Advanced tools for the music collection you built over years.

I cannot find a file

Health Check finds Music.app records whose local files are missing, inaccessible or suspicious. File Search searches the physical music folders on disk and can reveal the exact file in Finder.

I imported only part of an album

Health Check > Check Album Completeness uses Music.app Track / Disc totals to show missing numbered positions without guessing titles or querying the Internet. If you want this checked after future imports, enable the optional Notify about incomplete newly added albums setting in Setup. It is off by default and is independent of Automatic Library Index.

I think I have duplicates

Playlist Duplicates finds repeated entries inside one playlist. Library Duplicates finds multiple Music.app records that may point to the same file. Quality Duplicates finds candidates with different physical versions of a recording. Open A/B Compare... from a group with two files preselected, or choose Manual A/B Compare... to browse for two local files independently of Music.app playlists. Both modes offer playback-only A/B listening, temporary loudness matching and live spectra.

Where is this track used?

Track Usage and Library Map show which playlists contain a track and where repeated recordings occur. Playlist Compare shows what two playlists share and what is unique to each.

My metadata is a mess

File Maintenance checks naming, permissions, Finder metadata and hidden audio tags. Correct supported Music.app fields and filenames after review, or selectively remove supported physical encoder, downloader or promotional tags without changing the audio stream. Music.app may retain previously imported Copyright or encoder information. Undo Last Change applies to supported Music.app edits, not to successfully completed embedded-tag removal. See File Maintenance in action.

Music.app shows old file information

Run Library Dashboard in Deep mode. If Music.app still has outdated technical information for a local track, the Music.app info outdated card isolates those files. Refresh Music.app Info asks Music.app to reread the actual audio file without rewriting it.

Artwork is missing

Artwork Check finds tracks without cover artwork. Use the longer live verification when you need to confirm recent Music.app changes rather than relying only on saved index data.

Is this audio really the quality it claims?

Audio Inspector > Audio Authenticity Analyzer looks for technical signs of lossy-to-lossless conversion, suspicious bandwidth limits, bitrate mismatches and possible sample-rate upscaling. Results are estimates to review, not automatic verdicts.

I want to inspect one file

Audio Inspector shows codec/container details, bitrate, sample rate, bit depth, channels, duration, file size, an authenticity assessment, a dB-scale spectrogram and raw technical output. The static Inspector does not show a waveform; the interactive full-track waveform belongs to Live Spectrum. Both work without adding the file to Music.app.

I need to convert or repair audio

Repair / Convert handles common and specialist formats with engines included in the app, plus batch normalization for sample rate and lossless bit depth. After a verified conversion you decide whether to keep the source, move it to Trash or archive it in a dated LMO Backup Folder. Vinyl De-click lets you compare short before-and-after samples before processing a full recording.

I want a better shuffle

Shuffle Builder creates a new playlist with spacing rules for artists, related projects, albums, repeated titles and covers while leaving the original playlist unchanged. Read why I built it.

Why I built Shuffle Builder

A personal story about driving, Italo disco, familiar voices in different groups and the challenge of making a playlist feel genuinely varied.

Read the Shuffle Builder story →

Missing songs or moved music folders?

Learn how to check missing Music.app file references, locate audio on your Mac or external disk, and relink the existing records instead of importing duplicates.

Find missing music files on Mac →

Duplicate songs and playlist entries?

Understand the difference between repeated playlist entries, duplicate Music.app records and different physical versions of the same recording.

Find duplicate songs in Music.app →

Which audio recording sounds better?

Compare two physical recordings of the same song by ear, line up the passage, and inspect live audio spectra without changing the source files.

Compare recordings on Mac →

File Maintenance: more control, safer cleanup

Review audio permissions, supported Finder metadata, naming and embedded metadata separately. Use Scan Hidden Audio Tags to identify eligible physical encoder, source and promotional fields, select specific groups or files, then apply verified cleanup with rollback safeguards. Music.app can retain earlier imported Copyright information even after a physical tag is removed. See the interactive workflow.

Library Refresh and CUE reliability

Safer library-file location reads avoid mass AppleScript file aliases. Small Music.app changes are reconciled against Persistent IDs while preserving the saved index when verification is inconclusive. CUE albums can resolve their referenced audio through an explicitly authorized folder, including after Refresh Music Changes.

