diff --git a/ui/src/app/api/datasets/listImages/route.ts b/ui/src/app/api/datasets/listImages/route.ts
index 06dca84a..1887e425 100644
--- a/ui/src/app/api/datasets/listImages/route.ts
+++ b/ui/src/app/api/datasets/listImages/route.ts
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ export async function POST(request: Request) {
  * @returns Array of absolute paths to image files
  */
 function findImagesRecursively(dir: string): string[] {
-  const imageExtensions = ['.png', '.jpg', '.jpeg', '.webp', '.mp4', '.avi', '.mov', '.mkv', '.wmv', '.m4v', '.flv'];
+  const imageExtensions = ['.png', '.jpg', '.jpeg', '.webp', '.mp4', '.avi', '.mov', '.mkv', '.wmv', '.m4v', '.flv', '.mp3', '.wav'];
   let results: string[] = [];
 
   const items = fs.readdirSync(dir);
diff --git a/ui/src/app/api/files/[...filePath]/route.ts b/ui/src/app/api/files/[...filePath]/route.ts
index 46eb5c4a..689bebbe 100644
--- a/ui/src/app/api/files/[...filePath]/route.ts
+++ b/ui/src/app/api/files/[...filePath]/route.ts
@@ -58,7 +58,10 @@ export async function GET(request: NextRequest, { params }: { params: { filePath
       '.mkv': 'video/x-matroska',
       '.wmv': 'video/x-ms-wmv',
       '.m4v': 'video/x-m4v',
-      '.flv': 'video/x-flv'
+      '.flv': 'video/x-flv',
+      // Audio
+      '.mp3': 'audio/mpeg',
+      '.wav': 'audio/wav',
     };
 
     const contentType = contentTypeMap[ext] || 'application/octet-stream';
diff --git a/ui/src/app/api/img/[...imagePath]/route.ts b/ui/src/app/api/img/[...imagePath]/route.ts
index 80fc7272..6f2ae390 100644
--- a/ui/src/app/api/img/[...imagePath]/route.ts
+++ b/ui/src/app/api/img/[...imagePath]/route.ts
@@ -55,7 +55,10 @@ export async function GET(request: NextRequest, { params }: { params: { imagePat
       '.mkv': 'video/x-matroska',
       '.wmv': 'video/x-ms-wmv',
       '.m4v': 'video/x-m4v',
-      '.flv': 'video/x-flv'
+      '.flv': 'video/x-flv',
+      // Audio
+      '.mp3': 'audio/mpeg',
+      '.wav': 'audio/wav',
     };
 
     const contentType = contentTypeMap[ext] || 'application/octet-stream';
diff --git a/ui/src/app/api/img/delete/route.ts b/ui/src/app/api/img/delete/route.ts
index 3db7019a..2b5b16a3 100644
--- a/ui/src/app/api/img/delete/route.ts
+++ b/ui/src/app/api/img/delete/route.ts
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ export async function POST(request: Request) {
     }
 
     // make sure it is an image
-    if (!/\.(jpg|jpeg|png|bmp|gif|tiff|webp|mp4)$/i.test(imgPath.toLowerCase())) {
+    if (!/\.(jpg|jpeg|png|bmp|gif|tiff|webp|mp4|mp3|wav)$/i.test(imgPath.toLowerCase())) {
       return NextResponse.json({ error: 'Not an image' }, { status: 400 });
     }
 
diff --git a/ui/src/app/api/jobs/[jobID]/samples/route.ts b/ui/src/app/api/jobs/[jobID]/samples/route.ts
index c0f2ab33..fb93e7f4 100644
--- a/ui/src/app/api/jobs/[jobID]/samples/route.ts
+++ b/ui/src/app/api/jobs/[jobID]/samples/route.ts
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ export async function GET(request: NextRequest, { params }: { params: { jobID: s
   const samples = fs
     .readdirSync(samplesFolder)
     .filter(file => {
-      return file.endsWith('.png') || file.endsWith('.jpg') || file.endsWith('.jpeg') || file.endsWith('.webp') || file.endsWith('.mp4');
+      return file.endsWith('.png') || file.endsWith('.jpg') || file.endsWith('.jpeg') || file.endsWith('.webp') || file.endsWith('.mp4') || file.endsWith('mp3') || file.endsWith('wav');
     })
     .map(file => {
       return path.join(samplesFolder, file);
diff --git a/ui/src/components/AddImagesModal.tsx b/ui/src/components/AddImagesModal.tsx
index ff91a883..82ad6c72 100644
--- a/ui/src/components/AddImagesModal.tsx
+++ b/ui/src/components/AddImagesModal.tsx
@@ -77,6 +77,7 @@ export default function AddImagesModal() {
     accept: {
       'image/*': ['.png', '.jpg', '.jpeg', '.gif', '.bmp', '.webp'],
       'video/*': ['.mp4', '.avi', '.mov', '.mkv', '.wmv', '.m4v', '.flv'],
+      'audio/*': ['.mp3', '.wav'],
       'text/*': ['.txt'],
     },
     multiple: true,
diff --git a/ui/src/components/AudioPlayer.tsx b/ui/src/components/AudioPlayer.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..541716d2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ui/src/components/AudioPlayer.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,797 @@
+'use client';
+
+import React, { useEffect, useMemo, useRef, useState } from 'react';
+
+type AudioPlayerProps = {
+  src: string;
+
+  /** Fallbacks (used only if meta missing) */
+  title?: string;
+  subtitle?: string;
+
+  /** Optional: default background image if no embedded album art is found */
+  defaultAlbumArtUrl?: string;
+
+  className?: string;
+  autoPlay?: boolean;
+  onPlay?: () => void;
+  onPause?: () => void;
+};
+
+function clamp(n: number, a: number, b: number) {
+  return Math.min(b, Math.max(a, n));
+}
+function fmtTime(sec: number) {
+  if (!isFinite(sec) || sec < 0) return '0:00';
+  const s = Math.floor(sec % 60);
+  const m = Math.floor(sec / 60);
+  return `${m}:${String(s).padStart(2, '0')}`;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Global “only one plays at a time” channel.
