Indaba Music offers collaboration, networking, and other tools for musicians and music professionals using cutting-edge online music software. You can create a free account to connect with an international community of music-makers. Start online music and edit and mix tracks recorded in different parts of the world.

Because music software and hardware is now available on almost any budget, it's easier than ever for artists of all levels to produce music. Artists are also harnessing the internet to discover, experience, distribute, and now create more music than ever before. We built Indaba to be a place where artists can create music and fans can interact with that music in ways never before possible.

The Most Powerful Artist-to-Artist Network

Profile - Members create profiles to represent and promote themselves online, providing musical information, blogging, sharing songs they have recorded as well as unlimited photos. Learn more about profiles.

Search - Members can browse and search the network to find musicians to work with on or offline, hire session players and meet new people, building their list of contacts. Indaba Music is a social-network for anyone who is passionate about music. Learn more about browsing and searching.

Make Music Online

Demo our Music Software

Session - Indaba's online session platform and music software enables members to create new projects, provide musical information and descriptions of the project objectives, invite others to collaborate with them, and build a meaningful reputation with earned feedback in the form of user testimonials. For those doing professional work, there is a system to formally establish working terms and handle payment. Learn more about Indaba Music sessions.

Music Software (Session Console) - Using Indaba's online music software, the Session Console, session members can edit and mix uploaded tracks together into single pieces of music, enabling people from all over the world to make music together. Learn more about the Indaba Music Session Console.

Indaba is a Zulu word that invokes the spirit of collaboration and community. It refers to a gathering or a forum for sharing ideas, and it embodies concepts that are central to the mission of Indaba Music.

a. The Community Page

The Community Page is the gateway to Indaba Music. The first thing you'll notice are People and Sessions - these represent individual members of the Indaba community, and the musical projects they've created on the site. If you want to search for People (learn more about people search) or Sessions (learn more about session search), you can click search at the top of the page. Once you're logged in you can also quickly jump to important activities on the site by clicking the options at the top of the page (learn more about starting a session, blogging, editing your profile, and Pro memberships).

Next on the Community page you'll see a bunch of Indaba members - if you aren't logged in you'll see "Interesting Members" - those with audio and pictures, but if you're logged in you can toggle between Interesting and Suggested. Suggested Members are those that match some of the information you've entered in your profile (learn more about editing your profile), so if you're a jazz musician for example, you may see other jazz artists here. Mouseover these members to play some of their sample audio, or click through to their profiles.

On the Community page you'll also see a variety of Sessions - you'll see some active Sessions and also some of the most recently created Sessions. If you're logged in you'll also see Suggested Sessions - as with people, Indaba is looking at information you've entered in your profile to determine which other Sessions on the site you might be interested in.

The Indablog is the Indaba Music editorial area - here you'll see all different kinds of featured editorial material, from discussions about issues affecting musicians to tips for making the most of your Indaba Music experience. Please get involved in the conversation (just click "comment on this post" to speak up), and let us know if there's anything you'd like to see discussed here at feedback[at]indabamusic.com.

b. Searching for People

People search can be reached either by clicking the green people button at the top of the community page, or from any page on the site by clicking search at the top right of your screen and selecting people.

1. Searching and Browsing

   Once you're on the people search page, you can enter information into the search fields to search for specific types of people. Enter as much or as little information as you'd like, and if you don't get as many results as you'd like, try broadening your search criteria.

   If you'd simply like to browse people on the site, click the browse option for a list of people.

2. Search Results

   Regardless of whether you're looking for someone specific or whether you're just exploring, people results will display an image, basic information if the user has provided it (last updated, location, craft, instruments, and genre), sample audio if the user has provided it, and a set of actions (add to contacts, invite to a session, and send a message).

   If you'd like to view someone's full profile, you can click on their name or their picture, but if they have sample audio, you can preview it directly from the search result. You can also add the person as a contact, invite them to a session if you have one that you own, or send a message. All of these actions can also be performed from the person's profile after you've clicked through.

c. Searching for Sessions

Session search can be reached either by clicking search sessions at the top of the community page, or from any page on the site by clicking "search" in the header.

1. Searching and Browsing

   Once you're on the session search page, you can enter information into the fields on the left side of the screen to search for specific types of sessions. Enter as much or as little information as you'd like, but if you don't get as many results as you'd like, try broadening your search criteria.

   If you'd simply like to browse sessions on the site, click the browse option at the bottom of the search criteria box for a list of sessions.

2. Search Results

   Regardless of whether you're looking for a specific type of session or whether you're just exploring, session results will display the images of session members and basic information about the session (description, genre, needs, created on date, updated on date). There are also indicators that will tell you at a glance how many mixes, files, and talk back posts the session has. The last indicator is a measure of session activity - cold sessions aren't that active, warm sessions are a little more active, and hot sessions, are, well, hot. You get the idea. The play button next to the title of the session will play the most recent mix from the session if there is one.

   If you'd like to check out a session, just click on the title in the search results and you'll be whisked away to the session page. Learn more about sessions here.

