1 · Download and installation
Download the current installer and double-click it. Installation runs in seconds — no setup wizard, no administrator rights — and creates a desktop shortcut. Then launch Hypnotika from the new icon.
Windows SmartScreen warning — what to do
On first launch, Windows will very likely show a blue warning: "Windows protected your PC. Microsoft Defender SmartScreen prevented an unrecognised app from starting." — this is normal and not a security issue. Microsoft treats every new app as "unknown" until it has roughly 15,000 safe downloads. Until we get there, two clicks get you through:
- In the SmartScreen dialog, click "More info" (small text under the app name).
- A new button appears: "Run anyway" — click it. The app launches.
You only need this on the very first launch. From the second launch on, no warning — Windows remembers your choice per file.
Why don't we just "fix" this? Code-signing certificates cost €300-700/year. Microsoft removed the automatic reputation boost even for expensive Extended Validation certificates in 2024 — so code-signing no longer reliably eliminates the warning. Until we have 15,000 downloads, the user-side workaround is cheaper and more honest than buying a certificate that doesn't solve the problem.
What the app does NOT do: it needs no admin rights and makes no system-wide changes — Hypnotika installs only for your user account (into %LocalAppData%), just like VS Code or Slack. To uninstall: via Windows Settings → Apps, or the included uninstaller — leaves no residue.
If your antivirus (Norton, Bitdefender, Kaspersky etc.) also raises an alarm: same reputation mechanism. Add the file to your antivirus exclusion list or click "Run anyway" once.
2 · Run the setup assistant
Four steps on first launch:
- Welcome & language — pick German or English, plus an overview of the following steps
- Audio output — two devices in one step: at the top "what YOU hear" (headphones/speakers), below it "what your client hears in the online call" (optional, for Zoom/Teams/Meet). If VB-Cable is already installed, the assistant detects it automatically and pre-selects "CABLE Input" as the online output — you'll see the note "✓ VB-Cable detected". For in-room sessions, simply leave the second output on "Off".
- Microphone — optional, for mixing your voice into the recording
- Recording folder — where session MP3s are saved
You can change anything any time in Settings. "Skip" and circle back later is perfectly fine.
3 · Import your first tracks
Switch to the Library page (sidebar). Drag-and-drop MP3/WAV/FLAC files onto the page or click "Add tracks". The audio analysis (BPM + key) runs in the background with a progress indicator. Then assign each track to a phase in its row by clicking "Intro", "Mid" (for "Middle"), "Climax" or "Outro".
On the very first launch, Hypnotika automatically imports the bundled sounds (music, nature sounds + anchor sounds) in the background — a progress banner shows how far the import has come. You can keep clicking around as usual in the meantime: the window appears instantly, the library is usable right away, and the BPM/key analysis of your own tracks also runs in a background thread without slowing the app down.
No tracks at hand yet? The music sources guide lists 10+ legal sources.
4 · Test-play your first track
In the library, hover over the track's row → a slider icon appears on the right of the row (tooltip "Edit loop markers") → click it. The "Track details" view opens with waveform, BPM, key. Two buttons play the track: "Preview (from start)" from the start point, "Preview (from loop-in)" right from Loop-In — ideal for testing the loop transition.
Set loop markers as needed: start point (where the track begins on play), Loop-In and Loop-Out (the region to loop). Magnetic snap helps with round numbers.
5 · Switch to the cockpit
Sidebar → Cockpit. You'll see the five big buttons: "Intro", "Middle", "Climax", "Outro", "Soft Stop". Out of the box, the "Standard session" preset is active; it has a fixed playlist of the bundled music for every phase. Click "Intro" — the first track of the Intro playlist plays.
To switch, click "Middle": Hypnotika crossfades to the first track of the Middle playlist. Without a fixed playlist per phase (random mode), Hypnotika instead picks a track that matches in key and tempo from the ones you assigned to that phase in the library. How long Hypnotika waits at least before the transition is set under Settings → "Playback & Mixing" → "Minimum lead time before transition": "Instant", "2 s", "3 s" or "5 s" (default: 3 s).
6 · Soft Stop
Spacebar or the Soft Stop button: the music fades gently, the recording (if active) is saved. No hard cut-off for your client. The "Standard session" preset, which is active out of the box, has a fixed 5 s for the fade. With any other preset, or without a preset, the "Soft-stop duration" under Settings → "Playback & Mixing" applies (default: 2 s); while "Standard session" is active, that setting has no effect.