+ */
+const AUDIO_EXCLUSIVE_EVENT = 'app:exclusive-audio-play';
+type ExclusivePlayDetail = { token: string };
+function broadcastExclusivePlay(token: string) {
+  window.dispatchEvent(new CustomEvent<ExclusivePlayDetail>(AUDIO_EXCLUSIVE_EVENT, { detail: { token } }));
+}
+
+/**
+ * ID3 helpers (v2.2/v2.3/v2.4):
+ * - robust album art extraction: APIC (v2.3/2.4) + PIC (v2.2)
+ * - basic text frames: title/artist/album
+ * - handles tag-level unsynchronisation
+ *
+ * Requires fetch() byte access; if CORS blocks, it will fall back gracefully.
+ */
+type Id3Meta = {
+  title?: string;
+  artist?: string;
+  album?: string;
+  pictureUrl?: string; // object URL
+};
+
+function synchsafeToInt(b0: number, b1: number, b2: number, b3: number) {
+  return ((b0 & 0x7f) << 21) | ((b1 & 0x7f) << 14) | ((b2 & 0x7f) << 7) | (b3 & 0x7f);
+}
+
+function deUnsync(bytes: Uint8Array) {
+  const out: number[] = [];
+  for (let i = 0; i < bytes.length; i++) {
+    const cur = bytes[i];
+    out.push(cur);
+    if (cur === 0xff && i + 1 < bytes.length && bytes[i + 1] === 0x00) i += 1;
+  }
+  return new Uint8Array(out);
+}
+
+function decodeText(encoding: number, bytes: Uint8Array) {
+  let end = bytes.length;
+  while (end > 0 && bytes[end - 1] === 0) end--;
+  const b = bytes.slice(0, end);
+
+  try {
+    if (encoding === 0) return new TextDecoder('latin1').decode(b);
+    if (encoding === 1) return new TextDecoder('utf-16').decode(b);
+    if (encoding === 2) return new TextDecoder('utf-16be').decode(b);
+    if (encoding === 3) return new TextDecoder('utf-8').decode(b);
+  } catch {
+    // ignore
+  }
+  return new TextDecoder('latin1').decode(b);
+}
+
+function readNullTerminated(bytes: Uint8Array, start: number, encoding: number) {
+  if (encoding === 1 || encoding === 2) {
+    let i = start;
+    while (i + 1 < bytes.length && !(bytes[i] === 0 && bytes[i + 1] === 0)) i += 2;
+    const textBytes = bytes.slice(start, i);
+    return { text: decodeText(encoding, textBytes), next: i + 2 };
+  } else {
+    let i = start;
+    while (i < bytes.length && bytes[i] !== 0) i++;
+    const textBytes = bytes.slice(start, i);
+    return { text: decodeText(encoding, textBytes), next: i + 1 };
+  }
+}
+
+async function fetchBytes(src: string, start: number, endInclusive: number) {
+  const wantLen = endInclusive - start + 1;
+
+  try {
+    const r = await fetch(src, { headers: { Range: `bytes=${start}-${endInclusive}` } });
+    if (!r.ok) throw new Error('range not ok');
+    const buf = await r.arrayBuffer();
+    return new Uint8Array(buf);
+  } catch {
+    const r = await fetch(src);
+    if (!r.ok) throw new Error('fetch not ok');
+    const buf = await r.arrayBuffer();
+    const u8 = new Uint8Array(buf);
+    if (start === 0 && u8.length >= wantLen) return u8.slice(0, wantLen);
+    return u8.slice(start, Math.min(u8.length, endInclusive + 1));
+  }
+}
+
+async function extractId3MetaAndArt(src: string, maxTagBytes = 4_000_000): Promise<Id3Meta> {
+  const head = await fetchBytes(src, 0, 64 * 1024 - 1).catch(() => null);
+  if (!head || head.length < 10) return {};
+  if (head[0] !== 0x49 || head[1] !== 0x44 || head[2] !== 0x33) return {};
+
+  const verMajor = head[3]; // 2,3,4
+  const flags = head[5];
+  const tagSize = synchsafeToInt(head[6], head[7], head[8], head[9]);
+  const tagEnd = 10 + tagSize;
+
+  const need = Math.min(tagEnd, maxTagBytes);
+  let tagBytes = head;
+  if (head.length < need) {
+    const more = await fetchBytes(src, 0, need - 1).catch(() => null);
+    if (!more) return {};
+    tagBytes = more;
+  } else {
+    tagBytes = head.slice(0, need);
+  }
+
+  const tagUnsync = (flags & 0x80) !== 0;
+  const tagDataRaw = tagBytes.slice(10, Math.min(tagBytes.length, tagEnd));
+  const tagData = tagUnsync ? deUnsync(tagDataRaw) : tagDataRaw;
+
+  let offset = 0;
+
+  // Extended header (v2.3/v2.4)
+  if (verMajor === 3 || verMajor === 4) {
+    const hasExt = (flags & 0x40) !== 0;
+    if (hasExt && tagData.length >= 4) {
+      let extSize = 0;
+      if (verMajor === 4) extSize = synchsafeToInt(tagData[0], tagData[1], tagData[2], tagData[3]);
+      else extSize = (tagData[0] << 24) | (tagData[1] << 16) | (tagData[2] << 8) | tagData[3];
+      offset += 4 + Math.max(0, extSize);
+    }
+  }
+
