Monkey Tools -- Frequently Asked Questions

Do you support Snow Leopard?

We here at Monkey Tools are always making sure that we are supporting the latest Apple has to offer. To that end, all current versions of our products are supported under 10.6.

The one change to note is that in 10.6 Apple has changed the way that they have handled contextual Menus. We are working to reimplement this time saving feature and will include it in a future release.

I just moved to a new machine but now I cannot activate

Each purchase includes one license to be activated on a single machine. If the original machines license was not deactivated prior to erasing or moving to your new machine, contact customer service and we will reset your activation. Once the activation is reset, you can activate on the new machine.

Important: After deactivating, you may not be able to activate for up to 30 minutes. This is due to the need for all servers to note the deactivation. We recommend waiting at least 5 minutes before trying to activate.

To avoid this is the future, be sure to de-activate your license by choosing the deactivation option under the products application menu.

I just made a purchase but I cannot activate

All purchases made through the online webstore can take up to an hour to fully activate. If you still cannot activate after an hour, contact customer service.

How do I upgrade my software?

Each of our products is updated often, and most of these updates are free to licensed users. To upgrade your your software, select the "Check for Update..." option in the applications menu and follow the prompts.

For major paid upgrades the process is quite simple. Ensure that you have the latest licensed version installed and activated and then download the new update. Run the new version and you will be provided with the upgrade options. Follow the prompts and you will be up and running with the latest features and abilities in no time.

Are there limits in demo mode?

Our products will run in demo mode for 15 days from date of first launch. During this time, you can experience all of the powerful features of the application. The only limitation is that the first half of all processed files will be the expected audio, but the second half will contain silence. A license can be purchased at anytime by choosing the "Buy" option from the application menu or splash screen. Once activated all restrictions will be lifted. At the end of the 15 day demo, the application will no longer operate until purchased and activated.

Are your products Universal Binaries?

All Monkey Tools products are Universal Binary and 100% native on both Intel® and PowerPC microprocessors.

Do you support the WMA format?

All products have been updated to take full advantage of all audio formats supported by the Apple® Quicktime® architecture. This includes the ability to read files through Quicktime components such as the Flip4Mac® Windows Media® component, and others.

If you have a file format that you would like to see supported, we want to hear from you. Click here to contact us with your request.

When exporting to VBR MP3, the application quits.

This issue has been corrected in the latest versions of Sound Grinder and Library Monkey. To download these versions click here.

Why can't I access the MP3 option? It is grayed out.

In order to enable MP3 support in Sound Grinder 2.5.7 and earlier, and Library Monkey 2.0.2 and earlier, you need to install the LAME MP3 encoder. Follow these steps to install the encoder:

Quit Sound Grinder/Library Monkey
Download and expand the "LameLib_Bundle" from: http://homepage.mac.com/awk/lame/
Locate and select the Sound Grinder/Library Monkey application and choose "Get Info" from the Finders File menu.
Expand the "Plug-ins" section.
Click "Add".
Select the LameLib.bundle you expanded.
Click "Choose."
Close the Get Info window.
Launch Sound Grinder/Library Monkey and the MP3 option will be enabled.

What is new in Library Monkey Pro 1.1?

The following is a list of new features in Library Monkey Pro 1.1:

New Portion Tab
Extract a specified portion from your assets, or all regions or all loops. Includes the capability to perform auto-region on each asset before processing.

New Monkey Tools Plugins
Introduced the new Insert Silence and Trim plugins.

New Extend Audio to Keep Plug-in Tails.
Added new functionality to extend the audio when using plug-ins which generate tails. The specific settings are user-customizable.

New Volume Control
Added a new volume control for playback. It is implemented as a taper fader with a range of +10dB to -200dB.

New "Clear Pipeline" button in Plug-ins Tab.
Added a new button to clear any plug-ins from the current pipeline.

New Editor/Viewer for ID3 Attached Picture Tag
Added the ability to view and change ID3 Attached Pictures.

New Import Embedded Artwork Preference
Added a new preference to control importing embedded artwork. This option skips importing artwork reducing memory needs and improves performance. The default is on.

New Display Help in Asset List Preference
Added a new preference to control displaying help messages in the Asset List.

Improved Database Performance
Added several new performance enhancements to the Database.

Changed Single Click Functionality in Edit Window
Changed the functionality of a single click in the Waveform View in the Edit Window. Previously a single click would move the playhead and select a single sample. Now a single click moves the playhead and clears the selection.

