How do I import music into SHAREfactory?

What is SHAREfactory?

SHAREfactory is a video editing application developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 game consoles. According to the PlayStation Store page, SHAREfactory offers “easy video-editing tools and effects to let you share your greatest moments, your way.”

The main purpose of SHAREfactory is to allow PS4 and PS5 users to edit and combine their gameplay clips, screenshots, and other media into creative videos to share online or with friends. Users can add filters, text, stickers, transitions, and more to polish and customize their gaming videos.

Some of the key features of SHAREfactory include:

Combines PS4/PS5 gameplay video, screenshots, and other media
Provides a variety of video editing tools
Offers customization with stickers, text, filters, etc.

Allows sharing directly to YouTube, Facebook and other platforms

Overall, SHAREfactory aims to provide an accessible and user-friendly video editing solution tailored for PS4 and PS5 gamers looking to share their gameplay experiences and gaming content.

Why Import Music into SHAREfactory?

There are several key benefits to importing your own music files into SHAREfactory:

Customize videos with your own music – Adding your own music allows you to tailor the video’s mood and theme. You can pick songs that perfectly match the tone you want.

Enhance the mood/theme – Music is a powerful way to set the right vibe for your video. The right background music can enhance the emotional impact.

Avoid copyright issues – Using copyrighted music without permission can lead to takedown notices or legal problems. Importing your own music eliminates this risk.

Having full control over the audio means you can create a completely customized, high-quality viewing experience for your audience. Carefully selected music adds a lot of production value and takes videos to the next level.

Music File Requirements

SHAREfactory supports importing a variety of audio formats for use in your videos. However, it does have some limitations on which file types and sizes it can handle:

Supported file formats:

3GP
3GP2

For best quality results, MP3 files encoded at 320kbps with Constant Bitrates (CBR) are recommended. Lower bitrate files may have degraded audio quality.

Music clips can range from 1 second to 60 minutes in length. Longer clips will be truncated when imported.

There is a 500MB limit on the total size of audio files that can be imported. So you may need to be selective if importing a large music library.

Reference: https://sharefactory.fandom.com/wiki/Budgets_%26_Behaviors

Get Music Files onto a USB Drive

To add music files to SHAREfactory on your PS4 or PS5, you’ll first need to get the files onto a USB drive. Here are some tips for this process:

The USB drive must be formatted as FAT32 or exFAT. NTFS and other formats are not supported by the PS4/PS5. The drive should have at least 1GB of storage space available.^[1]

Organize your music files into folders on the USB drive to make them easier to navigate. For example, you may want separate folders for different artists, genres, or playlists.

To transfer music files from your computer to the USB drive, simply drag and drop the files into the appropriate folders on the drive. Or use your computer’s file explorer to copy and paste the files over. Make sure the USB drive is safely ejected before disconnecting it from your computer.

Once you’ve prepared the USB drive with your music collection organized into folders, you’ll be ready to connect it to your PS4/PS5 and import the music into SHAREfactory.

^{[1] https://www.quora.com/How-do-I-copy-files-from-a-USB-to-the-PS4}

Connect USB Drive to PS4/PS5

To connect your USB drive to your PS4/PS5 console, start by locating the USB ports. On both the PS4 and PS5, the USB ports are located on the front of the console. The PS4 has two USB ports side-by-side, while the PS5 has a USB-A and USB-C port.

Gently insert the USB drive into one of the open ports. You may want to try both ports if the drive isn’t being recognized. Once connected, the console will notify you that the USB drive has been detected.

When you are finished transferring files or importing music, it’s important to safely eject the USB drive before unplugging it. To do this on PS4, go to the Quick Menu and select “Stop Using Extended Storage”. On PS5, go to Settings > Storage > USB Extended Storage > Stop Using This Extended Storage.

Safely ejecting the USB drive prevents potential corruption or damage to the files on the drive. Once ejected, you can unplug the USB drive from the console.