+  const meta: Id3Meta = {};
+  const setIfEmpty = (k: keyof Id3Meta, v?: string) => {
+    if (!v) return;
+    if (!meta[k]) meta[k] = v;
+  };
+
+  while (offset < tagData.length) {
+    if (tagData[offset] === 0x00) break;
+
+    if (verMajor === 2) {
+      if (offset + 6 > tagData.length) break;
+      const id = new TextDecoder('latin1').decode(tagData.slice(offset, offset + 3));
+      const size = (tagData[offset + 3] << 16) | (tagData[offset + 4] << 8) | tagData[offset + 5];
+      offset += 6;
+      if (!id.trim() || size <= 0 || offset + size > tagData.length) break;
+
+      const frame = tagData.slice(offset, offset + size);
+
+      if (id === 'TT2' || id === 'TP1' || id === 'TAL') {
+        const enc = frame[0];
+        const txt = decodeText(enc, frame.slice(1));
+        if (id === 'TT2') setIfEmpty('title', txt);
+        if (id === 'TP1') setIfEmpty('artist', txt);
+        if (id === 'TAL') setIfEmpty('album', txt);
+      }
+
+      if (id === 'PIC' && frame.length > 6) {
+        const enc = frame[0];
+        const fmt = new TextDecoder('latin1').decode(frame.slice(1, 4)).toLowerCase();
+        const imgType = fmt === 'png' ? 'image/png' : 'image/jpeg';
+        let p = 5;
+        const desc = readNullTerminated(frame, p, enc);
+        p = desc.next;
+        if (p < frame.length) {
+          const img = frame.slice(p);
+          if (img.length > 64) {
+            const blob = new Blob([img], { type: imgType });
+            meta.pictureUrl = URL.createObjectURL(blob);
+          }
+        }
+      }
+
+      offset += size;
+    } else {
+      if (offset + 10 > tagData.length) break;
+
+      const id = new TextDecoder('latin1').decode(tagData.slice(offset, offset + 4));
+      let size = 0;
+      if (verMajor === 4)
+        size = synchsafeToInt(tagData[offset + 4], tagData[offset + 5], tagData[offset + 6], tagData[offset + 7]);
+      else
+        size =
+          (tagData[offset + 4] << 24) | (tagData[offset + 5] << 16) | (tagData[offset + 6] << 8) | tagData[offset + 7];
+
+      const flag2 = tagData[offset + 9];
+      offset += 10;
+
+      if (!id.trim() || size <= 0 || offset + size > tagData.length) break;
+
+      let frame = tagData.slice(offset, offset + size);
+
+      const frameUnsync = verMajor === 4 && (flag2 & 0x02) !== 0;
+      if (frameUnsync) frame = deUnsync(frame);
+
+      if (id === 'TIT2' || id === 'TPE1' || id === 'TALB') {
+        const enc = frame[0];
+        const txt = decodeText(enc, frame.slice(1));
+        if (id === 'TIT2') setIfEmpty('title', txt);
+        if (id === 'TPE1') setIfEmpty('artist', txt);
+        if (id === 'TALB') setIfEmpty('album', txt);
+      }
+
+      if (id === 'APIC' && frame.length > 10) {
+        const enc = frame[0];
+        const mimeZ = readNullTerminated(frame, 1, 0);
+        const mime = mimeZ.text || 'image/jpeg';
+        let p = mimeZ.next;
+        if (p < frame.length) p += 1; // pictureType
+        const desc = readNullTerminated(frame, p, enc);
+        p = desc.next;
+
+        if (p < frame.length) {
+          const img = frame.slice(p);
+          if (img.length > 64) {
+            const blob = new Blob([img], { type: mime });
+            if (!meta.pictureUrl) meta.pictureUrl = URL.createObjectURL(blob);
+          }
+        }
+      }
+
+      offset += size;
+    }
+  }
+
+  return meta;
+}
+
+export default function AudioPlayer({
+  src,
+  title = 'Audio',
+  subtitle,
+  defaultAlbumArtUrl,
+  className = '',
+  autoPlay = false,
+  onPlay,
+  onPause,
+}: AudioPlayerProps) {
+  const tokenRef = useRef(`aud_${Math.random().toString(16).slice(2)}_${Date.now()}`);
+  const wrapRef = useRef<HTMLDivElement | null>(null);
+
+  const audioRef = useRef<HTMLAudioElement | null>(null);
+  const barRef = useRef<HTMLDivElement | null>(null);
+  const waveRef = useRef<HTMLCanvasElement | null>(null);
+
+  const [size, setSize] = useState(256);
+
+  const [isReady, setIsReady] = useState(false);
+  const [isPlaying, setIsPlaying] = useState(false);
+  const [isBuffering, setIsBuffering] = useState(false);
+  const [err, setErr] = useState<string | null>(null);
+
+  const [duration, setDuration] = useState(0);
+  const [t, setT] = useState(0);
+
+  const [dragging, setDragging] = useState(false);
