Shared Library
  • ryanmusic
    Hello - just wondered whether it is possible to share my library. I've networked my sample library and hoping to collaborate with my partner on another computer on a single shared view of the 'studio' Main library in Audiofinder. Any advice would be gratefully recieved. Many thanks

    Nick
  • icedaudio
    Yes, it is somewhat possible when configured precisely. But in order to advise you how to do this, please tell me more about your setups? Are the sounds on a network?
  • ryanmusic
    Great - thanks for replying on this topic - as requested my set up is as follows:

    1 x laptop, 1 x imac and 1 x mac mini all on an ethernet 1 gig local network (in the same room) connected to a 1 gig switch. The laptop and imac are manned by myself and my assistant. The mac mini is being used as a file server and seems to be adequately fast at serving up audio to either computer. My aim was to have the sample library on the server. The only problem is that we both are using audiofinder installed on each of the manned machines and cannot work on a shared library within audio finder....I wonder if the solution is running a single instance of a/f which resides on the server or perhaps asking audiofinder on each machine to look for preferences on the server rather that locally? Ideally we'd like to be able to both have a/f open at the same time too but I suspect that may be pushing it!

    Hope that info helps clarify what I've got here...

    Many thanks in advance. Would be amazing to be able to collaborate on the same view.

    Many thanks

    Nick








    You Wrote:

    Yes, it is somewhat possible when configured precisely. But in order to advise you how to do this, please tell me more about your setups? Are the sounds on a network?
  • ryanmusic
    Hi - sorry to pester - just wondered if you'd had a chance to think about this? Desperate to implement this setup asap.

    Many thanks

    Nick
  • icedaudio
    I'm still thinking about this because up until now no on has asked for this ability, so it's not something I've fully worked out. Typically the database resides in the user' home folder, which in your case is in two places. It also depends on your definition of the word library, do you mean the sounds or do you mean the AF database of the sounds?
  • ryanmusic
    Hi - by library I meant the library I already have of samples outside A/F's management but my desire I guess is to share the A/F 'library'/database that my colleague and I will develop over the coming weeks on this project. I guess this would involve our separate local A/F applications reading from/pointing to the same A/F pref/library file.

    I'm working on the worlds first binaural audio only computer game : http://www.papasangre.com . As you might imagine it involves shit loads of audio assets and A/F is becoming an indipensable tool - raving about it all the time! To give an example of the work flow i'd like to accomplish with this sharing functionality:

    I'd like to set my assistant the task of selecting footstep samples for a particular part of the game from our sample library (stored on the network server). I'd like his selection process to be centred around A/f - he would search for and audition sounds using a/f and then select suitable sounds but dropping them in a 'project' folder (library) in a/f. I would then be able to open a/f on my machine and see his progress and view his selections from which I could spot to protools/export or drag into logic.

    I guessed that the a/f pref would be stored locally on the machine on which the application is installed so today with this in mind I installed a/f on the server itself and launched this server installed instance from my laptop over the network but sadly the preferences were still written locally and not on the server since my colleague did the same and he was un able to see the modifications that I had made to the a/f library.

    I really appreciate your continuing help with this and look forward to hearing your thoughts..

    Kind regards

    Nick



    http://www.nickryanmusic.com
  • icedaudio
    Hi,

    AF can certainly play sounds on your server (you need to enable the Scan Non-Local file systems) option in the Preferences first.

    What I need to do to support the shared Database is make the location of the AF Database a user preference as right now it's fixed in your home folder. If you're willing to put up with testing it, I'll make the changes...

    Cheers
  • ryanmusic
    Wow that would be a amazing! Very happy to test it out for you, yes.

    btw - I'm not receiving notifications to replies on this thread even though "Notify me upon replies by default" is switched on in my user control panel. Just thought I'd mention it.

    Really look forward to the changes - and I'm sure others users would find the function useful if they knew it were possible...

    Thanks

    Nick
  • ryanmusic
    Hello - Iced audio. Just a quick question following on from our discussions about this feature - any idea when if might be possible to beta it? Just wondering because if you intend to do it soon I'll hold fire with alternative solutions for sharing mine and my colleagues a/f work.....(not that there are any alternatives ! )

    many thanks

    nick
  • icedaudio
    please download this:

    http://www.icedaudio.com/beta.zip

    because this is the type of feature that gives users more than enough rope to get into trouble, it's a hidden thing. in other words it's hard to do to make sure those who do it, know what there doing.

