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Introduction

Welcome to the SMDB Companion user manual! This software helps you find and remove duplicate audio files from your Soundminer databases. This manual will guide you through the installation process, setup, usage, and advanced features of the application.

This manual is a work in progress. We strongly suggest reviewing the video found in overview for the most accurate description of the program.

Installation and Setup

Follow the steps below to install and set up SMDB Companion:

  1. Download the latest version of SMDB Companion from our download page.
  2. Unzip the downloaded file and place in your Applications directory on your computer.
  3. Ensure that you have Soundminer installed, as SMDB Companion requires it to function properly.
  4. Ensure that System Settings -> Privacy & Security is set to allow: "App Store and identified developers"
  5. Run the application by double-clicking the executable file (SMDB_Companion).

Registration

You will need to enter your registration code to edit and remove duplicates from your databases. If you do not have a registration code, you can purchase one from our website. After purchase, your registration information will be sent to you via the email you use for purchasing.

If your program is unregistered, you will be asked to enter your registration information on the results page.

Upon successful registration, you be able to fully see the results page.

Recover License Key

If you need to recover your license key, you can do so by clicking the link below:

Recover License Key

Getting Started

After installing SMDB Companion, it *strongly recommended* you back up your Soundminer databases before running the program.

  1. Launch SMDB Companion and click "Select Database" to choose the Soundminer database you want to scan.
  2. Choose which duplicate search algorithms you wish to enable and adjust any options. Hovering your mouse over an algorithm with reveal a tooltip with a brief description of what it does.
  3. Click "Search for Duplicates" to begin finding duplicate audio files in your database.
  4. If duplicates are found, You will be taken to the results page where you can examine, edit, and ultimately remove your results.

For more detailed information on how to use the program, please refer to the "Features and Functionalities" section below.

Features and Functionalities

SMDB Compaion offers two ways to work with your Soundminer Databases:

  • Duplicate Search and Removal: Find and remove duplicate audio files from your Soundminer database.
  • Metadata Find and Replace: Search for metadata in your database and replace it with new values.

You can choose which feature you want to work with under the "Action" Menu.

Duplicate Search

There are nine search algorithms to choose from:

  • Basic Search:

    This will search for duplicates based on the criteria you provide in the options. The default match criteria are File Name, File Duration, and number of Channels in the file. This means that for two files to be considered duplicates they must match on all three criteria.

  • Similar Filename:

    This will search for filenames that have the same root, but different numbers at the end. For example: example.wav and example.1.wav will be considered a duplicate match. The ignore file types option means: example.wav and example.1.flac will be considered a match.

  • Audiosuite Tags:

    This is not a duplicate finder, but rather identifies audio files where the filename contains a string of characters. When Protools processes a file in AudioSuite, it adds a tag to show the plugin used to process the file. This feature is designed to help identify and purge processed audio files where the source already exists in your library.

  • Audio Content Comparison:

    This will analyze the audio content of your files and look for files that have matching content. This will help weed out duplicates that have completely different names, but the same content. This can be very slow on large libraries. It is recommend to run this on a database that has already been examined by the other algorithms.

  • Dual Mono Check:

    This will check your audio files for multichannel files where all the audio in each channel is the same. The results of this will not be marked for removal, but you will have the option to strip the extra channels from the audio.

  • Filename Contains Tag:

    This will search for the exact charaters and if it finds them, will mark the record for removal. Similar to Audiosuite Tag, but does not to check for the root filename before marking for removal

  • Invalid Files:

    Searches for records in your database that point to file locations that do not exist.

  • Minimum Duration:

    Similar to tags, this simply looks for files that are less than the duration specified. Useful for finding random short Audio Files. Be careful if you have glitch libraries.

  • Database Compare:

    This algorithm compares the opened database with a different database of the user's selection. Any file name in the open database that exists in the comparison database will be marked for removal. This is useful for combining two databases.

Duplicate Removal

After running the search algorithms, you will be presented with the number of results found and the option to remove them. How SMDB Companion decides which file to keep can be configured under "Options -> File Preservation Priority". To learn more about this, please go to Advanced Usage.

Duplicate File Removal Options:

  • Create New Database of Thinned Records:

    This will create a new database with the duplicates removed. The original database will be untouched. WARNING: If you disable this, you will remove the duplicates from the currently open database directly.

  • Create New Database of Duplicate Records:

    This will create a new database with only the duplicates. The original database will be untouched. If you disable this, this database will simply not be created.