+  const [dragValue, setDragValue] = useState(0);
+
+  // Meta + artwork
+  const [metaTitle, setMetaTitle] = useState<string | null>(null);
+  const [metaArtist, setMetaArtist] = useState<string | null>(null);
+  const [metaAlbum, setMetaAlbum] = useState<string | null>(null);
+  const [albumArtUrl, setAlbumArtUrl] = useState<string | null>(null);
+  const albumArtBlobUrlRef = useRef<string | null>(null);
+
+  // WebAudio analyser
+  const audioCtxRef = useRef<AudioContext | null>(null);
+  const analyserRef = useRef<AnalyserNode | null>(null);
+  const timeRef = useRef<Uint8Array | null>(null);
+  const rafRef = useRef<number | null>(null);
+
+  // Smoothed energy
+  const energyRef = useRef(0);
+
+  // Resize observer (square)
+  useEffect(() => {
+    const el = wrapRef.current;
+    if (!el) return;
+    const ro = new ResizeObserver(entries => {
+      const r = entries[0]?.contentRect;
+      if (!r) return;
+      setSize(Math.max(1, Math.floor(Math.min(r.width, r.height))));
+    });
+    ro.observe(el);
+    return () => ro.disconnect();
+  }, []);
+
+  // DPR-aware canvas sizing
+  useEffect(() => {
+    const c = waveRef.current;
+    if (!c) return;
+    const dpr = Math.max(1, window.devicePixelRatio || 1);
+    const cssW = c.clientWidth || 1;
+    const cssH = c.clientHeight || 1;
+    c.width = Math.max(1, Math.floor(cssW * dpr));
+    c.height = Math.max(1, Math.floor(cssH * dpr));
+  }, [size]);
+
+  // Extract meta + art
+  useEffect(() => {
+    let cancelled = false;
+
+    (async () => {
+      if (albumArtBlobUrlRef.current) {
+        URL.revokeObjectURL(albumArtBlobUrlRef.current);
+        albumArtBlobUrlRef.current = null;
+      }
+      setAlbumArtUrl(null);
+      setMetaTitle(null);
+      setMetaArtist(null);
+      setMetaAlbum(null);
+
+      try {
+        const meta = await extractId3MetaAndArt(src);
+        if (cancelled) return;
+
+        if (meta.title) setMetaTitle(meta.title);
+        if (meta.artist) setMetaArtist(meta.artist);
+        if (meta.album) setMetaAlbum(meta.album);
+
+        if (meta.pictureUrl) {
+          albumArtBlobUrlRef.current = meta.pictureUrl;
+          setAlbumArtUrl(meta.pictureUrl);
+        } else if (defaultAlbumArtUrl) {
+          setAlbumArtUrl(defaultAlbumArtUrl);
+        }
+      } catch {
+        if (!cancelled && defaultAlbumArtUrl) setAlbumArtUrl(defaultAlbumArtUrl);
+      }
+    })();
+
+    return () => {
+      cancelled = true;
+    };
+  }, [src, defaultAlbumArtUrl]);
+
+  // Cleanup artwork blob URL on unmount
+  useEffect(() => {
+    return () => {
+      if (albumArtBlobUrlRef.current) {
+        URL.revokeObjectURL(albumArtBlobUrlRef.current);
+        albumArtBlobUrlRef.current = null;
+      }
+    };
+  }, []);
+
+  const effectiveTitle = metaTitle || title;
+  const effectiveSubtitle = metaArtist || subtitle || metaAlbum || '';
+
+  const progress = useMemo(() => {
+    const cur = dragging ? dragValue : t;
+    if (!duration) return 0;
+    return clamp(cur / duration, 0, 1);
+  }, [t, duration, dragging, dragValue]);
+
+  const elapsed = dragging ? dragValue : t;
+  const remaining = Math.max(0, (duration || 0) - elapsed);
+
+  // Load src into <audio>
+  useEffect(() => {
+    const el = audioRef.current;
+    if (!el) return;
+
+    setErr(null);
+    setIsReady(false);
+    setIsBuffering(false);
+    setIsPlaying(false);
+    setDuration(0);
+    setT(0);
+    setDragging(false);
+    setDragValue(0);
+
+    el.src = src;
+    el.preload = 'metadata';
+    el.load();
+  }, [src]);
+
+  // Audio events
+  useEffect(() => {
+    const el = audioRef.current;
+    if (!el) return;
+
+    const onLoaded = () => {
+      setDuration(isFinite(el.duration) ? el.duration : 0);
+      setIsReady(true);
+      if (autoPlay) void safePlay();
+    };
+    const onTime = () => {
+      if (!dragging) setT(el.currentTime || 0);
+    };
+    const onPlayEvt = () => setIsPlaying(true);
+    const onPauseEvt = () => setIsPlaying(false);
+    const onWaiting = () => setIsBuffering(true);
+    const onPlayingEvt = () => setIsBuffering(false);
+    const onEnded = () => setIsPlaying(false);
+    const onError = () => {
+      setIsPlaying(false);
+      setIsBuffering(false);
+      setErr('Failed to load audio.');