    1. Figure out where you want to keep the file that is the shared database.
    2. Make sure you have it so it will always be mounted when AF launches
    3. run Terminal.app
    4. Then edit the following line to include the path to where you want to keep the database by replacing the "/Volumes/Some Drive/Some Folder" part.

    defaults write com.icedaudio.audiofinder "MetadataDatabasePath" -string "/Volumes/Some Drive/Some Folder"


    5. Paste the edited line into Terminal.app
    6. Launch AF. If successful you'll find a file named "Metadata Database" at that path.

    What does this do? It sets the AF Preferences to override the location in your Home Folder Application support where AF defaults to.

    This is experimental, I've tested it, but not rigorously.

    If you don't get a bunch of error dialogs it worked. Good luck.
  • ryanmusic
    thats marvellous - THANKS SO MUCH - will keep you posted. Have sucessfully implimented on a FW drive will now try on a network drive. Fingers x'ed

    Thanks again - you rock!

    Nick
  • WabiSabiSound
    Another vote for this feature...in fact I'd like to beta it as well if you re-establish the link. (It is now broken.)
  • icedaudio
    This exists in version 5.0.6, you can try it.
  • martian
    wow this would suit me too!

    We have a raid server - will it work on that too?
  • icedaudio
    you're free to try it. :)
  • jaredf
    dropbox?
  • digital rust
    I'd also be interested in a networked solution. Running multiple machines on a wireless network.
  • icedaudio
    http://www.icedaudio.com/main/wp-admin/ ... &message=6
  • swpowe
    I thought for sure I'd asked for this a long time ago. Yes! PLEASE! This is one of the main features I need and AF is currently lacking.
  • icedaudio
    Read the post below. It is possible, just a power user hidden feature because it is too hard to tech support this type of thing for the general population:

    http://www.icedaudio.com/main/?p=277
  • ericlalicata
    I tried the above terminal command, but it did not work for me. Admittedly, I am a bit of a terminal novice and I may have gotten the syntax incorrect. I don't really understand what terminal is telling me after I enter the command.

    I am trying to share the database on our SFX server MacPro, by saving the file to the SFX 1 firewire drive connected to that Mac. It has not been successful. Any advice would be great.

    This is what I entered and the response from Terminal:

    Eric-Lalicatas-MacBook-Pro-2:~ ericlalicata$ defaults write com.icedaudio.audiofinder "MetadataDatabasePath" -string "/Volumes/SFX 1/Audiofinder Library Database_DO NOT DELETE"
    [1] 15574
    Eric-Lalicatas-MacBook-Pro-2:~ ericlalicata$ Command line interface to a user's defaults.
    Syntax:

    'defaults' [-currentHost | -host ] followed by one of the following:

    read shows all defaults
    read shows defaults for given domain
    read shows defaults for given domain, key

    read-type shows the type for the given domain, key

    write writes domain (overwrites existing)
    write writes key for domain

    rename renames old_key to new_key

    delete deletes domain
    delete deletes key in domain

    domains lists all domains
    find lists all entries containing word
    help print this help

    is ( | -app | -globalDomain )
    or a path to a file omitting the '.plist' extension

    is one of:

    -string
    -data
    -int[eger]
    -float
    -bool[ean] (true | false | yes | no)
    -date
    -array ...
    -array-add ...
    -dict ...
    -dict-add ...

    [1]+ Exit 255 defaults write com
  • icedaudio
    Actually I tried your command and it wrote the correct stuff into the preferences file. What is happens when you run AudioFinder?
  • ericlalicata
    Thanks for the reply. When I launch AudioFinder it opens as expected, but no files are written to the folder that I designate on the SFX servers firewire drive. My hope is to have one database that resided on the server drive so that all my editors can access the library info.

    I guess I'm a little foggy on how to make the other systems reference the central database on the server.

    Thanks for the help. Great program by the way.
  • icedaudio
    Does the folder exist? Try doing it without spaces like this
    "AudiofinderLibraryDatabase_DO_NOT_DELETE"
  • ericlalicata
    Yes the folder exists before making the terminal command. I tried renaming the folder as you suggest and changed the command line as well. It still does not seem to work. I also tried deleting the folder and entering the command, hoping Terminal would create the folder. It did not.

    Terminal does not give a response at all when I enter the command. Do you think it may be the space in the drive name? SFX 1 should be SFX_1? If so, and I change the name of the drive, I have a feeling I will need to rescan the library again and also change some system settings on all my studio computers to auto mount the sfx drive. Hoping there is something else to try besides that.

