You downloaded BTR AMP with the idea it would solve your problem of how to easily get your digital music library onto your iPhone/iPad. But how? This guide helps you.
Like all great software, BTR AMP offers more than one solution. This is especially the case for moving your digital music library to/from BTR AMP. While BTR Labs has more advanced features planned for future releases, the following is the list of current ways BTR AMP supports “downloading” and “uploading” your MP3, MP4, M4A, M4B, AAC, FLAC, ALAC, and AIFF formatted music files to/from BTR AMP.
The best way to move your music files to/from BTR AMP depends on your individual situation. The following sections describe the pros and cons of each method, along with some assumptions related to each method. These are listed in order of what we believe should be the fastest way to start using BTR AMP with your music files.
All of the following methods work, but some methods offer more control and feedback than others. If you are comfortable with computers, pick the method that works best for you. If you’re uncomfortable with computers, start with the first method to quickly understand how streamlined using BTR AMP is for you and your music library. Then move through the list to find which works best in the long run.
As with most things in life, your mileage may vary. BTR Labs is committed to providing the best app for listening to your music library on your iOS device. All of the following methods have been extensively tested by BTR Labs. Unfortunately, BTR Labs is unable to provide individualized tech support. If you believe you have identified a bug in BTR AMP, please reach out and provide BTR Labs with as much detail about your situation you can. We will research the issue and fix any bugs we can reproduce in our test lab.
Definitions
- A “computer”, unless referring to one of these in particular, refers to any of the following: MS Windows PC, Apple Mac, Linux box, etc.
- A “device” refers to any of the following: iPhone, iPad
- A “web browser” refers to any of the following: Chrome, Safari, Internet Explorer, Edge
Connectivity
If you are attempting to wirelessly transfer music files between your device and your computer, both need to be able to “see each other”. This more than likely implies both are on the same WiFi network (unless you are technically savvy enough to know otherwise).
Transfer Speeds
Transfer speeds are primarily dictated by the speed of your WiFi network. Those speeds may vary depending where in your home your devices are located, by the speed of the hard drive in your computer containing the music files or the speed of the hard drive in your device.
WiFi Transfer “Drive” (via a Web Browser)
This method uses BTR AMP’s WiFi Transfer feature in conjunction with a web browser on your computer. WiFi Transfer is located under the Connect section of BTR AMP.
Assumptions
- Your music files are located on your computer
- You cannot or do not want to install additional software on your computer
- You do not mind sitting at your computer while performing the transfer
Pros
- Does not require you to install any additional software on your computer
- Can copy entire folders of music files at a time, but with a big caveat (see restriction below)
- Transfer progress is somewhat clear
- Supports transferring music to/from BTR AMP
Cons
- Does not respect folder structures
- Requires you to sit at your computer
Comments
As stated in the Cons section, this method does not respect folder structures. You can drag and drop a folder of music files (even folders containing sub-folders of music files) onto the web page, but all files located within the source folder will be copied into the same, single target folder. Therefore BTR Labs recommends only using this method for either single files at a time or a single album’s worth of music files copied into a pre-existing folder (i.e., one manually created using the web browser user interface prior to transferring the folders/files). If you already have your music files organized into folders and sub-folders and would like to easily maintain the same structure within BTR AMP, do not use this method.
Steps
- Launch BTR AMP
- Go to the “Connect” section
- Touch “WiFi Transfer”
- [OPTIONAL] – Add a username and password – if you are not on your home WiFi network and do not want others potentially accessing your music library without your approval, create your own username and password required to access your music library
- Touch “Start WiFi Transfer”
- Once started, take note of the “Web Browser URLs”
- Launch a web browser on your computer and type in one of the “Web Browser URLs”. If you added a username and password, your web browser will prompt you for that in order to access your music library within BTR AMP.
- Follow the instructions on the web page to transfer your music files to/from BTR AMP
WiFi Transfer “Drive” (via a WebDAV client app)
This method uses BTR AMP’s WiFi Transfer feature in conjunction with a WebDAV app on your computer. WiFi Transfer is located under the Connect section of BTR AMP.
Assumptions
- Your music files are located on a computer
- You can and do not mind installing some additional software on your computer
- You do not mind sitting at your computer while performing the transfer
Pros
- Can copy entire folders of music files at a time
- Respects existing folder structures
- Transfer progress is very clear
- Supports transferring music both to/from BTR AMP
Cons
- Requires installing some additional software on your computer
- Requires you to sit at your computer
Comments
If you can and do not mind installing additional software on your computer, BTR Labs recommends this method for quickly getting started using BTR AMP with any large music library (i.e., one with hundreds or even thousands of albums worth of music organized into folders and sub-folders).
BTR Labs recommends using CyberDuck in conjunction with this method. BTR Labs does not have any affiliation to CyberDuck. CyberDuck is the only tool BTR Labs testing identified to flawlessly work with the WebDAV server built into BTR AMP. While some level of WebDAV support exists “out of the box” in various operating systems such as MS Windows and Apple’s macOS, BTR Labs discourages using those and will not support bug reports resulting from their use.
