SoftCollab is a brand-new online collaboration and file-sharing service specifically designed for musicians and studios.
While cloud platforms such as Google Drive, Dropbox and the likes are basically a must-have for general work purposes, they’re not exactly developed with producers and musicians in mind.
SoftCollab is built by an experienced team of musicians and producers who understand the pitfalls of collaborative music-making from personal experience. Creators often end up with unorganized audio files scattered throughout their device, have to constantly download large files in order to audition them in the DAW, have to manage hundreds of folders and sub-folders, etc. – all that and more with the added concern of rising storage costs.
That’s where SoftCollab comes in. According to the company, the platform is built as a time-saving and cost-effective alternative for music creators to use instead of services like Google Drive and Dropbox. In addition to being a robust cloud storage solution, SoftCollab provides users with a plethora of musician-centric features:
- Online synced playback for multi-format file support
After receiving a set of stems, you can audition them from the cloud individually or simultaneously. This even works with a mixture of audio file formats, and you can add and remove instruments from your preview as you go along. I have been able to test a demo of this feature and I found it well-designed and really convenient.
- Unlimited Projects, Collaborators, Uploads, and Downloads
During this beta phase, users signing up for SoftCollab get 5GB of free storage space to use for sharing files. Once the platform will be officially launched, there will be upgrade plans for registered members.
- Double-Click Document Preview
Music sheets, lyrics, etc. can be easily integrated in your projects.
- Easy Access and Full Project Management
Your SoftCollaborators receive an email with a magic link – no login required – and downloads can be disabled to use it as a previewing tool. Also, for users working with multiple groups, they can pick and choose which of their invitees get access to which project
- AudioBin Recorder
Last but not least, there’s a cool bonus feature that could be potentially quite helpful. It’s a recorder that can record all inputs from the system at the same time and upload directly to a connected SoftCollab account.
There are more features planned, and I’m excited to see what SoftCollab will be able to go in the next year or two. It’s a small independent firm and it’s not easy to pull off such an ambitious project, but from what I can see they planted some good seeds here.
To learn more about SoftCollab and sign up for free, please visit their website.
If you’re interested in collaborative platforms for musicians and sound engineers you can also check our article about SessionWire, ListenTo and Soundwhale.
