Getting Started with DeepGrooves

DeepGrooves is a catalog, listening, wishlist, storage, value, and sharing workspace for a physical music collection. It starts with the DeepGrooves catalog: millions of album, release, and pressing records that are refreshed monthly, then adds the personal details only you know. It can be simple when you only want to know what you own, and it can get very detailed when you care about exact pressings, condition, storage location, market values, and upgrade targets.

This guide is the starting point for the full DeepGrooves manual. It explains the main ideas in the app, what to do first, and how the rest of the manual fits together.

Who This Manual Is For

DeepGrooves supports a few different kinds of collectors:

• Casual collectors who want a clean list of albums, favorites, and a wishlist.
• Serious vinyl collectors who care about specific pressings, labels, catalog numbers, dead wax/runout notes, condition, and value history.
• Shelf organizers who need to know where a record physically lives.
• Record-store browsers who want to check whether they already own something before buying it again.
• Data-heavy collectors who have existing CSV, Excel, spreadsheet, or connected-service data and want to make it useful.

You do not need to use every feature on day one. DeepGrooves is built so you can start with the basics and reveal more collector tools as you need them.

The Main Idea

DeepGrooves is organized around copies you care about.

A record can be:

• in your Collection because you own it,
• in your Wishlist because you want it,
• marked as a Favorite because it matters to you,
• assigned to one or more Folders,
• tagged with personal labels,
• placed in the Vault so you know where it physically sits,
• connected to market values,
• used in listening tools like spins, Next, and listening history,
• or shared through read-only links and generated images.

The same album may exist in more than one context. For example, you might own a worn copy of an album, mark it for Upgrade Watch, and still see it in Wishlist as something you are hunting for. That does not remove it from your Collection; it simply means you own one copy and are watching for a better one.

First Look

When you open DeepGrooves, you usually land in your library. The exact layout depends on platform and screen size, but the core areas are the same:

• Sidebar or navigation: switch between Collection, Wishlist, Favorites, tools, genres, and saved views.
• Toolbar: search, filters, sort/group controls, refresh, folders, sharing, and view controls.
• Album grid or list: the records currently visible in the selected view.
• Album detail: opens when you select a record.
• Utility buttons: settings, alerts, help, and DeeJay may appear in the app chrome depending on platform.

Platform Notes

The manual uses shared concepts wherever possible.

Platform	How Help Usually Opens	Notes
Web	In-app panel, iframe, or browser tab	Web is usually the reference experience for screenshots.
Desktop	Popup window or WebView	Desktop may have native window chrome, but the workflows should match the web app closely.
Android	WebView or browser fallback	Camera, barcode scanning, and file import permissions may differ.
Future mobile/iOS	WebView or browser fallback	Platform-specific notes will be added only where workflows differ.

If a feature behaves differently on a platform, the manual will say so in that section.

Collection, Wishlist, And Favorites

These three views are the heart of the app.

View	What It Means	Typical Use
Collection	Albums you physically own	Catalog, organize, value, play, store, and share what you have.
Wishlist	Albums you want, are watching, or want to upgrade	Track targets, prices, alerts, upgrade watches, and future purchases.
Favorites	Albums you personally mark as favorites	Quickly find records you love, recommend often, or want close at hand.

An item can be a Favorite and still be in Collection. A Wishlist item can have a target price and alert. An owned Collection item can also appear in Wishlist if it is marked as an upgrade target.

Album Cards

Album cards are meant to answer the everyday questions quickly:

• What is this album?
• Who is the artist?
• What year or pressing does this card represent?
• Do I own one or more copies?
• Is it a favorite?
• Is it on my wishlist?
• Is it being watched for alerts or upgrades?
• What is the current value signal?
• What condition did I grade it?
• Where is it stored?

Depending on your settings and the current view, an album card may show:

• cover art,
• title and artist,
• original/release/pressing year,
• media format such as Vinyl, CD, Cassette, or Digital,
• condition grade,
• target price or market value,
• alert/watch badges,
• owned-copy badges,
• Vault location,
• tags,
• rating,
• and an action menu.

Do not worry if every card does not show every field. DeepGrooves uses progressive detail: the card gives a quick read, and the detail view gives the full record.

Album Details

Open an album to see more information and actions.

