Good suggestions for sites to upload recordings

EvanPC · #1 10-27-2010, 04:52 PM

Hello All:

Just wondering...what are your recommendations for free websites which allow you to upload audio recordings? I'm looking for something simple and easy to use, so hopefully something like that is available. I've seen some folks on here posting links to things like myspace or youtube, but I'd prefer something different.

A few months back, I purchased some home recording equipment and I'm looking to get some things posted on this forum to hear some feedback once I'm actually satisfied with something I come up with. At this point, I'm very much a novice, but I believe I've got decent enough equipment to come up with something that sounds good. We'll see...

Thanks

wgmiller · #2 10-27-2010, 09:12 PM

You might try over at the Home Recording Forum. http://homerecording.com/
Just take their feedback with a grain of salt. They're not exactly "kinder and gentler" over there.

They have some recording experts who aren't shy about sharing what they know. Sometimes it reminds me of that commercial where Gunny plays the psychologist.

Hope I didn't scare you away,
Will

rdm321 · #3 10-28-2010, 07:31 AM

Lots of folks use Soundclick.

Bob1131 · #4 10-28-2010, 08:29 AM

Evan, there are dozens of free music hosting sites, and all have their positives and negatives. Most are fairly easy to use. Be careful about copyrights...most sites do not allow covers, and even though people do post covers when they are discovered they are deleted.

Here are some that I use (the links will take you to my page so you can see what it looks like and how the songs sound):

Reverbnation.com

Soundclick.com

Showcaseyourmusic.com

Somojo.com

Mixposure.com

Of those I listed, the easiest to use is ShowcaseYourMusic (SYM); the flashiest and most complicated to use is Mixposure; and the most popular is Reverbnation.

valleyguy · #5 10-28-2010, 04:55 PM

I like to use box.net. It's free, no ads uncluttered and works very nicely. Here's my recordings as an example. Also easy to put up pictures and other files.

Cue Zephyr · #6 10-28-2010, 05:06 PM

+1 for Box!

EvanPC · #7 10-28-2010, 07:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by valleyguy

I like to use box.net. It's free, no ads uncluttered and works very nicely. Here's my recordings as an example. Also easy to put up pictures and other files.

I think this is more my speed. This is precisely what I was looking for. Nothing against the other sites people listed, however, I feel like there's less "pressure" to put some legitimate piece of music on here. I was just looking for a place to put some files that could be easily accessible by anyone I'd want to share them with. I think this will do. To be honest, if I post anything, it would likely be more of a "rough draft" or sketch of a song, rather than some polished, thought-out arrangement.

Thanks.

ScottAllyn · #8 10-28-2010, 09:47 PM

Another alternative is DropBox ( http://www.dropbox.com/ ), which is an online backup / computer synchronization service with some simple but effective file sharing features. Uploading files to the service is as easy as copying them to the "DropBox" folder on your computer - uploads happen automatically and in the background.

To share files or folders, all you have to do is right click on them within your local Dropbox folder and select "Get Sharable Link". As an example, I have a folder named "Scott's Guitar Recordings" that contains several of my recordings. I right-clicked on it, selected that option and this is the result:

http://db.tt/gDgGQKz

It can also create photo galleries on the fly from a folder of images - handy for quickly sharing photos with friends. Here's a folder that I just tossed some random images into:

http://db.tt/Tczv6De

EvanPC · #9 10-29-2010, 06:04 AM

Coincidentally, I already have a Dropbox account. We started using it at work, and I liked it, so I set it up for myself at home. I didn't realize you could create a link in that way. I just assumed I'd have to invite everyone I'd want to hear something to have access to the folders.

I've already set up a Box.net account as well. I'll give them both a try.

Thanks

EvanPC · #10 10-30-2010, 03:01 PM

So I think I may have hit a little snag with this. I cannot seem to get a sharing link to the dropbox files. I'm right-clicking everywhere and see no options for "get shared link". Also, I'm wondering about the file formats...do they have to be mp3? On Box.net, for instance, my file types (.wma) are not supported by the preview feature. One has to download the files in order to listen to them, and I'm sure most people won't go through the trouble of doing that.

