Band recordings

Recording a set

Record a whole set in the browser and upload it.

You can record a whole set right in your browser, or upload files you recorded with other equipment. After that you can split the set into one take per song and play it back with the setlist player.

Video walkthroughs

Quick Record · Recording

Where to start a recording

  • Setlist page: Record Audio or Record Video in the Recordings and Photos panel.
  • Music Stand: Record Audio or Record Video in its actions, so you can record while reading your charts.
  • Record in the main menu: pick a band (skipped if you're only in one), then choose Record a Set, Record a Song or Record New Idea.

Songs and ideas can be recorded too. See Recording songs and Band ideas.

Who can record: Principal, Core and Member (by default). Crew can upload files but not record. Manager and Sub can't do either. Roles can be changed on the Members page.

If the band is out of storage, the record buttons are turned off. Sometimes a recording is counted against another member who still has space, and the page tells you when it is. See Storage.

Recording audio

  1. Click Record Audio. Your browser asks to use the microphone. Click Allow and recording starts straight away.
  2. If an audio interface or external recorder (USB interface, Zoom, Focusrite and so on) is plugged in, The Band Plan uses it instead of the built-in mic. There's nothing to choose.
  3. A floating recorder shows the timer, the setlist name and a live waveform. You can minimize it.
  4. You can open other pages on The Band Plan while you record, such as charts or the song list. The microphone briefly reconnects on each new page, so there may be a tiny gap in the recording at that moment.
  5. Click Stop when you're done.

Recording video

  1. Click Record Video. On a setlist page you're asked Where do you want to record?: Record here or Go to Music Stand. Music Stand is usually best, because you can follow your charts on the same page.
  2. A camera preview opens. Choose the front or back camera and zoom, then click Start recording.
  3. Video has to stay on one page. If you leave the page, the camera stops and the recording so far is kept for you to upload.

Only one recording at a time

If a recording is running, or the last one is still saving, you'll get a warning instead of a new recording. Wait until the last one has finished saving.

Limits

  • Audio: up to 4 hours. Video: up to 2 hours.
  • You get a warning 5 minutes before the limit. At the limit the recording stops by itself and is saved, ready to upload.
  • If your device is running out of storage space, the recording stops early so nothing is lost.
  • Uploads can be up to 4.5 GB.

Saving and uploading

What you record is stored in your browser as you go, so a dropped connection doesn't lose it.

  • Set recordings on a good connection upload while you record. When you click Stop you go straight to the recording's page.
  • Otherwise you go to a preview page where you can listen and then upload when you're ready. The screen stays awake during the upload, but leave the page open until it finishes.

If you close the tab or the browser by accident, what you've recorded so far is kept in that browser. An audio recording picks up again when you next open The Band Plan there, and you can stop and upload it then.

On the server, browser audio is converted to M4A and video is compressed automatically. You don't need to do anything.

After recording

  • Split the set into songs: open the recording and choose Split recording. See Splitting a set recording.
  • Even out the volume: Normalize Recording on the recording's page (Principal and Core by default). See Normalize.
  • Listen: Audio player (or Video player) on the setlist page plays the split songs in setlist order. See The setlist audio and video player.

To come back to a recording later, use Add and Manage Recordings in the setlist's Recordings and Photos panel and open the recording.

Recordings made somewhere else

  • Files: use Add and Manage Recordings, then Upload Recording. MP3, M4A, MP4, WAV, FLAC, AAC, OGG, Opus, WebM, MOV and AVI all work, and you can upload several at once. See Uploading setlist recordings.
  • A player page hosted elsewhere: the External Set Recordings panel on the setlist page takes one player URL. After you save it, Listen to the Set and Copy Link appear. It only works with player pages that list their audio files directly, so links to services like YouTube or SoundCloud won't play there.

Recording options: best to last

Different setups give different quality. From best to worst:

Best: record separately and upload high-quality files

  • Use a digital recorder (Zoom H4n, Tascam DR-40, etc.) or studio equipment.
  • For the best quality export WAV. For a good balance of quality and size export M4A or MP4.
  • Upload with Add and Manage Recordings.

Note: WAV files are large and use up the band's storage quickly. See Storage for plan sizes.

Next best: a computer connected to the mixer

If there's already a computer on the mixer (for streaming or backing tracks), open The Band Plan on it and click Record Audio. With the interface connected, it records the mixer feed: a balanced mix over a direct digital connection.

Next best: an audio interface on a phone or tablet

  • Equipment: a USB audio interface (Focusrite Scarlett, Behringer UMC22, etc.)
  • iPhone/iPad: Lightning to USB Camera Adapter plus the interface
  • Android: USB-C to USB adapter plus the interface
  • Feed: mixer → interface → phone or tablet running The Band Plan

You get the mixer's balance and can still see the setlist.

Next best: a phone in the middle of the room

  • At ear level, the same distance from every instrument
  • Away from the PA speakers
  • On a stable surface
  • Ideally a spare device, not the one showing your charts

Simple, captures the room, fine for reference recordings.

Next best: a band member who doesn't sing

Someone who doesn't need lyrics or charts can keep The Band Plan open in front of them. With no singer right next to the mic, the vocals won't drown out the band.

Last resort: a phone right in front of a singer

Your voice is inches from the mic while everything else is feet away, so vocals dominate and the band sounds distant. Still useful as a reference.

Microphone placement tips

  • Center of the room: equal distance from the instruments
  • Ear level: not the floor or the ceiling
  • Away from speakers: avoid direct PA bleed
  • Stable surface: don't let it move during the show
  • Check orientation: some phones have directional mics, so test which way sounds best

Before you record

  • Test record: 30 seconds during sound check, and listen back for clipping or low volume
  • Battery: fully charged, or plugged in
  • Free space: 500 MB or more on the device
  • Notifications: turn on Do Not Disturb
  • Screen: The Band Plan keeps the screen awake while recording, on browsers that support it

During and after

  • Don't handle the device: handling noise gets recorded
  • Check now and then that the timer is still running
  • Stay on The Band Plan in that tab until you've stopped and the upload has finished
  • Split while it's fresh: mark the song boundaries while you still remember the set

A phone is enough for useful recordings. Affordable upgrades:

  • USB audio interface ($50–100): Focusrite Scarlett Solo, Behringer UMC22
  • Lightning to USB adapter ($15–30): for iPhone/iPad
  • USB-C to USB adapter ($10–20): for Android
  • Phone tripod or stand ($10–25): keeps the device steady

What to expect

You'll get reference recordings for practice, a record of your live shows, song takes you can share and a way to track the band's progress. You won't get studio multitrack recordings or separate instrument tracks; everything is one mixed recording.

Pro tip: build your setup gradually

Start with your phone and improve over time. As you get more serious, add an interface or a dedicated recorder.