How to upload your song & Rules

[badrail]

Can I post a song while it is in a wav file, or do I have to convert it to MP3? (and how is this done???) (absolute newbie just getting to this point...) Thanks!

[Hook]

It needs to be an mp3 I use a free program called switch sound file converter and it works great.Open up switch drag what you want and set where and how to save it. It will convert almost all audio files.
Good luck!

[badrail]

Thanks! Just after I posted the above I went through 64's page and found the Switch software, I'll get it and convert. Then post!

[64Guitars]

I like to use Audacity to make my MP3s because it also lets me trim the ends and normalize the levels. When you export a WAV file from the BR, it usually has unwanted silence, clicks, count-in, etc. at the beginning and end. Also, you might sometimes find that the overall level of your WAV file is a bit low. If you use Switch or some similar converter, all of that unwanted stuff will be in your MP3. But if you load your WAV file into Audacity, you can easily trim the unwanted stuff from the ends and boost the level (use the Amplify effect).

You can download Audacity 1.3.14 here:  http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

To learn how to export your WAV file from Audacity as an MP3, see this message:

https://songcrafters.org/community/index.php?topic=7315.msg118476#msg118476

Another very useful feature of Audacity is its ability to show you where there's clipping in your WAV file. Pull down the View menu and make sure there's a checkmark beside "Show Clipping". Now you'll see red in the waveform wherever the signal is clipped. If you have a lot of clipping, there's nothing you can do to fix it in Audacity. But you can go back to the BR and re-master it with the recording level a bit lower.

See this topic for more on clipping and levels in Audacity:

https://songcrafters.org/community/index.php?topic=6217.0

[seansdad40]

no flexibilty on maximum file size huh? this is really limiting me from posting better material. any suggestions?

[cuthbert]

Hi there,

Maximum file size for uploads was increased from 5 MB to 6 MB a while ago.

However, you can always host your mp3 files somewhere else, and then use one of our player widgets to link to it here. For instance, I noticed you have Reverbnation in your signature. Here's a guide on how to link to your song on Reverbnation and get it loaded in a player for playback here:

https://songcrafters.org/community/index.php?topic=7722.0;msg=100932

Complete info here:

https://songcrafters.org/community/index.php?topic=7722.0

hth,
cuthbert

[T.C. Elliott]

What Cuthbert said. Additionally, you can use off site hosting and use the mp3 single stream button as well. If you have your own website or if you use Weebly which allows direct linking or if you have a dropbox account and use the public folder. Any place that allows direct linking and doesn't restrict access to a file will work.

In addition to reverbnation (which I used in 2010 for at least 52 songs which are still working here now) there are several other places you can link a song from. Mixposure (not sure what that is) Soundclick, Soundcloud (which is a good one to use because it is the only one that FaceBook allows to play in a post using their sharing feature) and grooveshark. 

So there are a lot of options for higher quality files. But keep in mind, most people here are using computers to listen to your song. Is 192 vs 128 a huge issue on computer speakers? That being said, I have my computer going through a big system that I also mix on. Maybe you've got a good point on file size/quality.

[Kenny B]

How about this???

I did a Bass track on a tune already posted by some fellow Songcrafters and they liked it and said to post ...

Now I'm wondering where to post ... it's really not a new song/version so should
I post it on one of their topics or start a new one???

[Hook]

Most of the time people post it on the same thread and sometimes whoever posted the original will edit the main post with the new track. But I don't know if it really matters.

[64Guitars]

Yes, all versions of a song should be kept in the same topic. Ideally, the preferred version should always be in the first post at the top of the topic, which can be edited by the original poster.