Frequently Asked Questions

Table of contents

Why imported files from Google Drive, Dropbox and others have no metadata?

Because those platforms does not analyze your files and thus cannot extract the id3 tag information.

In order to alleviate this issue we check if the remote file path has the iTunes convention, for example:

Music/Artist/Album/01 Title.mp3

This method is only available to Dropbox and Box users currently as we plan to expand this on other cloud drives and making this path extraction method customizable by the user.

The official AudioBox Cloud, AudioBox Desktop, SkyDrive and SoundCloud are not affected by this problem. Some third party services might return incomplete data.

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I synchronized from Dropbox but there are no files in AudioBox.

Make sure to move your Music folder and/or media files inside the Apps/AudioBox2 folder on your Dropbox account before synchronization. This is a necessary step due to Dropbox's sandoboxing and security policies.

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What is AudioBox Cloud?

It's the official cloud storage solution from AudioBox. It supports tag recognition, pre-buffering, caching and several of other great features tuned for high performance streaming. When you stream from other cloud services we cannot guarantee the same speed that you can have using the AudioBox Cloud.

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What is AudioBox Desktop?

AudioBox Desktop is a downloadable software that creates a “private cloud” within the AudioBox system, to which a PC, Mac or Linux can securely connect a folder on his/her hard drive to AudioBox, making it available for streaming on any device without having to upload anything in the cloud.

AudioBox Desktop scans the selected folder, fetches the metadata, and sends them to the AudioBox servers, compiling the Desktop playlist you then see in the player.

AudioBox Desktop is the solution for all those users who don't need or want to use the cloud, and prefer to have their media files stored locally, but still want to stream them anywhere.

AudioBox Desktop can also be used to replace desktop players: if you are both running the application and the cloud web player on the same machine, streaming will be instant because files are locally stored.

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Is AudioBox free?

Depends on the features you are using. We have several plans starting at $0.99/mo. We also offer a Free Plan for evaluating the platform, featuring AudioBox Desktop, YouTube and SoundCloud sync. Please check the Pricing page.

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Is AudioBox Desktop really free?

Yes - we are still testing out this functionality, so go ahead and give it a try for free. In the future we may charge for it, or we will just make it part of the current offerings.

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If I have 100 GB on Google Drive (or any other cloud service) and I only want to sync should I buy the 100 GB plan?

No - every plan features third party sync capability, so you can just get the cheapest plan if you don't intend to use the AudioBox Cloud. Just keep in mind the AudioBox Cloud is optimized for media files, while all the others are just storage.

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AudioBox Desktop is not streaming.

The AudioBox Desktop application connects to our servers and sync your file's metadata informations. Once it is finished (time depends by the number of files in your collection and your connection speed) you'll see them on the web player; if streaming doesn't work make sure that your internet speed matches the file quality of your files.
Streaming is affected by a lot of factors, but the major bottleneck is always the bandwidth available. If you are streaming from the cloud web player in a different location where your AudioBox Desktop is running you will be constrained by the upload speed of your Internet.

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Which plan is right for me?

Well, this depends on the size of your library, if you plan to use AudioBox Cloud and/or the third party cloud drives.

Any of the plans adds support access to your data anywhere at anytime, cloud drives, and AudioBox Desktop, so choose accordingly.

You can start with a simple $0.99 plan and get access to all the features. If your need of Cloud space grows, you can upgrade to a different plan at any time.

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Why is there no artwork for my media files?

Artwork fetching is automatic in most cases, although you can upload a custom artwork image directly in the player.

If you're sure you have the cover image but you don't see it on the player, check your artist/album metadata and make sure they are correct: sometimes even a small naming difference such as 'AC-DC' in place of 'AC/DC' can make the difference. You can always control it by using services as Last.fm and check what's the correct artist/album combo there.

AudioBox Desktop currently does not fetch artworks, we are planning to add this functionality in the future.

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Can I stream from iTunes/VLC?