Album detail can include:

• artwork,
• core album information,
• artist and sort artist,
• pressing information,
• label and catalog number,
• media format,
• country and year,
• media and sleeve condition,
• price paid,
• estimated value,
• market value range,
• tracklist,
• audio previews where available,
• play/spin history,
• notes,
• folders,
• tags,
• Vault location,
• wishlist target details,
• alert settings,
• upgrade watch status,
• source links where available,
• and sharing or editing actions.

Some fields come from the DeepGrooves catalog or imported metadata. Other fields are yours. The app should make it clear when a field is editable by you versus when it is reference data.

Simple Mode And Collector Detail

DeepGrooves has a lot of collector power, but not every user wants all of it visible all the time.

Simple Mode keeps the everyday library experience calmer by reducing advanced collector detail in places where it would otherwise be noisy. You still keep the same data. Simple Mode changes presentation, not your collection.

Use Simple Mode if you mostly care about:

• what you own,
• what you want,
• what you like,
• where albums are,
• what you played,
• and basic notes.

Use the full collector experience if you regularly care about:

• exact pressings,
• preferred copies,
• runout or dead wax,
• condition nuance,
• market values,
• insurance readiness,
• duplicate review,
• upgrade targets,
• and detailed value workflows.

You can reveal collector detail temporarily without permanently changing your preference, and you can change Simple Mode from Settings.

Your First Five Minutes

If you are new, do this first:

1. Choose how you want to start. Decide whether you want to search the DeepGrooves catalog, add one album manually, import existing data, scan a barcode, or start with Wishlist.
2. Add or import a small sample first. Do not import everything until you understand how review and duplicate handling feel.
3. Open an album detail view. Check the title, artist, format, condition, and pressing information.
4. Mark one favorite. Favorites are a low-pressure way to learn how state changes appear across the app.
5. Add one wishlist item. Set a target price if you know what you are willing to pay.
6. Try search and filters. Search by artist/title, then use a genre or status filter.
7. Optionally assign a Vault location. If physical location matters to you, set up the Vault early.

Choosing How To Build Your Library

There are several ways to get albums into DeepGrooves.

Method	Best For	What To Expect
Search the catalog	Adding a known album or pressing	Fastest path for common albums, exact pressings, artwork, tracklists, labels, catalog numbers, and release identity when available.
Barcode scan	Record-store or mobile use	Fast lookup when the barcode is available and recognized.
Manual add	Rare items, private pressings, personal records, local releases, or anything you want to enter yourself	You control the metadata, but you enter more yourself.
Connected-service import	Users with an existing collection or wantlist tracked somewhere else	Fastest way to bring existing data forward. Review results after import.
CSV/Excel import	Spreadsheet collectors	Useful when your collection is already in rows and columns. Mapping matters.

Start with the method that matches the data you already have. If you are unsure, search the catalog for one album and add it to Collection first.

What To Add First

The most useful minimum record usually includes:

• artist,
• title,
• format,
• release or pressing year if known,
• condition,
• whether it is Collection or Wishlist,
• and any personal note you care about.

For serious collector tracking, also add:

• label,
• catalog number,
• country,
• barcode,
• runout/matrix notes,
• sleeve condition,
• price paid,
• purchase source,
• storage location,
• and preferred pressing status.

Do not let perfect data stop you from starting. DeepGrooves includes Collection Health and editing tools so you can improve records later.

Wishlist Basics

Wishlist is not just a parking lot for albums you might buy. It can become a hunting list.

Wishlist items can track:

• target price,
• maximum price,
• priority,
• preferred condition,
• preferred country,
• preferred year range,
• notes about why you want it,
• alert preferences,
• and owned-copy awareness.

If an item has an alert, DeepGrooves can check marketplace signals and let you know when a matching release appears at or below your threshold. Marketplace alerts are helpful, but they are not a guarantee that a specific listing is still available by the time you click.

Upgrade Watch Basics

Upgrade Watch is for records you already own but may want to replace or improve.

Use Upgrade Watch when:

• your copy skips,
• the media condition is poor,
• the sleeve is damaged,
• you want a cleaner pressing,
• you want a preferred variant,
• or you want to remember that this copy is not your final copy.

An upgrade-watched item remains in Collection. It also appears in Wishlist as an upgrade target, so you can treat it like something you are hunting for without pretending you do not already own it.

Search, Filters, And Saved Views

As your library grows, browsing becomes less about scrolling and more about narrowing.

