Firefox may cause audio playback issues on mobile.
WordPress streaming audio comparison plugin
Hear the difference.
In the first 5 seconds.
A streaming A/B/C/D player for audio portfolios.
Switch between your mix, master and binaural version
– sample-locked, lossless, sync by design.
Free for solo work · €79 / year for serious audio · No CDN required · 14-day trial
You're a mixing engineer.
Stop describing your work. Let the Song speak for itself.
Your portfolio is your salesperson. Clients don’t book you for a list of plugins or gear. They book you for the sound. For the development of a song, from a demo to the final master. Conventional players don’t show that development. They play one file at a time, and the visitor has to remember how the first one sounded. Most dedicated A/B players load multiple files into memory, and by the time all versions are ready, your visitor has often left the page.
You’ve lost your next potential paying customer.
Studio Player streams your source files in lossless FLAC and switches between synchronized versions on the same timeline.
No download, no waiting.
Like hitting the solo buttons in your DAW – and the difference speaks for itself.
USE CASE
You sell a plugin.
You’ve written a plugin with sophisticated DSP. The improvement is subtle, but it has a unique selling point.
To make that difference audible, a playlist MP3 player is not enough.
You need an A/B player that puts the versions side by side.
Studio Player can do that for you. It streams lossless audio, bit-accurate, up to 48 kHz / 24-bit, no upsampling to the usual system sample rates. The engine streams reliably, even over mobile networks, and starts playing immediately. Switching is sample-accurate.
Built-in design tools let you match the player to your company site.
No custom CSS required.
Show your community the unique selling points of your software.
Let them hear the difference.
USE CASE
You build hardware.
You manufacture high-end audio equipment. Pre-amps, converters, processors….
The difference is real, but it’s hard to put into words.
The best way to make it audible is a direct side-by-side comparison. Before and after. With the gear in the chain, and without. Your visitor presses one button and hears it for themselves.
This is Studio Player’s ultimate feature.
Lossless, sample-accurate, in your WordPress site.
USE CASE
The Studio Player: playlist id does not exist or is not a THESPL playlist.
You build websites for audio professionals.
You’re a WordPress agency or freelancer. Your clients want to showcase their audio portfolios. You need a reliable A/B player that works right away with all page builders and all themes, and one that protects your clients’ audio assets.
Then Studio Player is the solution for you.
No external services, no file conversion, no CDN needed.
Ready-made templates cover a wide range of use cases. The playlist builder has a built-in WYSIWYG editor and adapts to the existing design automatically, using Color Probe and Magic Palette.
The audio engine and design layer are separate. With the Design API you can build your own templates – so the player fits into ANY WordPress site, for ALL use cases.
Specialized tools cover everyday agency work.
We also offer an agency license.
Free
Perfect to get started-
A/B comparison
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44.1kHz / 16-bit lossless
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Basic support
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Free forever
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-
Subscription Pro
For professional use-
1 website
-
True A/B/C/D comparison
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48kHz / 24-bit lossless
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Generate waveforms
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Advanced tools
-
Priority support (≤24h)
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100% money-back (14-days)
Lifetime Pro
Best value for long‑term use-
1 website
-
True A/B/C/D comparison
-
48kHz / 24-bit lossless
-
Generate waveforms
-
Advanced tools
-
Lifetime updates
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Support included for 12 months
-
100% money-back (14-days)
Free
Perfect to get started-
A/B comparison
-
44.1kHz / 16-bit lossless
-
Basic support
-
Free forever
-
-
Subscription Pro
For professional use-
1 website
-
True A/B/C/D comparison
-
48kHz / 24-bit lossless
-
Generate waveforms
-
Advanced tools
-
Priority support (≤24h)
-
100% money-back (14-days)
Lifetime Pro
Best value for long‑term use-
1 website
-
True A/B/C/D comparison
-
48kHz / 24-bit lossless
-
Generate waveforms
-
Advanced tools
-
Lifetime updates
-
Support included for 12 months
-
100% money-back (14-days)
14 day Trial License
We also offer a 14 day Trial License to test the pro functions on your site.
If the trial is not converted into a paid subscription, your license will expire,
and the Pro features will be deactivated, reverting the plugin to the free version.