+    };
+
+    el.addEventListener('loadedmetadata', onLoaded);
+    el.addEventListener('timeupdate', onTime);
+    el.addEventListener('play', onPlayEvt);
+    el.addEventListener('pause', onPauseEvt);
+    el.addEventListener('waiting', onWaiting);
+    el.addEventListener('playing', onPlayingEvt);
+    el.addEventListener('ended', onEnded);
+    el.addEventListener('error', onError);
+
+    return () => {
+      el.removeEventListener('loadedmetadata', onLoaded);
+      el.removeEventListener('timeupdate', onTime);
+      el.removeEventListener('play', onPlayEvt);
+      el.removeEventListener('pause', onPauseEvt);
+      el.removeEventListener('waiting', onWaiting);
+      el.removeEventListener('playing', onPlayingEvt);
+      el.removeEventListener('ended', onEnded);
+      el.removeEventListener('error', onError);
+    };
+  }, [dragging, autoPlay]);
+
+  // Exclusive playback listener
+  useEffect(() => {
+    const handler = (e: Event) => {
+      const ce = e as CustomEvent<ExclusivePlayDetail>;
+      const other = ce.detail?.token;
+      if (!other) return;
+      if (other !== tokenRef.current) {
+        if (audioRef.current && !audioRef.current.paused) audioRef.current.pause();
+      }
+    };
+    window.addEventListener(AUDIO_EXCLUSIVE_EVENT, handler as EventListener);
+    return () => window.removeEventListener(AUDIO_EXCLUSIVE_EVENT, handler as EventListener);
+  }, []);
+
+  // Keep the canvas progress overlay updating smoothly while playing.
+  // This fixes “only updates on start/stop” by forcing continuous redraw with the current progress.
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (isPlaying) startLoop();
+    else stopLoop();
+    // eslint-disable-next-line react-hooks/exhaustive-deps
+  }, [isPlaying, duration]);
+
+  function ensureAudioGraph() {
+    if (audioCtxRef.current) return;
+    const el = audioRef.current;
+    if (!el) return;
+
+    const Ctx = (window.AudioContext || (window as any).webkitAudioContext) as typeof AudioContext | undefined;
+    if (!Ctx) return;
+
+    const ctx = new Ctx();
+    const srcNode = ctx.createMediaElementSource(el);
+    const analyser = ctx.createAnalyser();
+    analyser.fftSize = 2048;
+    analyser.smoothingTimeConstant = 0.85;
+
+    srcNode.connect(analyser);
+    analyser.connect(ctx.destination);
+
+    audioCtxRef.current = ctx;
+    analyserRef.current = analyser;
+    timeRef.current = new Uint8Array(analyser.fftSize);
+  }
+
+  function stopLoop() {
+    if (rafRef.current != null) {
+      cancelAnimationFrame(rafRef.current);
+      rafRef.current = null;
+    }
+    energyRef.current = 0;
+  }
+
+  function startLoop() {
+    if (rafRef.current != null) return;
+
+    const tick = () => {
+      rafRef.current = requestAnimationFrame(tick);
+
+      const analyser = analyserRef.current;
+      const time = timeRef.current;
+
+      let targetEnergy = 0;
+      if (analyser && time) {
+        analyser.getByteTimeDomainData(time as Uint8Array<any>);
+        let sum = 0;
+        for (let i = 0; i < time.length; i++) sum += Math.abs(time[i] - 128);
+        targetEnergy = sum / time.length / 128; // 0..1
+      }
+
+      const prev = energyRef.current;
+      const next = prev + (targetEnergy - prev) * 0.12;
+      energyRef.current = next;
+
+      // IMPORTANT: use real-time currentTime here so progress updates even if React state lags.
+      const el = audioRef.current;
+      const cur = dragging ? dragValue : (el?.currentTime ?? t);
+      const prog = duration > 0 ? clamp(cur / duration, 0, 1) : 0;
+
+      drawWave(next, analyser, time, prog);
+    };
+
+    rafRef.current = requestAnimationFrame(tick);
+  }
+
+  function drawPath(ctx: CanvasRenderingContext2D, time: Uint8Array, w: number, h: number, energy: number) {
+    const mid = h * 0.5;
+    const amp = h * (0.26 + energy * 0.3);
+    ctx.beginPath();
+    for (let i = 0; i < time.length; i++) {
+      const x = (i / (time.length - 1)) * w;
+      const v = (time[i] - 128) / 128;
+      const y = mid + v * amp;
+      if (i === 0) ctx.moveTo(x, y);
+      else ctx.lineTo(x, y);
+    }
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Waveform is ALWAYS yellow.
+   * Progress is shown as a subtle background shade behind it (matching percentage).
