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The Definitive Guide to Similarity Search: Find music based on sound
You're working a sync brief and you've got a reference track. If you're not familiar with the term, it's a song that shows exactly what a client is after — sometimes the aspirational track they can't afford, other times something close but not quite right. Regardless, it's a creative shortcut and a way to communicate what words alone can't capture.
Back to the sync brief and reference track. Now, you need to find similar options in your catalog — fast.
Similarity Search gets you there, instantly. It analyzes the actual sound of your reference and finds tracks that genuinely match – without the limitations of relying on only specific keywords.
How AI Music Similarity Search Works
You provide a starting point: paste a link or upload an audio file. AIMS analyzes the sound (rhythm, texture, energy, instrumentation, mood) and searches your entire catalog, returning tracks ranked by similarity.
Every version of every track is analyzed, an alt mix, stem, or sub-mix. Tracks that were mislabeled or never tagged? They surface anyway. The music speaks for itself.
As for how the technology works exactly, we could write a whole book about that. So we'll stop ourselves here.
3 Ways to Start a Similarity Search
1. Paste a streaming link
Drop a URL from YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, SoundCloud, Vimeo, or TikTok. AIMS extracts the audio and searches your catalog.
This works well when a client sends a streaming link as reference, when you're researching a competitor's placement, or when you heard something online and want options from your own library.
2. Upload an audio file
Have an MP3, WAV, or AIFF? Upload it directly. This is useful for temp tracks from editors, reference files from briefs, or anything you have on hand that captures the vibe.
3. Search your catalog
Already found something close? Use any track in your library as the starting point and discover similar options instantly.
Now just one track that works, surfaces alternatives that might work even better.
How to Refine Your Music Search Results
1. Search by audio segment
Maybe the intro is exactly what you need, but the chorus is too intense for the scene. AIMS lets you focus on a specific section of your reference and returns tracks with similar characteristics in the relevant parts.
2. See where tracks match
You can see exactly which part of each result is most similar to your reference. Instead of scrubbing through full tracks hoping to find the right moment, you jump straight to the section that matters.
3. Filter & Prioritize by BPM
When results need to match the pacing of your edit, enable BPM prioritization and AIMS filters for tracks within the same tempo range.
4. Ignore vocals
When your reference has vocals, the “ignore vocals” setting focuses the analysis on the instrumentation only. Results may still include tracks with vocals, but the matches are based on the instrument's sound, not the vocal melody.
Advanced Similarity Search Features
Smart Projects for multi-reference playlist creation
Use multiple references to define a cohesive theme. AIMS analyzes what they have in common and gets the vibe you 're building — perfect for putting together a strong playlist for a sync brief in minutes.
Dynamic Playlists to auto-update music collections
Create a playlist and AIMS updates it automatically as your catalog grows, adding new tracks that match its sonic profile. Perfect to showcase fresh, relevant music from your catalog — whether you're a record label or production music company. No manual work, no tagging required.
Combine Similarity Search with Prompt Search
Similarity Search works great paired with Prompt Search.
A typical workflow might look like this:
Paste your full sync brief into Prompt Search to find relevant music in your catalog. When you find tracks that feel close, run Similarity Search on your favorites to discover more music with a similar feel.
Now use whatever gets you to the right track fastest.
Start with Prompt Search to explore options using your own words, then use Similarity Search to expand your shortlist. Mix and match — use whatever makes sense for your brief.
Why “unlearning” your keyword habits is a good idea
We all fall into patterns: tracks we keep coming back to, genres we default to, and keywords that only get us so far. tried. gravitate toward
AIMS pushes past those habits. Older material surfaces alongside recent releases. Tracks you'd forgotten suddenly become findable.
As Brian Beshears from Atomica Music put it: "I have tracks and albums that I gravitate toward. AIMS has pushed me outside of that and helped me dig deeper into our catalog. I might not go back to music that's six years old, but AIMS does. It helps us activate our whole catalog."
When searching is easy, you explore more and you find things you wouldn't have thought to look for.