The Live Lab
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Member guide

One minute. One week. One mixtape. How to take part.

Everything you need to take part, from your first login to hearing yourself on the mixtape.

The week

  1. Tuesday 20:00Listening session. Last week's mixtape plays, the new brief goes up.
  2. All weekMake your minute. Rough is fine — in is what counts.
  3. SundayReminder email, if you haven't handed in yet.
  4. Tuesday 19:00Deadline. Uploads close an hour before the session.

Step by step

  1. 1

    Log in with your email

    Go to Log in, type your email and press Email me a login code. A code arrives from contact@thelivelab.com within seconds (check spam the first time). Type it in and you’re in. No passwords, ever.

    Already have an account from before? Use the same email and you land in it, tracks and all.

  2. 2

    First visit: name and team code

    Pick your artist name, the name credited on the mixtape. Until January 2027 you also need the team code from Mark: it puts you on your team’s own mixtape.

    Tick the email box if you want the weekly brief, the Sunday reminder and the mixtape in your inbox.

  3. 3

    Read the brief

    Challenge shows this week’s brief: the artwork, the idea, key, BPM and mood if there are any, and the sample pack when there is one. A countdown shows exactly how long you’ve got.

  4. 4

    Upload your minute

    Under “Your track”:

    • WAV or MP3, up to 1:00 (we accept 1:06). WAV at most 24-bit / 48 kHz, MP3 at 320 kbps, 25 MB.
    • A title for your track.
    • Your SoundCloud so we can tag you on the mixtape. Not on SoundCloud? Tick the box and leave a link instead (Instagram, Bandcamp, your site).
    • Two boxes: it’s yours to share, and every sample is cleared.

    Changed your mind? Upload again to replace it, or delete it, any time before the deadline.

  5. 5

    Collab if you like

    Made it with other members? Add them under Collab before you upload. Everyone gets credited together, and each person adds a minute: two of you get 2:00, three get 3:00.

    One entry each: collaborators don’t upload their own track. They see the collab on their challenge page and can leave it until the deadline.

  6. 6

    Hear it on the mixtape

    After the session every track goes on the week’s mixtape, back to back, on SoundCloud. You’re tagged on the waveform right where your track starts. It lands in the archive with a playable waveform, and in the all-mixtapes playlist.

The rules

Hard rule
No more than 1 minute. (Collabs: a minute per person.)
Soft rules
Everything else. Follow the challenge as closely as you want — or not at all. Most important is that you do something!
Golden rule
Make your track in less than 30 minutes for extra kudos.

Also on the site

My submissions

Every track you've handed in, plus your settings: SoundCloud username, emails on or off, and a box for a team code.

Ideas

Suggest a brief for a future week and upvote other members' ideas. The favourites become challenges, credited to whoever suggested them.

Archive

Every challenge since the first, searchable by brief, artist or track — press play on any week.

Questions

The code didn't arrive.+

Check spam, wait a minute, then press “send a new code”. Codes work for an hour.

My track is too long.+

The limit is a minute (1:06 accepted). Trim it, or if you made it with someone, add them as a collab: each person adds a minute.

I missed the deadline.+

Uploads close Tuesday 19:00 sharp. Next week's brief is up the same evening.

Can I change my artist name or remove a track?+

Email contact@thelivelab.com and we'll sort it.

Do I keep the rights?+

Yes, always. You give us permission to put it on the mixtape and promote it — the details are in the terms.

Ready? This week’s brief is waiting.

Go to the challenge

Stuck? contact@thelivelab.com