A/B Compare: found groups or manual files

Start from a Quality Duplicates group with two recordings already selected, or use Manual A/B Compare... on the toolbar to open empty A and B and choose two authorized local audio files through Browse... — even outside Music.app playlists. Both paths open the same movable comparison window with passage alignment, millisecond B offset, temporary loudness matching, instant switching and live Bars/Lines spectra. Listening does not normalize, retag or rewrite either source file.

Optional incomplete-album warning

Setup now includes Notify about incomplete newly added albums. It is off by default. When enabled, LMO performs a lightweight Music.app identity check when new records are detected, then checks only the affected Artist — Album releases for missing tracks, missing discs or conflicting Track / Disc totals. Removing and later re-importing tracks is treated as a new import event and can warn again.

Track / Disc cleanup with metadata protection

Health Check can find records with Track Number, Track Count, Disc Number or Disc Count. Clearing is explicit and selected-record only. LMO verifies the live record before and after the write and restores the exact pre-cleanup editable metadata if Music.app changes it while numbering fields are cleared.

Folder relinking for moved music

Relink This Folder... maps a missing record's old parent folder to a replacement folder, previews exact relative-path matches and relinks the existing Music.app Persistent IDs. It does not move, copy, rename or delete the physical audio files and does not intentionally create new Music.app records.

Safer orphan import

Orphan import now verifies the exact physical path against live Music.app before it treats an import as successful. Existing exact-path records are reused instead of duplicated, and one verified record can be added to several selected destination playlists.

Missing-record cleanup stays synchronized

Remove Missing Record... targets the exact live Music.app Persistent ID after confirmation. LMO also retires the verified-absent record from its caches and saved index so an already removed record does not simply reappear on the next Health Check.

Stale Health findings are live-checked

Before cached Missing information blocks an orphan workflow, LMO checks the relevant Music.app Persistent ID live. A genuinely absent record is retired; a live record is rebuilt from current information; an inconclusive live read remains fail-closed.

Live Spectrum: Original, Classic, Glass and Mini

The local player now offers the detailed Original view, the hardware-style Classic skin and an experimental 3D Glass skin, with Elektronika Mini and a separate compact Glass Mini presentation for smaller windows. Classic also scales for smaller screens. The same loaded track, queue, Previous / Next, Auto Next and playback volume stay with the Player as you change presentation.

Help and illustrated manual updated

Quick Help and the updated User Guide explain permissions, safe Library Index refresh, File Maintenance scans and irreversible embedded-tag cleanup, along with album-completeness logic, relinking, orphan review and compact player controls.

Library Dashboard

Start here when you are not sure what is unusual in the library. One read-only scan groups tracks by missing files, artwork, bitrate, duration and metadata, and also shows clear technical categories such as 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, ALAC, MP3, AAC, AIFF, WAV, other formats and lossless files above 16-bit. Select a category to see the actual tracks behind the number.

Music.app File Info Refresh

Deep Dashboard can find tracks where Music.app still holds old technical file information after a file was replaced or changed. Refresh Music.app Info tells Music.app to reread the actual local file, verifies the result, keeps protected tags and artwork unchanged, and does not convert, move, delete or rewrite the audio file.

Music.app Diagnostics

When technical error logging is enabled in Setup, open explicit read-only support tests for Startup State and Track Flags. Startup State records several short Music.app player-state snapshots after launching Music.app without Play; Track Flags audits playback-related Music.app fields in bounded ranges and never traverses the physical library.

Library Map

Understand where every track is used, inspect playlist membership, locate repeated records and reveal the exact Music.app playlist containing a selected item.

Duplicate Review

Find duplicate playlist entries, repeated library records and competing physical versions. Open A/B Compare... from a Quality Duplicates group with two files preselected, or start Manual A/B Compare... independently and choose files through Browse without scanning Music.app playlists. Both use the same playback-only window, loudness matching, B-offset alignment and live Bars/Lines spectra; cleanup actions stay separate and explicit.

Health Check

Diagnose missing Music.app links, orphan physical files and path conflicts; recheck live state before an action; relink one file or a moved folder; import a genuine orphan; remove an exact missing Music.app record; and optionally review Album Completeness or Track / Disc numbering. The scan itself remains read-only.