Useful ways to narrow your library include:

• text search,
• genre,
• format,
• condition,
• rating,
• tags,
• folders,
• Smart Collections,
• Wishlist status filters,
• alert/watch filters,
• and alphabet jump navigation.

The exact controls may differ by platform and screen size. The concept is the same: choose the library view first, then narrow it.

Folders, Tags, Smart Collections, And Vault

These features are related but not interchangeable.

Feature	What It Does	Example
Folders	Manual groupings you create	"To Clean", "Dad's Records", "Sell Stack"
Tags	Flexible labels that can overlap	"Sunday Morning", "Female Vocals", "Keep Close"
Smart Collections	Dynamic saved filters	"Unplayed Jazz", "High Rated Rock", "Missing Condition"
Vault	Physical storage location	"Office > Kallax > Top Left"

Use Folders when you want to intentionally put records together. Use Tags when a record can belong to several personal concepts. Use Smart Collections when the app should update the list automatically. Use Vault when you need to find the physical record.

Market Values And Estimates

DeepGrooves can show value context from catalog, sales-history, and marketplace signals where available. Values are estimates, not appraisals.

Market values may include:

• low,
• median,
• high,
• condition-specific estimates,
• last fetched date,
• marketplace availability signals,
• and confidence/estimate labels.

Values can help with:

• deciding whether a wishlist item looks promising,
• understanding collection value,
• insurance readiness,
• sale/trade planning,
• and spotting records that may need condition review.

Remember: a market value is not the same as an active listing. A value estimate can say what a record has tended to be worth; an alert can say DeepGrooves recently found a marketplace signal; neither guarantees a listing is still available at click time.

Sharing

DeepGrooves sharing is opt-in. Your collection is private unless you create a share.

You can share:

• your full collection,
• a folder,
• an artist,
• a genre,
• Wishlist slices,
• recently played albums,
• albums played in a date range,
• albums added in a date range,
• Now Spinning images,
• and generated collection images.

Shared pages are read-only. Viewers cannot edit your data or access your account.

Privacy And Data Comfort

DeepGrooves stores the collection data you choose to add. Depending on your use, that may include album metadata, artwork references, notes, storage locations, play history, wishlist targets, market values, and share settings.

Good habits:

• Do not put private personal information in album notes unless you are comfortable storing it.
• Use read-only share links intentionally.
• Review a share before sending it.
• Keep storage labels practical but not overly sensitive if you share collection views.
• Remember that generated images or links sent outside DeepGrooves can be copied by others.

Where To Go Next

After this guide, the most useful next sections are:

• Building Your Library: add, search, scan, and import albums.
• Managing Albums: edit metadata, condition, pressing details, tags, folders, notes, and values.
• Wishlist And Marketplace Watch: targets, alerts, dismissing alerts, and upgrade watch.
• Organizing: folders, tags, filters, Smart Collections, and saved views.
• Vault: rooms, racks, bins, and finding physical records.
• Listening: track previews, spins, listening journal, and Next.
• Sharing: read-only links, date ranges, generated images, and privacy.
• Settings And Account: Simple Mode, onboarding, subscription, connected services, and privacy choices.

Screenshot Checklist For This Section

Capture this set after the text is approved. Use demo-safe data and avoid private account details.

Slot	File Name	What To Capture
welcome	public/help-assets/getting-started/welcome.webp	First-run welcome or onboarding screen, if it is visually settled.
library-overview	public/help-assets/getting-started/library-overview.webp	Full app layout with sidebar, toolbar, and album grid visible.
collection-grid	public/help-assets/getting-started/collection-grid.webp	Collection view with a clean grid and common controls visible.
album-card	public/help-assets/getting-started/album-card.webp	One representative album card showing badges/value/rating/action menu.
album-detail	public/help-assets/getting-started/album-detail.webp	Album detail or flyout showing metadata, tracks, market/value context, and links.
add-album	public/help-assets/getting-started/add-album.webp	Add/search/import entry point or add options screen.
wishlist-overview	public/help-assets/getting-started/wishlist-overview.webp	Wishlist with targets/watch/alert/status filters visible.
settings-simple-mode	public/help-assets/getting-started/settings-simple-mode.webp	Settings area showing Simple Mode or onboarding controls.
help-entry	public/help-assets/getting-started/help-entry.webp	The in-app help button or help panel entry point.

For marketing-safe captures, it is fine for album artwork to be visible as contextual UI, but do not use album covers as standalone hero art in this help section.