What Is Directory Monitor?
Directory Monitor watches a specified folder on your computer. When new files appear in that folder, SoundWorks automatically picks them up and processes them according to your configured settings. This enables hands-free batch automation — drop files into the monitored folder and walk away.
Why Use Directory Monitor?
Hands-free automation. Set up the monitor once and forget about it. Files are processed as they arrive. No need to manually open each file and trigger processing.
Integration with other tools. Use the monitor as a pipeline stage. Other tools or scripts can save files to the monitored folder, and SoundWorks processes them automatically.
Production workflows. In content production environments, team members can drop files into a shared folder and let SoundWorks handle processing in the background.
Scheduled batch processing. Drop a batch of files at the end of the day and let the monitor process them overnight.
How It Works
Step 1: Set the watch directory. Choose which folder SoundWorks should monitor for new files.
Step 2: Configure processing. Set what should happen to new files — TTS generation, audio conversion, transcription, or other processing tasks.
Step 3: Set frequency. Configure how often the monitor checks for new files (default: every 30 seconds).
Step 4: Start monitoring. SoundWorks begins watching the folder. New files are detected and queued for processing automatically.
Controls
- Start/Stop: Enable or disable monitoring at any time
- Pause: Temporarily pause monitoring for a configurable duration (in minutes), then resume automatically
- Log: View a real-time log of detected files, processing status, and any errors
- Progress tracking: Monitor active job progress for files currently being processed
Frequently Asked Questions
What file types are supported? The monitor processes files based on your configured workflow. Text files for TTS, audio/video files for conversion or transcription, and other formats depending on the configured processing pipeline.
Can I pause monitoring without stopping it? Yes. Pause for a specified number of minutes. The monitor resumes automatically when the pause period expires. This is useful when you are adding files to the folder and want to wait until all files are in place before processing starts.
What happens if processing fails for a file? Failed files are logged with error details. They remain in the folder and can be reprocessed after the issue is resolved.
Does the monitor run in the background? The monitor runs within the SoundWorks application. It continues operating as long as SoundWorks is open and the monitor is enabled.
Can I set up multiple monitored directories? The current implementation monitors one directory at a time. Configure the directory path in SoundWorks settings.