Yes - On the Cloud Web Player and the Dashboard you will find a button that allows you to download a M3U playlist. You can then load this file in iTunes (or any other player that supports the m3u format such as VLC). You'll be then prompted for authentication.

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Can I share my collection with friends?

No. AudioBox does not permit a user to share his/her credentials or files, although each media files has a public share page available, which shows a compilation of file's informations from external services, such as YouTube, Last.fm, real time Twitter stream, etc.

You can access this page directly from the web player.

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Yes, but if you want to use the ones that requires a paid subscription, you'll be asked for your billing information.

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Because they provide great added value to your experience. You can enable Last.fm scrobbling, posting on Facebook, Twitter and G+, broadcast to your viewers on Twitch.tv and much more.

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What are the smart playlists?

A smart playlists creates a compilation of media files based on dynamic rules you define. The content on this playlist is updated on the fly, reflecting the changes of your media collection.

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How do I start uploading my collection on AudioBox Cloud?

Once you subscribed to your favorite plan, head into the cloud web player and click the big cloud icon in the upper left corner, it will bring you to the upload panel.

If you have a recent browser you can even drag and drop entire folders directly on that page, adding files to the upload queue.

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I tried subscribing but I got credit card errors, what should I do?

We leave the validation to our payment processor so we cannot help much there. Double check the card number, expiration date and code. If still it's not working, we suggest checking in with your bank telling them the error message you are receiving.

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My credit card has no funds when you attempted a charge. Will my collection be destroyed?

We will try charging your card three times over a total of 15 days. After that grace period, all the files on your AudioBox Cloud will be deleted. You can update your billing information using the preferences panel in your cloud web player.

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Do you plan to add more services such as Google Play, Mega, etc.?

Yes, we are always looking for services that are compatible with AudioBox and can add great value for our users.

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Streaming is not working.

There can be a lot of factors for this, mostly technical ones.

  • Make sure that your media files are in a good shape and compatible format (such as MP3).
  • No DRM.
  • Check if they can be played back on the browser (if on web) of your choice by dragging the physical file onto the browser window (supported on Chrome).
  • Install the latest version of Adobe Flash. Some browsers, such as Firefox, cannot natively reproduce mp3 files.
  • Always use the latest version of your web browser.
  • Make sure you are authenticated to the services if you are streaming from third parties.
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Streaming works but I'm having some glitches.

Sometimes advanced features such as prebuffering can cause issues on some platform. You can disable this setting directly in your preferences panel and try again.

Also make sure your files are not corrupted in any way.

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The web uploader fails with Invalid File format.

AudioBox can accept a wide list of file formats, but there are still some that are incompatible with web streaming (check the list of compatible file types). HTML5/Flash audio/video is a delicate subject and support is split amongst browsers vendors.

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How do I prepare my collection for uploading?

There are a lot of paid and free application that can convert your media files to a format suitable for streaming. We recommend converting them to mp3 files, 256kbps, fixed bitrate for maximum performance and great audio quality. File quality is an influent factor that also dictate how seamless streaming will perform.

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I created a custom playlist, how can I fill it?

Select the files from other playlists, also with multiselection through SHIFT - CMD/CTRL, and drag and drop them into your custom playlist.

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Can I drag and drop files into a smart playlist?

No, smart playlists are dynamic and are compiled on demand.

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Make sure you accept all cookies, otherwise authentication will fail. And make sure you do not have multiple accounts trying to link the same remote account.

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Why should I pay to access the files i have on my third party cloud storage using AudioBox?

Because, you know, we employ resources, databases, bandwidth and artwork storage to keep up your library and giving you the opportunity to stream it on any compatible device, anywhere, anytime. If you feel $0.99 monthly is too much for your pocket probably you are better off with your own old tools.

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Can I download my media files once stored on AudioBox Cloud?"

Yes, but this functionality is limited to single files. AudioBox is NOT meant to be a bi-directional sync service, so you should always keep around a backup of your media library.
However we are about to release some handy tools that will ease the redownload of your media library, provided you have a subscription in good standing. Stay tuned.

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