Your profile is your place to represent yourself to the rest of the Indaba Music community; tell people about yourself, show off your music, share photos, and blog about whatever you like. You’ll notice that the profile has two tabs – Network Profile and Collaboration. The Network Profile tab displays all the basic information about you, while the Collaboration tab offers a detailed look at the work you are doing and have done on Indaba. The following sections will tell you more about how to get the most out of each part of your profile.

a. Profile Editing

Editing the information in your profile is easy - just click "edit" at the top of your profile or at the top of any Network Profile section. This will open up the fields in your profile to editing. Some fields, like "About Me" are free-form - you can type in anything you'd like. Other fields, like "Instruments" will auto-complete as you begin typing. If you try to type something that we haven't included in the auto-complete list, send us an email at feedback[at]indabamusic.com if you think it should be included.

When you're done typing information into your profile, just click any of the "save" buttons throughout the page and all the changes you have made will be preserved. Remember to click "save" before going to another page or closing your browser!

Your profile is located on the web at www.indabamusic.com/people/userid#, however you can set a custom web address for your profile (for example, www.indabamusic.com/people/indaba) if you want to make it easier for your friends to reach your page. Go to your Account Settings page and choose a custom URL (learn more about choosing a custom URL for your profile).

Tip: If you want to include a link to another website in your profile, there's no need to type out the http://, just type www.yourwebsite.com and we'll automatically convert it to a link.

Tip: If you want people that you work with in sessions on Indaba Music to be able to automatically pay you via PayPal, just enter the email address associated with your PayPal account in the "Working with Others" section of your profile. This email address WILL NOT be displayed on your profile, we will simply indicate to others who view your profile that you do indeed accept PayPal session payments. Only members with whom you establish terms in sessions will see your PayPal email address. Learn more about sessions terms.

b. Blogging

Your blog is a free-form area on your profile to express yourself - talk about your music, shows you're playing, issues affecting musicians, anything you want.

There are a few ways to create a blog post - if you click the blog tab on your profile, you'll see that you can click "add new post" at the top right of your blog. You can also click "create a blog post" at the top of the Community page when logged in.

Once you're on the New Blog Post page, only two things are required - 1) that you give your post a title, and 2) that you put something in the body of the post. You can change fonts, sizes, and other text features using the toolbar at the top of the editing area.

To insert a hyperlink, simply highlight the text that you'd like to be linked, and click the button that looks like a chain, called the "Insert/edit link" button. Type in the URL of the site you'd like to link to ("http://" first), fill in other options if you'd like, and click "Insert." You can always use the button that looks like a broken chain (right next to the Insert/edit link button) to remove a hyperlink.

If you want to insert either a picture or movie into your blog post, use the "Insert/edit image" button that looks like a picture of a tree (for pictures) or the "Insert/edit embedded media" button that looks like a filmstrip (for movies).

Once you click the Insert/edit image button, type in the location of your image in the "Image URL" box, or click the file button to the right of it to select a file from your hard drive. If you move off the "General" tab to the "Appearance" tab, you can also choose an Alignment option, and define how text is aligned around the image in your blog post. When you're all done, simply click the "Insert" button and voila, you now have a picture in your post! Even after you've returned to the New Blog Post page, you can still click on the image, and use the handle bars that appear on it's edges to re-size it in the window

Once you click the Insert/edit embedded media button, type in the location of your movie in the "File/URL" box. In most cases, you can leave "Type" set to "Flash" (the default choice). When you're done, click the "Insert" button and voila, you now have a movie in your post.

Once you're done creating the body of your blog post, you can delay publishing your post to a future time, or alter the time at which an older post was published by clicking the "edit" option next to the "Posting Date" below the body of the blog. You can also enter tags to categorize your blog post - separate individual tags with commas. When you're all done, just click "Post!" Remember, you can always click "edit this post" from the bottom of any blog post that you've created to return to the editing screen.

c. Testimonials (feedback)

Feedback for work you've done in sessions will appear on the Collaboration tab in your profile - when you first sign on to Indaba this will be blank, but after you've completed work in sessions, testimonials your collaborators leave for you will help represent your reputation in the community.

Testimonials are both free-form and multiple-choice, enabling members to rate their experiences as positive, neutral or negative but and also to describe those experiences as they see fit.

From the Collaboration tab, you can click “view all” to see someone’s full Testimonial page, where you can see who left each entry, any qualitative comments that went along with them, when they were made, and what the name of the session was.

My Studio is the central control center for all your work on Indaba Music. In it, you can see sessions you're involved with, messages, contacts, your widget, bandwidth and session usage, and you can also upgrade to a Pro membership.

a. Sessions

In the Sessions area of My Studio, you'll can see a number of different types of sessions including sessions you're invited to join, contest sessions (where you can work on submissions to Indaba Music Contests), sessions you own (learn more about starting a session), sessions you belong to, and sessions you're watching (learn more about watching sessions). If you want to see sessions that are no longer active, click the Ended Sessions tab at the top of the Sessions area.

