RHYTHMIX STUDIO — QUICKSTART
============================

Thanks for buying RHYTHMIX Studio. This is your lifetime access — every
future RHYTHMIX feature is included. Here's how to get your first music
video rendered tonight.


WHAT YOU JUST BOUGHT
--------------------
A CLI engine that turns any audio track into a cinematic music video.
It analyzes the audio, builds a scene plan, generates each scene with
top-tier AI video models (Kling v2, Hunyuan, Luma Ray, MiniMax),
beat-snaps the cuts, and stitches the result into one MP4.

This is Phase 1. The Studio web app launches in 14 days — you'll get
an email with access when it's ready.


REQUIREMENTS
------------
- Node.js 20 or newer  (download: https://nodejs.org)
- ffmpeg and ffprobe   (Mac: brew install ffmpeg / Windows: winget install ffmpeg)
- A Replicate API token (for paid AI generation)
  or a Pexels API key (free, uses stock footage)
  or just your own video clips (free, --source local)
- Optional: aubio for auto-BPM detection (Mac: brew install aubio).
  Without it, pass --bpm <n> or accept un-snapped cuts.


FIRST RENDER IN 3 STEPS
-----------------------

1) Unzip this archive somewhere convenient and open a terminal there:

     cd rhythmix-studio

2) Pick a source mode. You have three options:

   FREE (no signup, your own clips):
     node bin/rhythmix-studio.mjs render path/to/your-track.mp3 \
       --theme "neon-soaked midnight city" \
       --bpm 120 \
       --source local \
       --clips-dir path/to/folder-of-mp4s

   FREE (signup at https://www.pexels.com/api/, real stock footage):
     export PEXELS_API_KEY=...
     node bin/rhythmix-studio.mjs render your-track.mp3 \
       --theme "underwater cathedral, bioluminescent fish" \
       --bpm 92 \
       --source pexels

   PAID (token from https://replicate.com/account/api-tokens, ~$8-25/render):
     export REPLICATE_API_TOKEN=...
     node bin/rhythmix-studio.mjs render your-track.mp3 \
       --theme "Australian outback at golden hour, vintage muscle car" \
       --bpm 100 \
       --aspect 16:9 \
       --concurrency 3

3) Find your finished video at:
     ./rhythmix-out/<track-name>/final.mp4


COSTS YOU SHOULD KNOW
---------------------
The CLI itself costs nothing to run. The AI generation calls cost money
on YOUR Replicate account (typically $8-25 for a 60-second video,
depending on which models the planner routes to).

Pexels and local sources are free.

Always run with --dry-run first to see the cost estimate before
committing to a real render.


TIPS
----
- Use --bpm if you know your song's BPM — beat-snapped cuts feel much
  better than free-floating ones. With aubio installed (brew install
  aubio), it's auto-detected.
- Run --dry-run first; edit plan.json if you want to change prompts or
  swap models; then run "render-from-plan plan.json" to render just the
  edits without re-planning.
- For social aspect ratios: --aspect 9:16 (TikTok/Reels) or 1:1 (Insta
  feed). The engine auto-crops your clips to fit, regardless of source.
- Crossfade transitions land between every scene by default. Pass
  --no-transitions for hard cuts (faster render, more punchy).
- Section structure is detected from your song's loudness curve — loud
  parts become "chorus" with cinematic prompts, quiet parts become
  "verse" / "intro" / "outro". Pass --flat-plan to force the default
  7-section template instead.
- If a render fails mid-way (network blip, API timeout), just re-run
  the same command. Finished scenes are kept; only the failed scene is
  re-attempted (up to 3x with backoff).


WHEN YOU GET STUCK
------------------
Reply to your Gumroad receipt with your license key and a description
of the problem and we'll help directly:

    wiggjamie9@gmail.com

If it's not for you, the 30-day money-back guarantee is also a simple
reply to your receipt with the word "refund". No questions asked.


WHAT'S NEXT
-----------
- Studio web app (14 days)
- More aspect-ratio presets
- LLM-based scene planner from lyrics + theme
- Auto BPM detection

Your $149 covers all of this and everything we ship after. Lifetime
means lifetime.

Welcome aboard.

— Jamie
  RHYTHMIX
  rhythmixapp.com.au
