Troubleshooting

This is the most common error. It means the platform (YouTube, TikTok, etc.) rejected the request, usually because it requires a logged-in user session.

Fix — provide your own cookies:

• Install the Get cookies.txt LOCALLY extension in Chrome or Edge.
• Log in to the platform in your browser (YouTube, TikTok, etc.).
• Click the extension icon → export cookies in Netscape format.
• In MasterAudio, click your avatar → My Account → Platform Cookies.
• Choose the platform, paste the cookie text, click 💾 Save.
• Try extracting the video again.

Also check:

• Make sure the URL is correct and the video is publicly accessible (not private, age-restricted, or members-only).
• Some videos are region-locked — they can only be downloaded from specific countries.

Douyin geo-restricts downloads to Chinese IP addresses at the server level. The MasterAudio server is located outside China, so Douyin will refuse downloads regardless of how valid your cookies are.

Workarounds:

• If the same video is on TikTok, use that URL instead — TikTok is the international version of Douyin.
• Download the video to your device first, then upload the audio file directly to MasterAudio.

Platform cookies expire and rotate. Cookies you exported last week may no longer be valid.

Fix: Re-export fresh cookies using the browser extension and paste them again in My Account → Platform Cookies.

The connection to the backend server may have dropped.

• Refresh the page and try again.
• Check your internet connection.
• If the issue persists for more than 5 minutes, contact support.

Extracted audio files are stored on the server for 72 hours, then automatically deleted to save space.

Fix: Extract the video again — the process usually takes only 10–60 seconds.

Stem separation (Demucs AI):

• Kích thước file tối đa: 150 MB
• Thời lượng khuyến nghị: ≤ 15 phút để xử lý nhanh và ổn định
• Tối đa an toàn: ≤ 40 phút (~100 MB ở 320kbps)
• File dài hơn 40 phút có nguy cơ bị lỗi OOM (server hết RAM)

Video Extractor (yt-dlp):

• Thời lượng tối đa: ~60 phút (~100 MB audio MP3)
• Giới hạn kích thước: 200 MB (tự động áp dụng)
• Video dài hơn 60 phút có thể bị từ chối tự động

Master tab (xử lý trong browser):

• Không giới hạn upload — xử lý hoàn toàn trên máy bạn
• File > 100 MB sẽ mất 1–2 phút để export

Code -9 means the server ran out of memory (RAM) and the system killed the Demucs process. This almost always happens with files longer than 40 minutes.

Fix:

• File phải nhỏ hơn 150 MB và dưới 40 phút.
• Cắt file thành nhiều đoạn ngắn (dưới 15 phút) bằng Audacity hoặc công cụ tương tự.
• Thử lại — server memory sẽ được giải phóng khi các job khác hoàn thành.

The file failed to reach the server or the server rejected it.

• Check that the file is a supported format: MP3, WAV, FLAC, M4A.
• Try a smaller file first to test (under 50MB).
• If your file is very large (>200MB), compress it first.
• Check your internet connection — large uploads can time out on slow connections.

Demucs runs on CPU (no GPU), so longer tracks take more time:

• 3-minute track → ~1–2 minutes
• 5-minute track → ~3–5 minutes
• 10-minute track → ~8–15 minutes

Do not close the tab while processing — your job will be lost if you navigate away.

If the progress is completely frozen for more than 15 minutes, refresh and try again.

MasterAudio has a job recovery system. If you had a stem job running and closed the tab, reopen MasterAudio within 2 hours and switch to the Stems tab — a recovery banner will appear if the job completed while you were away.

If more than 2 hours have passed, the job cannot be recovered. Upload and process again.

No audio file is loaded. The button is only active after a file is successfully loaded.

• Drag and drop a file onto the upload area, or click to browse.
• Make sure the file loaded successfully (waveform should appear).
• Supported formats: MP3, WAV, FLAC, M4A.

Mastering runs entirely in your browser using the Web Audio API. Very long files or too many open tabs can cause the browser to slow down or freeze.

• Close other tabs to free up memory.
• Use Chrome — it has the best Web Audio API performance.
• For files longer than 15 minutes, rendering may take 30–60 seconds — wait for it to finish before assuming it is frozen.
• If the browser truly froze, force-quit it, reopen, and try again.

Mastering applies EQ, compression, limiting, and loudness normalization. If the result sounds too processed:

• Try the Balanced preset as a starting point — it applies the lightest processing.
• Reduce Compression if the dynamics feel squashed.
• Reduce Stereo Width if the sound feels unnatural.
• The Loudness Target setting controls how loud the final file is: -14 LUFS for Spotify, -16 LUFS for YouTube, -9 LUFS for a louder club master.

MasterAudio supports MP3, WAV, FLAC, and M4A. Some formats may fail in certain browsers.

• FLAC is not supported in all browsers — use Chrome or Edge.
• If you have an OGG, OPUS, or other format, convert it to WAV or MP3 first using CloudConvert (free).
• Make sure the file is not corrupted — try playing it in another app first.

• Check your system volume and make sure the browser tab is not muted (right-click the tab → Unmute).
• Some browsers block audio until you interact with the page. Click anywhere on the page, then press Play.
• If using Bluetooth headphones, check that they are connected and set as the output device.

The file loaded but contains silence or near-silence (very low volume).

• Check the file in another audio player to confirm it has audio content.
• If the file is extremely quiet, the waveform will appear flat even if audio is present. Try boosting the Loudness Target in mastering to normalize it.

Plan activation is usually instant, but PayPal may take up to 5 minutes to confirm a payment.

• Wait 2–5 minutes, then refresh the page and open your account panel.
• Make sure you are signed in with the same Google account you used to pay.
• If the plan still shows as inactive after 10 minutes, contact support with your PayPal transaction ID.

Contact support immediately with:

• Your Google account email
• PayPal transaction ID or screenshot of the payment
• Date and time of payment

We will manually activate your plan within 24 hours.

Open your account panel and click ↺ Reactivate if the subscription was suspended, or 🔄 New Subscription if it was fully cancelled. This will start a new billing period from today.

Open the Account panel → ✕ Cancel Subscription. Your access continues until the end of the current paid period — no further charges.

See our Refund Policy for eligibility details.

• Make sure third-party cookies are enabled in your browser (required for Google sign-in).
• Try in a private / incognito window to rule out extension conflicts.
• If you see a "popup blocked" message, allow popups for masteraudio.cloud.
• Clear browser cache and try again.

MasterAudio uses the Web Audio API and OfflineAudioContext. These are fully supported in Chrome and Edge. Firefox and Safari have some limitations, particularly with FLAC and certain export features.

• Hard-refresh the page: Ctrl + Shift + R (Windows) or Cmd + Shift + R (Mac).
• Disable browser extensions — especially ad-blockers, script-blockers, or privacy extensions that may block JavaScript.
• Open browser DevTools (F12) → Console tab → send any red error messages to support.

MasterAudio can notify you when a long stem separation job finishes (even if you're on another tab).

When you start a stem job, a popup will ask for notification permission. Click Allow. If you previously denied it:

• Chrome: click the lock icon in the address bar → Notifications → Allow.
• Edge: same location — site permissions.

MasterAudio is designed for desktop use. The interface is responsive and will load on mobile browsers, but:

• Mastering export on mobile may be slow due to limited CPU.
• Drag-and-drop file upload does not work on all mobile browsers — use the file picker instead.
• We recommend using a laptop or desktop for the best experience.