In the Sessions area, sessions fitting different categories (invited to join, owned, etc.) are displayed along with simple indicators telling you how many mixes, files, and posts are present in each. You can also see whether a session is cold, warm, or hot - a measure of session activity created based on how much is actually happening in that particular session.

b. Messaging

In the Messages area of My Studio, you can view recent messages you've received, who they are from, and when they were received. Simply click on the message or its subject to reveal its full contents. Clicking on the name of the sender will take you to that user's profile - not to the message body.

After you've opened the contents of a message, you can choose an action at the bottom right of the display - replying to the sender or deleting the message from your inbox. Again, you can also click on the sender's name to go to their full profile.

Remember that you can always send someone a message using the "Send a Message" option below someone's picture on their profile, or to the right of their information in search results. You can also send someone a message from their info tab in sessions.

c. Contacts

Contacts are a way to keep track of people on Indaba Music, whether you want to remember them for a later project, or show the rest of the community that you know them. When you add people to your contacts, they will show up in My Studio in your list of contacts, and they will also show up in the Contacts area of your public profile.

You can always add someone to your list of contacts using the "Add to contacts" option below someone's picture on their profile or to the right of their information in search results. You can also add someone to your contacts from their info tab in sessions.

d. Site Usage

In My Studio, you'll see a module displaying your site usage for the current month. With a free account, you get 250MB of session bandwidth, and you can own 5 sessions at once. Remember that with the free account you can still belong to as many sessions as you'd like.

With a Pro account, you'll be able to transfer up to 10GB of session files per month, and own as many sessions as you'd like. Pro accounts are only $10/month, or $100/year. Click "upgrade to pro" to upgrade, or click on the membership tab on your Account Settings page. Click here to upgrade!

a. Starting a Session

Starting a session is quick and easy - simply click the new session option from the top of My Studio, or the top right of your Community page once you're logged in to the site.

On the first step, you'll need to give your session a name and a description so that other community members will know what you're working on.

You'll also be able to choose between public and private - private sessions won't show up in search results or to anyone that you don't personally invite (learn more about inviting people to sessions). If you want people to find your session or audition for it, make sure to choose the public option.

On the second step, you'll have the chance to input important data about your session. Although you can always do this later, the more information you enter here the easier it will be for people to find your session. Also, Indaba Music will recommend your session to other members if the data you enter here matches data that they have entered in their profiles, so be thoughtful about what you choose.

On the third step you'll be able to upload the first file to your session - again, you can always do this later, but the sooner you put something up the sooner other members of the community will be able to start collaborating with you. Sessions with no files receive far less attention and interest than sessions with files. At this stage, you can choose to make your file a reference or non-referenc track (learn more about reference tracks), and you can assign a license to it as well (learn more about licensing session files).

On the fourth and final step of the session creation process you'll have the opportunity to invite people to join your session. Here, you can choose from people who are your contacts on Indaba. If you'd like to find other people to invite, just skip this step - you can always invite other people at any time (learn more about inviting people to sessions).

b. Adding People to a Session (session creator only)

From your session, click on "manage invitations" to begin adding people to you session.

Once on the Add Members page, you can invite people to join your session in a number of different ways. First, you can start typing the name of one of your contacts - when you see the person you're looking for, simply click and drag them into the box at right. You can also drag and drop one of Indaba's recommendations - these members are selected based on data in the their profiles and other information that indicates they might be a good fit for your session. If you want to add someone else, click the link to search for other people in the Indaba community - you can always invite someone to your session from their profile by clicking the "Invite to Session" option.

c. Joining a Session

If you want to join a session that you haven't been invited to, you have two choices. First, you can click "upload an audition" from the top of the session or "upload a file" from the files list on the session page to upload an audition track. If you haven't yet created an audition track, you'll probably want to download files (if there are any that are available) from the session to record along with. Alternatively, you can click "ask to join" from the top of the session to open up a message to the session creator in which you can request session membership.

Once an audition has been uploaded to a session, or a user has requested to join the session, the session creator will have the option to accept the audition or session membership request in order to make the interested user a full member of the session. The session creator can also deny these requests, but in either case these actions are performed from the session page by the session creator.

d. Exchanging Files

File exchange can happen in a variety of different ways in Indaba Music sessions. Once you've arrived at a session page, the fastest way to upload a file is to click "upload a file" in the Files area of the session page.

In the Upload a File window, you'll get to put in a name for the file, what instrument it is, and whether or not the session creator can make the file a reference track. If you are not yet a member of the session and you are uploading an audition file, only you will be able to download it until it is accepted and you become a full member of the session.

You can also choose whether or not you want your file to be a reference track (if you are uploading an audition, you can choose whether to grant the session creator permission to make it a reference track should your audition be accepted). A reference track is a file that is central to collaboration in the session; it can therefore be downloaded by anyone, even Indaba users who are not members of the session. If you give the session creator permission to make an audition file a reference track, then whatever download permissions you set here will change in order to enable anyone to download the file when/if the session creator decides to make it a reference file.

