Anyone use iTunes to catalog SFX library

[SHIRK]

I am interested in catagloging my CD SFX library in itunes. The idea of having the library on a drive already in AIF or WAV format is really appealing. I hate browsing those catalog directories(books) for sound fx. I like how in iTunes (and I'm sure on other sample/sound catalog programs) the track descriptions come up from the online CDDB. Makes it really easy to search for a particular sound.

I'd like to keep everything as AIFF files on an external firewire drive a) so it won't get mixed in with my iTunes "music" library and therefore completely fill up the internal drive on my system. b) so that the catalog can move from one starion to another in our studio.

Has anybody been doing this with iTunes or another cataloging application? Just curious as to anything I'm missing or not taking into consideration. If there is a better application out there that interfaces more seamlessly with PT then let me know. I'm looking for efficiency here. Also, is there any advantage to converting these CD's into WAV over AIFF files? Thanks

shirk



AlBook G4 1.25GHz/OS10.3.2
HD3/PT6.4/Magma 4slot

[auckland yobbo]

Looks like you're using OSX so have you looked into using the workspace search tool in PT's? So long as your filenames have good descriptions (and CDDB names CDs pretty well) you can do all your looking inside 'tools.

option-semicolon - If I recall correctly.

[Schwabbl]

All of my SFX are cataloged in iTunes (as AAC files). And in OSX, dragging and dropping from the Digi workspace couldn't be any easier.

Works for me.



schwabbl

[Nexxt]

Have you tried digiBase?

We're getting ready to transfer our sfx libraries to hard drives using iTunes, also . PT's digiBase seems made for the job once imported, though....indexed search, with easy audition, drop in to PT sessions and automatic conversion when necessary.

[steppenwolf68]

well I tried this but I found that CDDB doesn't recognize all of my SFX CD. So what you gonna do with them ? Rename them by hand ?
From a previous thread 90% of the people recommended SOUNDMINER but it's about 500 $.
At the moment I am playing around with a software (shareware) called Audiofinder, which is very interessting.... (http://www.icedaudio.com/)

Cheers Stepp

[TCDet]

The CDDB data base in I-Tunes works well.
I have been loading my 200 disks (A bit at a time) by changing the I-Tunes location preference to an external FW Drive as Aiff files. All my searching is done inside Digi Data base. Just find what you need and drag and drop from the workspace window into the edit window.
I was almost ready to buy the "LibraryLoader" App. from gallery for $300.00 when I became aware of this I-Toons naming database by Gracenote.

[MusicTrax]

The thing that makes Soundminer worth the $995 (and I believe that's the current price) is that the guys who wrote it spent three or four years going through several thousand SFX discs and writing scripts to selectively rip every single track and then divide it into individual effects files.

For example, if a Sound Ideas disc had a track with six sets of doorbell rings in a row, Soundminer will divide this up into SIX files, and give them each a separate name. The amount of time it would take you to rip the discs and then laboriously type in the names for them would be totally ridiculous. Plus, I believe there are limits on the number of tracks and data that iTunes can access (at least there was a specific gig limit, the last time I checked).

A fellow effects editor and I added up the time it might have taken us for our studio library, which is about 700 gigs and rising, and I think it would have literally taken about eight 40 hour weeks to do that work. As it was, it took a week just for Soundminer to do it automatically. At least once it was done, it was done. When you add all the other features that Soundminer does, you realize it's actually worth the money.

Before you try to re-invent the wheel, talk to the Soundminer guys and get the demo.

--Marc W.