+   */
+  function drawWave(energy: number, analyser: AnalyserNode | null, time: Uint8Array | null, prog: number) {
+    const c = waveRef.current;
+    if (!c) return;
+    const ctx = c.getContext('2d');
+    if (!ctx) return;
+
+    const w = c.width;
+    const h = c.height;
+    ctx.clearRect(0, 0, w, h);
+
+    if (!analyser || !time) return;
+
+    analyser.getByteTimeDomainData(time as Uint8Array<any>);
+
+    // progress background (behind waveform), semi-transparent
+    const playedX = Math.floor(w * prog);
+    ctx.fillStyle = 'rgba(251,191,36,0.10)'; // faint amber wash
+    ctx.fillRect(0, 0, playedX, h);
+
+    // waveform ALWAYS yellow, semi-transparent
+    drawPath(ctx, time, w, h, energy);
+    ctx.strokeStyle = 'rgba(251,191,36,0.70)'; // #fbbf24 @ alpha
+    ctx.lineWidth = Math.max(2, Math.floor(h * 0.02));
+    ctx.stroke();
+  }
+
+  async function safePlay() {
+    const el = audioRef.current;
+    if (!el) return;
+    setErr(null);
+
+    broadcastExclusivePlay(tokenRef.current);
+
+    try {
+      ensureAudioGraph();
+      if (audioCtxRef.current && audioCtxRef.current.state === 'suspended') {
+        await audioCtxRef.current.resume();
+      }
+      await el.play();
+      onPlay?.();
+      startLoop();
+    } catch {
+      setErr('Playback was blocked or failed.');
+    }
+  }
+
+  function pause() {
+    const el = audioRef.current;
+    if (!el) return;
+    el.pause();
+    onPause?.();
+    stopLoop();
+  }
+
+  function togglePlay() {
+    const el = audioRef.current;
+    if (!el) return;
+    if (el.paused) void safePlay();
+    else pause();
+  }
+
+  function seekTo(sec: number) {
+    const el = audioRef.current;
+    if (!el || !isFinite(duration) || duration <= 0) return;
+    el.currentTime = clamp(sec, 0, duration);
+    setT(el.currentTime);
+  }
+
+  function restart() {
+    seekTo(0);
+  }
+
+  // Scrubber pointer interactions
+  function barValueFromClientX(clientX: number) {
+    const bar = barRef.current;
+    if (!bar || !duration) return 0;
+    const r = bar.getBoundingClientRect();
+    const x = clamp((clientX - r.left) / r.width, 0, 1);
+    return x * duration;
+  }
+  function onBarPointerDown(e: React.PointerEvent) {
+    if (!duration) return;
+    (e.currentTarget as HTMLElement).setPointerCapture(e.pointerId);
+    setDragging(true);
+    setDragValue(barValueFromClientX(e.clientX));
+  }
+  function onBarPointerMove(e: React.PointerEvent) {
+    if (!dragging || !duration) return;
+    setDragValue(barValueFromClientX(e.clientX));
+  }
+  function onBarPointerUp(e: React.PointerEvent) {
+    if (!duration) return;
+    const v = barValueFromClientX(e.clientX);
+    setDragging(false);
+    setDragValue(0);
+    seekTo(v);
+  }
+
+  // Sizing / layout
+  const pad = clamp(Math.round(size * 0.06), 12, 36);
+  const titleSize = clamp(Math.round(size * 0.05), 12, 22);
+  const subSize = clamp(Math.round(size * 0.035), 10, 16);
+  const timeSize = clamp(Math.round(size * 0.04), 11, 18);
+
+  const barH = clamp(Math.round(size * 0.035), 10, 16);
+  const thumb = clamp(Math.round(size * 0.065), 16, 30);
+
+  const playBtn = clamp(Math.round(size * 0.3), 76, 260);
+  const playIcon = Math.round(playBtn * 0.4);
+
+  const restartBtn = clamp(Math.round(playBtn * 0.55), 42, 140);
+  const restartIcon = Math.round(restartBtn * 0.5);
+
+  // bottom UI block fixed so scrub never gets pushed out
+  const bottomBlock = Math.round(timeSize * 1.3 + barH + pad * 0.9);
+
+  const bgUrl = albumArtUrl || (defaultAlbumArtUrl ?? null);
+
+  return (
+    <div ref={wrapRef} className={`relative h-full w-full overflow-hidden bg-gray-900 ${className}`}>
+      {bgUrl ? (
+        <>
+          <div className="absolute inset-0 bg-cover bg-center" style={{ backgroundImage: `url(${bgUrl})` }} />
+          <div className="absolute inset-0 bg-gray-900/50" />
+        </>
+      ) : null}
+
+      <div className="relative z-10 flex h-full w-full flex-col" style={{ padding: pad }}>
+        {/* Header */}
+        <div className="min-h-0">
+          <div
+            className="truncate text-gray-200"
+            style={{ fontSize: titleSize, lineHeight: 1.1, letterSpacing: '0.01em' }}
+          >
+            {effectiveTitle}
+          </div>
+          {effectiveSubtitle ? (
+            <div className="mt-1 truncate text-gray-400" style={{ fontSize: subSize, lineHeight: 1.15 }}>
+              {effectiveSubtitle}
+            </div>
+          ) : null}
+          {err ? (
+            <div className="mt-2 text-gray-300" style={{ fontSize: subSize }}>
+              {err}
+            </div>
+          ) : !isReady ? (
+            <div className="mt-2 text-gray-500" style={{ fontSize: subSize }}>
+              Loading…
+            </div>
+          ) : null}
+        </div>
+
+        {/* Waveform + controls */}
