Audio Quality Guidelines

Learn more about common audio quality issues and how to avoid them.

Pixabay News  •  20 Iulie 2020

Our Audio Reviewers check each audio file for technical, quality and intellectual property issues before they are featured on Pixabay. Here's some information about what you need to do to ensure your upload is approved and shared with our community.

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Copyright:
Check that you have the right to upload all of the ingredients that were used to create your track. This includes the entire track as well as any resources that you used to create the track including:

• Samples including instruments and vocals 
• Melodies
• Lyrics  
• Any other resource in your audio that was not created by you 

There can be very serious consequences for you if you upload audio that is copyrighted without the permission of the rights holder, be careful!

If you are not sure if you can use another artist's work, ask the artist for permission. This includes using audio from other Pixabay Artists.
 

Technical requirements:

• Acceptable formats: mp3, wav
• Maximum file size: 100MB
• Minimum bitrate: 160kbps
• There are no maximum or minimum requirements for track length except if the track exceeds a file size of 100MB

Quality Issues: 

Our reviewer will check your upload for the following quality issues. We will still accept tracks with these issues if they are a stylistic choice that fits within the genre and style of the track. We will reject the tracks if the quality issues make it difficult to listen to the track. 

• Volume levels - make sure your track does not sound too loud or too quiet. Aim for -14 dB LUFS, according to the ITU 1770 standard. 

• Clipping - Too much input, or gain that creates clipping or distortion

• Hiss - Hissing or static or noise 

• Low-Frequency Rumble

• Hum - consistent low-frequency noise that might also be described as a "buzz”

• Low Bitrate - below 160kbps

• Out of tune/not properly composed

• Abrupt entrances/exits - silence parts within the audio files

• Overly compressed (or limited) audio - audio that lacks dynamics — quieter and louder sections — sounds unnatural as "pumpy,” forced or crunchy

• Clicks, pops, and other short impulse noises that do not fit into the composition of the track 

• Stereo balance issues -  audio coming out of the left or right channel instead of balanced levels

• Audio watermarks - For example ‘this is a demo'