Artwork Check

Find Music.app records whose artwork cannot be confirmed. Use the fast candidate path for normal review or the longer full live verification when recent Music.app changes matter more than speed. LMO does not download or rewrite artwork automatically.

File Search

Search a saved SQLite physical-file index by artist, title, album, filename or path, load large results in pages, see exact playlist use and reveal files in Finder.

Playlist Compare

Compare every saved entry from two playlists in SQLite and receive completed matches in pages, with a targeted long refresh available after either playlist changed.

Audio Inspector

Open a standalone local file to inspect codec/container family, channels, bit depth, sample rate, bitrate, duration and file size, together with an authenticity assessment, a dB-scale spectrogram and raw afinfo output. The static Inspector does not show a waveform; use Live Spectrum for the interactive full-track waveform. Filenames, paths and technical text can be selected and copied for research or support.

Audio Inspector — Audio Authenticity Analyzer

Scan the saved Music.app Library Index, one selected playlist or an individual file for possible lossy-to-lossless transcodes, sample-rate upscales and bitrate mismatches. Every flagged track includes confidence, detected cutoff, estimated source class and a plain-language explanation.

Live Spectrum & Player

Play readable local files in an independent window with a real-time logarithmic analyzer, full-track waveform, draggable seeking, technical meters, playback gain, Previous / Next, Auto Next, queue navigation and playlist browsing. Choose the detailed Original presentation, the hardware-style Classic skin or the experimental 3D Glass skin. Use the permanent Player button or Option-click a supported Play control. On smaller MacBook displays, press Escape to exit the player's fullscreen presentation.

Drag & Drop Conversion

Drop files, folders or CUE sheets into Repair / Convert, or onto the app icon, to begin local background conversion with the selected profile and visible progress.

Repair / Convert

Convert common and specialist audio sources with offline engines included in the application. Batch Normalize can keep the format family while reducing 48 kHz to 44.1 kHz and/or lossless depth above 16-bit to 16-bit. Choose how the verified conversion handles the original: keep it, move it to Trash or archive it in a dated LMO Backup Folder.

Vinyl De-click

Create short before-and-after samples, compare processing strength and choose the weakest effective mode before applying de-clicking to the full recording.

File Maintenance

Scan and fully verify audio-file permissions, review eligible 755-to-644 corrections, inspect supported Finder extended attributes and selectively remove last-used metadata. Scan Naming & Tags for Music.app Title / Artist / Album and filename spacing; review individual or batch corrections and verified renames. Detect physical encoder, downloader, ripper, promotional and editing-history tags, then explicitly select eligible fields for verified cleanup without audio re-encoding. Explore the scans and safe cleanup workflow.

Shuffle Builder

Create a new anti-repeat shuffled playlist while preserving the original source playlists and avoiding destructive library changes. Group related artists and projects using Do not place near rules. The story behind Shuffle Builder.

Tag Review

Edit supported Music.app tags manually from visible result cards. Changes appear in Music.app immediately, and Undo Last Change restores the values from the most recent tag edit.

Permissions

Use Scan Audio Permissions or Full Verify Permissions to inspect file permissions. The separate Normalize 755→644 action is limited to eligible reviewed audio files; scanning does not change permissions.

Finder metadata

Inspect Finder extended attributes and review the allow-listed com.apple.lastuseddate#PS attribute. Where supported, edit its last-used date (or exact 16-byte value) or remove it after explicit review. Unknown and protected attributes stay read-only; artwork and audio data are not broadly erased.

Naming & Tags

Scan Naming & Tags finds repeated spaces and parenthesis-spacing issues in selected Music.app fields and local filenames. Individual and batch fixes require review; physical filename renames retain their folder and extension and are verified.

Hidden Audio Tags

Scan Hidden Audio Tags reuses cached results for unchanged files; Full Verify Tags checks files again. Review removable MP3 and M4A-family metadata such as downloader, ripper, promotional and Adobe editing-history signatures. When a verified physical M4A ©too atom is found, it appears in its own dedicated Encoded with section with a separate reviewed removal action. This does not remove MP3 stream encoder/gapless data or guarantee that Music.app will clear stored encoder information.

Missing file

A Music.app record still exists but its saved local path is unavailable. Use Recheck first. Repair Local Link... keeps the same Music.app record and points it to a chosen replacement file.