Import Music Files into SHAREfactory

Once you have your music files loaded onto a USB drive and connected to your PS4 or PS5, you are ready to import them into SHAREfactory:

Launch the SHAREfactory app from your PS4 or PS5 home screen.

When SHAREfactory opens, select the “Music” tab at the top of the screen.
On the Music tab, select the “Import Music” option.
This will open a file explorer window where you can navigate to your connected USB drive.

Browse to the folder on your USB drive containing the music files you want to import.
Select the music files you want to import and hit the “Import” button.
This will copy the music files over from your USB drive into the SHAREfactory app.

Once completed, you will see the imported music files appear in your SHAREfactory music library.

And that’s it! With your music imported, you can now add songs onto video timelines in your SHAREfactory projects and edit audio levels as needed.

Edit Audio Levels

Once you’ve imported your music files into SHAREfactory, you’ll want to adjust the audio levels before adding the tracks to your video timeline. Proper audio mixing will ensure your music doesn’t overpower the other audio in your video.

To edit audio levels:

Select the music track in the Media Bin
Click the Audio Settings icon (it looks like a speaker)

Adjust the volume slider up or down as needed
Listen to the track and adjust levels until you are happy with the volume
Repeat for each music track you want to use in your video

It’s also a good idea to normalize the volume across your music tracks. You don’t want one track that is really loud and another that is really quiet. Make sure to listen to all the tracks together to balance the levels.

With properly leveled music, you’ll have professional sounding audio in your SHAREfactory videos.

Add Music to Video Timeline

Once you have imported your music files into SHAREfactory, you can add them to your video timeline:

Drag and drop the music clip you want onto the video timeline. You can have multiple music clips on the timeline.

Trim the start and end points of the music clip as needed so it matches the length of your video. Use the trim handles on either end of the clip to adjust.

Align the music audio with your video content. Make sure the music starts and ends at the right points relative to the visuals in your video.

You can layer multiple music clips, adjust the volume of each one, and crossfade between them for seamless transitions.

Export Video

Once you have finished editing your video in SHAREfactory, the next step is to export it out of the app. SHAREfactory allows you to export your video in different quality settings and save it to various destinations.

To access the export options in SHAREfactory, go to the main menu and select “Export Video.” You will then see options for “Video Quality” and “Save Video To.”

For “Video Quality,” you can choose between High, Medium, and Low. High will export your video in 1080p HD quality. Medium and Low will export in lower resolutions. Select the option that fits your needs based on where you plan to share the video.

For “Save Video To,” you have several options:

Capture Gallery – Saves the exported video to your PS4/PS5 capture gallery

USB Storage Device – Saves the video to a connected USB drive
YouTube – Uploads directly to YouTube
Facebook – Uploads directly to your connected Facebook account

Twitter – Uploads directly to your connected Twitter account

Once you have selected your desired quality and destination, simply select “Export” and your edited video will be exported out of SHAREfactory.

Troubleshooting Tips

If you’re having issues importing music into SHAREfactory, try the following troubleshooting tips:

Fixes for Common Music Import Issues

Double check that your music files are MP3 or M4A files. WAV and other file types are not supported (source). Try converting them to MP3 or M4A.

Make sure your USB is formatted to FAT32 or exFAT file systems. Other formats like NTFS are not compatible (source). Reformat the drive if needed.

Try disconnecting and reconnecting the USB drive. Also make sure it is plugged into a USB port on the front of the console, not the rear.

Double check that your music files are stored in the “Music” folder at the root level of the USB drive (source).

Alternatives if Import Isn’t Working

If you still can’t get music importing to work, try downloading ShareFactory Studio for PC or Mac. You can import music easily on desktop and then transfer projects to PS4/PS5 (source).

Another option is to see if the music you want to use is already included in SHAREfactory’s library of free tracks.

As a last resort, you may need to record or create the music yourself, such as by singing, playing an instrument, or using music production software.