Your collection, catalogued.
Cover-art library, search, the playing track highlighted, and multiple pressings of the same album. Enriched automatically from public music catalogs such as MusicBrainz and Discogs.
Feels like streaming,
but it's your records
See what's playing on your vinyl, CD or cassette on a TV, a display or your phone — recognized and cataloged effortlessly.
Listens.Recognizes.Catalogs.Displays.
How it works
Your analog sound, on screen.
OceanO takes a line-level feed from a record or line output and shows what's playing on screen. Nothing in the signal path: what reaches your speakers is exactly what reached them before.
Turntable · CD Player · Cassette Deck
Your sources
Amplifier
REC OUT or LINE OUT
OceanO
Listens, catalogs and displays
- 01
Connect it once.
Plug OceanO into your amplifier's REC OUT, TAPE OUT or LINE OUT. It doesn't matter which amplifier, new or old, as long as it has a line-level audio output.
- 02
Play as you always do.
Follow your ritual... vinyl, CD or cassette.
- 03
See what's playing.
Artwork, title, artist and position: side and track on vinyl or cassette, track number on CD.
On the display
And in the app.
The app follows along, and takes you straight to the release in your library.
The device
Small enough to sit behind your amplifier.
OceanO comes fitted inside a 74 × 40 × 28 mm case. The first version is made to take a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 WH, which you buy separately and fit by taking off the base cover.
Drag to turn
Finish
The current case prototype. Shape, ports and finishes may change before release.
How to connect it
LINE IN
A 3.5 mm cable from your amplifier's REC OUT, TAPE OUT or LINE OUT.
HDMI
To the screen where Now Playing appears: a TV, a monitor or a small panel.
5V
The Raspberry Pi's own micro-USB power supply.
How it recognizes
Offline, or with the help of online providers.
OceanO builds its own fingerprint index from your collection.
Offline
You're in charge of your collection.
Register each release, by barcode or by hand. Put a physical record on to play and wait for OceanO to ask you to make the match. From then on, OceanO does the rest automatically.
- →Runs on the device, no internet needed.
- →Your exact pressing, without depending on the quality or availability of a database.
- →No accounts, no subscriptions, no API costs. Your music. Your catalog.
With the help of online providers
Let OceanO do the cataloging.
When OceanO doesn't know a track, it asks the recognition services you configure and catalogs what they identify. Quicker to start, but only as accurate as the provider's data.
- →Your own collection is checked locally first, always.
- →You set the provider order: first answer, or best score.
- →You bring your own API keys, so you control cost and contract.
- →Only a short audio sample goes out, to the provider you chose.
Either way, OceanO asks instead of guessing. If it isn't sure, the play waits for you in a review queue, and is never logged wrong. You get a catalog of your collection, effortlessly.
Stylus wear
Superior stylus wear tracking.
Register your cartridge and the rated life of its stylus. OceanO logs actual vinyl playing time from the tracks it recognizes, with no manual log, and estimates remaining hours and wear against that rating. As the stylus nears the end of its rated life, OceanO reminds you to inspect it.
Private by design
Your collection.
No accounts, no server connection. You own your collection. OceanO is your smart catalog.
On the device
Your library and play history are stored locally, not on a server.
No account
Nothing to sign up for. Your phone talks to OceanO over your home network.
Never shared
What you listen to stays between you and your system (unless you turn on cloud recognition, where short WAV samples are sent to the servers you configured yourself).
Note: artwork and track data come from servers such as MusicBrainz and Discogs (requires your own account).
Everything else
The rest of the system.
Add a record by barcode.
Scan it, choose the exact pressing, and the tracklist comes with it, laid out by side.
1/5 Library → New Release
Amplifier control.
Power, input and volume over infrared, from your phone. It can learn commands from your existing remote.
Your equipment, described.
Amplifier profiles and inputs, so OceanO knows that Phono means vinyl.
App and web Studio.
Everything above from your phone, or on a bigger screen in the browser.
And as a convenience, AirPlay and Bluetooth streams play through the DAC you choose.
Where we are
A working prototype.
OceanO is a working prototype, in daily use in my living room. Its own audio board is designed and the first samples are being made, along with the case above. Next comes the first version you can buy: the box, ready for your own Raspberry Pi. Sign up for early access to follow along and be first in line.
FAQ
Questions
Will it work with my amplifier?+
It's designed for amplifiers with a REC OUT, TAPE OUT or LINE OUT, which most hi-fi amplifiers have, old and new. You replace nothing. If the LINE OUT follows the volume knob, you may need to adjust OceanO's input level once.
Does it affect the sound?+
No. OceanO takes a copy of the signal from a record or line output and sends nothing back. It isn't between your sources and your speakers.
What isn't OceanO?+
It isn't a streaming service: it recognizes what you already play. It doesn't replace your amplifier, turntable or CD player. It isn't an app you hold up to the speaker: it listens continuously and keeps a growing library. And it isn't a cloud product: it can run 100% offline.
Does my listening data go anywhere?+
Not in offline mode. In cloud-assisted mode, only short audio samples go to the providers you configured.
Can I keep a session out of my history?+
Yes. Turn recognition off from the phone app whenever you'd rather a session wasn't logged, and back on when you're done. If your amplifier is set up in OceanO and controlled through its remote, you can also choose inputs it should never recognize. AirPlay and Bluetooth streams are shown on the display but never added to your library.
Offline or cloud-assisted: which should I choose?+
Offline if you want the catalog to match your exact pressings, including releases online databases miss or get wrong, and don't mind registering records yourself. It also keeps everything in your house. Cloud-assisted if you'd rather not catalog by hand and let recognition fill the library as you play, accepting that the provider's data may need the odd correction.
What formats does it recognize?+
Vinyl, CD, tape and other line-level sources, plus AirPlay and Bluetooth metadata (as a convenience, but it requires a DAC).
Why should the first play be uninterrupted?+
That's when OceanO learns each track's fingerprint, so it needs to hear it through. Whole tracks are enough, not a whole side or CD. After that, recognition is automatic.
What if it gets a track wrong?+
It asks instead of guessing: uncertain plays wait for one tap in the review queue.
What do I need besides OceanO?+
An amplifier with a line-level output, a screen with an HDMI input, and, for the first version, a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 WH with its power supply. Later versions will come with the computer inside.
Can I buy one?+
Not yet. It's a working prototype, and the first version, the box for your own Raspberry Pi, is next. Sign up for early access.
Built for the collection you already have.
OceanO isn't for sale yet. Leave your email and we'll write when early units are ready.