Adding Keywords to audio files

[RyanMKincaid]

I've managed to grab some audio samples and want to add them into Soundtrack pro. Problem is I can't figure out how to tag them with keywords so that they come up on the browse menu. In order to locate them I have to go to all and type in the actual name. Anyway to tag them so that they can have a separate button?

 

[Noiz2]

Ugg, STP is a pain as a DAW. the only real plus side is it's tight integration with FCP.

But... You have to use the Apple Loop Utility. There may be some other way to get the metadata in the file but that is the only one I know. Also, I could be wrong, but I think Apple keeps the metadata as part of the CAF package, so you may have to "convert" all your files to CAF packages first.
I was wrong it's STAP files that are packages...

If you are happy with STP then go for it but there are much better DAWs out there, and STP is discontinued so...
Reaper jumps out in the basically free zone.

If you are just looking for cataloging there are a number of options that work better also.

The "king" is Soundminer, but it's not cheap. There are a bunch of others down to Snapper from Audio Ease which doesn't so much catalog as search and preview. And it can send files to many DAWs. To use something like Snapper you do your organizing at the finder level.

Snapper has a long trial, like three months, so you can get a good feel for it before you pay.
https://www.audioease.com/snapper/

 

[Rick R]

Not familiar with STP. If you can save them as BWF files, that format allows much more metadata than the garden variety PCM (AIFF or WAVE) files. The Metadata could be changed/updated ect., in BWF Widget, Wave Agent and others if STP can't.
I recall Sound Miner can organize/categorize audio samples and S/FX files, Otherwise you could make a database with Ms Office/ Access.

 

[Noiz2]

A number of years ago I spent some time up close and personal with STP.

I get STAP files and CAF files mixed up. I got introduced to them at the same time. Small mind...
CAf isn't terrible just not very common.

STAP "files" are the heart and soul of the STP system. I can't remember if it converts on opening or waits till you do something (anything) with the file.

STAP "files" are really "packages". A package is a folder that looks like a file. In side that STAP folder is the original audio file some housekeeping documents and a copy of every change that has ever been made to the file and a proxy file that is really a list of all the parts and how to assemble them so the "file" will play as it was last altered.

Say you try an EQ on the file. A new rendered version with the EQ is created and the proxy will play that version. You decide you don't like it and "undo". Your STAP file is now about 2X as large as it was when you started because STAP files never throw anything out unless specifically told to. Fool around with the file some more and it will keep growing. At some point you might go WTF that 50meg file is now 60gigs! Well you can then select files and "flatten them" which will leave just the current version of the file in the STAP package, and your back to 50megs. It was marketed as ultimately nondestructive but it was actually destructive gone wild.

There are some upsides. You can stuff just about anything in there. If you use it with FCP the dialog you send to STP is actually the video clip (but you are just seeing the audio). So it's kind of a backup. But it is also huge (because it has the video in side). That small part of the sound you used and now you really want to make it bigger or whatever. No problem, you are only seeing the bit but unless you flattened it you have the entire file in the STAP.

STP has a cataloging function of sorts. It's pretty limited for anyone with even a small library and it requires sounds be tagged to be able to sort them. And as I mentioned I believe the Apple loops utility is the tool you need to use to tag your files. It should have been installed with STP. It will be in the utilities folder in your applications folder.