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[Syntho]

Soundminer was a sample preview/organizer/editor for OS9. I hear it was a great way to catalog and organize your samples. It's still around for Mavericks but we need the OS9 version.

Any sign of it?

[Syntho]

Three years later, still no sign of it...

[macStuff]

https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/working-video-pro-tools
Mentioned briefly in this 2006 article..

[Protools5LEGuy]

You can make a "anonimus" mediafire account and upload them if you have the time.

[GaryN]

i can upload it when you give me admin rights but i guess i will abuse them and delete all your base.

Kinda like herpes - it never really goes away

[macStuff]

Three years later, still no sign of it...

http://store.soundminer.com/
http://store.soundminer.com/contact/
looks like they are still in business if you are so inclined to send them a message inquiring about it

https://web.archive.org/web/20030502003256/http://www.soundminer.com:80/sm3homepage.html

Who is Soundminer Inc.
Soundminer Inc. is made up of sound professionals who continue to work in the audio post industry. We encounter the same challenges all audio professionals are faced with and that, in turn, has shaped our approach and development of Soundminer™. We continue to be committed to improving the product because our worklives demand it.

The Soundminer Audio File Management System was released commercially in January of 2002. However, it has been in use by a select group of post audio and music facilities for more than four years. And the principals of the company bring over 50 years of experience as sound designers, composers and facility managers to the development of Soundminer.

Soundminer began when we, like so many audio professionals, became disenchanted with the audio file management paradigms being offered. They were either modified off-the-shelf database programmes originally intended for traditional office work, or they were mouse-click intensive stock network browsers that simply could not navigate through hundreds of thousands of search returns with any kind of speed. In our opinion, all these paradigms made too many compromises where it really counts - speed. And as a result, we set out, quite by necessity rather than design, to "build a better mousetrap." And we think we've done it.

Our customers include some of the most recognized people in the industry. And that list is growing everyday.

Buying it is as simple as calling us at 1-866-FINDSFX. New versions are posted on our user ftp site regularly. And once authorized, updating your version will be as simple as downloading the most current version.

https://web.archive.org/web/20030502005835/http://www.soundminer.com:80/products/

Soundminer - Basics
Soundminer is a fast elegant asset management system designed by and for sound designers. It can extract, database, search, audition, edit, spot, process, track and batch transfer with unparalleled speed and accuracy. Don't rely on an off the shelf solution - get something designed exactly for what you do.

Elegant "one screen tells all" Browser.
Completely personalized multi-user work environment.
On the fly sample rate/bit depth conversion and waveform overview calculation.
Project dependent tracking and recall.
Fast powerful databasing tools that automatically check for duplicates and corrupt files.
Supports multiple databases with shared library networking functionality.
Support for SDII, AIFF, BWAV, Mp3, and AAC (mpeg4) audio file formats. Samplecell support in OS9.
Built in one touch FOCUS keys. No point and click needed.
Built-in overview display with random access and transport playback.
Duration counter, playhead, status window, volume and varispeed control all built into Browser.
Compound Boolean and Bracketed Boolean search support even for Samplecell instruments.
Built-in CLIP EDITOR with LOOP features.
Batch transfer - BIN and HIGHLIGHT support with save and recall option.
ProTools SPOT feature allows you to place audio on specific tracks at exact timecode locations.
Powerful Command line interface allows access to higher functionality.
DYNAMIC DATABASING - moved/renamed files are instantaneously detected and updated by the Soundminer database engine.
The Soundminer TROLL - automatically searches and adds new sounds..
over 50 fields of user modifiable metadata supported
Quicktime Movie import with full transport and synchronizing controls.
VST plug-in support for direct DSP processing of any sound file.
Supports Digidesign Pro Tools, MOTU Digital Performer, Logic Audio, Steinberg Nuendo, Roxio toast, Bias Peak and much more......SOUNDMINER 3 ADDS.....

Requirements:
A Macintosh computer of recent origin (G4 highly recomended )
OS 9.2.2 or OS 10.2 or higher
50MB of free RAM (Virtual Memory must be disabled in OS9)
A Hard Drive full of sound files in supported formats.
Computer Monitor capable of 1024 x 768 resolution
A place to transfer them to - as in Digidesign's Pro Tools, Emagic's Logic Audio or Steinberg's Nuendo.
HASP terminal or network USB key

https://web.archive.org/web/20030502095416/http://www.soundminer.com:80/download/
https://web.archive.org/web/20030818130450/http://www.soundminer.com:80/comment/

https://web.archive.org/web/20030818130551/http://www.soundminer.com:80/contact/
looks like it was actually developed in Toronto, Canada

[macStuff]

some additional product info about v3.0: safe to say that this can serve as a verification that it exists for MacOS 9.

Soundminer 3.0 adds.....

