Guides

Notes on audio, downloads and file storage

Practical articles about formats, phone downloads, error messages and the parts of music collecting that nobody explains until something breaks.

A practical look at fake download buttons, notification traps and the checks that keep a browser based audio tool from turning into a problem.

Why a 320kbps download from a 160kbps source is bigger without being better, and how to read a spectrogram without guessing.

The usual causes behind a network error, a silent file or a progress bar that never finishes, and what to try before you give up.

Where Safari puts a downloaded track, how to find it in Files and which free apps actually play a local music folder.

Find a downloaded track on Samsung, Pixel or Xiaomi, move it to the Music folder and deal with the hidden .nomedia file.

How ID3 tags work, how to fill them in bulk with Mp3tag and how to arrange folders so a car stereo can read them.

How to use an exact YouTube link, narrow a vague query and check a result before you save the wrong remix.

A plain comparison of the three codecs you meet on YouTube, and why the most compatible format is not always the best sounding one.

A guide to the producers, sub styles and live sets that help you tell an official Amapiano release from a mislabeled reupload.

A short list of services that let you download or stream music with clear permissions, from Bandcamp to the Internet Archive.