+        <div className="mt-3 flex-1 min-h-0">
+          <div
+            className="group relative w-full overflow-hidden rounded-lg border border-2 border-yellow-400 bg-gray-900/80"
+            style={{ height: `calc(100% - ${bottomBlock}px)` }}
+          >
+            {/* semi-transparent background so album art shows through */}
+            <canvas ref={waveRef} className="h-full w-full" />
+
+            <div className="absolute left-1/2 top-1/2 flex -translate-x-1/2 -translate-y-1/2 items-center gap-3">
+              <button
+                onClick={restart}
+                className={[
+                  'rounded-full border border-gray-700 bg-gray-950/80 text-gray-200',
+                  'transition group-hover:border-gray-600 group-hover:bg-gray-950/90',
+                  'focus:outline-none focus:ring-2 focus:ring-gray-500/40',
+                ].join(' ')}
+                style={{ width: restartBtn, height: restartBtn }}
+                aria-label="Restart"
+                title="Restart"
+              >
+                <svg width={restartIcon} height={restartIcon} viewBox="0 0 24 24" className="mx-auto" aria-hidden>
+                  <path d="M12 5a7 7 0 1 1-6.4 4H3l3.5-3.5L10 9H7.8A5 5 0 1 0 12 7v-2z" fill="currentColor" />
+                </svg>
+              </button>
+
+              <button
+                onClick={togglePlay}
+                className={[
+                  'rounded-full border border-gray-700 bg-gray-950/80 text-gray-200',
+                  'transition group-hover:border-gray-600 group-hover:bg-gray-950/90',
+                  'focus:outline-none focus:ring-2 focus:ring-gray-500/40',
+                ].join(' ')}
+                style={{ width: playBtn, height: playBtn }}
+                aria-label={isPlaying ? 'Pause' : 'Play'}
+                title={isPlaying ? 'Pause' : 'Play'}
+              >
+                {!isPlaying ? (
+                  <svg width={playIcon} height={playIcon} viewBox="0 0 24 24" className="mx-auto" aria-hidden>
+                    <path d="M8.5 5.5v13l11-6.5-11-6.5z" fill="currentColor" />
+                  </svg>
+                ) : (
+                  <svg width={playIcon} height={playIcon} viewBox="0 0 24 24" className="mx-auto" aria-hidden>
+                    <path d="M7 6h3v12H7zM14 6h3v12h-3z" fill="currentColor" />
+                  </svg>
+                )}
+
+                {isBuffering ? (
+                  <div className="absolute -bottom-7 left-1/2 -translate-x-1/2 text-xs text-gray-300">Buffering…</div>
+                ) : null}
+              </button>
+            </div>
+          </div>
+
+          {/* Bottom block: always visible */}
+          <div className="mt-3">
+            <div
+              className="flex items-center justify-between tabular-nums text-gray-300"
+              style={{ fontSize: timeSize }}
+            >
+              <div>{fmtTime(dragging ? dragValue : t)}</div>
+              <div>{duration ? `-${fmtTime(remaining)}` : '0:00'}</div>
+            </div>
+
+            <div
+              ref={barRef}
+              className="mt-2 relative w-full cursor-pointer select-none rounded-full bg-gray-800"
+              style={{ height: barH }}
+              onPointerDown={onBarPointerDown}
+              onPointerMove={onBarPointerMove}
+              onPointerUp={onBarPointerUp}
+              onPointerCancel={() => setDragging(false)}
+              title="Scrub"
+            >
+              <div
+                className="absolute left-0 top-0 h-full rounded-full bg-gray-600"
+                style={{
+                  width: `${progress * 100}%`,
+                  transition: dragging ? 'none' : 'width 80ms linear',
+                }}
+              />
+              <div
+                className="absolute top-1/2 -translate-y-1/2 rounded-full bg-gray-200"
+                style={{
+                  left: `calc(${progress * 100}% - ${Math.floor(thumb / 2)}px)`,
+                  width: thumb,
+                  height: thumb,
+                  transform: `translateY(-50%) scale(${dragging ? 1.08 : 1})`,
+                  transition: 'transform 120ms ease-out',
+                }}
+              />
+            </div>
+          </div>
+        </div>
+      </div>
+
+      <audio ref={audioRef} preload="metadata" />
+    </div>
+  );
+}
diff --git a/ui/src/components/DatasetImageCard.tsx b/ui/src/components/DatasetImageCard.tsx
index 7bc66b91..5d16f601 100644
--- a/ui/src/components/DatasetImageCard.tsx
+++ b/ui/src/components/DatasetImageCard.tsx
@@ -3,7 +3,8 @@ import { FaTrashAlt, FaEye, FaEyeSlash } from 'react-icons/fa';
 import { openConfirm } from './ConfirmModal';
 import classNames from 'classnames';
 import { apiClient } from '@/utils/api';
-import { isVideo } from '@/utils/basic';
+import AudioPlayer from './AudioPlayer';
