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Browsing samples in iOS?
I am using an iPhone to make music and am looking for a solution to efficiently browse and preview samples stored in my iCloud Drive
What are the best apps for this that will allow me to preview audio files before actually opening/importing them? Ideally it would be great if I could just preview them by tapping on them once instead of having to open each sample and press play like in the files app
Comments
AudioShare is where I host all of my files. It allows you to organize, perform basic edits, and preview files among other essential features.
It’s pretty much the standard on ios.
+1k
+1 >.. but this is an area still seriously weak on iOS. Previewing samples in the Files app is a PITA.
Indeed. Files app clearly doesn’t have music production In mind. Also, as much as I love AudioShare, it could use a few updates to improve its stellar value but I get why that may not happen.
Audioshare
I know of no solution that works well for the OP requirement of storage in iCloud drive. AudioShare is great, but only for locally stored files.
FWIW, Auditor lets you audition files in the file browser (all files visible in files app are visible here). If you long tap a file's name, there is an Audition item in the menu that pops up. It can access files in iCloud drive BUT if they aren't local, you will need to tap the cloud icon to download it before it can actually audition. Also Audition plays the whole file unless you interrupt the audition by opening the file or auditionining another file.
If the reason for storing samples in iCloud drive is to save space on the device, I'm guessing all of these options negate that goal. Any file that's played in a browser is going to be downloaded from the cloud, and therefore stored at least temporarily on the device.
Exactly that. I've tried all kinds of cunning solutions for quickly browsing my ever growing sample library, but all of them require my iOS device to download the file at some point, even if it is just temporary.
I tried iCloud Drive in Safari. I also tried indexing my iCloud files on my iMac and serving them via Plex, which in theory makes them stream, but still, the will be downloaded. The stream option would have been great otherwise as it at least would have been quicker than Files app, but Plex, which is mainly made for streaming video files and full songs, didn't present the samples in a user friendly way for a musician (though I do love Plex for actual streaming of movies).
I shall give Readdle Documents a go too, just for the sake of it.
On my iMac I have recently installed ADSR Sample Manager (free) so I at least can listen to my samples and sort them into iOS friendly folders already on the desktop. The closest to that on iOS is...Audioshare.
I agree. It’s really annoying. I hope it gets sorted at some point, or that there is a workable alternative app.
Any app browsing your iCloud Drive will need to download the file to be able to audition it. They can’t stream from the cloud. I believe this is just the way iCloud drives work.
Yes. That is what I said.
I'm partial to Dropbox because their app is the smoothest for me on iOS and Windows, which is all I really care about (and that I have a substantial amount of free storage there from referrals). But iCloud has the advantage of seamless integration with apps like GarageBand, Gadget, and miRack.
I have mainly been using Dropbox, but have lately started testing iCloud Drive. The reason for that is mainly integration, combined with that Dropbox has a sync limit that I at times hit the roof on (based on other apps than music apps I should probably add). Like wim I otherwise have lots of Dropbox space due to referrals and, of course, because I pay for it. My recent wish to testing iCloud was that I had to upgrade it anyways due to family account, kids with devices etc, and I decided to go a few sizes over what I need today.
Performance wise I haven't noticed any difference really, they are both big services with fat pipes, and I most often sit on my 1gb connection in any case, so I have a fairly fat pipe too.
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You can tell GarageBand (and other apps) to store their stuff in other locations. It’s in the Settings app, under GarageBand > Document Storage:
I'm not a fan of iCloud Drive - it's just too simple for my needs. I used to use Dropbox but don't like it anymore - now I store everything is OneDrive. Office 365 family subscription is just $99 per year giving you access to MS Office on every platform + 1TB of OneDrive space each for 6 users. 6 TB in total.
And it's easy to find good deals on Office 365 subscriptions. If I remember correctly, I bought mine with a 50% discount.
For previewing, I also use Readdle Documents - it seems to play files w/o downloading them first
I just tested, as far as I can tell it downloads then plays. In Documents, if I tap on a file on my iCloud drive there is a pause while it loads and if you check in the Files app after that, it shows the file as being local.
Audioshare....Twisted wave in a way.
But, no files/cloud is garbage for quick easy cue and listen while browsing.. bunk
That's one of the limitations of iCloud Drive - you can't stream from it.
I have been trying to use flash drives lately. I have a bunch of low-capacity drives around. I try to organize content by drives.
Even with a single drive, though, it can be organized well. Format it to FAT and you can organize and rename on the computer. I am still working out my system, but it seems promising. And it's better than the iCloud delays.
Browsing a computer via SMB is also very fast.
I've found that you need to keep the number of files in a folder below 1,000 to 2,000 or so. If not then it takes forever to load and often won't display any files at all.
I use onedrive with all files stored locally, but still no Files app just plays the damn samples instantly, and without any faffing. iOS needs to sort this out, I think, because it’s a bit of a mood-killer, and it does mean I don’t use my samples anywhere near as much as I otherwise would do, simply because I can’t be bothered with all the extra hassle. It means I end up using my own crappy skills!
If the files are stored locally, then might as well put them in AudioShare, which does preview just fine, no?