Digibase versus Soundminer

[CD Productions]

I'm a mixer, not an editor, so this may be a truly ignorant question. But here it goes... Why do editors seem to prefer Soundminer to Digibase in PT? If I find I need an effect during a mix, I type the name into the search window and all the appropriate sounds come up to be auditioned and dragged into the session. I can even spot it to a place in the timeline if I drag and hold down "control". What does Soundminer add to this? I've even read posts where people talk about using iTunes. Is that better than Digibase?
Just curious.

[Brandonx1]

It's adds organization features, and is about 100 times faster then DB and you can search Boolean.
Those are the reasons, but SM actually does a lot more as well.
Peace,
Brandon

[Frank Kruse]

Ever tried to audition multi-channel split-files in Digibase? .....It´s not possible

Ever tried to control the playback volume when auditioning from DigiBase?....not possible

Ever tried to audition your library with your PT-Session interlocked in sync?

Ever checked if the long descriptions show up in Digibase when dragging a sound from iTunes to PT?

Ever tried to preview plug-ins before spotting your sound with or without the effect to a track?

Ever tried to audition your MS-Stereo sounds in L/R-Stereo and then decide if you want to spot them as L/R or discrete MS?

Ever wanted to spot just a single channel of an embedded multi-channel sound to PT?

Ever wanted to sum your stereo-sound to mono when spotting?

Ever tried to batch rename meta-data to maintain your library in Digibase?

Ever tried to share your libraries over a network? Play them back from one central server?

I could go on but so far for just a few examples.

frank.

[jimlongo]

Ever wanted to spot just a single channel of an embedded multi-channel sound to PT?

Ever wanted to sum your stereo-sound to mono when spotting?

How do you do that?

[Frank Kruse]

How do you do that?

1) Put the soundminer-mixer into your plug-in rack solo the track(s) you want to spot. Hit "S"

2) Go to your prefs and set "sum to mono when checked" (can´t recal the exact name) And check the "mono"-button under the waveform window. Hit "S" and soundminer will sum your sound to mono and spot to a mono-track. If you unceck the setting in the prefs SM will just spot the left channel to PT.

frank.

[jimlongo]

Right, thanks.

I guess the one I really always wished for was one that would put a mono track onto a stereo track. It would be a lot easier than having to remember if I was on a mono or stereo track, and is this a mono or stereo sfx . . .
I guess ideally PTs would have to communicate to SM what kind of track was waiting to be sent an audio file and for SM to accomodate the target regardless of original format.

[Frank Kruse]

Right, thanks.

I guess the one I really always wished for was one that would put a mono track onto a stereo track.

You mean a mono-sound onto one side of stereo-track in PT? This is what happens if you spot a mono sound from SM to a stereo-track in PT.

Not sure if this is what you want.

frank.

[jimlongo]

No what happens to me all the time is that I am typically on a stereo track and find a mono sfx in my library, spot it and of course it is only on one half of the stereo track.
Then I either have to find it in the region bin and drag it to a mono track, or if i realize it before I spot it, switch back to PTs go to a mono track switch back to SM and then spot. It's just a tedious time wasting exercise either way.
If SM knew it was a stereo track target, and it could spot the mono fx as a dual mono onto the stereo track that would be ideal, but it's just my imagination running away with me.

[Frank Kruse]

Just select the region on the stereo-track hit "x" move the selection to a monotrack hit "v".

Spot a dual-mono sound to a stereo-track? hm.

Have you tried to de-select "spot to stereo-stream" in the prefs?


frank.

[Peter Kessler]

Hi. I am trying to convince my boss the get Soundminer as we still use one copy of mTools. I am sure they must have this feature in Soundminer, but in mTools, you can create a Pull List of everything you are looking for at once. This way, you don't find one sound and wait for the conversion; you pull all your sounds into a list and then send them when you are done.

Also, you can spot things precisely to your timeline as opposed to dragging them in from Digibase.

- Peter