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How to Download Audio & Find the Files

This article gives advice on downloading audio files from your collection.

J
Written by Jamie
Updated over 2 weeks ago

Dependent on artist choice, as well as streaming music and content you have purchased via a Smart Format on Serenade, you may have the option to download that music and content.

As such, albums and EPs come with 3 credits for downloading the raw audio files that the artist has used for their release, accessed by clicking the 'Download Audio' button on your edition page. Each time the button is pressed and your download starts, a credit is removed.

NB: once all 3 credits have been used, the audio download is no longer available

To download these files;

  1. Navigate to your profile by clicking the icon in the top right hand corner of the page and selecting 'Profile'

  2. Scroll down to find the relevant release in your 'Collection'

  3. Select the release that you want to access

  4. Navigate to the 'Tracks' section on your edition page

  5. Click the 'Download Audio' button with the coloured download symbol

NB: We strongly advise that you download the audio files using a computer rather than your phone due to large file sizes, ease of access and integration with whichever application you use to stream digital music

Once you've clicked the 'Download Audio' button, navigate to the bottom left of your page or alternatively the downloads folder on your computer

Click on the dowloaded zip file for a folder to be created with the track-delineated audio files

Drag this folder into the Library on the pre-installed 'Music' application on your Mac or the iTunes application on your PC (you will need to manually download this). Alternatively you can add to a library via choosing File > Add File to Library

  1. Depending on the file size and the Wi-Fi, it may take a minute for the audio files to appear

  2. You should now be able to enjoy your music offline

Troubleshooting

"I can't find the audio once I've added it to iTunes"

Sometimes artists will choose to upload WAV files, which are much higher audio quality but can often lack some of the metadata required to sync perfectly with your music application

If you're having trouble finding the tracks after transferring them to the application (ie. iTunes), look in your 'Recently Added' playlist.

Here's a useful thread talking about some solutions to the issue: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7431228

NB: If a name is not showing on iTunes for the artist/ title name, it can be added manually by;

  1. Highlighting all the songs and right-clicking for "Get Info"

  2. You will get the following dialogue box;

    1. "Are you sure you want to edit this for multiple songs?"

  3. Click "Yes" or "Edit Items"

  4. The next screen will show a number of information fields that can be filled out to plug the gaps in metadata of the raw files

    1. We suggest adding the artist and album title at least to ensure it all syncs up nicely with your existing library

"I can't find the file once I clicked download"

Although it may not be ideal in certain circumstances, as previously mentioned we suggest to try downloading on the computer if you haven't already.

Some phones may struggle to uncompress a Zip file or deal with the large file sizes. In other cases, your phone may store files such as these in obscure locations that you're not familiar with.

If you have downloaded on your phone and you can't find them, we suggest that you look up your device manufacturers user manual (or simply Google) where these files are stored. Once located, you can share these files with your computer directly from your phone by any number of methods such as;

  • AirDrop

  • Email

  • Text Message

Of course, if you experience any problems, please feel free to contact the Serenade support team and we will do our best to help!

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