curator: A Sample Manager That Understands Sound

[rtavasso]

I built curator because I was tired of wasting 20 minutes clicking through folders, auditioning samples one by one, hoping something clicked.

Sample managers have been around forever. ADSR Sample Manager, XO, Sononym, Atlas. They all try to solve this problem in different ways. Most rely on you manually tagging files (tedious) or use filename/folder-based search (useless if you've ever downloaded a sample pack where everything is named Kick_07.wav). Some analyze waveforms or transients, which helps with organizing drums but falls apart for anything textural or tonal.

curator is different because it analyzes the actual audio content of every file. It listens to your samples (all of them) and builds a searchable database based on what they sound like, not what they're called or what folder they're in.

Type "dark reese bass" or "crispy snare with a long tail" and it finds samples that match the sonic description, even if they're buried in a folder named "Misc Sounds" and labeled audio_final_v3.wav. You search with the words in your head, the ones that describe the sound you're trying to find.

You can also find similar sounds by dragging in a reference sample. You can build out drum kits or find variations on a texture without manually digging through your entire library. It's like Sononym's similarity matching, but it works across your entire collection and understands semantic qualities, not just spectral shapes.

And, for the hell of it, I made a VST to connect with the desktop app that lets you audition samples directly inside your DAW, auto-synced to your project's tempo and key. Tools like XO and Atlas have in-app preview, but you're still auditioning in a separate window, separate from your actual mix. With curator, you hear exactly how that hi-hat or bass one-shot sits in context before you commit to it.

Everything runs locally, so your files stay on your drive. It supports all the formats you'd expect: WAV, AIFF, MP3, FLAC.

Pricing is simple: Free forever for libraries up to 1,000 samples. If you need more, Pro is a one-time purchase that unlocks unlimited library size.

I made this because I needed it. If you've spent years building a sample library and feel like you're only using 10% of it because the other 90% is impossible to navigate, maybe you need it too.

Download curator here: https://atier.gumroad.com/l/eqstc

[Tj Shredder]

I’ll give it a try. Is it based on neural networks? How did you train it?
Certainly that sounds interesting. Does it also add metadata to the files? Could also be interesting to combine it with other tools…

[steffensen]

Can't open it, says it's damaged and can't be opened. I'm on Mac Sonoma.

[jules99]

Same here.

Also the DMG (Apple Silicon) is missing the application folder image to drag the curator on to. Of course, you can always just drag it in to the actual folder, but it might be a bit irritating for beginners.

[beeellecee]

Tried the free version but tbh with a limit of 1000 samples it is difficult to really form an impression. Would be better with ability to drag files from the app. Also, deleting a watched folder does not change the files that are searched.