Reverb Nation vs. SoundCloud?

[mrwonderful]

Hi all, any thoughts on this? I've recently signed with both, and already have some ideas about how each works and differs from the other. But I'd like to get some outside thinking on this.

One way to slice it is to use one for 'songs' from my actual CDs, just to post them SOMEWHERE so I don't have to send MP3s from MY email when I want to pitch or share them.

And use the other one to post/share my (instrumental) film music.

There's by now zillions of these sites - how many can one possibly manage, or need to?

How is somebody else doing it?

A fiver for your thoughts...

Jordy

[kclements]

Two things I really like about soundcloud over reverbnation

1) Doesn't require Flash. This opens the door to people on iOS and those of us who have removed flash from our systems.

2) I can put a Buy link on soundcloud and tie it to my Bandcamp account. (Maybe you can do this on RN. I haven't been there is so long that I don't remember. I think you can sell via RN but I like having it all in one place.)

3) I think Soundcloud is a lot nicer to look at than RN. The layout at RN looks a little "Spammy" to me. I like the clean look of Soundcloud.

Ok. that's three instead of two. I think it really comes down to what you like. Both are very good platforms and each have their pros and cons. I just like the way Soundcloud feels. I also like the comments on SC - great way to get feedback.

And did I mention you don't need Flash?

Cheers -
kc

[Len911]

I've got both also. I just use them for a place to post when need be. For the free accounts soundcloud gives you time and reverbnation has a file size limit. Soundcloud also allows uploading of wav files, not sure if there's any difference on playback, but it's irritating when you have to cut your bit rate because you go over the limit for a song in reverbnation. Soundcloud allows people to comment at points in the song, and reverbnation used to have a lot of spam email for contests, etc.

[mrwonderful]

Wow, very interesting/useful stuff coming back so far. I DO like that about SCloud, you can do WAV and still not compromise your time limit, so it appears. The WAV files, of course, DEFINITELY have the edge!

Jordy

[Cruciform]

Uploading wavs to soundcloud is mainly useful if you are giving access to high quality downloads to others. SC still processes a streaming version which will not be as good as the wav. Having said that, if you upload the wav it keeps it and you are able to download it yourself, so it works as a de facto offsite storage space.

I signed up for reverbnation but never really go into it. Reminded me too much of myspace and other places like that. To me, SC is simple, user-friendly and very successful for pitching. With Kayle, I like the clean, uncluttered interface. It's useful for doing collabs and sharing unfinished ideas as one can control who gets access.

If you want to use SC as a storefront, I think there are apps that can be added to give that functionality.

There are some complaints about the audio quality on soundcloud, but I've only noticed issues if the track is hot to start with and then uploaded as an mp3.

[cardell]

I DO like that about SCloud, you can do WAV and still not compromise your time limit, so it appears. The WAV files, of course, DEFINITELY have the edge!

Yes, I agree. It's also great for collaboration for that reason (using private files to trade WAV files, if you prefer).

Also, the premium accounts are very reasonably priced and feature packed.

I got 25% off using a coupon from here: http://www.retailmenot.com/view/soundcloud.com
...in the end, I think I paid around $21 for an entire year (+14 days free trial) ...

Stuart

[Kolstad]

It's amazing how many great hosting sites there's out there. I love both Reverbnation and Soundcloud.
I use them for works in progress, and try to use one for instrumentals and the other for full songs with lyrics.

After I've finished the music, I take it down from the hosts, and put it on my website, when I can.

[Casey H]

Just one point, regardless of which you prefer- SC or RN...

If you want to separate things such as vocal songs vs. instrumentals, or rough vs. pitch-worthy, you could open separate accounts with different email addresses.

I use RN (out of habit, not saying it's better) and keep 3 accounts: One for songs with vocals, one for pure instrumentals, and one for rough scratch demos. I like keeping my scratch demos separate. If I want to post a scratch demo here for review, I create a link using my scratch RN account. In the event I'm sending a link to a real end user, I don't want those Casey-singing tracks mixed in.

Caset

[guscave]

I've been using SC for collaboration with other writers and musicians. I also use it to send wav files to certain libraries I work with. Very simple to use and I haven't had any issues with quality.

[mazz]

I use both but I prefer SoundCloud. I like it because it works on iOS. I think with 192 or 256 kbps mp3s, there's no reason to upload wav files unless you intend for the end user to download them for some reason (client or collab, for instance).

Both sites have "widgets" for their players which makes it really easy to embed on your website.

The downside with SoundCloud is that it doesn't have the ability to re-order the tracks, so they show up in the order they are posted. You can make "sets" of songs, which is cool. If you have a premium membership (paid), you can have "spotlight" sets which show up at the top of the list. I would like to see that ability in the next update.

Both allow you to share your music out to the social networking sites and to send out links to certain pieces that you choose, which is handy, I use that all the time.

These days it's pretty clear that sites like this are necessary for us to promote and share our music.

Cheers!

Mazz