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First launch

Motif starts by learning two things about your workflow: what kind of music you make and where your exported music already lives. It does not ask you to rebuild your folder system or import copies into a separate cloud library.

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Before you start

Have the following ready:

• a Windows computer with Motif installed;
• the Google account associated with your Motif access;
• at least one folder that contains music you want to see in Motif.

The folder can contain subfolders. Choose the highest useful level of your existing export structure rather than adding every nested folder separately.

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1. Sign in with Google

Select Continue with Google. Motif opens your browser so you can choose and approve a Google account, then returns you to the desktop app. Use the same account that is associated with your Motif purchase or access. Signing in identifies your Motif account; it does not automatically connect Gmail, Google Drive, or YouTube. Those are separate, optional connections that you can add later in Settings → Connections.

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2. Choose your creative role

Motif asks Who are you? Choose the option that best describes the Library you want to build:

• Artist — Songs and releases. Use this when your Library is mainly finished or developing songs.
• Producer — Beats and loops. Use this when your Library is mainly production exports, beats, and loop material.
• Both — The complete studio. Use this when you create your own releases and produce music for other people.

Your role changes how Motif classifies music and which producer-specific Studio workflows are shown. It does not permanently lock your account. You can change the Artist and Producer capabilities later in Settings → Creative role.

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3. Open a music folder

Select open a folder, then choose a folder from Windows. Motif begins scanning that location and its supported subfolders. During the first scan, the Library may fill in progressively while Motif discovers files, reads information from names and folders, measures audio duration, and prepares listening data. Motif watches the folders you add. New supported exports that appear there can join the Library without a manual import step.

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What Motif does with the folder

Motif uses the selected location to:

• find supported audio files;
• organize them into the Library;
• identify likely beats, loops, or songs according to your role and file context;
• recognize useful information from file and folder names;
• find related versions and, where available, related FL Studio projects;
• make the files available for playback and producer workflows.

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What Motif does not do

Adding a folder does not move, rename, or replace the source audio files. Motif’s collections, covers, and organizational information are a workspace around those files. Removing a folder from Motif stops that location from contributing to the Library; it is not a command to delete the folder from Windows.

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4. Let the first scan finish

You can begin exploring while Motif works, but some details may appear after the initial scan catches up. Large libraries take longer than small ones. Start in Library → All to confirm that your music appears. Then open Types and Collab to see how Motif interpreted the collection. If a file is classified incorrectly, you can edit its type and tags from the Library instead of renaming the source file.

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Add more folders later

Open Settings, find the Library section, and select Add folder. Each selected folder appears in the same section and can be removed from Motif independently. Avoid adding both a parent folder and one of its children when they contain the same music. A single well-chosen parent folder usually produces a cleaner Library.

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Recommended next steps

1. Read Library overview to understand All, Types, Collab, Custom, and Tracked.
2. Learn how versions keep related exports together.
3. Review Connections before linking an external service.
4. Open Settings to choose appearance, file-handling preferences, and keyboard shortcuts.