    Thanks again.
  • icedaudio
    if terminal doesn't give a response it probably worked, AudioFinder will create the folder and stuff when it runs. what happens when you run AudioFinder. Sorry, this is difficult to use on purpose, it's too dangerous for users who might change the path and loose their database, so i keep the feature oblique.
  • ericlalicata
    thank again. When I run Audiofinder, it runs normally, referencing the scans in the Audiofinder folder on the local library folder. Nothing happens to the folder on the SFX server.

    I have been able to copy the Audiofinder folder from Application Support to other machines and they can search the library. But any changes they make, are not reflected in the other rooms. This is the functionality I am hoping for.
  • icedaudio
    Right, every other room would have to point to the same file on the server in order for it to reflect, and to do that every computer would need the preference set.

    Maybe, the mount point of the server volume isn't right. Try this:

    1. Open Terminal
    2. Drag the SFX_1 folder to terminal and it will copy the full path. Note it will place a '\' before spaces.

    3. Does the path generally match the one you were passing to defaults write?
  • ericlalicata
    I did what you suggested and edited the path as you see below.

    defaults write com.icedaudio.audiofinder "MetadataDatabasePath" -string "/Volumes/SFX\ 1/AudiofinderLibraryDatabase_DO_NOT_DELETE"

    Unfortunately, it still is not working. Plus, I now get this error message when launching Audiofinder:

    "The Metadata Database format is different than this version of Audiofinder can read. Please update your copy of Audiofinder. The Metadata Database is now offline."

    I am using version 5.5.3. This is the latest version as far as I can tell.

    I'm stumped. Anything else I can try?
  • icedaudio
    Hang on, I'm going to add a user interface for this feature right now.
  • icedaudio
    Eric try this:

    http://www.icedaudio.com/beta.zip

    See Preferences->Advanced

    This will allow you to use an Open Panel and choose where you want to keep the database and other files. No need to add "AudiofinderLibraryDatabase_DO_NOT_DELETE", it will create a folder with AudioFinder in the in the location.

    NOTE: this is a superset of the previous hidden feature, so you want to get rid of the old preferences that were set with defaults write. Like this in terminal:

    defaults delete com.icedaudio.audiofinder “MetadataDatabasePath”

  • ericlalicata
    I entered that command in Terminal and got this response

    There is no (“MetadataDatabasePath”) default for the (com.icedaudio.audiofinder) domain.
    Defaults have not been changed.

    I try to open the new app linked above and it crashes on start. Try to open previous version of app 5.5.3 and now that one crashes on start. Tried deleting all audio finder files from computer and re-installing both versions. Neither will start. I can send you the problem report if you want. This is one part of it.


    Application Specific Information:
    objc[432]: garbage collection is OFF
    *** Terminating app due to uncaught exception 'NSInvalidArgumentException', reason: '+[AFUtils getApplicationSupportFolder]: unrecognized selector sent to class 0x155200'

    I appreciate all the assistance you have been giving me. I'm afraid I have done something in terminal that is preventing these apps from running.
  • ericlalicata
    And thank you for adding the feature. I do really appreciate your efforts. Sorry I not up to speed on the programming side of things.
  • ericlalicata
    So a restart of my laptop allowed version 5.5.3 to launch again. But the beta version linked above crashes on launch. I can not paste the entire problem report here. I can send it to you.
  • icedaudio
    oops it was an error in making the build, try this:

    http://www.icedaudio.com/beta.zip
  • ericlalicata
    Sorry, still crashes. Tried on both Lion and Snow Leopard systems
  • ericlalicata
    Terminating app due to uncaught exception 'NSInvalidArgumentException', reason: '+[AFUtils userLibraryApplicationSupportFolderlicationSupportFolder]: unrecognized selector sent to class 0x155200'
  • icedaudio
    yikes, i thought i'd uploaded the right one, but i uploaded the wrong one, sorry.
    http://www.icedaudio.com/beta.zip

    I just double test this one, it's solid.
  • teknik
    This looks like a brilliant feature, looking forward to giving it a try to sync Audiofinder via Dropbox!
  • ericlalicata
    Thank you so much for adding this functionality. I have never had such great service from a software developer. This is going to make a big difference at our facility.

    Thanks again for all your assistance with troubleshooting this.
  • icedaudio
    Your welcome! Please make sure to backup your database just in case. :)
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