Fixed an issue regarding an asset's online status
Fixed an issue where an asset's online status was not updated properly when a server was mounted or unmounted.

Fixed an issue regarding New Set would be triggered incorrectly a second time.
Fixed an issue where creating a new Set would trigger a second new Set to be created.

Fixed an issue regarding using Command+D to select "Don't Save"
Fixed an issue where when closing an unsaved Search Window and the "Ask Save Changes" sheet would appear, using Command+D to select "Don't Save" would sometimes trigger a Set duplication.

Fixed a crash when copying and opening files with another application
Fixed an issue where copying files and then opening the files with another application would cause a crash.

Fixed an issue where the Database was not updated after saving edits
Fixed an issue where committing changes to the original file from the Edit Window would not update the asset in the Database.

Fixed an issue when playing back MP3 assets
Fixed an issue where while playing several MP3 assets, hitting the right arrow would cause the application to hang.

Fixed an issue when writing Regions and Loops to output files
Fixed an issue when writing Regions and Loops to output files of a different sample rate than the input file, the Regions and Loops would have corrupted time values.

Fixed issues with the VST Plugin Validator
Fixed an issue where VST Plugin Validator would not run on OS X 10.3. Also added a timer such that if the validation process hangs while validating a plugin, it will eventually abort that plugin and proceed to the next one.

Fixed issues when creating 5.1 MP3s with the FhG encoder.
Removed an errant error dialog and subsequent crash when creating 5.1 MP3s with the FhG encoder.

General enhancements
This version contains several other fixes and enhancements providing greater stability and efficiency.

What is new in Library Monkey Pro 1.0?

The following is a list of new features in Library Monkey Pro 1.0:

Waveform Editor
Edit your audio assets with advanced editing features and actions like auto-trim, non-destructive fades, normalizing and more. Improve your workflow by using familiar tools with an intuitive user interface.

Loops/Regions/Markers
View and edit the loops/regions/markers in your audio assets. An intuitive user interface provides enhanced naming and control.

Auto Regioning
Quickly create regions in your audio assets based on comprehensive settings. Automatically create fade ins and fade outs for each region.

MP3 codec (FhG)
In addition the LAME codec, Monkey Tools is pleased to provide the high-end MP3 codec by Thomson/Fraunhofer.

VST and Audio Unit Plug-in Support
Batch process and apply your installed VST and Audio Units plug-ins to your audio assets. Preview the plugin pipeline before processing and create custom presets for easy configuration.

Multi-Channel File Support
Import, manage, edit and process multi-channel audio files.

Smart Sets
Create Smart Sets based on a wide range of search criteria. Smart Sets are automatically kept up to date providing instant access to those audio assets.

Droplets
Droplets are applications created from your presets. You can then drag assets to the droplet for instant processing.

User Defined Database Fields
Track all of your audio assets with 30 user definable fields.

Advanced File Naming Options for Export
For export, create custom filenames using a wide range of criteria.

Playback with Preview
Hear the results of your settings and plug-ins before processing.

Support for BWAV files
Library Monkey Pro now provides full support for BWAV files.

Enhanced File Metadata Support
Import, edit and export MP3 ID3 Tags, Vorbis Comments, FLAC Comments, and Quicktime User Data as supported by the various file types and standards. In addition, when converting between formats, any equivalent metadata will be copied to the output file.

Support for Digidesign File Content
Library Monkey Pro now supports the import/export of Digidesign specific content in AIFF, WAVE/BWAV, and Sound Designer 2 files. This content includes region info, waveform overviews, comments and other text info.

Support for Soundminer Metadata
Library Monkey Pro now supports importing Soundminer metadata.

Support for Finder/Spotlight Comments
Import/export Spotlight (Finder) comments and include processing information during export.

Unattended Processing Mode
Enable the "Log Errors and Continue Processing" option and Library Monkey Pro will continue processing even if errors are encountered. This can be very helpful when processing large amounts of audio assets, in which you cannot monitor the progress, but want to be informed of any issues that occurred.

Retaining Video Tracks when Processing Quicktime Movies
Process the audio tracks of Quicktime Movies using the full processing engine while keeping the video tracks untouched.

General enhancements
This version contains several other fixes and enhancements providing greater stability and efficiency.

What is new in Library Monkey 3.1?

The following is a list of new features in Library Monkey 3.1. Please refer to the installed "Read Me" for further version history.