Note that if you choose to make a file a reference track, you will not be able to define any specific download permissions, since reference tracks by definition can be downloaded by anyone.

You can also choose a licensing option for your file by clicking "choose" from the Upload a File window. Indaba Music enables you to display copyright and similar information for music you upload to sessions. This is completely optional; you do not forfeit any rights by uploading your music to the site or by not displaying copyright and other information. We offer this option simply as way to make the legal status of your music known if you wish to do so. Regardless of which display option you choose, selecting an option enables you to be credited for your work, and you can always change the option from the session page in the future.

Before choosing a licensing option, you must verify that you have the legal rights to the composition, recording and lyrics for the file. PLEASE DO NOT UPLOAD OR SELECT LICENSING OPTIONS FOR FILES THAT YOU DO NOT HAVE LEGAL PERMISSION TO WORK WITH IN THIS WAY. Refer to our Terms of Use. for more information. If you think that a file has been incorrectly labeled or uploaded illegally to Indaba Music, please email us at copyright[at]indabamusic.com. It is very important to us that Indaba remain a place of positive collaboration, and we take copyright infringement and the rights of musicians very seriously.

If you decide to display a license for your file, we offer 3 options - 1) All rights reserved (this basically tells the community that you own the file and aren't granting anyone any special permissions, 2) Creative Commons Attribution, and 3) Creative Commons Attribution, Non-Commercial.

e. Mixing and Editing

Indaba Music enables you to exchange files in sessions that you've mixed and edited using any digital audio workstation. You can also exchange any type of audio file - whatever size or quality it may be.

If you don't have your own digital production software, or if you want to mix and edit files before you download them to your local hard drive, the Indaba Music Session Console offers you mixing and editing capabilities in your web-browser, without having to download any software.

The Session Console will support WAV, AIFF, and MP3 files. Although you can exchange files of any type using Indaba Music, only these types are supported for in-browser mixing and editing.

The hard-working developers here at Indaba Music have tried to push the envelope of Flash audio processing online to create a tool that will be comfortable for users of programs like ProTools, Logic, GarageBand, and Audacity, as well as users who have never used audio production programs.

Playback Controls (play/fast forward/reset)

What: The main controls for starting and stopping audio, as well as fast forwarding and returning to the beginning of the track.

Why: Because in order to collaborate you have to hear the music!

How: Click on the left button (reset) to return to the beginning of the song, the center button (play/pause) to start/stop audio, and the right button (fast forward) to skip forward.

Global volume

What: The overall volume control for everything coming out of the session console.

Why: So you can control the overall volume of what you are hearing without having to adjust each track individually.

How: Click and drag the slider on the main console controls and move it right to make the console louder and left to make it quieter. The default setting is at 85%.

Nudge

What: Nudging tracks will move them slightly earlier (left) or later (right) in time.

Why: To make subtle movements in track positions to line them up more accurately.

How: Select the audio region you want to nudge by clicking on it. Once it is highlighted, press the nudge button whichever way you would like to move the audio. Repeat as necessary until files are lined up as desired.

Tip: In the console a nudge value is dependent on the current level of zoom. If you zoom all the way in, nudges will be more precise. If you zoom all the way out, nudges will be less precise.

Metronome

What: The metronome is a time keeping and synchronization tool. When activated it plays a constant audible click in time with the set tempo. Notes are accented at the beginning of every measure, in accordance with the set meter.

Why: If tracks were recorded to the sound of a metronome then the session metronome can be very helpful in lining up tracks to synch with one another.

How: Input the correct Meter and Tempo for the song, line up the first beat of an audio region with the first beat of a measure by visually lining up the beat with one of the bar lines and audibly lining it up with the metronome.

Tip: Tracks can look lined up at every zoom level. After getting things generally in place try zooming in to the closest level to line things up more precisely.

Tempo

What: The speed or pace of a piece of music, usually expressed in beats per minute (bpm).

Why: Tempo gives participants an indication of how fast the music is. Telling others know what tempo you have recorded to, as well as if you recorded while listening to a metronome (or "click" ) track will help them record successfully along with your files. Additionally, the tempo sets the frequency of audible clicks produced by the metronome, when enabled.

How: Use the up and down arrows on the tempo display to increase or decrease the bpm, or click on the current bpm and type in the correct values.

Time signature

What: One of the critical time keeping measures in music. The upper number indicates how many beats there are in a bar, the lower number indicates the note value which represents one beat.

Why: Setting and displaying the time signature for the song will give all participants more information about what they are contributing to, and it will ensure that the metronome is working in the same meter as the music.

How: Click the drop down menu and select the correct time signature.

Loop

What: Looping is a tool that enables users to replicate the same audio region multiple times in series within a specific track.

Why: If you want the same pattern or sound to repeat looping is a great way to make that happen easily. For example, many people will loop a drum beat to extend it for several measures and record other parts on top of it.