Not content with its industry leading feature set, Soundminer set about improving the very core of their system. The result is Soundminer 3.0 (for OS9 and X)


Apart from OS X support, Soundminer 3.0 adds:

OVER 50 METADATA FIELDS - BWAV containers, ID3 tags, Scene and Reel, music fields and more....
BWAV support - transfer, read, overviews, ingest BWAV metadata, the whole lot.....
MARK IN/OUT right from the BROWSER's overview window and spot direct.
NEW VARISPEED with transfer - you have the option to set your varispeed in the BIN or BROWSER and transfer each member of the BIN with its own varispeed setting.
NEW BIN MANAGEMENT SYSTEM - BINS replace taglist and Filetracker with a ton more power.....
MULTIPLE BINS - you can have as many BINS open as you want each with their own Transfer path and project properties.
BIN TRACKING - transferred and untransferred files are tracked, whether transferred via BIN or SPOT.
METADATA COPY - now SM3 transfers all metadata (including project data) when transferring to Pro Tools or any other DAW. It even prints the scene/Reel/Notes and description in the BWAV container so applications like Protools 6's DigiBase can see that info!!!
HIGHLIGHTS ADDED TO BIN - since a BIN acts like a Database, you can now tag items and highlight, search, sort and otherwise organize elements in a BIN.
OPTIONS FOR S/R CONVERSION - select fast or high quality conversion algorithms....both built by Soundminer!
SOUNDIGGER. Yes, its true. Now you can search your database for files that sound like the current selection's spectral content!
MULTI CHANNEL MIXER - real time playback of up to 6 channels - surround formats abound.....
VSTRACK. Up to five VST plug-ins can be inserted into the monitor chain in real time and applied to transfers.
MULTI CHANNEL FILE SUPPORT - ProTools multichannel, BWAV polyphonic and de-interleaved numeric...
NEW SPOT FUNCTIONALITY. Adds, search and sort by Scene, Reel, Continuity, and Notes information
NEW OVERVIEW - detail playhead, resizable overview, locate buttons, and more....right from the Browser.
NEW SCANNER - acquires Soundminer metadata, finder comments, BWAV containers and ID3 tags....
WINDOW SETS. up to five different window sets with quick recall access.
DIRECT PRO TOOLS SESSION IMPORT - Reads all region names and definitions.
NEW PLAYBACK ENGINE - SM3 original, play and transfer anything from 22khz to 192 khz, 8bits to 32bits.....
LIVE RECORD FEATURE (OS X only). Stack the VST RACK, perform moves and have SM3 record it all...
M/S ENCODER. We built a few extras for you, including an M/S Encoder.
QUICKTIME MOVIE SPOTTING- complete frame accurate transport control of movie with the ability to synchronize with the Soundminer Browser and Clip Editor.
SUMMARY - creates summaries for anything and instantly recall it as a search option - ie. pull down of all your music categories, or list of your folder hierarchy, list of all your libraries by name.......
MULTI PROCESSOR support
LAYUP Multiple to ProTools - spot the entire BIN end to end to a track starting from a user defined point.
FULL Steinberg NUENDO support - Including spot to timeline and layup Multiple to track!

https://web.archive.org/web/20041205091339/http://www.soundminer.com:80/products/
https://web.archive.org/web/20050414194059fw_/http://www.soundminer.com:80/products/productssm3.html
https://web.archive.org/web/20041215005915fw_/http://www.soundminer.com:80/products/products_SMHT.html
https://web.archive.org/web/20041215004128fw_/http://www.soundminer.com:80/products/products_soundlok.html
https://web.archive.org/web/20041205081538/http://www.soundminer.com:80/about/aboutpricing.html

[macStuff]

heres some additional info re: their other product "Ripper"
https://web.archive.org/web/20030503053117fw_/http://www.soundminer.com:80/products/productripper.html

[ssp3]

I know, old thread..

Did anyone managed to locate or have a copy of OS9 version of this thing? Collectors? 
I am looking at OSX version of it (PPC including) and it is quite useful. It would be kind of fun to have it on OS9.

[Syntho]

I know, old thread..

Did anyone managed to locate or have a copy of OS9 version of this thing? Collectors? 
I am looking at OSX version of it (PPC including) and it is quite useful. It would be kind of fun to have it on OS9.

I emailed the company years back. They said that I was basically crazy () and that they really only offer the older OS9 version to people who have upgraded throughout the years so that they can convert their old projects to newer ones.

[IIO]

i know nobody who bought it. that might be the reason why there is also no liberated copy.

[ssp3]

That's a strange business model, I have to say.. You have a customer who's willing to pay (I assume) almost a grand for old piece of software and a real chance that he will purchase newer version sooner or later, if he likes the product and service you provide. Instead, you tell the customer to bug off.

[IIO]

...

[ssp3]

i know nobody who bought it. that might be the reason why there is also no liberated copy.

There are some for OSX around..

It seems that their main client base consists of large studios, production houses, government entities and so on. That explains the price tag and attitude towards little man.
All other players in the same field follow similar scheme - high price tag, über-protection with Pace/Wibu/Hasp/.. or, lately, subscription models with prices in Photoshop range.
Milk the cows and shave the sheeps as much as you can and as long as you can

But, I've also seen companies with this kind of attitude towards clients to go belly-up at some point.

[IIO]

i cant remember the protection scheme, but i would not be surprised if it a "combination" of different evils, that would fit into the picture.

the only thing i can tell you for sure is that i never installed it anywhere, and that this usually means that there 1. is no demo version, 2. i have not bought a copy, and 3. i had no alternative option to install it.

otoh, there was period when my G4 was broken and refused to boot into OSX.

unfortunately in maxmsp file handling is an absolute mess, otherwise i would just build something better. i am huge fan of standalone organizing, sorting, archiving apps such as soundminer and it once had a good reputation when it came out.

[IIO]

apropos protection scheme.

enabling site licenses by such a networkable key based protection is not wrong imho, what do you think?

[ssp3]

I'm anti-anything that
* can't be operated in the middle of nowhere (given the availability of electricity);
* couldn't be operated 10-20 years from now on;
* requires access to any port, network or device (floppy, CD-ROM, USB stick) to enable application's functionality;
* stores something on the drive that can get lost if drive crashes or its directories become corrupt.

But that just me. I'm a user, not a developer.