Frame.io for audio: the honest limits
Frame.io is the review standard for video, and engineers keep asking whether it can do the same for music. The honest answer lives in its own documentation: the review player runs on a 128 kbps proxy. Here's what that means, verified July 2026, and what an audio-first alternative looks like.
First, credit where due: Frame.io's share links, comment threads, and version stacks defined what modern review feels like, and its client-side experience is why clients actually use it. The question is narrower: what happens when the asset is a piece of music?
What Frame.io's own docs say about audio
- The preview is lossy. Uploaded audio is converted for playback to AAC in MP4 at 128 kbps, stereo. The original is stored for download, but the review player never plays it.
- First track only. Multi-track audio files are downmixed from the first audio track; files with more than eight channels won't play at all.
- No loudness anything. No LUFS, no true peak, no normalization preview. The waveform is basic and the interface assumes video with audio attached, not audio as the deliverable.
- No sign of change. The V4 release and the 2025 to 2026 update stream are about video workflow, storage, and integrations. Audio is listed as a supported format, not a direction.
None of this is a flaw for Frame.io's actual job. A 128 kbps proxy is perfectly serviceable under a rough cut. It's only a problem when the audio is the deliverable, because approving a master through a lossy proxy means your client signed off on something they never heard.
At a glance, for music work
| Soneam | Frame.io | |
|---|---|---|
| Review playback | Lossless FLAC | AAC 128 kbps proxy |
| Loudness tooling | Streaming preview, LUFS, true peak | None |
| Version compare | Level-matched A/B (Fair Loudness) | Version stacks, side-by-side (video-shaped) |
| Approval | Recorded sign-off of a specific version, printable | Status metadata (Approved / Needs Review) |
| Delivery of originals | Password-protected, revocable, SHA-256 checksum | Download of originals; no music-delivery flow |
| Client access | No-login link | No-login share links |
| Free tier | 10 GB, 5 projects | 2 GB, 2 projects |
| Pricing model | Flat: Free / $9 / $19 / $39 | Per seat: $15 to $25/member/mo |
Facts checked July 2026 against both products' public pages and Frame.io's help documentation. If something is stale, tell us and we'll fix it.
What an audio-first version of the idea looks like
- The player is the point. Clients hear the actual master, losslessly, in the browser, no login. The waveform is the timeline and comments pin to it.
- Loudness is part of the review. The same link previews the master as each streaming platform will play it, normalization and true-peak ceilings included, so the approval reflects reality.
- Versions behave like music revisions. Open feedback carries into v2 automatically, and A/B is level-matched so the louder bounce can't flatter itself.
- The handoff is built in. A recorded approval of the exact version, then protected delivery: password, revocation, download tracking, and a SHA-256 checksum that proves the delivered bytes match the approved master.
- Solo-friendly pricing. A mastering engineer is one person, not a team of seats. Flat plans from free to $39 instead of $15 to $25 per member.
Which should you pick?
- Pick Frame.io when the deliverable is video. It's the standard for a reason, and nothing music-shaped needs to change that.
- Pick Soneam when the deliverable is music: masters and mixes that clients must hear at full fidelity, approve on the record, and receive safely.
- Using both is common: Frame.io for the video cut, an audio-first tool for the score or the masters.
Frequently asked questions
Can you use Frame.io for music review?
You can upload audio to Frame.io, but by its own documentation the browser preview is transcoded to AAC at 128 kbps stereo, only the first audio track is used, and files with more than eight channels won't play at all. The original file is kept for download, but everything your client hears in the review player is a lossy proxy. For rough cuts that's fine; for judging a master it defeats the purpose of the review.
Is there a Frame.io alternative built for audio?
Soneam applies the same review-link idea to music, audio-first: clients play the master as lossless FLAC with no login, comment on the waveform, hear a streaming loudness preview (how Spotify or Apple Music will actually play it), approve a specific version on the record, and receive password-protected delivery with a SHA-256 checksum. Free tier included; pricing is flat rather than per seat.
What is Frame.io still better at?
Video, comprehensively: frame-accurate comments, version stacks with side-by-side compare, camera-to-cloud, the Premiere and After Effects integrations, and enterprise workflow. If your deliverable is a film, a commercial, or an episode, Frame.io is the standard for good reason. The gap is specifically music: lossy audio preview, no loudness tooling, and per-seat pricing sized for video teams.
Review masters at full fidelity
Lossless FLAC review links with no client login, a streaming loudness preview, recorded approvals, and checksum-verified protected delivery. Free plan, 10 GB, no card.