How: Select an audio region by clicking on it, and then click the loop button in the top right/center in the main console controls bar as many times as you would like the phrase repeated.

Note: There is also a track level tool to loop. Expand the track by clicking the triangle next to the track name, select the audio region you want to loop by clicking on it, click and hold on the circular loop icon in the top right corner of the audio region, and drag your mouse to the right, releasing your mouse when you have looped the region the desired number of times.

Tip: Before looping a track, crop its beginning and/or end, if necessary, so that the next time the loop starts it stays on the same beat as the original.

Delete

What: The Delete button in the main console controls enables users to remove audio regions from the timeline. This action does not delete the audio files from the console - they will still be available for use from the files list (learn more about the files list here).

Why: Remove audio regions from the mix that you don't want!

How: Select the audio region you would like to delete from the timeline by clicking on it and then click the Delete button in the main console controls. You can select the audio region and then use the Delete button on your keyboard.

ii. Track Controls and Audio Regions

Markers

What: Visual indicators on the timeline accompanied by mouseover notes (if desired).

Why: To remind yourself and other session members of where that one bad bass note is, where the verse transitions to the chorus, where you want the guitar solo to begin, and so on.

How: Place the playhead where you want the marker to be by clicking on the timeline. Next, enter the text you would like the marker to display in the marker text box at the leftmost side of the timeline. Click the green + button to add the marker, or press enter on your keyboard.

Naming tracks

What: While each audio region has its own name, you can rename tracks to organize your session and help other members understand what audio is in each track.

Why: To give yourself and others a clearer picture of the elements in the song and to make mixing and editing easier.

How: Double-click on the default track name ("Track 1" for example), type the desired track name, and hit the enter key on your keyboard or click somewhere outside the track name.

Mute

What: The Mute function is used to temporarily silence a particular track.

Why: You might want to remove that pesky cowbell while mixing the rest of the song.

How: In the track controls click a track's Mute button to activate the Mute function - it will turn from green to blue when activated.

Solo

What: Solo makes all other track outputs silent and enables you to hear only the selected (soloed) track.

Why: You might want to give a closer listen to the guitar track to hear if an incorrect chord was played, or you might want to solo all the drums together and work on mixing them alone before adding in new instruments.

How: In the track controls click a track's Solo button to activate the Solo function - it will turn from green to blue and blink when activated.

Note: You can Solo multiple tracks at the same time!

Volume

What: Changing a track's volume relative to other tracks in the console.

Why: Changing relative track volume can make a song sound more coherent, especially when different parts were recorded with different gear, at different times, in different places, etc.

How: In an expanded track (click the triangle next to the track name to expand it), use the volume slider to raise (click and drag to the right) or lower (click and drag to the left) individual track volume.

Auto-Volume

What: Automatically changing the volume on a track over time.

Why: If tracks are not the same volume throughout the song, auto-volume can be used to make tracks more even throughout, or it can be used to do the opposite: add dynamic volume changes on a single track. For example, you could raise the guitar volume during a solo or fade out tracks at the end of a song.

How: For those familiar with automated volume features in other applications you'll notice that ours works a little differently. We think that once you get the hang of it it's a simpler and more effective way to manage auto-volume.

Most notably, we have divorced the track level volume from auto volume, meaning that when you change the track level volume you are changing the overall percentage of volume that gets passed through the auto-volume feature, but you are not affecting the shape of the auto-volume. For example, this feature would enable you to make the overall vocal track a bit louder without manually raising every node in the track's auto-volume.

There are three main states to the auto-volume:

1. Default: there are no auto-volume nodes added and the track is consistently at 100% of the overall track volume.

2. Edit Mode: when you click the circular "A" button the track goes grey, displaying the blue auto-volume line, enabling you to set auto-volume patterns by clicking in the grey area where you would like a node to be added. Click the red circular "X" button to clear auto-volume on the entire track and return it to the Default state. You do not need to click out of Edit Mode (clicking the "A" button again will hide auto volume editing) to activate your changes, they will happen as you move nodes.

3. Auto Enabled: When you have applied the desired auto-volume but are not currently in Edit Mode, auto-volume is still active even though you can't see the lines and nodes. You can tell a track is Auto Enabled by the illuminated A on the auto-volume button.

Pan

What: Altering a track's output to change the relative balance of how much audio comes out of the left and right speakers.

Why: Panning is a mixing tool that can create a more interesting and dynamic sound by placing audio in different parts of the stereo field (left speaker to right speaker).

How: In an expanded track (click the triangle next to the track name to expand it) click and drag the knob on the Pan fader to the left/right to adjust what percent of the audio comes out of which speaker.

Grid

What: Bar lines set to match the tempo and time signature of the song.

Why: To make ensure that audio lines up correctly, with the beats falling on the grid lines.

How: To view/hide the grid click the Grid icon directly below the files/mixes tab. If the correct tempo is set, audio files should snap into place on the grid and the files should be lined up.

