Bookmarks
Overview
WaveDrive's sync folder bookmarks give you the ability to set up as many sync folders as you need.
Bookmark identities are stored in WavePlan and when you link your second WaveDrive app to your account, shortcuts for your known bookmarks will automatically be set up in your WaveDrive sidebar.
Bookmarks
Your First Sync
When you add a sync folder for the first time, WaveDrive performs an initial sync: it compares every file in the folder against your WavePlan library and uploads anything that doesn't already exist remotely.
WaveDrive does not blindly overwrite files during the initial sync. It checks file checksums and timestamps to determine what action is correct. If a file already exists in your WavePlan library with the same content, it is matched without re-uploading. If a remote download would overwrite a local file in the sync folder and that version isn't already in WavePlan, your local version is preserved and added to the versions available in WavePlan's version history.
Delta Sync
After the initial sync, WaveDrive switches to delta sync mode. Rather than re-scanning the entire library, it polls WavePlan for a list of changes since the last known cursor position. This is efficient even for large libraries — only new or changed items are processed. For any local file that WaveDrive intends to overwrite during a sync, it always ensures the version being overwritten is available for recovery, making WaveDrive sync both versatile and safe.
Bookmarks
Sync Folders
A Sync Folder is a named local directory that WaveDrive monitors and syncs to your WavePlan library. You can have multiple sync folders, each with its own type, file extension filter, and sync mode.
Each folder is configured independently. A "Bounces" folder might be upload-only while a "Commercial References" folder is bidirectional — all from the same WaveDrive installation.
Adding a Sync Folder
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1
Open the WaveDrive window and go to the Sync Folders tab.
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2
Click Add Folder and choose a directory using the system folder picker.
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3
Give the folder a name, choose its Folder Type, and confirm the Sync Mode.
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4
WaveDrive saves a security-scoped bookmark so the folder remains accessible across restarts — even without re-granting permission.
To temporarily stop syncing a folder without removing it, use the Enable / Disable toggle in the folder row. The folder's settings and bookmark are preserved.
Bookmarks
Folder Types
Each sync folder is assigned a Folder Type that tells WavePlan how to interpret and organize the files it receives. The type is set once when you create the folder and can be changed at any time.
Choose the type that best matches the content of the folder. WavePlan uses this signal to auto-organize files into the right part of your library. See the WavePlan Music Library documentation for details on how the library sidebar presents these files.
Audio
Generic audio files — stems, samples, recordings. Synced to your WavePlan library without special auto-organization.
Bounces
Exported mixes and stems. WavePlan auto-organizes Bounces into your project Plans so they're immediately available for comparison and annotation.
Commercial References
Reference tracks for A/B comparison. These appear in WavePlan's References library so you can pull them into any Plan without re-importing.
Bookmarks
Reference Library
For reference library bookmarks, WaveDrive filters files by extension before uploading them to WavePlan. By default it watches for the most common audio formats; you can expand or restrict the list per sync folder.
Extension filtering runs before upload — files that don't match are silently ignored and never consume bandwidth or storage quota.
Default Extensions
Out of the box, every sync folder watches for:
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.wav — Uncompressed PCM, all sample rates and bit depths
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.mp3 — Compressed audio, useful for reference tracks
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.aiff / .aif — Apple Interchange File Format
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.flac — Lossless compressed audio
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.m4a — AAC in MPEG-4 container
- Cover Art
Cover art is extracted from reference audio by default. If the reference audio has no embedded picture, image files with the same name as the audio file but a different extension are treated as cover art. For structured reference folders, WavePlan uses folder.jpg or cover-art.jpg within the same folder as the audio as its cover art.
Case Sensitivity
Extension matching is case-insensitive. .WAV, .Wav, and .wav are all treated identically regardless of the filesystem's own case handling.
Bookmarks
Sync Modes
Each sync folder operates in one of three modes: Upload Only, Download Only or Bidirectional. The mode controls which direction files flow between your Mac and WavePlan.
Upload Only
Files created or modified locally are uploaded to WavePlan. Nothing is ever written back to your Mac from this folder. Ideal for Bounces and Audio folders where your DAW is the source of truth.
Download Only
Files from your WavePlan library are downloaded to your Mac, and nothing on this disk is ever uploaded. Ideal for pulling a complete replica of your projects onto a second machine — a read-only copy that never writes back home.
Bidirectional
Files flow in both directions. Additions on WavePlan are downloaded to your Mac, and local additions are uploaded. Useful for Commercial References or shared folders where multiple collaborators contribute files.
Choosing a Mode
Most production sessions work best with Upload Only for Bounces — your DAW produces files, WaveDrive ships them to WavePlan, and nothing unexpected lands in your project folder mid-session. Use Download Only to keep a full replica of your library on a second machine, and Bidirectional for reference libraries or folders shared with collaborators where you want remote additions to appear locally.
The mode can be changed at any time from the folder's settings row. Switching from Bidirectional to Upload Only does not delete any files that were previously synced down — it only stops future downloads.