# Second instance or alternative

**URL:** https://community.mp3tag.de/t/second-instance-or-alternative/16706
**Category:** General Discussion
**Created:** [March 17, 2015, 7:16pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/second-instance-or-alternative/16706 "2015-03-17T19:16:49Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Showing post:** 12

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### Author: ![Zerow](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/zerow/32/11379_2.png) [@Zerow](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Zerow)
#### Post date: [March 26, 2015, 4:33pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/second-instance-or-alternative/16706/12 "2015-03-26T16:33:31Z")

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> [@zerow](#):
>
> But this new filter would have to work in such a way: show only files with titles similar to titles of other files  
> And the key would be how much similar? ... Is it doable?

> [@DetlevD](#):
>
> Once you have defined the rules for similarity, then it might be done with Mp3tag too.
> 
> Have a look there ...  
> [Simple Soundex Calculator](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/15280/1)  
> I have coded a well known algorithm into Mp3tag Export Scripting Language.

That just gave me a list, not very way helpful. If I am suppose to change it somehow, that this is way out of my league

Instead I came up with this method:

I went manually through my files, using some filters [like showing only those files with "feat." artists]. As I have an order and well defined naming system, I was able to display certain groups, one at a time

The most tricky part was deleting only "copies" [from additional folders] and not "originals" [from the main artist catalog]; and also noticing, if I made an error in the past and forgot to put a "copy" in "original" artist [and thus making it the original]. And as there were some other glitches, it had to be done manually [but I'be managed to speed up the process with some tricks]

And now I can check for leftovers with this export code:

```
$filename(txt,utf-16)
$loop(%TITLE%,1)
$repeat('#',185)

$loop(%TITLE%,0)%YEAR% %TITLE% %ARTIST%

$loopend()$loopend()

```

This will give me still the list of all the titles [files], but in such a graphical way, than I can very easily spot repetitions. [And what's more, seeing a YEAR and ARTIST will pretty much allow me to evaluate the records, making me to go back to Mp3tag only then when a real case to be dealt with shows up]

But my question is: **can similar list be generated via filter? With TITLE that is repeated at least once** [leaving out all the single uses of song titles]?

[So now I'm not looking for similarities in tags enymore, but for copies of files based on the data from tag]

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