NeginatoGetting the most out of Neginato.
Everything you need to install, set up, and troubleshoot the app.
Requirements
- macOS 26 or later.
- A folder of your own music — FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF, AAC, or MP3 (PCM only).
- Any audio output device. Neginato asks every device for exclusive access automatically; a DAC that offers an integer output format also gets integer-first playback.
Download & install
Open the downloaded Neginato.dmg and drag Neginato into your Applications folder. The app is signed and notarized, so it opens without a Gatekeeper warning. It's free and requires macOS 26 or later.
Getting started — your first five minutes
- Open Neginato. On first run the grid shows a “No music yet” prompt.
- Open Settings (⌘,) → the Library tab → Choose Folder… and pick the top-level folder that holds your music.
- Neginato scans the folder, reads each file's tags, groups tracks into albums, and shows them in the grid. Use Rescan after adding files.
- Because the app is sandboxed, your folder choice is remembered across launches — you only pick it once.
- Optional: to let the app keep the queue going by itself, turn on Enable Auto DJ in Settings → the Auto DJ tab, then click Start Auto DJ in the Queue header. It runs entirely on your Mac — there's no key or account to set up.
Troubleshooting
No audio, or the device is missing
Check the output device in Settings → Playback. If a device you just plugged in isn't listed, stop playback — the list only refreshes while nothing is playing. If the device is selected but silent, check the Volume mode: on Fixed, Neginato sends full-scale audio and never applies its own gain, so the level is set on your DAC, amp, or receiver.
The BIT-PERFECT pill is amber
Hover it — the card names the exact reason. Amber does not mean your music was damaged: sometimes the signal really did change (the DAC ran at a different rate, for example), and sometimes nothing changed but Neginato can't prove it. The most common case is “exclusive access not granted”, which usually means another app already holds the device exclusively; quit it and start playback again. There is no setting to check — Neginato requests exclusive access automatically on every device, and simply keeps playing in shared mode when a device refuses.
A radio stream won't play
Some stations are offline or block playback. Try another station, or re-check the URL you added.
Artwork or a waveform is missing
Artwork comes from embedded tags or a folder image; the two-tone waveform is computed in the background and fills in over time as tracks are analyzed.
The Auto DJ buttons are greyed out
Auto DJ ships switched off. Turn on Enable Auto DJ in Settings → the Auto DJ tab, and the two buttons in the Queue header become active. Save as Auto DJ Playlist… also stays greyed out while the queue is empty.
Auto DJ says it found no matching tracks
It usually means the queue gave it too little to work from. Add a few more tracks to the queue, or lower Stay with the artist in the Auto DJ settings so it can range wider. Auto DJ keeps trying on its own, and the message clears as soon as a refill succeeds.
Auto DJ won't start
Auto DJ plays your local library and Internet Radio plays live streams, so only one can be the current source. Stop the radio station first, then start Auto DJ.
The Playback settings are greyed out
That's deliberate: Neginato never touches the audio device while it's driving it, so the output device, rate-change settle delay, and volume mode lock while anything is playing, and the tab says “Stop playback to change the output device or audio settings.” Stop playback (⌘.), make your change, then start again — the device list re-scans the moment playback stops.