Description as a Tweet:

If lockdown has got ya down, AudioBytes can help. AudioBytes allows you to plunge into difference immersive sounds that you may be missing during quarantine. From sounds deep in the rain-forest, to classic coffee shop hustle bustle, AudioBytes can provide the experience.

Inspiration:

My partner, Guillermo and I were inspired to make this project as we reminisced about how we missed studying in coffee shops before lockdown! It can make for such nice background noise, and we thought about those who may have become increasingly lonely and isolated, living their lives indoors. We were inspired to streamline these audio tracks by using the Spotify API into an interactive website to use while studying or working.

What it does:

AudioBytes allows users to select from different sound categories (Nature, Public, or Office), and provides an array of audio tracks within each section. This can be played in the background while working on projects or during work breaks. AudioBytes does not have advertisements so users may focus solely on the sounds.

How we built it:

My partner and I started by creating the backbone of tasks on Trello and created a Github repository for our project. Using Django "apps" to split up the work which allowed us to work collaboratively. We communicated with the Spotify Web API through our Django back-end. In order to build out our front-end, we leveraged the Django template engine with HTML and CSS. I designed our logo in our navigation bar from scratch using my iPad.

Technologies we used:

HTML/CSS
SQL
Python
Django

Challenges we ran into:

Some challenges we faced were related to project configurations, connecting our VirtualEnv, and CSS styling tweaks. We also struggled with potential copyright issues as we originally thought of using YouTube; however, since it is illegal to separate audio tracks, we switched courses and learned more about the Spotify API.

Accomplishments we're proud of:

We are proud of creating a project that could help other people feel just a little bit better during this pandemic. This may allow someone to feel less isolated, even if it is just to fill the silence. We are also proud of using tools that we have not utilized before, as well as drawing our own logo!

What we've learned:

While building this project, we used the Spotify API for the first time, as well as creating new virtual environments. We ingrained our knowledge on the Django framework and the power it holds when generating entire website applications.

What's next:

We would be interested in expanding our audio categories, specifically through user feedback/requests. We would also like to provide a user registration functionality which would allow users to save their favorite tracks.

Built with:

Built with Django, Python, HTML/CSS, Spotify Web API, Github, VirtualEnv, and Trello.

AudioBytes