Tip: If you created the song, make sure the tracks uploaded into the mixer start from 0:00 to make it easier for other members of the session to sync their parts up with the files in the mix.

Snap

What: With Snap enabled, when you drag audio regions and let them go the beginning of the dragged region will "snap" to the nearest bar line. This way, you don't have to line it up precisely.

Why: Especially when working with lined up tracks, be they from midi files, or audio files recorded to a click track, Snap makes lining things up easier.

How: To turn Snap on/off click the Snap icon directly below the files/mixes tabs.

Zoom

What: Zooming in/out on the timeline to see more/less detail on audio regions.

Why: Zoom in to make functions like auto-volume, cropping, and lining up tracks more precise. Zoom out to make looking at the big picture and sliding audio in time significantly easier.

How: At the bottom of the tracks list there is a magnifying glass - use the "+" button to zoom in and the "-" button to zoom out.

Move Tracks Up/Down

What: This tool enables users to easily re-arrange the order of tracks in the console.

Why: Different people working in the same session may like to look at tracks in different ways so having a tool to reprioritize what you are looking at is important.

How: There are two ways to re-order tracks. First, you can simply drag and drop a track to move it from one location to another. Alternatively, you can select a track by clicking on it and use the re-order buttons directly below the track list (under Mute/Solo) to move tracks up and down.

Slide

What: Slide specific audio regions in the timeline.

Why: For any reason you might want to offset, align, or generally move audio regions around. For example, to line up audio regions with audio on different tracks or to add multiple audio regions to the same track and ensure they are in time with the beat.

How: Select the audio region (it will turn blue when selected) and then click and drag it to the desired location.

Tip: Zooming in can make lining up audio with other regions more precise, while zooming out can make moving regions over a large time period easier.

Crop

What: Cropping enables you to adjust the beginning and ending of an audio clip by cutting off undesired notes or empty space. Cropping is non-destructive so you can always undo any adjustments you have made.

Why: If you have empty space or notes at the beginning or end of an audio region that you don't want to be audible in the song cropping is a quick and easy way to get rid of them. Additionally, if you are looping a region and want to ensure that the loop plays correctly and in time - having extra space at the beginning or end of the region will disrupt the time and throw it out of sync.

How: In an expanded track (expand a track by clicking on the triangle next to the track name) click and drag the shaded lower corners of an audio region to the left or right. Let go to crop the file at the current position.

Loop

What: Looping is a tool that allows users to replicate the same audio region a number of times in series within a specific track.

Why: If you want the same pattern or sound to repeat throughout the song looping is a great way to do that quickly. Many people will loop a drum beat to extend it for several measures and record other parts on top of it.

How: Expand the track (click the triangle next to the track name), select the audio region you want to loop by clicking on it, click and hold on the circular loop icon in the top right corner of the audio region, and drag your mouse to the right, releasing your mouse when you have looped the region the desired number of times.

Note: There is also a loop button in the main console control bar. To use this control, select an audio region and click the loop button in the top right/center in the main console controls bar as many times as you would like the phrase repeated.

Tip: Before looping a track, crop its beginning and/or end, if necessary, so that the next time the loop starts it stays on the same beat as the original.

iii. File and Mix Lists

New Mix / Save / Save As

What: Start a New Mix from scratch, Save the mix you are working in, overwrite old versions, or take the current mix you are working in and Save As a new mix.

Why: The ability to have multiple mixes and multiple ways to save them gives members flexibility to try new things without losing work or having to choose which mix they ultimately want to use.

How: The three buttons are located just under the Indaba Music logo in the top left corner of the session console. Click the appropriate button for the function you would like to perform.

Mixes List

What: A list of current saved mixes. Detail about the selected mix is visible below the list in the Information Box.

Why: The Mix List displays all available mixes and information about them, and it gives members a quick and easy way to load the mix into the console.

How: In the Mix List, the blue dot to the left of the mix name indicates the currently loaded mix. Mixes are selected by clicking on them, and they can then be loaded with the Add button, mixed down with the Mixdown button, and so on.

Files List

What: The Files list is a list of all audio files that have been uploaded to the session. Below the Files list is an information box with detail about who uploaded the file, what instrument is in the audio, how long the file is, what type of file it is, how big it is, etc.

Why: You may have many auditions and regular files to manage and you may not want all of them in the mixer at the same time. The files list keeps files organized and displays exactly what audio you have available to work with in the mixer.

How: Files are listed in chronological order. Core and Audition files are indicated with red and orange markers (respectively). Files that are loaded in the current mix have an illuminated blue dot to the left of the file name.

File Types and Permissions

What: The console supports 24, 16, and 8 bit files in WAV, AIFF, and MP3 formats.

Why: Because you should have the flexibility to work however you want!

How: You can upload any of the aforementioned files to the session console. Once a file is uploaded Indaba produce a low quality copy on our servers so that it will load faster in the mixer - no one wants to wait for seven 25mb AIFF files to load in their web browsers! These low-quality copies are only used in the console - original files are always available for download in their high quality formats, and any mixdowns you create and save will be produced using the original files that you uploaded.

