Fidelia — Help

High-fidelity audio player for macOS. Bit-perfect playback with professional DSP, Audio Unit hosting, and headphone virtualization.

Contents

• Getting Started
• Library
• Playback
• Player Views
• Audio Output
• Sample Rate Conversion
• HeadSpace
• Audio Units
• Format Conversion
• Fidelia Remote
• Music.app Integration
• Keyboard Shortcuts
• Supported Formats
• Troubleshooting
• Contact Support

Getting Started

• Launch Fidelia. The player window appears — this is your primary interface for transport controls, volume, and track display.
• Open the Library with ⌘L or View → Show Library. Drag audio files or folders onto the library window to import.
• Double-click any song in the library to begin playback. Use Space to play/pause.
• Your library is stored in ~/Music/Fidelia/ and persists across sessions.

Library

The Library stores all your imported audio with metadata, artwork, and playlists. Files are referenced by location — Fidelia does not copy files into its library folder.

Importing Music

• Drag & Drop — Drag files or folders onto the library window. Fidelia recursively scans folders for supported audio formats.
• File → Import to Library (⇧⌘I) — Open a file picker to select files or directories.
• File → Open (⌘O) — Open and play a single file without adding to the library.

Managing Your Library

• Sort — Click column headers (Title, Artist, Album, Format, Sample Rate) to sort. Click again to reverse.
• Search — Use the search field to filter by title, artist, album, or genre.
• Playlists — Create playlists from the sidebar. Drag songs to reorder within a playlist.
• Get Info — Right-click a song and choose "Get Info" to view all metadata, audio format details, and file information.
• Artwork — Drag artwork onto the album art panel, or use Edit → Find Artwork Online (⌥⌘A) to search automatically.
• Delete — Select songs and press Delete to remove them from the library. Original files are not affected.

Relocating Missing Tracks

If you move files to a new location, tracks will appear as offline (dimmed with a warning icon). Use File → Relocate Missing Tracks to point Fidelia at the new folder. It matches files by name and automatically updates all references.

Playback

• Play/Pause — Space
• Next / Previous — ⌘→ / ⌘←
• Shuffle — Randomizes the playback order within the current queue.
• Repeat — Off, All (loops the queue), or One (loops the current track).
• DIM (⇧⌘D) — Reduces volume to a preset level without changing the volume knob.
• Mute (⌘M) — Silences output instantly. DIM and Mute are mutually exclusive.

Player Views

• Large / Medium / Small / Smaller (⌘1–⌘4) — Four player sizes with progressively compact layouts.
• Mini Player (⇧⌘M) — A minimal floating player with transport controls, volume, and track info. Ideal for keeping Fidelia visible while working.
• Player On Top (⇧⌘T) — Keeps the player window above all other windows.

Audio Output

Fidelia sends audio directly to your selected output device, bypassing macOS system mixing for bit-perfect playback. Configure your output device in Settings → Output.

• Device Selection — Choose any connected audio device (built-in, USB DAC, AirPlay, network).
• Exclusive Mode — Locks the output device to Fidelia's sample rate, preventing other apps from mixing into the stream. Essential for critical listening.
• Hog Mode — Takes exclusive ownership of the device. No other application can use it while Fidelia is playing.

Sample Rate Conversion (SRC)

When the source file's sample rate doesn't match the output device, Fidelia applies high-quality sample rate conversion. Configure in Settings → DSP → SRC.

• Engine — Choose between Linear Phase (zero pre-ringing) or Phase Selectable (with linear, minimum, and intermediate phase options).
• Quality — Draft, Normal, High (default), Highest, or Ultra (mastering). Higher quality uses more CPU but produces cleaner conversion.
• Dither — When reducing bit depth, Fidelia applies triangular dither with psychoacoustic noise shaping to preserve low-level detail.

HeadSpace

HeadSpace is Fidelia's headphone virtualization DSP. It simulates the spatial characteristics of loudspeaker listening through headphones, reducing fatigue and creating a natural soundstage.

• Crossfeed — Controls how much of each channel bleeds into the opposite ear, simulating speaker crosstalk. Adjustable per frequency band (low, mid, high).
• Speaker Angle — Sets the virtual speaker placement (15°–90°).
• Room Reflections — Adds subtle early reflections to enhance spatial depth.
• Baxandall EQ — Gentle shelving EQ for treble and bass compensation.

Audio Units (AUv3)

Fidelia hosts Audio Unit plug-ins in the signal chain. Add EQ, reverb, metering, or any compatible AUv3 effect to process audio in real time.

• Configure plug-in slots in Settings → DSP → Plug-ins.
• Click a slot to open the plug-in's native UI.
• Plug-ins are processed in slot order, after SRC and before output.

Format Conversion

Right-click songs in the library and choose Convert Format… to convert between formats.

• Output Formats — FLAC, Apple Lossless (ALAC), AAC, WAV, AIFF, CAF.
• Sample Rate — Optionally resample to any standard rate (22.05–192 kHz).
• Bit Depth — 16-bit or 24-bit for PCM formats. Dither is applied automatically when reducing depth.
• AAC Bitrate — 64–320 kbps for AAC output.
• Replace Original — Optionally move the source file to Trash after conversion.

DSD & APE Import

Fidelia automatically converts DSD (.dsf, .dff) and Monkey's Audio (.ape) files to FLAC on import. The converted files play natively; original files are kept alongside.

Fidelia Remote (iOS)

Control Fidelia from your iPhone or iPad over your local network. The free companion app shows your library, now playing info, and full transport controls.

• Install Fidelia Remote from the App Store.
• Ensure both devices are on the same Wi-Fi network.
• Fidelia Remote discovers the Mac automatically via Bonjour — no configuration needed.

Music.app Integration

Enable Music.app integration in Settings → General to browse your Apple Music library directly in Fidelia. Songs, playlists, and artwork are imported read-only.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Play / Pause	Space
Next Track	⌘→
Previous Track	⌘←
Open File	⌘O
Import to Library	⇧⌘I
Toggle Library	⌘L
Toggle Mini Player	⇧⌘M
Player On Top	⇧⌘T
Large / Medium / Small / Smaller	⌘1 – ⌘4
DIM	⇧⌘D
Mute	⌘M
Find Artwork Online	⌥⌘A

All shortcuts are customizable in Settings → Keyboard Shortcuts.

Supported Formats

• Lossless — FLAC, ALAC (M4A), AIFF, WAV, CAF, SD2, AU, W64
• Lossy — AAC (M4A), MP3, OGG Vorbis, Opus
• DSD — DSF, DFF (auto-converted to PCM on import)
• Monkey's Audio — APE (auto-converted to FLAC on import)

Troubleshooting

• No audio — Check your output device in Settings → Output. Verify the device is connected and not muted at the hardware level. If using Exclusive Mode, ensure no other app has locked the device.
• Library empty after relaunch — The library is stored in ~/Music/Fidelia/. If this folder is missing or permissions were changed, Fidelia cannot persist data. Verify the folder exists and is writable.
• Tracks show as offline — Files were moved or the volume is disconnected. Use File → Relocate Missing Tracks to update references, or reconnect the drive.
• Music.app library not loading — Grant Fidelia access to your music library in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Media & Apple Music.
• Audio Unit not appearing — Ensure the plug-in is installed in ~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components/ and passes AU validation. Restart Fidelia after installing new plug-ins.
• Gapless playback gaps — Gapless playback works with all supported formats. If you hear gaps, the source files may have silence encoded at track boundaries.

Contact Support

Questions, feedback, or bug reports — reach us at support@audiofile.engineering