Lossless Audio
Switching Latency
Streaming
Software Facts.
What is it?
Studio Player is a WordPress plugin for Audio Professionals.
Currently version 0.9.69, last updated August 2026.
Requires WordPress 6.0+ and PHP 7.4+.
PHP 8+ recommended.
Tested up to WordPress 7.1.2.
View changelog → https://wordpress.org
Works with Gutenberg, Elementor, Divi, and common page builders.
Embedded via shortcode.
The free version is in the WordPress.org repository, released under GPL. The Pro add-on — 48 kHz / 24-bit audio engine, A/B/C/D comparison, waveform generation — is available directly from studioplayer.de.
A 14-day trial is included, no credit card required.
Start free → https://wordpress.org
Get Pro → pricing section on this page
Sync by Design
One multichannel FLAC-File. No drift.
Most A/B players run multiple files in parallel and try to keep them aligned with JavaScript. A few samples off, and the comparison is no longer trustworthy.
Studio Player takes a different route. Up to four stereo variants are merged into a single multichannel FLAC. The browser plays one file, so drift can’t happen.
No buffer alignment, no JavaScript drift correction. Just a channel-pair swap, sample-accurate, on the same timeline.
Adaptive streaming keeps playback stable on mobile networks, even on weaker connections.
Token-secured streaming protects your source files from direct download that means the actual URL of your audio assets will never be made public.
Read the architecture deep-dive → Why I Built a True Web Audio Comparison Player
48 kHz / 24-bit, lossless.
The audio engines of desktop computers and smartphone operating systems typically run at 48 kHz. But most web players use a sample rate of 44.1 kHz (“CD quality”). They pass the audio stream to the browser’s audio context, and the operating system’s audio engine must convert it at runtime.
If your source file is at 44.1 kHz and the system audio runs at 48 kHz, upsampling always takes place within the OS’s audio system. Under certain system and load conditions, mobile operating systems may handle audio processing differently in terms of computational effort, latency, and power consumption. However, the actual resampling quality used depends on the device and software and cannot be reliably predicted.
Studio Player easily handles native lossless streaming at 48 kHz / 24-bit. If your source is 48 kHz / 24-bit, nothing is ever resampled.
What you print from your DAW is exactly what your visitors hear.
Bit-for-bit, sample-for-sample.
Even over cellular networks, the engine streams reliably and starts immediately.
No waiting for the file to finish downloading before playback.
Try the Demo → demo.studioplayer.de
Muxer Uploader.
The Muxer Uploader is integrated directly into your WordPress admin panel. Simply drag and drop your WAV files into the corresponding fields. The plugin encodes and combines them directly in the browser into a single multichannel FLAC file and then uploads it in chunks. This ensures seamless operation even if your web host has restrictions on the maximum allowed upload file size.
In the Pro version, a waveform is pre-calculated in the background for each stereo file and uploaded to the server as a JSON file.
The Muxer runs entirely locally in the browser (libflac.js compiled as WebAssembly C code)—no dependencies are required on the WordPress host!
Token-secured, non-public storage. IP-based rate limiting. Your source files are protected from direct download.
Check out the workflow → [Video: From WAV to Streaming in 90 Seconds, coming soon]
Player Builder.
A player that doesn’t fit your site’s design is worse than no player. Your visitor sees a foreign widget bolted onto your portfolio and bounces.
Studio Player’s Playlist Builder has a built-in WYSIWYG editor. You set the variant labels, add cover art and credits, choose a template. The player renders exactly what you entered, in realtime.
If you want it to match your existing site design, you don’t need to lookup or write any CSS code. Color Probe reads the basic colors from your site’s HTML in realtime and Magic Palette generates a matching color scheme – automatically. Of course, you can adjust everything manually at any time.
The audio engine and the design layer are strictly separated. With our Design API, you can build your own templates from scratch, in any layout you need. The player fits into any WordPress site, for any use case.
Try the design tools → Live demo: build a player yourself
One source of truth.
What you bounce is what they hear.
Some audio comparison players normalize the volume in real time. They perform a loudness measurement in the browser, adjust the volume of each version to a fixed target value, and present the result as a “fair comparison.”
But how do you implement this consistently? Make the loudest version quieter? Make the quietest one louder? Or a mix of both? All of these approaches have unpredictable weaknesses, like the need of a peak limiter – and many more….