I'll continue searching on this dropbox business to see what I can find out.

ScottAllyn · #11 10-30-2010, 03:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EvanPC

So I think I may have hit a little snag with this. I cannot seem to get a sharing link to the dropbox files. I'm right-clicking everywhere and see no options for "get shared link". Also, I'm wondering about the file formats...do they have to be mp3? On Box.net, for instance, my file types (.wma) are not supported by the preview feature. One has to download the files in order to listen to them, and I'm sure most people won't go through the trouble of doing that.

I'll continue searching on this dropbox business to see what I can find out.

Ohhh! That must be a feature of the beta build, which you can find here:

http://forums.dropbox.com/topic.php?id=26578&replies=56

I've been running the beta builds from day-one and have had no problems. I'm not sure about the different file formats with DropBox, tho you can probably find something by digging around on the forums.

EvanPC · #12 10-30-2010, 06:10 PM

Yes, that was it. I've installed the beta version and I'm able to find the "get shared link" option.

Thanks

*EDIT* I think there is some incompatibilities with the file type and live streaming. As with Box.net, it appears that if the file is not an .mp3, it must be downloaded. I'm pretty new to the whole recording game, and the software I'm using to record and mix with (Cubase LE 4) only seems to be able to export mix-downs in a few files types, none of which are mp3. The software is pretty robust (in my eyes), so if there's an option in there somewhere to change the file type, I'll have to dig for it. Using this stuff is a bit daunting, and though I'm able to get some recordings, I know I'm only scratching the surface on the capabilities.

Bob1131 · #13 10-31-2010, 05:52 AM

EvanPC, there are programs to convert WMA and WAV files to MP3. Alternatively, another way to do it is to burn an audio CD and then "rip" it with your player. I use a rewritable CD for that task so that I am not wasting disks.

BTW - I use Box.net, too, mostly for collaborations and sharing some covers here on AGF. The other sites I listed are publicly available without a link, so they are more suitable for attracting fans.

ScottAllyn · #14 10-31-2010, 02:14 PM

Evan, you definitely don't want to convert from wma to mp3 unless you're using lossless wma files. If you're not using lossless wma files, you're already sacrificing some audio quality by initially saving the files in a lossy format and you'll be throwing out even more by converting from one lossy format to another.

There's a $15 patch for Cubase that allows for exporting to mp3:

http://www.steinberg.net/en/shop/accessories.html

That'd be the most straight-forward way to save your recordings in the mp3 format - just be sure to save your master copies as lossless wav or wma files before you export to mp3!

EvanPC · #15 10-31-2010, 03:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ScottAllyn

Evan, you definitely don't want to convert from wma to mp3 unless you're using lossless wma files. If you're not using lossless wma files, you're already sacrificing some audio quality by initially saving the files in a lossy format and you'll be throwing out even more by converting from one lossy format to another.

There's a $15 patch for Cubase that allows for exporting to mp3:

http://www.steinberg.net/en/shop/accessories.html

That'd be the most straight-forward way to save your recordings in the mp3 format - just be sure to save your master copies as lossless wav or wma files before you export to mp3!

Whoops. Too late for that... In all seriousness, I have nothing to share that is "pristine", but good to know otherwise. I will look into the patch for Cubase, however, I wonder if there will be an issue because I'm using a "free" version (LE 4). Sort of free in that it came with my Zoom R16. From what I understand, it's a little watered down version of Cubase 4, but it's pretty robust for a beginner, as far as I'm concerned.

Another thing I thought to consider was that fact that many of those who may listen to these recordings will be doing so through the tiny tweeters built into their PCs, so they're going to sound thin by default. When played back through my stereo, these recordings are nice and full sounding.

I appreciate the input, guys. Thanks.