Drop audio files to begin
Load one or multiple tracks. Everything stays 100% local — no uploads, no account, zero latency.
WAV · FLAC · AIFF · MP3 · AAC · OGG · M4A · OPUS
Frequently Asked
How do I use TrackNotes?
Getting started takes about 30 seconds:
- Load your audio — drag and drop one or more files directly onto the interface, or click “Browse files.” Supported formats: WAV, FLAC, AIFF, MP3, AAC, OGG, M4A, OPUS.
- Listen — hit the play button (or press
Space). Click anywhere on the waveform to jump to that position. Use←/→to skip 5 seconds,Shift+←/→for 10 seconds. - Annotate — while listening, click into the annotation field on the right. The timestamp locks automatically to the moment you click in. Type your note and press
Enterto post. Choose a type first (Note, Issue, Cue, OK) to categorize it. - Jump between tracks — if you loaded multiple files, they appear stacked vertically. Click any track card to activate it and continue annotating without losing context.
- Export and share — click “Export” in the top bar. Choose Annotations only (JSON) if your collaborator already has the audio, or Full project (ZIP) to send everything in one file. Your collaborator clicks “Import” and picks the matching mode.
Optional: Range annotations — toggle “Range” in the compose area, then click and drag on the waveform to mark a start-to-end span (useful for “this whole section needs work”). Post as usual and the annotation will display both the start and end timestamps.
Key features and advanced options
Playback
- Lossless, latency-free playback via the browser’s native Web Audio API — no re-encoding, no compression
- Variable playback speed: 0.5×, 0.75×, 1×, 1.25×, 1.5×, 2× — useful for catching detail in dense mixes or rushing through a long review
- Loop mode for repeating a section while you annotate
- Persistent volume control with mute toggle — adjusting volume never interrupts playback
Waveform
- Full-width waveform rendered per track with a gradient that reflects your session’s color palette
- Click or drag anywhere on the waveform to seek precisely
- Annotation markers appear directly on the waveform, color-coded by type (blue = Note, red = Issue, yellow = Cue, green = OK) — hover any marker to highlight the corresponding annotation in the sidebar
- Range selection: drag across the waveform to mark a time span for a single annotation
Annotations
- Timestamps are captured automatically the moment you click into the text field — no manual stamping required
- Four annotation types keep feedback organized: 📝 Note (general comment), 🔴 Issue (something that needs fixing), 🎯 Cue (a specific moment to mark, useful for post-production), ✅ OK (approval or sign-off)
- Threaded replies on any annotation — each collaborator can respond in context
- Resolve annotations to mark them done without deleting them; clear all resolved in one click
- Filter by type, sort by timestamp, creation time, or type
- Auto-generated anonymous ID per browser (e.g.
K7RX2M) pre-fills the author field — collaborators can customize their name any time
Export / Import
- Annotations only (JSON): lightweight, shareable, version-controllable text file — ideal when all parties already have the audio
- Full project (ZIP): self-contained package with all audio files + the JSON — built entirely in-browser, no server involved, compatible with any standard unzip tool
- Cue Sheet export: generates a formatted, professional cue list (TXT or JSON) sorted by timestamp across all tracks — useful for post-production handoffs, music supervisors, or broadcast delivery
Does TrackNotes work with lossless audio formats like WAV and FLAC?
Yes. TrackNotes uses the browser’s native Web Audio API to decode audio, which supports WAV, FLAC, AIFF, MP3, AAC, OGG, M4A, and OPUS. Lossless files (WAV, FLAC, AIFF) are decoded without any re-encoding or quality loss. Playback is direct from the decoded PCM buffer — there is no intermediate compression step.
What file formats does TrackNotes export?
TrackNotes exports in three formats: a JSON session file (annotations only, matched by filename), a ZIP project archive (audio files + JSON bundled together for complete portability), and a Cue Sheet in either plain text or JSON. All exports are generated locally in the browser with no server-side processing.
