The General Options panel controls core application behavior, media library updating, audio player configuration, and automatic tag synchronization. Adjusting these settings allows you to customize how Zortam Mp3 Media Studio integrates with Windows and handles your audio library.
1. System & Startup Settings
Configure how Zortam launches and interacts with your Windows operating system:
- Start Zortam Mp3 Media Studio when Windows starts: Automatically launches the application upon system login so your library is always ready.
- Check for new version when program starts: Automatically checks Zortam servers on startup to ensure you are running the latest software release.
- Minimize to system tray: Keeps Zortam running quietly in the taskbar notification area (system tray) when minimized, reducing taskbar clutter.
- Show splash screen: Toggles the startup banner image when launching the application.
- Use system font (needs restart): Swaps Zortam’s default interface font with your standard Windows desktop font for improved readability or DPI scaling.
2. Library Scanning & Tag Synchronization
Manage how Zortam processes folders and keeps metadata synchronized across ID3 tag versions:
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Add files to library when browsing folders | Automatically indexes any audio files found in directories you navigate through in the folder explorer view. |
| Recursive search of folder | Includes all subdirectories and nested folders when scanning or adding music directories to your library. |
| Auto synchronize ID3v1 and ID3v2 tags | Ensures edits made to ID3v2 tags are automatically mirrored to legacy ID3v1 tags (and vice versa) for maximum player compatibility. |
| Send lyrics to Zortam server… | Contributes fetched or custom-entered lyrics to the central Zortam Music Database to help expand online lyrics availability for all users. |
3. Special Characters Cleanup
Use the Remove next special characters from Tags input field to list specific unwanted characters (e.g., non-standard punctuation or web URL artifacts). When writing tags or batch-cleaning metadata, Zortam will automatically strip out any matching characters defined in this box.
4. Audio Player & Output Directory Setup
Choose your preferred media player engine and default target directory for output operations:
- Use internal Zortam Player: Enable this checkbox to use Zortam’s built-in audio player directly within the main window interface.
- Player Path: If you prefer an external media player (such as Winamp, VLC, or Windows Media Player), select or browse (
...) to its executable (.exe) path. - Output Folder: Set the default destination directory for converted files, ripped tracks, or newly organized audio libraries.
Pro Tip: Keeping Auto synchronize ID3v1 and ID3v2 tags enabled guarantees your music metadata renders correctly on older car stereos (which read ID3v1) as well as modern smartphones and media players (which read ID3v2).