle

Smart Shuffle updates shuffle behavior so the current track stays grounded while nearby tracks do not fall into repetitive patterns too often.

• Use it for long queues and large playlists.
• The current track remains the anchor while the rest of the queue is rebuilt more gracefully.
• If you manually edit the queue after shuffling, the new order is still remembered by the profile.

Gapless vs Crossfade

In 1.1.0, gapless playback and crossfade can be used as separate modes. That matters for live albums, mixes, and concept records.

• Gapless removes the audible pause between compatible tracks.
• Crossfade overlaps the end of one track with the start of the next.
• Gapless + Crossfade is worth testing on your own library because not every album benefits from overlap.

Selection, queue, and batch actions

The new multi-select flow lets you highlight several tracks or playlist entries and then act on them in one pass.

• Add multiple tracks to the queue with a single action.
• Move batches of tracks into a playlist without reselecting them one by one.
• Use playlist checkmarks to see which tracks are already marked or collected.

Profiles, emoji, and status

Profiles can now be more expressive: add an emoji and a short status so it is easier to distinguish a work, home, or shared family profile at a glance.

• Emoji and status are stored together with the rest of the local profile data.
• They do not change the library and never touch your music files.
• Queue, history, and visual settings remain separate per profile.

Profile export and import

Profile transfer uses an encrypted .ultimate-profile file. It contains profile data, not your actual music files.

• Export is useful before reinstalling Windows or moving to another PC.
• Import may offer merge or replace choices if a profile already exists.
• Your Master key is still worth storing separately and keeping safe.

Richer artist info

In 1.1.0, artist views can show more context where metadata sources confirm it: short bios, related releases, and extra facts around the artist page.

Progress styles and animation speed

If you spend a lot of time in the mini player or Now Playing view, the new interface rhythm controls are worth trying.

• Progress styles: line, wave, or spectrum.
• Animation speed: make the interface faster, softer, or calmer.
• Reduced motion: cut unnecessary movement when the system or user prefers it.

Keyboard shortcuts

Where app data is stored

ULTIMATE stores its working data in the standard Windows app data folder:

• library: %APPDATA%\ULTIMATE\library\library.json;
• profiles, settings, history, and sessions: %APPDATA%\ULTIMATE\account\.

MP3, FLAC, and other audio files stay exactly where they are. ULTIMATE reads them directly from disk and creates no hidden cloud copy.