Vandall App
Preview a file and send it on
By the end you’ll be able to open any file in a track without downloading it, and you’ll know what each kind of file does when you tap it.
Before you start
- A track with a few files in it, ideally an audio file, an image and a document.
- 1
Open a file
Tap any file on the Files tab. It opens right there in Vandall, without downloading. That matters most on a phone, where you don’t want to download a 200 MB master just to check one thing.
- You now see the file open in Vandall.
- 2
Play audio against its waveform
Press play, or drag along the waveform to move around. Under the waveform you’ll see the file size, sample rate, bit rate and duration. Vandall reads these from the audio itself, so they’re accurate even if nobody typed them in.
- You now see the file playing, with its details under the waveform.
- 3
Open a document or an image
Tap an image or a PDF to open it. A PDF shows Tap to scroll document at the bottom of the preview. Tap it to scroll through the document. Until you do, scrolling moves the page, so a long contract doesn’t trap you inside it.
- You now see the document open without leaving the track.
- 4
Send it to someone
Press Share, under the waveform to the left of Download, then press Copy. The person you send it to gets a similar preview: they can play the audio and, if you allow it, comment on it. They don’t need an account or anything to install.
- You now see a link to the file you were looking at.
- Stop sharing sits at the top of this same panel, so this is also where you come back to close the link.
What each file type does
- Audio
- A player with a waveform, plus duration, sample rate and bit rate read from the file. Audio is the only type you can comment on at a specific moment.
- Image
- Opens straight away. The first image you upload to a track also becomes its release cover.
- Opens in a preview. Tap to scroll document, or Tap to read full document, lets you read the whole thing.
- Text
- Opens as a document showing its contents. Useful for lyric sheets and notes that don’t need to be a PDF.
- Anything else
- Stored and downloadable as it is. Vandall doesn’t open it. A zip stays one file.
- The share link
- Gives the recipient a preview of the file, with no account needed. The switches on the share panel decide what they can do with it.
Ways people use this
Checking a master on your phone before you approve it
Open it, check the sample rate and bit rate under the waveform, and listen. Most people download the file to a laptop to do this. Here it takes a minute less.
Sending a mix and its paperwork together
They’re already in the same track, so share from there instead of putting together an email with attachments. Everything stays in one place, so nobody ends up with only half of it.
A collaborator who wants the actual file
Leave Downloading on when you share. A preview is enough for listening and approving, but someone who works on the audio needs the file itself. Turn downloading off and they’ll just message you for it.
Tips
- Only audio files take timestamped comments. Comments on artwork or a document are added to the file without a time.
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