Member Avatar for ed_shaw

On a small scale, preferably general use, I would like to have a way to share
musical backing tracks (performance tracks, practice tracks) with other musicians.
It should also work for Microsoft WordPad rtf files.
E mail is awkward, but it does work. I would prefer to just provide a link to a
site the user can go to and download the file. Another solution is anonymous ftp.
At this point, a basic limited quantity, ordinary security, solution would be the best.
Thanks. Ed

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by nufftalon

Dani AI

Generated

As described, the goal is simple: let other musicians download WAVs and RTFs via a link, with modest security and limited distribution. Replies already raised two real constraints: large file sizes and forum attachment limits (noted by and ). A practical, low‑maintenance pattern that addresses both is: store the files in object storage (S3‑compatible or similar), set proper headers, and hand out short‑lived signed URLs so links expire and can be tracked.

Basic workflow (minimal admin):

  • Upload each file to a private bucket and set the correct MIME: WAV => audio/wav, RTF => application/rtf.
  • Serve with Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="name.wav" so browsers download rather than play.
  • Generate a presigned URL that expires after a chosen interval (hours or days) and share that single URL.

Example: quick presigned URL methods

# AWS CLI (one-line presign)
aws s3 presign s3://my-bucket/backing-track.wav --expires-in 604800
# Python + boto3 (add attachment header)
import boto3
s3 = boto3.client('s3')
url = s3.generate_presigned_url('get_object',
    Params={'Bucket':'my-bucket','Key':'backing-track.wav',
            'ResponseContentDisposition':'attachment; filename="track.wav"'},
    ExpiresIn=3600)
print(url)

If self‑hosting is preferred, a small nginx location with basic auth and rate limiting gives control over downloads:

location /downloads/ {
  auth_basic "Restricted";
  auth_basic_user_file /etc/nginx/.htpasswd;
  alias /var/www/downloads/;
  add_header Content-Disposition 'attachment';
  limit_rate 200k;
}

Practical tips and cautions:

  • Compress multiple tracks into a ZIP when sending several files at once. For true lossless savings, consider FLAC if WAV originals are not strictly required.
  • Monitor access logs to detect abuse and set realistic expiry times for links.
  • If recipients report files opening inline, check headers (Content-Disposition and Content-Type) and file extension.
  • For any paid/large distribution, add a CDN in front to reduce origin bandwidth costs and improve reliability.

This approach keeps setup simple, provides ordinary security (expiring links + optional auth), and scales bandwidth without relying on forum attachments or email.

Recommended Answers

All 4 Replies

Member Avatar for Member #949455

E mail is awkward, but it does work.

That really depends on your email provider.

If you using some sort mail blast / internet mailing service then it depends on their platform whether they provide you with that service where you can email videos.

Member Avatar for ed_shaw

Takes too long. I'd rather have recipient go to a web site
and download the file.

Member Avatar for Manish02

it is good to know that but sir here you can't share wav files, this forum posting site

Member Avatar for nufftalon

you could dropbox it but if it gets hit with too much bandwidth usage dropbox will suspend your account. You could host it on your server and upload the wav files. Then you link them to the file to download them. Things is wav files are larger files and will take up alot space on the server. Maybe you can try mega.co.nz which is the new megaupload moreless you get 50gb for signing up for free. I am not sure what the bandwidth usuage is on it all I know is they operate out of new zealand

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