Mixdown

What: Combine all audio regions in the session console timeline, including all settings (volume, automation, panning, cropping, looping, etc.) into a single stereo AIFF or MP3 file.

Why: Mixdown allows you to take a session and turn it into a song. It is the final step in any recording process and gives you the ability to share your song with the world through your profile, the Indaba Music Player, your website or Myspace page and gives you the ability to take it with you on your iPod or other MP3 player.

How: In the Mixes list select the mix you would like to mixdown. Below the information box select Mixdown, choose the file type (AIFF or MP3) from the prompt and click Mixdown. Please note that the Mixdown function mixes the selected mix from the list not the loaded mix (unless they are one in the same).

Note: Even though the session console works with low-quality copies of uploaded files in order to substantially decrease loading time in your web browser, Mixdown will use the highest quality files available as long as you have permission to download them (learn more about file permissions here).

Download

What: A command to download a specific file from the session console.

Why: Perhaps you want to back up your files, or perhaps you want to work with the files in your own desktop software.

How: Select the file you would like to download from the Files list and click the download button. If you accept the prompt (which tells you how much of your monthly bandwidth allocation you will be using when you download the file) the file will download to your desktop automatically (learn more about upgrading your monthly bandwidth allocation).

Delete

What: Delete a selected mix or file from the session.

Why: To keep the console clean and free of files no longer in use.

How: Select the mix or file you would like to delete and click the Delete button. You will be prompted to confirm your deletion before any files are destroyed.

Preview

What: The preview button plays only the selected file.

Why: In sessions where there are many files with potentially similar names, it is helpful to be able to preview a file before adding it to the timeline, downloading it or deleting it.

How: Select a file from the Files list and click the preview button.

Add File to Mix

What: The ability to add files from the file list to the mix.

Why: Because otherwise you just have a bunch of files in a list.

How: There are two ways to add files to the mix. First, you can simply drag and drop files by clicking and dragging them into the timeline and letting go. Alternatively, you can select a file and click the Add button. This will add the file to the next open track. From there you can drag and drop it to the appropriate position in the timeline within the appropriate track.

Upload File

What: How you get a file into the session console.

Why: Because you need files to collaborate in the session console, silly.

How: Click on the green Upload File button to add a new file (learn more about exchanging files in sessions).

Audition

What: In public sessions, users who are not currently members of the session can submit audition files and/or ask to be invited to the session.

Why: Maybe you didn't even know you were looking for that didgeridoo part in your song! Making sessions public and allowing others to audition enables community members to explore new projects and be proactive about getting involved with new projects.

How: Learn more about uploading an audition file here.

Tool Tips

What: Tips that appear over the object you have your cursor on in the session console.

Why: Audio applications are complex and have many features. These tips will help you and make referencing this help text less necessary.

How: Tool Tips are switched on by default. If you are a pro and they are just plain annoying you can always turn them off by clicking on the circular "?" button in the very bottom right corner of the session console.

f. Tracking Session Events

Every session has a module called "Recent Events", and it displays the five most recent events that have happened in that session. Where applicable, you can click the +/- symbol to reveal more information about a specific event.

Click "view all" to see a complete list of every event that has happened in the session.

Click on the orange RSS icon to subscribe to a feed of session events - this is a great way to keep track of what's going on in a session without having to open your web browser and visit the session page. Every time a new event is tracked it will be delivered straight to your RSS reader.

g. Watching a Session

Watching a session is a way to keep track of it without taking any action like auditioning or messaging the session creator.

Click "Watch this Session" from the session page to add the session to a list of sessions you're watching in My Studio. This is a private action - no one will know that you are watching the session other than you.

h. Tell Friends About a Session

If you want to tell someone about a session that you think is interesting, click "Tell a friend about this session" and begin typing in the person's name. When you see the person you are looking for, click the button next to they name and click "tell them". If you want to tell someone that is not yet an Indaba Music member, simply type in their email address and click "invite them" - they will receive an email with a link to the session from you.

i. Ending a Session

There are two ways to end a session on Indaba – you can simply end it by clicking End this Session from the Session page, or, you can click Publish this Session.

You should publish a session when you have completed your work and would like to display the finished product on your Indaba profile. Use the Published Session wizard to update any information about the song so that others will be able to view it. When you publish a session it will also end, and you will not be able to re-activate it or modify/download the files. Published sessions are a great way to show off work you’ve completed on Indaba – they feature the music (of course!), credits for participating members, and an interactive timeline of the work that went into the creation of the final song.

a. To edit the settings of your Indaba Music account, click the "Settings" option at the top of the site.

b. There are three types of account settings - basics, membership, and privacy.

c. Basic settings enable you to change your name on Indaba Music (this is what will be displayed anywhere your identity is represented on the site, including on your profile), your email address (make sure to keep this current so that emails from the Indaba Music system can get through to you), and your password. What do I do if I forget my password?

d. You can also set your permanent Indaba Music URL - this is the web address where your profile will be located once you set it. Choosing a custom URL will make it easier for you to share your Indaba profile with others, but choose carefully since you will not be able to change this address once it is set.

e. Membership settings enable you to upgrade your account to a Pro membership. Your free Indaba Music account enables you to transfer 250MB of session files per month and own 5 sessions simultaneously, but a Pro account enables you to transfer up to 10GB per month and own an unlimited number of sessions simultaneously. It's just $10/month or $100/year for a Pro membership on Indaba (click here to upgrade!).

f. Your privacy settings control when Indaba Music can email you, and also how the site can interact with you. Use the checkboxes to turn on or off the different privacy options that are available.

