Rebuilding the library without loosing playlists

Studio Local library
1

From time to time we need to rebuild the entire database.
I found an elegant way. AS syncs tracks that have changed ID3 tags or are new in the library. To force AS rebuilding its database, you have to change 1 ID3 tag in every track.

  1. Make a backup of the file “AudirvanaDatabase.sqlite”. You find it on Mac in …/Library/Application Support/Audirvana and quit AS.
  2. Open all lokal tracks of your library in an externel ID3 tagging app. I use Yate.
  3. Find an ID3 tag, which is empty in all the tracks. In my case it was “Conductor”
  4. Write there a character, for example “a” and save the files.
  5. Open AS and sync your library. Because every track has changed, AS syncs every track, which is equal to rebuildung the whole database. According to the number of tracks, this can take some minutes. Quit AS.
  6. Go back to your tagging app, clear the changed ID3 tag of step 4 and save the files again to make them as before.
  7. Open AS and sync your database.
  8. Again make a backup of your database file “AudirvanaDatabase.sqlite”.
  9. Done
2

To benefit from the latest feature allowing to keep clear from MusicBrainz, I had to rebuild my database in order to get rid of MusicBrainz previous “pollution”.

I simply deleted the music folder in the local settings and recreated it once the database had cleared. All self contained in Audirvana, no editing of any metadata.
It allowed as well to spot a few left over ghost tracks which were easy to erase before rebuilt.
I did find it simple.

Admittedly, for reasons that escape my understanding, a full analysis of the music files was done, which took the usual lengthy time.
Your solution might just prevent that, but may not suppress the odd ghost track left in Audirvana.

3

Rebuilding the database is now simmple because of the backup option of favourites and playlists (AS 1,9) :slightly_smiling_face: