Audio Dedupe 5.5.0.1

Overview

There’s a big chance that many duplicate files exist in your computer (especially if you've been using it for a long time and don’t clean it often), but the ones that are easier to miss are audio files. You can have the same file twice with a different filename, different format or in another directory. To make sure your music collection is organized and no disk space is wasted, Audio Dedupe will scan any folders you wish and find not only duplicate, but similar audio files as well.

Installation

Installation is straightforward and doesn't require any advanced technical skills. It doesn't last long either- it’s only a matter of seconds before it finishes and you can use the program. No viruses or other types of malware are included in the setup package and no additional 3^rd party software is installed.

Audio Dedupe can run smoothly under Windows 98, ME, 2000, XP, Vista and 7.

Interface

The interface is quite complicated, but after you get to spend some time with it you’ll be able to use all its features and functions seamlessly. The toolbar at the top has all the buttons you need to make use of the program without messing with advanced settings. In the center is the file list, where all duplicates will be displayed, and right next to it are two panes from where you can add folders and choose scanning method. Below the file list are two tabs; Auto Check and Preview. The first tab has some settings regarding the scan and the second tab has a built-in player where you can play audio files from the list above and view their tags.

Pros

Audio Dedupe has 3 scanning methods implemented. The most important one is the Audio Compare method, where you get to pick a percentage so that the program will scan for acoustic similarity between audio files that corresponds to that percentage (the default value for the percentage is 70%). The second scanning method will look for 100% identical files, in which case it will make a byte-by-byte comparison between files, and the last scanning method will only display files that have equal size.

Supported files formats are: AAC, ACE, AIFF, Monkey’s Audio APE, FLAC, MP3, Musepack, OGG, True Audio, WAV, WavPack and Windows Media Audio Files.

The cache feature gives you the ability to perform quicker scans in the future and is highly recommended to enable the “create new cache” feature every time you scan new folders, particularly when they contain a large number of files.

You can set the program to Log-off, Hibernate, Standby or Shutdown when the scan is complete. Additionally you can move checked files to a specified folder or delete them. If you’re not sure what to do with them you can use the integrated player to listen to them and at the same time view their tags.

Using the Quick Check/Uncheck feature you can check/uncheck files depending on their location directory, extension, file size, file date and file name.

Cons

The user interface might seem confusing to newbies, but after playing with the program for a while, all users will overcome this problem.

Alternatives

A few nice alternatives are Similarity (free), Audio Comparer (paid) and dupeGuru Music Edition (free). They can all find duplicate audio files stored in your computer and they all have more or less the same features (similarity percentage, scan using tags, filenames, etc.).

Conclusion

Audio Dedupe does have a set of unique features that can prove to be very helpful on certain occasions, but it’s just as helpful to the average users who want to get their PCs cleaned from duplicate music files.