Who controls my music on Indaba?

You do! We do not take any ownership rights to your music. This is very important to us, since empowering artists and giving them more control than they've ever had is one of our most valued goals. If you upload your work to publicly accessible areas of the site (like the sample work in your profile), then you give us permission to display it there and in other publicly accessible areas of the site. Of course, anything you do in private (like in private sessions) remains private, unless you decide to Publish a private session and create a Published Song page. We've also thought a lot about who has permission to do what on the site; for example, although anyone in the community can download tracks you designate as reference tracks in public sessions (so that they can work with them offline and audition for your session!), regular files have their own permissions so you can decide who can download them and who can not. Of course, if your session is private, only members you've invited to the session will even know that it exists while it is active. For more info on the legal jargon that goes along with all this, check out our Terms of Use.

What is Session Bandwidth/Session File Transfer?

"Session Bandwidth" and "Session File Transfer" refers to the file transfer allowance you are given each month for collaborative work in Sessions. Free members for example can transfer up to 250MB within Sessions each month, whereas Pro members can transfer up to 10GB. These limits include both uploads and downloads (i.e. if you only worked on a single Session this month, and you uploaded 3 files that were 50MB each, and downloaded 2 that were 30MB each, you would have used 210MB of your allowance).

Why should I work in MP3 until I am ready to transfer the final version of an audio file?

Converting files to MP3 on your computer before you upload them to Indaba Music benefits you in a number of ways: MP3s are smaller than formats like WAV and AIFF, so they won't take nearly as long to upload. MP3s are smaller, so they won't use up as much of your monthly Session File transfer allowance. MP3s are lower-quality as compared to AIFF or WAV, so you don't have to release high quality files to others until you are ready.

What are Session agreements?

Session agreements can be established in Sessions between the session creator and a session member. They represent an agreement to do work in a certain way, including price, due date, final file type to be delivered, and any other instructions that you'd like to agree to. You do not need to use agreements in your Sessions, but they are a way to settle on payment if you are working for a fee or are working with someone who charges for their work. If you have agreements with a Session member, then when the Session is ended, you will be prompted to settle outstanding payment issues.

How does feedback work?

Feedback on Indaba Music exists to provide you with a reputation on the site, and to allow other members to view a record of the Session work you've done and what others have thought about it. The opportunity to leave Testimonials for other members and give them a rating is granted upon Session close and throughout the collaborative process. Indaba only enables members who have worked with each other in Sessions to write Testimonials for each other, and we strongly suggest that members always do so as it helps to enhance the usefulness of the site and provides members with richer and more detailed information about each other. Session members are rated positive, neutral, or negative, but since musical collaboration can be very subjective and requires explanation to be truly meaningful, you can also leave free-form feedback

What is the difference between a Session I own and a Session I belong to?

Sessions you own are Sessions that you created, whereas Sessions you belong to are simply Sessions that you've been invited to that you did not create. As the creator of a Session, you have the ability to edit Session info, close the Session, and invite others to join the Session. Anyone can belong to as many Sessions as they like, however free members are allowed to own 5 Sessions simultaneously, whereas Pro members can own as many as they like. We limit the number of Sessions Indaba Music members can own in order to maintain the quality of Public Session search results and limit the number of old or inactive Sessions that are floating around.

What is a Reference Track?

Reference tracks are the main session files that the session creator wants others to work with. In public sessions, reference tracks are available for download so that all Indaba members can use them to audition for your session.

What happens when a Session is ended?

When the creator of a Session confirms that they would like to close it, Indaba Music will prompt all Session members to leave Testimonials for other members, and to resolve any outstanding payments that might have been agreed to in terms between members. The Session will no longer show up in My Studio, but you can always access it by clicking "view all" in the Sessions box in My Studio. Once a Session is closed, all files uploaded to it will be deleted from the Indaba Music system, so make sure to download anything you want to keep beforehand!

If the creator of a Session chooses to Publish the Session, then a Published Song page will be created and the Session will become available for other members to view. No one will be able to continue working in the Session, but it will be preserved as a completed work on Indaba.

What do I do if I forget my password?

Not to worry! If you've forgotten your password, simply follow this link to reset it! We will send you an email with a code to reset your password at the email address with which you signed up for your Indaba account.