Documentation

User Guide & Reference

Getting Started

SMDB Companion helps you find and remove duplicate audio files from your Soundminer databases or directly from audio folders. Before you begin, back up your Soundminer databases.

  1. Launch SMDB Companion and click Select Database to choose your Soundminer database
  2. Enable the search algorithms you want to use
  3. Click Search for Duplicates to scan
  4. Review results and adjust which files to remove
  5. Export a thinned database or remove duplicates

Tip: Watch the video overview for a walkthrough of the complete workflow.

Installation

macOS

  1. Download the .dmg file from the download page
  2. Open the .dmg and drag SMDB Companion to Applications
  3. Right-click the app and select "Open" the first time
  4. Ensure System Settings → Privacy & Security allows apps from identified developers

Windows

  1. Download the .msi installer
  2. Run the installer and follow the prompts
  3. Launch SMDB Companion from the Start menu

Registration

The free trial allows you to scan for duplicates and see how many are found. To edit results or remove files, purchase a license from our website.

After purchase, your registration code will be sent via email. Enter it in the app when prompted on the results page.

Lost your license key? Recover it here.

Search Algorithms

SMDB Companion offers nine algorithms to find different types of duplicates:

Basic Search

Matches files by filename, duration, and channel count. All criteria must match for files to be flagged as duplicates.

Similar Filename

Finds files with the same root name but different version numbers (e.g., sound.wav and sound.1.wav).

Audio Content Comparison

Analyzes actual audio content to find files with identical audio regardless of filename. Can be slow on large libraries.

AudioSuite Tags

Identifies files processed by Pro Tools AudioSuite plugins by detecting plugin tags in filenames.

Dual Mono Check

Finds multichannel files where all channels contain identical audio. Offers option to strip extra channels.

Filename Contains Tag

Marks files for removal if their filename contains a specific string you define.

Invalid Files

Finds database records pointing to files that no longer exist on disk.

Minimum Duration

Flags files shorter than a specified duration. Useful for finding stray short files.

Database Compare

Compares your database against another and marks files that exist in both. Useful when merging libraries.

Preservation Priority

When duplicates are found, SMDB Companion uses your Preservation Priority rules to decide which file to keep. Configure these under Options → File Preservation Priority.

Rules are applied in order from top to bottom. If all candidates match the first rule, the next rule is checked.

Common Rules

  • File Path: Prefer files in specific folders
  • Bitrate: Keep the highest quality file
  • Newest/Oldest: Prefer by modification date
  • Metadata: Use ratings or tags to influence selection

Tip: File path rules are often the most effective since they reflect how you've organized your library.

Removing Duplicates

After scanning, you have several options for handling duplicates:

  • Create Thinned Database: Exports a new database with duplicates removed. Original untouched. (Recommended)
  • Create Duplicates Database: Exports only the duplicate records for review.
  • Remove from Disk: Optionally delete the actual files. Can move to trash or permanently delete.

Warning: If you disable "Create Thinned Database," duplicates are removed from your original database directly. Always back up first.

Metadata Tools

SMDB Companion includes a Find and Replace tool for quickly updating metadata across your database. Access it under Action → Metadata Find and Replace.

Common uses:

  • Update file paths after moving audio to a new location
  • Batch rename metadata fields
  • Fix incorrect entries without rescanning in Soundminer

Tips & Best Practices

  • Start with fast algorithms: Run Basic Search and Similar Filename first, then use Audio Content on the thinned results.
  • Always create thinned databases first: Get comfortable with how SMDB Companion works before modifying databases directly.
  • Use the duplicates database: Export duplicates to quickly review what would be removed.
  • Configure Preservation Priority early: Invest time setting up rules that match your library organization.
  • Use Soundminer's Mirror function: After creating a thinned database, use Soundminer to mirror it rather than deleting files directly.
  • Scan new media separately: When adding to your library, create a database for new files and scan it against your master library using Database Compare.

Support

Need help? Contact our support team:

For license recovery, visit the license recovery page.