Audio troubleshooting for Mixcloud
Over the years since it was first launched, Mixcloud has built up a steady reputation as a respected global community for audio culture. If you’re a DJ or a budding podcaster you might have used the platform to publish and share your DJ mixes and radio shows, or share updates and promote events and releases with your community, big or small.
In comparison to Soundcloud, their main rival in this particular corner of the audio world, Mixcloud does a better job of protecting the fair use of copyrighted music. Perhaps the most attractive feature of the platform for music makers however, is its focus on high audio quality and relaxed upload limits. Let’s dive in a little deeper, and answer some audio troubleshooting questions for Mixcloud.
Does Mixcloud compress audio?
Like most music hosting platforms, Mixcloud applies some compression to audio, so make sure your tracks sound as good as they possibly can before you upload them.
You have a choice of uploading various newer file formats, and you can access a range of AAC files or OGG too.
Is Mixcloud royalty free?
As a user-generated internet platform for audio streaming, Mixcloud has to stay on top of its licensing standards. They’ve partnered with many of the largest rights holders, record labels and publishers around the world to create a comprehensive licensing framework with rightsholders. In other words, they’re pretty good at making sure the royalties end up in the right place!
Creators can upload shows with licensed music, and Mixcloud will identify the copyrighted tracks and pay royalties to the appropriate rights holders, who in turn distribute them to artists. This can result in modified playback experience, so stay in the know and make sure free-to-use listeners can hear your shows by finding out more here.
How to play music on stream without copyright
Many streamers mistakenly believe that they can get away with playing licensed music on their streams. Unfortunately this isn’t the case, and doing so will lead to you getting a copyright strike on your account on most platforms, so make sure you know how to correctly use licensed music before you stream!
However, as Mixcloud operates a fair and legal streaming service that ensures royalties are collected by artists, you can upload shows with licensed music.
How do streamers play music without copyright
To get around strict music licensing laws that prohibit the use of a copyrighted music in livestreams, streamers have three options:
- Music in the public domain
- Royalty-free music
- Original music
Is there a limit on Mixcloud?
Through Mixcloud, users can upload DJ mixes, mashups and showcase their music to the world. Mixcloud has no restriction on the track length or the number of your uploads.
With a generous limit of 500MB for a single file there’s plenty of room for large uploads as well. Mixcloud allows you to upload at a bitrate of 320kbps – that’s higher than any other platform.
How long can you stream Mixcloud?
Fortunately there’s no limit on the amount of time you can livestream on Mixcloud for, but overly long streams tend to have less viewers overall.
Mixcloud cuts streams after eight hours to keep the system running smoothly, which will result in your stream refreshing. If you’re planning a stream that will last over eight hours, make sure to check that your broadcasting system will automatically reconnect at this point. Furthermore, shows that are over six hours long won’t be saved, to save space.
Can you cast Mixcloud live?
Mixcloud Live currently isn’t supported by Smart TVs, so it’s recommended to connect by using an HDMI cable between your TV and your device.
You can use AirPlay or Chromecast from a desktop device to watch Mixcloud Live on a Smart TV, however the quality of the connection when streaming via these services can suffer. We’ve gone through the steps for connecting Mixcloud to Chromecast here, along with some other helpful tips on streaming live with Mixcloud.
Additionally, there’s currently no support for Live in the Mixcloud AppleTV app, so it won’t be possible to watch streams this way either.
If you want to stream mixes, or radio shows with freedom, Mixcloud is one of the best options out there. Your mixes can be readily found by others, and you can make use of community orientated features like posting links directly to your mixes, sets and page. As well as supporting good quality audio and video streaming, Mixcloud looks after artists well with its solid licensing practices, and even with a standard account you can upload as much content as you want!