Steps (using CyberDuck)
- Launch BTR AMP
- Go to the “Connect” section
- Touch “WiFi Transfer”
- [OPTIONAL] – Add a username and password – if you are not on your home WiFi network and do not want others potentially accessing your music library without your approval, create your own username and password required to access your music library
- Touch “Start WiFi Transfer”
- Once started, take note of the “WebDAV URLs”
- Launch CyberDuck on your computer and connect to BTR AMP using one of the “WebDAV URLs”
- See Help link below for assistance in using CyberDuck
Further Info
AirDrop
This method uses iOS’s and macOS’s AirDrop feature in order to send/receive files among iOS and macOS devices.
Assumptions
- Your music files are located on a Mac
- You don’t want to install any additional software on your Mac
- You do not mind sitting at your computer while performing the transfer
Pros
- Can copy entire folders of music files at a time
- Respects folder structures
- Does not require installing additional software on your Mac
- Supports transferring music both to/from BTR AMP
Cons
- Transfer progress is unclear
- Requires you to sit at your Mac
- Only works between iOS and IOS, or iOS and macOS
Comments
BTR Labs recommends only using this method to import a single album’s worth of music files at a time. Once AirDrop copies the files into a “holding area” on your iOS device, iOS does not provide any progress indicator while moving those files into BTR AMP. If you were to copy hundreds of music files at a time using this method, your iOS device may appear to be unresponsive for an extended period of time.
Steps
- See links in Further Info
- When prompted on your iPhone/iPad (AirDrop – Open with…), find and touch BTR AMP in the list of apps to import the file(s) directly into BTR AMP
Further Info
Native SMB (Windows File Shares) client
This method uses the SMB protocol to connect to properly configured computers and transfer both files and entire folder structures directly to/from BTR AMP.
Assumptions
- Your music files are located on your computer
- You can verify you have already properly configured SMB (Windows File Shares) on your computer in order to share files between other computers on the network
- You don’t want to have to sit at your computer while transferring music files
Pros
- Does not require you to install any additional software on your computer
- Can copy entire folders of music files at a time
- Respects folder structures
- Transfer progress is very clear
- Supports transferring music both to/from BTR AMP
- Does not require you to sit at your computer
Cons
- If SMB (Windows Files Shares) is not already configured on your computer, configuring SMB can be incredibly annoying
Comments
BTR Labs highly recommends using this transfer method, but only if/when you have already configured SMB (Windows File Shares) on your computer. The user experience for this transfer method is by far the best of all transfer methods. Unfortunately, BTR Labs is unable to support debugging individual SMB configurations. Rest assured BTR Labs has tested this method against MS Windows 10, Apple macOS, and Linux.
Steps
- Launch BTR AMP
- Go to the “Connect” section
- If using for the first time…
- Touch “Add Account” at the top, and then touch “Windows SMB”
- Provide a name of your choosing for this connection (i.e., “Home PC”)
- Provide an SMB URL (you must include the “
smb://” prefix) – samples:- server name only
smb://server-name - specific share
smb://server-name/share-name - specific (sub)folder path within a share
smb://server-name/share-name/folder-path
- Provide credentials (Domain, Username, Password) necessary to connect to the computer
- Touch “Done” – if BTR AMP can successfully verify the information you provided, the screen will close and a new item will show up in the list of Connections – if BTR AMP cannot successfully verify the information you provided, BTR AMP will attempt to help you understand what is not working
- Touch the item you just created in the list of Connections
- Navigate to the folder where your music files are located and use the download button (cloud with down arrow) on the left of each item to initiate the transfer of folders and/or files into BTR AMP
- NOTE…
- All transfers will be transferred into the “Incoming” folder within the Documents section. You are free to move things around once transferred.
- You can transfer an entire folder of files (and sub-folders too) or simply transfer individual files
- You can queue up as many folders and files as you wish – go to Settings -> Connect to control how many files will be downloaded (or uploaded) simultaneously
Further Info
Native Google Drive Client
This methods directly talks to Google Drive to transfer both files and entire folder structures directly to/from BTR AMP.
Assumptions
- Your music files are located in your Google Drive
Pros
- Does not require you to install any additional software on your computer
- Can copy entire folders of music files at a time
- Transfer progress is very clear
- Supports transferring music to/from BTR AMP
- Respects folder structures
- Does not require you to sit at your computer
Cons
- Requires your music to already be copied into Google Drive
Comments
If you already have your music files stored in Google Drive, this transfer method is ideal.
Steps
- Launch BTR AMP
- Go to the “Connect” section
- If using for the first time…
- Touch “Add Account” at the top, and then touch “Google Drive”
- Touch “Continue” when prompted “BTR AMP” Wants to Use “google.com” to Sign In
- Sign into your Google account
- Touch the new Google Drive item in the list of Connections
- Navigate to the folder where your music files are located and use the download button (cloud with down arrow) on the left of each item to initiate the transfer of folders and/or files into BTR AMP
- NOTE…
- All transfers will be transferred into the “Incoming” folder within the Documents section. You are free to move things around once transferred.
