DigitalVolcano Software Support

Hello! I have been using Duplicate Cleaner Pro 3.2.4 64 bit for about a week now. I have been able to remove a lot of duplicate audio files from my hard drive. The last time I ran the program it said I had no duplicate audio files. Yet when I go to the location where mus music files are stored and list them by album, artist or name of sond there are still a great many that are definitely duplicate files. What scan settings should I use to get the most comprehensive and complete scan so I don't have to manually remove these remaining duplicates. Thank you.

What are the settings you are using?

Tags or Data?
And then what other settings therein have you applied?

If Data, then the "data portion" of the file must be identical.

If Tags, then the actual musical data is ignored & only the tag portion of the files are compared based on the criteria you've chosen.


IMO, you should always start out with Regular Mode, Same Content, which will find "full" duplicates (both Tags & Data) much quicker (I'm pretty sure) then by dealing with (Audio) Data first.

Thanks for your response. The settings I am using are as follows:
-Audio Mode
-Match Audio Tags-Same Artist, Same Title, Same Album
Additional Options-Same File Name
More Search Options-Exclude Zero Site Files From Duplicate List

Search Filter- **
File Size-Any Size
File Dates-Any Date

When I ran the search in Regular Mode, all I got was Duplicate Album Art jpeg files

Any more suggestions? I know there are many more adudio file duplicates in My Music folder. Thanks.

Suppose it depends on what is a "dupe" & what your criteria are.

In the strictest sense if two files are exactly alike, in every manner, they are dups.

If you lessen the criteria, then just about anything can be a "duplicate" - based on criteria.

Then the question also plays in, what are you trying to accomplish.

If you want to remove a set of all bit identical files regardless of name, or date or ... then run a straight Content search.

If you want to remove a set of all bit identical files that also have the same name, then add Name to the equation.


If you want to remove duplicate music files, then the same sorts of criteria apply.

If you want to remove a set of bit identical music files, regardless of name or date or ... then run a Regular scan, with a "music" filter set (to only look for mp3, wma, m4a...).

Such a scan will not find otherwise identical files that only differ in their tags.

If you wanted to find those, then you'll need a Music scan, by Data.
That will find duplicate files where the music itself is identical, & exclusive of tags.

A Tag scan, will only scan the tags - within the file, to determine identicality.

So you could have two files, named the same, same size, same musical content, but their tags could differ, & so would not be considered as dups - by a Tag scan.

Or you could have two files, named the same, same size, same tags, but different musical content, & they would be considered the same by a Tag scan.

You could have two files, same album, artist, & name, & even tags, but when you actually listen to them, one is a studio recording & one is a live recording.

A Content or Data scan would never consider those as duplicates.
But a Tag scan would.


> in Regular Mode, all I got was Duplicate Album Art jpeg files

Then that means that the files you are looking at & considering as "the same", are not.

So something with the files differ. What that something is, what you are trying to accomplish, & how you go about it, will determine if they are "dups" - based on the criteria you've selected.

So a truest "dup" is going to be based on Content.

You've determined that you no longer have any of those.

But you now say you still have "dups".

So what are, where do the differences lie with those "dups".
And what is your criteria in that regard.

If you want to remove duplicate music files where the musical portion of the files are identical, then you must do a Audio Data search.

If you want to remove duplicate music files - where the tags are identical, then do a Tag scan.

But remember, tags can be wrong. And again, that also does not preclude things like the studio vs live track (all with the same tags).

And your thoughts could also be, I don't care if I have a studio recording or a live version of a song, so long as I have at least one sample of the song, so in that respect, even though totally different, they are considered, based on that criteria, as "duplicates".