Voice memos, podcast samples, music demos, and room-by-room audio guides need a play button, not an attachment. This page is that job: the player ShareKit actually renders, the embed you can copy, and what a printed code can and cannot tell you.
The player on the share page
Audio uploads render a card with the file name and this control, matching the share page implementation:
<audio controls preload="metadata"> <source src="https://sharekit.app/api/uploads/asset?key=EXAMPLE" type="audio/mpeg" /> </audio>
There is no waveform editor, no loudness pass, and no second encoded file. Set the source to your upload’s asset URL and the type to the real MIME type (audio/mpeg for MP3, audio/mp4 for M4A, audio/wav, audio/flac, audio/ogg). On a page you do not control, skip the embed and send the /s/slug address so the listener gets ShareKit’s player and the download.
Format, size, and quality
Accepted audio extensions are MP3, WAV, OGG, AAC, M4A, FLAC, and Opus. The table is about the file you already have. ShareKit will not resample it.
| Format | Bring it when | Size versus a lossy copy |
|---|---|---|
| MP3 | Small, lossy, the usual choice for a link someone will press play on | A few megabytes per song |
| M4A / AAC | Apple voice memos and many podcast exports | Similar to MP3 at a comparable bitrate |
| OGG | Exports from open tools and some games | Lossy, usually small |
| Opus | Voice recordings where size matters | Often smaller than MP3 for speech |
| FLAC | Lossless listening copies | Much larger than MP3, smaller than WAV |
| WAV | Uncompressed review files | Largest. An album master can miss the free 20MB line immediately |
Browser decoders vary. MP3 is the safest inline bet. FLAC and OGG play where the browser supports them and fall back to download where they do not.
QR on a printed audio guide
A museum label should not contain the audio. It should contain a code that opens the player. Upload the room recording, print the QR that encodes /q/slug, and leave a short URL under the code. A scan is counted, then the phone lands on the share page and can press play. That is the tracking ShareKit has: one number for scans, one for page opens, one for downloads. It is not a map of how far into the clip someone listened, and it is not a list of visitors.
Print SVG if the label will be resized. The file QR PNG is generated at 512 pixels with a one-module quiet zone; cropping that margin makes the code fail. An exhibition that runs longer than 30 days should use Keep One File so the stored date matches the exhibition, and you should leave that file online until the labels come down.
Example: a demo for a label, or a voice note
A 12MB MP3 of a song demo is under the free line, so it can be a guest upload and the player is enough for a first listen. The stored expiry is 7 days; delete the upload when the demo should stop, because a guest file goes offline on that date. If they reply asking for the session file, upload the WAV separately. An 80MB WAV costs 7 credits — the same 10MB-block rule as other files — and therefore needs an account. That copy is stored with a 30-day expiry. A voice note follows the smaller path: export M4A or MP3, upload, send the share page, and delete it when the note should disappear.
Steps for a listening link
- Choose the file the listener should hear. Do not upload a WAV if an MP3 is what you meant to send.
- Upload it. Guest links are only available when the credit cost is zero.
- Send the share page for a person, or print the /q/ QR code for a wall. Copy the audio snippet only onto a site you edit.
Listening links written up elsewhere
- File sharing for classrooms — listening exercises and pronunciation clips opened on a student phone.
- Event and conference materials — the print-a-code pattern, when the thing behind the code is a session recording instead of a schedule PDF.
Guest uploads store a 7-day expiry. Account uploads store a 30-day expiry. Keep One File ($4.99) moves that date out by at least a year for one file, its URL, and its QR code. When that date passes, the public page, download, and QR stop serving the file. Delete the upload sooner if it should go offline earlier. Guest short links are refused after 7 days. Uploads under 20MB cost no credits.
Questions about playable audio links
What does the share page play the audio with?
An HTML audio element with controls, preload set to metadata, and a source pointed at the stored file. If the browser cannot decode that type, the control fails and the download button is the fallback.
Does an exhibition QR remember who listened?
No. A scan of /q/slug increments that upload’s QR count. The share page also counts views and downloads. None of those numbers identify a person or prove they listened to the end.
Should a label receive a WAV or an MP3?
Send the WAV when they asked for the production file and accept that it is large. Send an MP3 when they only need to hear the song in a browser. ShareKit will not make the smaller file for you.
How long does a printed audio-guide code keep working?
Guest audio is stored with a 7-day expiry. Account audio is stored with a 30-day expiry. Keep One File moves that date out by at least a year. When the date passes, the public page stops serving the file. A wall label that should work for a season needs a date that covers the season. Five replacements are allowed if you later swap the recording.