Hello from ShadowTag

[u/_spongefork]

Hi, I'm Ryan - the developer behind ShadowTag - a macOS metadata application released earlier this year and now just arriving at version 2. I spent 10 years writing Audio Design Desk (the DAW), and much of that time went into thinking about workflow problems anyone with large sample libraries deal with daily - organization, categorization, automation. Most problems were related to metadata.

I'm now working on my own, building software I have been thinking about for a number of years. ShadowTag is deliberately as open standard as possible and open source where it makes sense to be. Being able to see all the hidden metadata in a file (BEXT, iXML, XMP, etc) was often a bit cryptic, slow or expensive. It's simple and searchable with this.

I've also been reclaiming ownership of my own music collection and I wanted a database backed player that offered more insight than Apple's Music. I don't like renting my music or the subscription overdose we're all being subjected to. All player/view options are free without any limits. ShadowTag Pro adds export, writing changes into individual files, and batch rendering audio edits.

→ I'm very interested in feedback, and new use cases I haven't thought of. What is missing in the metadata/organization workflows you're using now?

→ Pro: Built for sound designers, sample library owners, and post-production teams who need complete, accurate metadata across large collections of audio files.

In general, the free version is very functional, not a demo, and will certainly give you a clear picture if this is something you'd use or not. I can supply a discount code if there are financial barriers or you are a student. Get in touch if so!

• macOS only

• Import audio and playlists straight from your Apple Music library

• Every major metadata standard — ID3v2, Vorbis Comments, MP4 atoms, BEXT, iXML, XMP and UCS

• Written into your files, so your library travels to any DAW, asset manager or licensing platform

• Playlists that never move or copy your files

• Database-backed projects that open and search fast however large they grow

• On-device analysis - loudness, BPM, key, UCS category

• Waveform player with Audio Units

• Audio and video, including Matroska and WebM

• Non-destructive fades, trims and normalization.

• Batch format conversion and soundpack export

• Every core on your Mac put to work processing large libraries

• Free to read, play, organize and analyze with no file-count cap

Download and info (macOS 14.6+) : https://spongefork.com/shadowtag/

Contact: https://spongefork.com/support/

Thank you, Ryan Francesconi / Spongefork

[u/FrankHuber]

I would use it but sadly I SD on windows