You have a demo on your phone and a few thoughts you want to keep with it. This guide follows Borrowed light, a fictional song, from importing the first recording to comparing versions and sharing notes.
Afterglow calls the song's home a project. Each recording inside it is a track, such as Demo 1 or Mix 2. Your notes stay with the track they describe.
The examples show our development app on an iPhone simulator. The sharing screens use Files; the Voice Memos steps are below.
Bring in your demo
In Voice Memos, select your recording, tap the three-dot menu, and choose Share. If Options offers a format choice, choose Rendered, then Done. That creates a regular audio file with your recording's effects and layers included. Apple's Voice Memos guide shows this step.
Choose Afterglow in the row of apps. If it is hidden, scroll across to More. For a recording in Files, touch and hold the file, then choose Share and Afterglow.
On Add audio, leave New project selected for your first song. Enter the project name and a track name, then tap Add track. Here, those names are Borrowed light and Demo 1.
Afterglow imports a copy. Your original recording stays where it was.
Start inside Afterglow
You can also tap Create project in an empty library. Enter a name and tap Create project again. Artwork is optional. The new project's Add audio button opens Files.
Try a sample opens an example if you want to explore first. Once you have projects, the plus button in Library creates another one.
Open the player
After import, tap Open player, then Play. Drag the waveform to move through the recording, or use the curved arrows to skip five seconds back or forward.
The down arrow closes the player. Tap the track name in the bottom bar to open it again. The separate waveform button at the bottom right opens your list of tracks.
Write a note at a moment
Tap Add note at the moment you want to remember. Write your thought, then tap Add note again. Our example is "Could the guitar come in here?" at 0:25.
Tap a saved note or its timestamp to return to that position. If playback is paused, press Play to listen.
The note's three-dot menu has Edit note, Resolve note, and Refine timestamp. Resolving keeps the note and marks it done; Reopen note brings it back.
To move a timestamp, open the editor and drag the refinement waveform, or tap the time and type it. Dismiss the keyboard with the down arrow if it covers the waveform. Press the small Play button to preview the position, then Save.
Give a passage a name
In the player, tap Add label, enter a name such as Chorus, and tap Save. After your first label, use the plus beside the label strip to add another.
Tap a label to jump to it. The tag icon opens your labels for editing. Their timestamps use the same editor as notes. The player also shows Intro for the audio before your first label.
Add another version
Share the next recording to Afterglow. Open the Project menu and select Borrowed light. Incoming shares start on New project, so choose the existing project when you are adding another version.
Name the track Mix 2 and tap Add track.
You can also open the tracks button at the bottom right and choose Add audio. Select a track's name to switch to it; its Play button starts playback.
Mix 2 has its own notes and label positions. Demo 1 and its notes stay in the project. If you reopen the app on a different track, choose the one you want here.
Compare versions
Open Tracks, then Compare tracks. Press Play beside either recording to listen. Starting the other track switches playback to it.
With a Chorus label in both tracks, choose Chorus at the bottom to return each recording to its own Chorus position. In this example, that is 0:25 in Demo 1 and 0:30 in Mix 2. You can drag each waveform independently.
Start returns every track to the beginning. Sync moves the other tracks to the selected track's timestamp, stopping at the end of a shorter recording. You can still move each track separately afterward.
The tracks button at the top right changes which recordings appear in the comparison.
Share your notes
Tap Share notes beside Notes, then choose Copy, Save to Files, or another app.
The text includes the project, track, labels, timestamps, and comments. If you save it to Files, give it a name you will recognize. Sharing notes does not send the recording or create a shared project.
Find and edit your projects
The Home button returns to Library, where you can search by project name.
Inside a project, the three-dot menu has Edit project for its name and artwork, and Edit track for the selected recording's name.
Swipe left on a note, track, or project to reveal Delete. Tap Undo while it is visible if you change your mind.
Keep a backup
In Library and support, choose Export library, then save the backup to Files. It contains your recordings, artwork, and library data, for libraries up to 2 GB.
Import backup adds restored projects beside your current ones. Export recovery data is a separate troubleshooting option that contains saved project details and notes, without the audio.
Your library lives on your device. Keep a backup outside Afterglow before deleting the app or moving to another phone. The same screen has your usage-data preference and a link to the privacy policy.