+import { isVideo, isAudio } from '@/utils/basic';
 
 interface DatasetImageCardProps {
   imageUrl: string;
@@ -37,9 +38,9 @@ const DatasetImageCard: React.FC<DatasetImageCardProps> = ({
       .then(res => res.data)
       .then(data => {
         console.log('Caption fetched:', data);
-        if (data){
+        if (data) {
           // fix issue where caption could be non string
-          data = `${data}`
+          data = `${data}`;
         }
         setCaption(data || '');
         setSavedCaption(data || '');
@@ -123,6 +124,8 @@ const DatasetImageCard: React.FC<DatasetImageCardProps> = ({
   const isCaptionCurrent = caption.trim() === savedCaption;
 
   const isItAVideo = isVideo(imageUrl);
+  const isItAudio = isAudio(imageUrl);
+  const isItImage = !isItAVideo && !isItAudio;
 
   return (
     <div className={`flex flex-col ${className}`}>
@@ -135,7 +138,7 @@ const DatasetImageCard: React.FC<DatasetImageCardProps> = ({
         <div className="absolute inset-0 rounded-t-lg shadow-md">
           {inViewport && isVisible && (
             <>
-              {isItAVideo ? (
+              {isItAVideo && (
                 <video
                   src={`/api/img/${encodeURIComponent(imageUrl)}`}
                   className={`w-full h-full object-contain`}
@@ -144,7 +147,14 @@ const DatasetImageCard: React.FC<DatasetImageCardProps> = ({
                   muted
                   controls
                 />
-              ) : (
+              )}
+              {isItAudio && (
+                <AudioPlayer
+                  src={`/api/img/${encodeURIComponent(imageUrl)}`}
+                  title={imageUrl.replace(/^.*[\\/]/, '')}
+                />
+              )}
+              {isItImage && (
                 <img
                   src={`/api/img/${encodeURIComponent(imageUrl)}`}
                   alt={alt}
@@ -162,7 +172,7 @@ const DatasetImageCard: React.FC<DatasetImageCardProps> = ({
             </div>
           )}
           {children && <div className="absolute inset-0 flex items-center justify-center">{children}</div>}
-          <div className="absolute top-1 right-1 flex space-x-2">
+          <div className="absolute top-1 right-1 flex space-x-2 z-10">
             <button
               className="bg-gray-800 rounded-full p-2"
               onClick={() => {
@@ -189,7 +199,7 @@ const DatasetImageCard: React.FC<DatasetImageCardProps> = ({
             </button>
           </div>
         </div>
-        {inViewport && isVisible && (
+        {inViewport && isVisible && !isItAudio && (
           <div className="text-xs text-gray-100 bg-gray-950 mt-1 absolute bottom-0 left-0 p-1 opacity-25 hover:opacity-90 transition-opacity duration-300 w-full">
             {imageUrl}
           </div>
diff --git a/ui/src/components/FullscreenDropOverlay.tsx b/ui/src/components/FullscreenDropOverlay.tsx
index 425b7aef..6cdd14f9 100644
--- a/ui/src/components/FullscreenDropOverlay.tsx
+++ b/ui/src/components/FullscreenDropOverlay.tsx
@@ -116,6 +116,7 @@ export default function FullscreenDropOverlay({
       accept || {
         'image/*': ['.png', '.jpg', '.jpeg', '.gif', '.bmp', '.webp'],
         'video/*': ['.mp4', '.avi', '.mov', '.mkv', '.wmv', '.m4v', '.flv'],
+        'audio/*': ['.mp3', '.wav'],
         'text/*': ['.txt'],
       },
     [accept],
diff --git a/ui/src/utils/basic.ts b/ui/src/utils/basic.ts
index ac8042ce..15b2e4c5 100644
--- a/ui/src/utils/basic.ts
+++ b/ui/src/utils/basic.ts
@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@ export const wait = (ms: number) => new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, m
 
 export const imgExtensions = ['.jpg', '.jpeg', '.png', '.gif', '.webp', '.svg', '.bmp'];
 export const videoExtensions = ['.mp4', '.avi', '.mov', '.mkv', '.wmv', '.m4v', '.flv'];
+export const audioExtensions = ['.mp3', '.wav'];
 
 export const isVideo = (filePath: string) => videoExtensions.includes(filePath.toLowerCase().slice(-4));
 export const isImage = (filePath: string) => imgExtensions.includes(filePath.toLowerCase().slice(-4));
+export const isAudio = (filePath: string) => audioExtensions.includes(filePath.toLowerCase().slice(-4));
diff --git a/ui/tailwind.config.ts b/ui/tailwind.config.ts
index 433a6ade..1c76d0ff 100644
--- a/ui/tailwind.config.ts
+++ b/ui/tailwind.config.ts
@@ -22,6 +22,20 @@ const config: Config = {
           200: '#e5e5e5',
           100: '#f5f5f5',
         },
+
+        yellow: {
+          950: '#1a1203',
+          900: '#2a1c05',
+          800: '#3a2607',
+          700: '#5a3a0b',
+          600: '#7a4e0f',
+          500: '#f59e0b', // deeper than base; good for hover on dark
+          400: '#fbbf24', // your base
+          300: '#fcd34d',
+          200: '#fde68a',
+          100: '#fef3c7',
+          50: '#fffbeb',
+        },
       },
     },
   },