SoundCloud is the one of the most popular platforms for sharing free music. It is also an excellent place to find out new and interesting music, soundtracks etc. If you use SoundCloud regularly and want to display some of your favorite tracks in your WordPress website, you will need specialized plugins for that purpose.
Today, we will discuss about 5 of the best plugins to add SoundCloud to WordPress. By using these plugins, you will be able to showcase your latest tracks, playlists or your favorite SoundCloud channels in your WordPress Website.
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1. SoundCloud Ultimate Plugin
If you are a podcaster, musician or any other professional who wants to display their latest tracks from SoundCloud in WordPress, SoundCloud Ultimate Plugin could be an excellent choice for you. By using oAuth2, the plugin establishes a secure connection between your website and your SoundCloud website.
The plugin allows you to display a single SouncdCloud track by using the special shortcode. It is also possible to upload new tracks to SoundCloud right from your WordPress dashboard. You can also delete tracks in your SouncdCloud account from your website’s control panel.
Initial Configuration
In order to use the plugin, download and install the plugin first. Once activated, the plugin will create a new menu titled ‘SC Ultimate’ in your website dashboard. Clicking on that link will take you to the ‘Settings’ page of the plugin. The plugin requires a SoundCloud app to perform its various operations. You will find detailed instructions about creating the app in the settings page.
Once you have created the SoundCloud app, copy the client ID and Secret. Then, paste them in the appropriate fields in the settings page of SoundCloud Ultimate Plugin. Click the ‘Connect to SoundCloud’ button to connect the plugin with SoundCloud. If everything is okay, you will see a screen like the following –
Managing Tracks
In order to upload new tracks, go to the ‘Manage Tracks’ tab. Click the ‘Select A Track’ button and then provide the necessary details. Then, click ‘Upload To SoundCloud’. You will find all of your SoundCloud tracks below, in the ‘Your SoundCloud Tracks’ section. Hover over the title of a track to reveal the ‘delete’ link and hover over the ‘Track URL’ to get the ‘Preview’ link.
Displaying the Player
In order to display a single track, paste the following shortcode into a post, page or widget –
[soundlcoud_ultimate track=http://soundcloud.com/your-soundcoud-id/track-name]Obviously, you have to replace the dummy username and the track name with your ones. And if you want to display a playlist, replace the track-name with the URL of your playlist.
2. SoundCloud Is Gold
With native support for Soundcloud’s official player, SoundCloud Is Gold is an excellent plugin for integrating your website with SoundCloud. The plugin comes with a custom widget which could be used to display random or the latest tracks from a playlist, a user or multiple users.
The default settings for the plugin could be set from the options page. The plugin comes with multiple players to choose from. Additionally, you can also add CSS classes for extra customization, showing comments and enabling auto-play.
Setting up SoundCloud Is Gold
Once you install and activate the plugin, you will find a new menu item titled ‘SoundCloud is Gold’ in your admin menu. Clicking on that menu item will take you to the settings page of the plugin. By default, there are three demo users are added. You can add more users by providing their username and clicking the ‘Add Username’ button.
Below, you will find options to choose the player type, default width and other customization options. After making all the changes, click the ‘Save Your SoundCloud Settings’ button.
Adding to a Post
In order to add SoundCloud tracks in a post, go to the post editor and click ‘Add Media’. From the left menu, click the ‘SoundCloud is Gold’ link. You will find all the soundtracks from the linked accounts listed there. To add a track, click the ‘Show’ link. Make the necessary changes and click the ‘Insert Soundcloud Player’ button. This will automatically add the track in your post.
Using the Widget
Additionally, you can use the widget to show SoundCloud tracks. To do that, go to Apperance > Widgets. Find out the ‘SoundCloud is Gold’ widget and drag it to your desired location. Make the necessary changes and click ‘Save’. If you reload your website now, you will see the widget in its place.
3. SoundCloud Shortcode
This is the official SoundCloud plugin for WordPress. Unlike other plugins of this list, this one does not offer a lot of options. It simply offers you a convenient solution to add a single SoundCloud track or a playlist in your posts or pages. Once you install the plugin, you are good to go. You just need to enclose the link with soundcloud tags like this –
[soundcloud]http://soundcloud.com/forss/flickermood[/soundcloud]Of course, you can replace the link with your own link of track or playlist.
Setting up Various Options
The plugin offers some customization options too. You can access them by going to Settings > SoundCloud. The first option, ‘Widget Type’ lets you select the default player type. You can choose between the visual, HTML5 and Flash mode. Then, you can define the player height for individual tracks and sets or groups. You can set the default width in the ‘Player Width’.