  • Remove Duplicate Files from Disk:

    This is off by default as the preferred method is to use your Soundminer databased to manage your audio library. However, if enabled, this will remove the files marked as duplicates from the disk. You have the option to move them to the trashcan or permanently delete. WARNING: Permanent deletion cannot be undone.

Metadata Find and Replace

This is a simple tool to help you quickly find and replace metadata in your database. The intended use was for updating filepaths when you move audio around on your drive, but it has to power to find and replace anything you like.

Results View

After a search, the Results View displays all found duplicates and issues in a sortable, filterable table.

  • Review Results: Each row shows file details, match reason, and available actions.
  • Bulk Actions: Select multiple files to remove, move, or export.
  • Preservation Priority: The app highlights which file will be kept based on your rules (see Preservation Priority section).
  • Preview & Confirm: Preview changes before applying. You can create a new "thinned" database or export a list of duplicates.
  • Undo Support: If enabled, you can revert recent actions.

Note: Registration is required to remove or edit database entries.

Match Criteria

Match Criteria determine which fields must match for files to be considered duplicates. You can enable or disable criteria such as:

  • File Name: Match files by name, with or without extension.
  • Duration: Match files by exact or near duration.
  • Channel Count: Match files with the same number of channels.
  • Audio Content: Use fingerprinting to match files with identical audio content.
  • Tags/Patterns: Match files containing specific tags or patterns in their name or metadata.

Adjusting these criteria allows you to control the strictness of duplicate detection.

Preservation Priority

When duplicates are found, SMDB Companion uses your preservation rules to decide which file to keep. You can prioritize by:

  • File Path: Prefer files in certain folders or with specific paths.
  • Bitrate: Keep the highest quality file.
  • Newest/Oldest: Prefer the newest or oldest file by modification date.
  • Custom Metadata: Use fields like rating or tags to influence which file is kept.

Use the toolbar to add, remove, or reorder rules. The top rule is most important.

Tags Manager

The Tags Manager lets you define patterns or keywords for special handling. For example, you can mark files processed by certain plugins or with specific suffixes for removal or preservation.

  • Add or remove tags in the Options page.
  • Use tags to automate handling of Audiosuite, processed, or temporary files.
  • Tags can be used as match criteria or preservation rules.

Colors

Customize the color coding for different result types and UI highlights. For example:

  • Green: File to be kept
  • Red: File to be removed
  • Yellow: Warning or needs review

Set your preferred colors in the Options page for better visual clarity and workflow.

Advanced Usage

SMDB Companion has the ability to customize the logic used to select which file should be kept in a set of duplicates. This allow you to help it decide which files you prefer to keep in a set of duplicates.

This can be configured under "Options -> File Preservation Priority".

  • Top Toolbar:

    This will help you create new rules to add to the list.

  • Rules List:

    The list represents the rule order SMDB Companion will use to decide which file to keep. If all duplicate candidates match the first criteria, it will move to check the next one, so rules at the top of the list are more important than those below.

  • Bottom Toolbar:

    These buttons allow you to change the order of the list or remove a rule.

Tips and Tricks

  • Audio Content Algorithm:

    You will be tempted to use this right away, however as it has to scan each file indiviually, it can be quite slow on large databases. The recommended workflow is to use the other algorithms first to create a database with less records, and then run this algorithm on the newly created database.

  • Create Thinned Database First:

    It will take some time to get the hang of how SMDB Companion chooses it's duplicates. Preserve your database by enabled the "Create New Database of Thinned Records" feature. Once you have a feel for how it works, then you can uncheck this option to manipulate your databases directly.

  • Utilize the Duplicates Database:

    When you are first working with the program, creating the optional database of duplicates is a faster to way to quickly see which files it is choosing to delete. Once you have your settings dialed in, this option can be turned off

  • Take some time to configure the Perservation Priority:

    Everyone's library is organized differently, and you will know best which files you want to keep versus which files you want to remove. In our personal library, we found rules based on filepath to be the most effective for teaching SMDB Companion to preserve the files we wanted. File Preservation Priority can be found under the 'Preferences" menu at the top.

  • Don't Delete Files:

    While SMDB Companion has the ability to delete files from you disk, the intended work flow is for you to create a new Database without any duplicates and use Soundminer's Mirror function to duplicate it. This will protect your library from data loss.

  • Adding New Media to your Library:

    When adding new media to your master library, create a new database just for the media you want to add and then scan and remove duplicates with SMDB Companion. You can use the compare algorithm to ensure you are not adding duplicates back into your library.

Contact/Support Information

If you need further assistance, please contact our support team:

Recover License Key

If you need to recover your license key, you can do so by clicking the link below:

Recover License Key

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