Relink a moved folder

Relink This Folder... maps the old saved parent folder to a replacement folder and previews exact relative-path matches. Successful rows keep the existing Music.app records; LMO does not move the physical files.

Remove a truly missing record

Remove Missing Record... is offered only when LMO has the exact Music.app Persistent ID. After confirmation and live verification it removes the Music.app record, not a physical audio file, and synchronizes LMO's caches/index so the removed record does not return as stale state.

Orphan physical file

An orphan is a readable physical file whose exact path is not represented by the saved Music.app library. If it is genuinely new, the explicit import workflow verifies the live exact path before creating or reusing a Music.app record. If it is actually the replacement location for a Missing record, relink that existing record instead.

Album completeness

Check Album Completeness (Track / Disc totals) is read-only. It uses live Music.app numbering metadata to report missing numbered positions, missing discs or conflicting totals. It does not query the Internet or guess missing track titles.

Track / Disc numbering

Find Track / Disc Numbering is a separate optional discovery scan. Only the explicit cleanup action can clear Track Number, Track Count, Disc Number and Disc Count, and protected Music.app metadata is verified around the write.

Choose scan depth

Standard is the normal starting point. Deep reads the actual local audio files for more reliable codec, bitrate, duration and lossless bit-depth information. Turn off Skip slow file checks when complete local-file coverage matters more than speed.

Understand the category cards

44.1 kHz and 48 kHz are informational sample-rate groups, not errors. ALAC, MP3, AAC, AIFF, WAV and Other audio formats show how the collection is encoded. Select any card to see the tracks behind the number.

Fix outdated Music.app file information

In Deep mode, Music.app info outdated appears when Music.app's saved file information does not match the actual local file. Select the card to isolate those tracks, then use Refresh Music.app Info for one track or the whole group. A corrected track disappears from the outdated list after verification.

Know what Refresh Music.app Info changes

LMO asks Music.app to reread the existing file and verifies the result. It does not convert, move, delete or rewrite the audio file, and protected tag and artwork fields are checked for unexpected changes. Refresh history is written to the selected log folder when logging is enabled.

Review high-resolution files

>16-bit lossless comes from real local-file inspection in Deep mode. It is useful when you want to find 20/24/32-bit lossless or PCM files and decide whether their extra size is useful for your library.

Normalize only when you mean to

Batch Normalize can send selected 48 kHz or high-bit-depth results to Repair / Convert. Nothing is normalized merely because it appears in a Dashboard category.

Metadata that needs a human decision

LMO can surface web-address text such as www, http or https inside Title or Artist for manual review. It does not automatically cut that text out because it may be part of a legitimate title.

Understand Comments before clearing them

Comments is a normal free-text Music.app field, not an error by itself. It may contain an encoder/ripper signature, DJ or release-group note, source information, a website or store URL, promotional text, catalogue information, or the owner's own notes. Clear Comments / Clear All Comments changes only the Music.app Comments field for the chosen records; the physical audio file is not renamed or rewritten, and supported changes can be undone.

Compare the same passage

Start chooses the point in the recording and Loop chooses the comparison length, up to three minutes. Prepare Passage rebuilds the temporary A/B playback buffers. If a loop is already playing, LMO can keep the current loop running until the replacement passage is ready.

Align Version B without time-stretching

B offset shifts only the start point used for Version B. Use the slider for coarse alignment and the ±10 / ±100 ms buttons for fine adjustment when one master has slightly more lead-in silence or a small edit offset. The visible B shifted value shows the temporary alignment; the physical file is not edited.

Listen at comparable level

Loudness Match changes playback gain only, so a louder master does not win simply because it is louder. The large blue A and amber B buttons switch the listening side instantly. Gain values and the LISTENING indicator make the temporary playback state explicit.

Use the spectrum as evidence, not a verdict

Bars shows paired blue/orange frequency columns; Lines overlays the two live spectra. A + B / A / B controls what is drawn. Peak, RMS, dominant frequency, LUFS and temporary gain remain visible, and hovering the graph shows frequency/dBFS values. More high-frequency energy, a higher peak or a different curve does not automatically mean “better” — listen first, then use Audio Inspector when you need deeper technical context.