The ‘Current Default param’ section will let you enable autoplay, show comments and choose a color for the play button and selections. It is also possible to add additional param’s to the shortcode. You will find the complete list of supported param’s in the docs page of SoundCloud.
4. ToneDen Player Shortcode
If you don’t like the look of SoundCloud’s default player or want a fresh new look for the official player, you should definitely check out this plugin. This embeddable player provides an attractive re-design of the default player. Using the plugin is very easy too, it is almost like using the official SoundCloud plugin. The only difference is you have to use tonedenplayer tags instead of the soundcloud tags.
How to Insert the Player?
Using the plugin is a bit tricky. Unlike most other plugins, you won’t see anything new after installing and activating the plugin. In order to add the player to a post or a page, go to the post editor. Make sure that you are in the ‘text’ mode. Then, create an HTML div where you want to place the player. Provide a unique id to the div like the following –
<div id="sc_player">The player will load here</div>[tonedenplayer dom="#sc_player" skin="light" visualizertype="waves"]https://soundcloud.com/flume/sintra[/tonedenplayer]In the code above, you should replace the div id and the track URL with your own id and URL. You can add more tracks by adding them as comma-separated lists.
Inserting the Player in a Widget
It is also possible to add the player in a widget. To do that, you have to use the text widget. In the widget body create the HTML div and then provide the appropriate shortcode and click ‘Save’. You will find various parameters for the shortcode in the plugin’s Github page.
5. SoundCloud Master
SoundCloud Master is developed especially to integrate SoundCloud with WordPress in any widget location. By using the plugin, you can display a full music playlist or a single track. You will have total control over various settings like the color scheme, player width and height, auto-play, artwork etc.
While the basic version of SoundCloud Master is provided with some basic options, the Advanced version offers premium goodies including complete mobile support, advanced SoundCloud player, displaying username, artwork, share count, download and buy links, universal shortcode etc.
Going Pro
You can download the free version from the WordPress plugin repository. Once you activate the plugin, you will find a new menu titled ‘SoundCloud Master’ in your website dashboard. However, the free version allows you to show the Connect and Lyrics buttons only. In order to get other widgets, you have to purchase additional add-ons. The add-ons will install Advanced Responsive Player Widget, Basic Player Fast Loading Widget, Individual Shortcode, Universal Shortcode etc.
Using the Pro Version
The Advanced Responsive Player Widget lets you display a full-size SoundCloud player along with the Lyrics and Connect buttons. You will also find some customizations below the ‘Player Color’ field. Basic Player Fast Loading Widget displays a basic SoundCloud player which loads almost instantly. This widget lets you change the title and is capable of playing a single track or a playlist.
It is also possible to include SoundCloud tracks in any post or page. To do that, go to the post editor. There, you will find a new section titled ‘SoundCloud Master Shortcode’. Click the title to open the section. Then, provide the SoundCloud profile link, track link and then make necessary changes to the player and save the post. If you reload the post, you will see the SoundCloud track(s) integrated into the post.
Conclusion
Well, these were my picks for the 5 best plugins to add SoundCloud to WordPress. All but one these plugins are free and all of them get the job done perfectly. Depending on your requirement and expertise level, you may choose one plugin over another.
Whichever plugin you choose, let me know why you have chosen that one. And don’t hesitate if you have any question or suggestion. I will be happy to hear from you.
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I was using the SoundCloud Shortcode until WordPress 4.2 came along. WordPress deactivated the plugin and says it now has fatal errors. Will their be a new SoundCloud Shortcode plugin that will work? I liked being able to change the color of the play button to coordinated better with my site and to have the small artwork off to the left. Now the artwork is stretched across the band and I’m stuck with always having an orange button and music track. Thanks for any assistance with this.
How to do am upload audio in my site(WordPress) show to that audio’s in Soundcloud? is it possible to show upload audio throught my site display in soundcloud?
i am trying to set up an online music library in wordpress and was thinking of using soundcloud as a host. is there a way to:
1. embed soundcloud without the regular design/with one that fits to the rest of the site? (like in example number 4)
2. tag the content (genre, mood, tempo…) and add a categorized search function?
I am currently looking for a good Soundcloud plugin. After reading your summary and checking them out, I’m surprised you included Soundcloud Master. The reviews are TERRIBLE. Sounds like everybody who reviewed it hated this thing… There is a ‘free’ version, but it sounds crippled and injects ads into the player. There must be something better out there to include in a ‘top 5’ review like this.
Thanks, for the article, just one question can I handle soundcloud from WordPress via plugins?