- You can transfer an entire folder of files (and sub-folders too) or simply transfer individual files
- You can queue up as many folders and files as you wish. Go to Settings -> Connect to control how many files will be downloaded (or uploaded) simultaneously.
iOS Files App Integration – Remote Files
This method leverages the iOS Files app to transfer both files and entire folder structures directly to/from BTR AMP. This method is for files not on your device, probably located within a cloud files app. This method also supports SMB connected servers, but lacks the level of feedback and control the BTR AMP Native SMB Client method provides.
Assumptions
- Your music files are located on a cloud file storage provider for which you already have an app on your device
Pros
- Does not require you to install any additional software on your computer
- Can copy entire folders of music files at a time
- Respects folder structures
- Supports transferring music both to/from BTR AMP
- Does not require you to sit at your computer
Cons
- Transfer progress is unclear
Comments
If you already have music files stored in a cloud file storage provider and an iOS app to access those files, this method will allow you to transfer your music files to/from the provider. Unfortunately, the iOS Files app fails to provide useful feedback during the transfer process, leaving you the user wondering if anything is actually happening.
BTR Labs only recommends this method as a last resort. This method works, but it’s not the great user experience BTR Labs strives to create.
If you have specific cloud file storage providers for which you would like to have a native client, please contact BTR Labs with that request and we will prioritize implementation into our development backlog.
Steps
Further Info
iOS Files App Integration – On Device Files
This method leverages the iOS Files app to transfer both files and entire folder structures directly to/from BTR AMP. This method is for files already located on your device, probably within the scope of another app that also has Files app integration.
Assumptions
- Your music files are already located on your device
Pros
- Does not require you to install any additional software on your computer
- Can copy entire folders of music files at a time
- Respects folder structures
- Supports transferring music both to/from BTR AMP
- Does not require you sit at your computer
Cons
- Transfer progress is unclear
Comments
If you already have music files stored on your device in another app with Files app integration, this method will allow you to transfer your music files to/from that app. Unfortunately, the iOS Files app fails to provide useful feedback during the transfer process, leaving you the user wondering if anything is actually happening.
BTR Labs recommends this method as an easy way to copy music files from another app with Files app integration into BTR AMP.
Steps
Further Info
iCloud Drive
This method is similar to the functionality provided by the “iOS Files App Integration – Remote Files” method. The only difference between the two methods is this one is initiated from within BTR AMP’s Documents section, as opposed to via the Files app. This method can also be used for music files already on your device and accessible via the Files app.
Assumptions
- Your music files are located on a cloud file storage provider for which you already have an app on your device
Pros
- Does not require you to install any additional software on your computer
- Can copy entire folders of music files at a time
- Respects folder structures
- Only supports transferring music into BTR AMP
- Does not require you to sit at your computer
Cons
- Transfer progress is unclear
Comments
If you already have music files stored in a cloud file storage provider and an iOS app to access those files, this method will allow you to transfer your music files out of the provider. Unfortunately the iOS fails to provide any useful feedback during the transfer process, thus leaving you the user wondering if anything is actually happening.
BTR Labs only recommends this method for limited use and single files at a time. It works, but it’s not the great user experience BTR Labs strives to create.
If you have specific cloud file storage providers for which you would like to have a native client, please contact BTR Labs with that request and we will prioritize implementation into our development backlog.
Steps
- Use BTR AMP and switch to the Documents section
- Touch the image of the cloud with a down arrow in it in the top toolbar
- Use the subsequent screen to locate the file(s) you want to transfer into BTR AMP and then touch the file you want to transfer
Further Info
iTunes File Sharing
This method requires your device be connected to your computer with a USB cable. Per the guide linked in Further Info below, files and folders can be dragged and dropped to/from BTR AMP.
Assumptions
- Your music files are located on your computer
- You don’t want to install additional software on your computer
Pros
- Does not require you to install any additional software on your computer (aside from iTunes which is probably already installed)
- Can copy entire folders of music files at a time
- Transfer progress is somewhat clear
- Supports transferring music both to/from BTR AMP
Cons
- Cannot navigate folder structures
- Requires you to sit at your computer
Comments
While this method works, it is limiting to users with large libraries of music files.
Steps
Further Info
iOS Sharing
Use this method to transfer files from another iOS app into BTR AMP when the other iOS app does not support use of the Files app.
Assumptions
- Your music files are located on your device within another app that supports sharing
Pros
- Supports transferring music into BTR AMP from apps with Sharing/Open In support
Cons
- Transfer progress is unclear
- Limited functionality based on what the other app can do for you – may be limited to some combination of single files, multiple files, folders, and/or sub-folders
Comments
This method is documented here for the sake of being comprehensive, but it is 100% dependent upon what functionality the other app provides. BTR Labs has made every effort to not lock your music files into our app. Sadly, most other music player apps don’t offer similar features.