Is TrackNotes free? Are there any limits?
rackNotes is completely free with no usage limits, no file size caps imposed by the tool, no watermarking, and no account required. The only practical constraints are your browser’s available memory (relevant for very long high-resolution audio files) and your device’s processing speed for waveform rendering.
Is my audio uploaded anywhere? How is data handled?
Absolutely nothing leaves your device. TrackNotes runs entirely inside your browser using the Web Audio API and standard browser file APIs. Your audio files are read directly from your disk into browser memory — they are never sent to any server, never stored in a cloud, and never logged anywhere.
The same applies to your annotations: all notes, timestamps, and replies exist only in the browser tab’s memory. Nothing is persisted externally. Even the anonymous user ID used to pre-fill the author field is a short random string stored only in your own browser’s localStorage — it contains no personal information whatsoever and never leaves your machine.
When you export, the JSON or ZIP file is assembled locally and downloaded directly to your computer. There are no accounts, no cookies for tracking, no analytics, no ads, and no third-party dependencies loaded at runtime beyond the Google Fonts stylesheet for the typeface.
Practical implication: if you close the tab without exporting, your session is gone. Always export before closing.
Suggestions for getting the most out of TrackNotes
Establish a team convention for annotation types — decide upfront what each type means for your workflow. For example: Note = general observation, Issue = must fix before delivery, Cue = sync point for video/picture lock, OK = this section is approved and frozen. Consistent tagging makes the cue sheet export immediately actionable.
Use the author field meaningfully — each collaborator should set their name (not just use the auto ID) before starting a review pass. This makes it immediately clear whose feedback is whose when the annotated JSON comes back.
Iterate with JSON, ship with ZIP — during active back-and-forth between a mixer and producer, sharing the JSON alone is faster and keeps file sizes tiny. Reserve the ZIP export for final archiving or when bringing in a new collaborator who doesn’t have the stems.
Use range annotations for sections, point annotations for moments — a range annotation saying “this chorus feels too compressed” is more useful than a vague point. Save point annotations for specific transient moments: “this snare hit at 2:14.3 is clipping.”
The Cue Sheet is your delivery document — at the end of a session, open Cue Sheet and export it as JSON for your DAW/NLE workflow or TXT for a human-readable PDF-ready document. This works as a preliminary EDL-style reference for editors.
Name your audio files clearly before loading — since import matching works by filename, keeping consistent, descriptive filenames (e.g. Song_Title_Mix_v3.wav rather than final_FINAL2.wav) ensures that a JSON session imports cleanly every time.
What is TrackNotes?
TrackNotes is a free, browser-based audio collaboration and annotation tool for music producers, mixing engineers, mastering engineers, sound designers, and post-production teams. It lets you load audio files, leave timestamped comments directly on the waveform, exchange feedback with collaborators, and export professional cue sheets — all without creating an account or uploading a single file.
How is TrackNotes different from SoundCloud comments or Notetracks?
Unlike SoundCloud, Notetracks, Samply, or Nugen Jotter, TrackNotes processes everything locally in your browser. There is no streaming, no cloud storage, no installation, and no subscription. Your audio — whether a rough mix, a master, or a stem — never touches an external server. This makes it suitable for NDA-protected sessions, unreleased music, and any workflow where confidentiality matters. It also means zero latency: playback starts instantly from the original file at full quality.
Can I use TrackNotes for post-production and cue sheets?
Yes. The Cue Sheet feature aggregates all annotations across all loaded tracks, sorted by timecode, and exports them as a structured JSON or plain-text document. This is useful for music supervisors generating cue lists, picture editors referencing audio notes, dubbing mixers marking dialogue cues, or broadcast engineers preparing technical delivery notes.
What browsers does TrackNotes support?
TrackNotes works in any modern browser that supports the Web Audio API and ES2020+ JavaScript — this includes Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, and Brave. For the best experience with large lossless files, a desktop browser is recommended over mobile.
Load a track and write your first annotation — timestamps are captured automatically.