SongShrink support

Which songs can I use?

Song files you own: an MP3, a song you bought from the iTunes Store, or a file from your coach or a competition music service. On iPhone, iPad and Mac, SongShrink reads MP3, AAC (M4A), FLAC, WAV and AIFF files. On Android it reads MP3, M4A, FLAC, WAV and OGG files.

SongShrink helps you edit music you own. You are responsible for any music licences your competition requires.

Why can’t I use songs from Apple Music or Spotify?

Songs from streaming services such as Apple Music, Spotify and YouTube Music are copy-protected, even when you download them to listen offline. Those downloads are copies for that app only, not song files you own, so no other app can import or edit them. SongShrink tells you when a song is protected.

To use a song you stream, buy it as a file. Songs bought from the iTunes Store aren’t copy-protected. The Get Music screen in the app shows where to buy song files you can use.

How do I get a song into SongShrink?

iPhone, iPad and Mac: use Import a Song File to pick a file from Files (or Finder on a Mac), or Import from Music Library to pick a song you bought from the iTunes Store and downloaded to the device.

Android: use Import a song file, or Import from music on this device to pick from the music files already on your phone or tablet. A song bought in a web browser usually goes to your Downloads folder.

SongShrink copies only the song you pick into its own storage. Nothing is uploaded.

How does vocal removal work?

In Words and singing, tap Remove vocals. The first time, SongShrink offers to download its vocal removal model and tells you the size first. Nothing downloads until you agree.

On iPhone, iPad and Mac the model is about 121 MB and comes from Apple. On Android it is about 120 MB, from Google Play. The model is made by ZFTurbo and released under the MIT licence.

Vocal removal runs on your device, and no audio leaves it. How long it takes depends on your device and the length of the song. Results vary from song to song and some singing can remain, so always listen to the whole file before you compete.

On Android, vocal removal needs a phone or tablet with at least 5 GB of memory; the app says so before you download.

How do I restore my purchase?

Tap Export, then Restore Purchase (Restore purchase on Android). Use the same Apple Account or Google account you bought it with.

A purchase from Apple covers your iPhone, iPad and Mac. A purchase from Google Play covers your Android devices. The two stores are separate, so a purchase in one doesn’t unlock the app in the other.

How exact is the length?

The length is shown to the tenth of a second. When the music is longer than your time, turn on Land exactly on the target and SongShrink trims the end and fades it, so the music is exactly your time. Shorter music stays short unless you repeat a section.

MP3 and WAV files are exactly the length of the edit. An M4A file can run a few hundredths of a second longer, because of the way AAC files are made. Before a competition, play the exported file through once and check its length.

Which format should I use for a competition?

Use the format your competition asks for. If it doesn’t say, use MP3: it plays almost everywhere and keeps the file small. SongShrink recommends MP3 at 192 kbps, which keeps the file small for uploading. It can also export MP3 at 256 or 320 kbps, M4A or WAV.

Can my family share the unlock?

On iPhone, iPad and Mac, yes. The unlock supports Apple’s Family Sharing, so people in your Family Sharing group can use it on their own devices.

Google Play doesn’t share in-app purchases with a family group, so on Android each Google account needs its own unlock.

What does SongShrink cost?

SongShrink is free to download and try. Exporting is unlocked with one purchase that you make once. There is no subscription and no per-song fee. The App Store or Google Play shows the price in your currency before you buy.

Still need help?

Send us a message through the contact form. Tell us which device you use (iPhone, iPad, Mac or Android) and what happened.

How SongShrink handles your information is in the privacy policy. The LAME MP3 encoder’s source code is on the source code page.