Frequently asked questions
Getting started
Cymatrax is a web app designed to reduce listening fatigue. It processes your recorded audio. Upload a podcast, lecture, audiobook or song, hear a free 30-second preview, then clean the full track and download it in the same format. Please listen at a comfortable volume.
No. Cymatrax is an audio processing tool. Not medical advice. Cymatrax is not a medical device.
Cymatrax is for anyone who wants a cleaner version of recorded audio, including podcasters, educators, course creators and musicians. You need to be 18 or older to create an account.
Sign up with your name, email and a password, then confirm your email address from the link we send you. Once you're verified, upload a file and choose Preview on the track to hear the first 30 seconds.
Cymatrax runs in your web browser, and its pages adjust to phone and tablet screens. There's no mobile app yet, and Cymatrax works on files you upload, not on live or streaming audio.
Uploads & processing
You can upload MP3, WAV, FLAC, M4A, AAC and OGG files. Each file can be up to 200 MB and 120 minutes long.
You can upload up to 10 files at a time and up to 30 files an hour. An upload can be turned away if the file type isn't supported, it's over 200 MB or 120 minutes, you've uploaded a lot in a short time, or your email isn't verified yet. If we can't read a file, try exporting it as WAV or MP3 and uploading it again.
Processing usually takes less time than the length of the track. You can leave the page while we work, and the track page updates on its own when your file is ready.
Yes, you can cancel an upload while it's uploading or being checked, and nothing is uploaded or charged. If you choose Cancel when we ask you to confirm the minutes for a full clean, nothing is charged either. Once a full clean has started, it can't be stopped.
If a full clean fails, the minutes it used go back to your balance automatically, as minutes that never expire. You can choose Try again on the track, which uses the minutes again. If a preview fails, you get that preview back. If a file keeps failing, choose Get help with this track and we'll take a look.
Your cleaned file comes back in the same format you uploaded, with "(Cymatrax)" added to the file name. WAV files keep their original quality, while 24-bit FLAC, M4A, AAC and OGG files come back as 16-bit. Song titles, artist tags and cover art aren't copied over, so for the highest quality, upload WAV. Download links work for 10 minutes, and you can download again for free while the file is still in your library.
Previews
Every account gets 5 free previews in total, on every plan. This is a one-time amount, and it does not reset. A preview is the first 30 seconds of your track, and previews never use your minutes. Uploading doesn't use a preview; one is used only when you choose Preview on the track.
A preview is used each time a new one is created. Replaying a preview you already have is free, and if a preview fails, you get it back. Deleting a track doesn't give back a preview that was already created.
You can still process your audio, then compare your before and after side by side. A full clean uses minutes, and afterward the track page shows the first 30 seconds before and after, plus a player for your whole cleaned track. Until the full clean runs, you can always play your original upload on the track page.
After a preview or a full clean, the A/B player lets you switch between A, your original, and B, the Cymatrax version, for the first 30 seconds. The frequency comparison chart shows bass, mids and treble for both versions, either overlaid or stacked. It's a visual guide, without numbers, to help you compare by ear and by eye.
Minutes & billing
Cleaning a full track uses minutes based on its length. Minutes round up per file, so a track that runs 2 minutes 10 seconds uses 3 minutes, and every file uses at least 1 minute. We always ask you to confirm the number of minutes before anything is used, and your balance is on the Billing page.
If you have a plan, your monthly minutes are used first, then any pack minutes. Monthly minutes reset each month and don't roll over, while pack minutes never expire. We send you one email when your balance drops below 10 minutes.
Listener is $9 a month or $90 a year and includes 120 minutes a month. Creator is $29 a month or $290 a year with 600 minutes a month. Studio is $99 a month or $990 a year with 2,400 minutes a month. Annual plans give you 2 months free. You can also buy one-time minute packs that never expire: 60 minutes for $12, 300 minutes for $49, or 1,000 minutes for $139.
Go to Billing and choose Change or cancel plan. When you cancel, your plan runs until the end of the period you've paid for, and its remaining monthly minutes are removed when it ends. Any pack minutes stay on your account.
You can pay by card through Stripe, and we don't store card numbers. Have a promo code? Enter it at checkout.
Your receipts are listed on the Billing page, and we email you a receipt after each purchase. You can also download invoices from Invoices & payment methods on the Billing page.
Every account can try 5 free previews before buying anything. When a friend you refer makes their first purchase, you each get 30 bonus minutes that never expire. Your friend needs to sign up within 30 days of using your referral link.
All purchases are final, and we don't offer refunds. You can try Cymatrax free with 30-second previews before you buy, and you can cancel a subscription at any time to stop future charges. If a full clean fails, the minutes it used go back to your balance automatically.
Account & security
The link to confirm your email works for 24 hours. If it hasn't arrived, check your spam folder or choose Resend email. To change your address, go to Settings, then Profile, and confirm the new address from the link we send.
To change your password, go to Settings, then Password. If you're signed out, choose Forgot password on the log-in page. The reset link works for 60 minutes and can be used once, so request a new one if it has expired. If you didn't ask for a reset, you can ignore the email, and your password stays the same.
Two-factor sign-in is optional. Turn it on in Settings under Two-factor authentication, using an authenticator app such as 1Password, Authy or Google Authenticator. Keep your recovery codes somewhere safe, because each one lets you sign in once if you lose your phone. If you lose both, contact support.
Go to Settings, then Delete account, enter your password and type DELETE. This permanently deletes your account, all your uploaded and cleaned audio and any remaining minutes, and cancels an active plan right away. It can't be undone, so download any cleaned files you want to keep first.
The original Cymatrax app stays available while we move to the new one. If you have questions about your account in the meantime, send us a message with the contact form on the Help & Support page.
Your audio is kept in private storage, and download links expire within minutes. You can add two-factor sign-in, and card payments are handled by Stripe, so we don't store card numbers. To report a possible security issue, use the contact form on the Help & Support page.
Privacy & files
Cleaned files are deleted 7 days after processing, and previews 7 days after they're ready. When a full clean finishes, your original upload is deleted right away, and we keep a 30-second excerpt so the before and after view still works. If processing fails, we keep the original for 24 hours so we can help, then delete it. Uploads you never preview or clean are deleted 7 days after you upload them. Once a preview is ready or a full clean finishes, each track shows the date its files are available until, and you can delete a track sooner from its page.
Your audio is kept in private storage, and we use it only to process, store and play it for you. Our staff can review only the 30-second excerpt, every review is logged, and each review link expires after 5 minutes.
Yes. You keep all rights to the audio you upload, and you can use the cleaned version in commercial projects, as long as you own or have the rights to the original recording.
We store your name, your email address and a protected form of your password, plus your audio for the times described above. We use Google Analytics only if you agree to it. The Privacy Policy and Terms of Service explain everything in full, and when the Terms change, we ask you to accept the new version the next time you sign in.
Each cleaned file carries a small Cymatrax provenance tag in its file details that marks it as Cymatrax output. It holds no personal information, and it doesn't change the sound.
Support
Use the form on the Help & Support page, choose a topic, and we'll reply by email. If your question is about a file, choose Get help with this track on the track page so we have the details. Support covers general product help.
Still have questions? Use the contact form.