Fast Streaming (also called proxy playback) makes your player start playing almost instantly, even for large lossless files.
How it works:
- When you upload audio, SoundToggle automatically generates a lightweight proxy version of each file.
- When a listener presses play, the small proxy file loads first — enabling near-instant playback.
- The full lossless file loads silently in the background.
- Once the lossless file is ready, playback seamlessly upgrades to full quality — no interruption, no re-buffering.
- A quality badge appears in the player showing the current state: Streaming (proxy playing), Loading Lossless (upgrade in progress), and Lossless (full quality active).
Global default: Fast Streaming is enabled by default for all new accounts. You can toggle it on or off in Settings → Player Defaults → Playback → Fast Streaming Playback. This sets the default for all projects.
Per-project control: You can override the global default for any individual project in the Edit Project page under Labels & Behavior → Fast Streaming Playback. Three options:
- Use Default — follows your global setting
- Always On — enables fast streaming for this project regardless of the global setting
- Always Off — disables fast streaming for this project (lossless-only playback)
If you're not sure which to pick, leave it on Use Default — this means the project will follow whatever you have set globally in Settings, so you only need to manage it in one place.
Proxy status panel: In the Edit Project page, below the Fast Streaming setting, you'll see a status panel showing which audio files have proxies ready, which are processing, and options to generate or delete proxies manually.
Storage: Proxy files are small (typically 5–10% of the original file size) and count toward your storage quota. You can delete proxies per-project to reclaim space.
Quality badge: When fast streaming is active, listeners see a subtle badge in the player that transitions through three states as the lossless file loads. This gives transparency about audio quality without interrupting the listening experience.