That’s why we designed Studio Player differently. The DAW is the authoritative source for volume-and the player takes into account what was exported, not what it would normalize.
This also applies to the pre-calculated waveforms. Each variant has its own waveform, measured and calculated directly from the source file right when dropped into Muxer-Uploader.
We call this “DAW-first”, and it’s part of the Studio Player’s architecture:
What we hear and see in the studio is what the visitor hears and sees online.
Read the blog article → The DAW-first approach vs. loudness normalization
Binaural Variant Detection
The player knows when your file is binaural. So does your visitor.
Binaural recordings only work with headphones. Played on speakers, they sound phase-shifted, narrow, weird.
The visitor hears it, doesn’t know why, and walks away.
Other WordPress players treat every 2ch-file the same. They don’t know the difference between a binaural mix and a regular stereo master, and they don’t tell the visitor either.
In Studio Player’s Player Builder, you mark a variant with a keyword. Binaural, bin, spatial, atmos, Dolby Atmos. …The plugin matches your input against a keyword array and recognises the variant type.
When the variant is selected, the player shows a hint:
„Binaural audio – use headphones”.
Check it out yourself → demo.studioplayer.de
FAQs
Which environments does the plugin support?
The plugin works with all modern WordPress installations (6+) and standard hosting environments.
We recommend PHP 8+ and up-to-date browsers. No third-party dependencies are required.
Do I need a special server setup?
No. Standard hosting is enough, but you should have sufficient upload limits, disk space, and a modern PHP version (PHP 8+ recommended). Use HTTPS and clear caching/minify when testing
Can I use it with page builders / Gutenberg / classic editor?
|thespl_player playlist_id="123"| , which works in classic editor, Gutenberg blocks, and common page builders.
Does it work without third‑party services?
Yes. The plugin runs on a standard WordPress site and hosting. No external streaming platform or CDN is required.
What support is included?
We offer support on business days (Monday to Friday), currently provided in English and German.
Pro subscribers receive Priority Support with faster response times.
Lifetime customers receive Standard Support without prioritization.
Custom features or templates, integrations, or 1-on-1 installation support available upon request.
Are updates included?
Yes. Both Pro and Lifetime licenses include all updates for the duration of your license.
– Pro: As long as the subscription is active.
– Lifetime: Updates included for ever.
Do you offer refunds?
Yes. We offer a 14-day money-back guarantee for Pro Versions if the plugin does not meet your expectations.
You also can try the pro features for 14 days with a Trial License. No credit card required.
What about VAT?
Our payment processor, Freemius, handles VAT. Whether VAT is charged depends on your country and purchase type. EU businesses can enter a valid VAT ID in “Purchase as business” to apply the reverse-charge mechanism; otherwise VAT may be added at checkout (e.g., for EU consumers or if no valid VAT ID is provided).
Can I upgrade or switch plans later?
Yes. You can upgrade from Free to Pro to Lifetime at any time.You don´t lose your playlists or settings.
Can I move my license/site later (staging → live)?
Yes. License management is handled via Freemius, and you can manage activations in the customer portal when moving or changing domains.
What happens if I cancel my subscription?
If you cancel your subscription, the plugin will continue to work on your site, but you will no longer receive updates or support. Your existing audio comparisons remain fully functional on the frontend; however, you’ll lose access to Pro tools such as generating new waveforms and other advanced backend features.
Your next client is one click away from hearing your real work.
Set up Studio Player in 5 minutes. Free to start.
Technical Details
- One song - one multichannel FLAC file,
up to 4 stereo variants - Adaptive HTTP streaming via byte-range requests
- Up to 48 kHz / 24-bit lossless audio
- Token-secured, non-public storage, IP-based rate limiting
- WordPress 6+, PHP 8+ required
- No CDN required, no third-party services
- No-Code Shortcode:
thespl_player playlist_id="123" Template="xyz" - A/B/C/D comparison, binaural audio support
- Mobile-compatible (iOS Safari, Android Chrome)
- Advanced utility tools: Repair, Import/Export etc.
- Integrated Muxer-Uploader:
drag-and-drop WAV → multichannel FLAC - Design tools: Magic Palette, Color Probe