# Asterisk can't see new sound files

**URL:** <https://community.asterisk.org/t/asterisk-cant-see-new-sound-files/37911>\
**Category:** Asterisk Support\
**Created:** [January 12, 2012, 6:12pm UTC](https://community.asterisk.org/t/asterisk-cant-see-new-sound-files/37911 "2012-01-12T18:12:26Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/asterisk/original/2X/4/475d0c889911cfb84ac4881ad6df8b523e3f9105.png) [@system](https://community.asterisk.org/u/system)\
**Post date:** [January 12, 2012, 6:12pm UTC](https://community.asterisk.org/t/asterisk-cant-see-new-sound-files/37911/1 "2012-01-12T18:12:26Z")

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Hi,  
I’m just getting to grips with Asterisk & have run into a little problem that I just can’t figure out.

One of my clients has an Asterisk system up & running, and all of their own sound files are in a directory called /var/lib/asterisk/own-sounds.  
In extensions.conf, to play one of their own files I just write Playback(filename), which works fine.  
They needed a new announcement, which we recorded, & I then copied into the own-sounds directory.

However, if I now write Playback(newfilename) nothing is heard & I read in the console that no file of this name exists.  
If however I write Playback(/var/lib/asterisk/own-sounds/newfilename) the file is played ok.

As the default location for sounds is /var/lib/asterisk/sounds, I assumed that there was an entry somewhere that also told Asterisk to look in the own-sounds directory.  
But if it can play all existing files there just by filename but any new file needs a full path, it looks to me like each file must have been registered individually somewhere.

If they have been, I can’t find where they were.

Does anyone have any ideas please?

Many thanks,  
Paul

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**Author:** ![david55](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e19adc/32.png) [@david55](https://community.asterisk.org/u/david55)\
**Post date:** [January 12, 2012, 11:28pm UTC](https://community.asterisk.org/t/asterisk-cant-see-new-sound-files/37911/2 "2012-01-12T23:28:22Z")

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The default location includes a language sub-directory, although this can be disabled.

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**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/asterisk/original/2X/4/475d0c889911cfb84ac4881ad6df8b523e3f9105.png) [@system](https://community.asterisk.org/u/system)\
**Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 4:10pm UTC](https://community.asterisk.org/t/asterisk-cant-see-new-sound-files/37911/3 "2012-01-13T16:10:32Z")

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I prefer using a totally new path for my different project files. I put my files in folders like this

/projects/prompts/project1/all-files-related-to-project1  
/projects/prompts/project2/all-files-related-to-project2

and then use it in dialplan like this

exten =\> 12345,1,Set(PROMPTSDIR=/projects/prompts/project1)

and then can play any file anywhere in dialplan like this  
exten =\> 12345,n,Playback(${PROMPTSDIR}/filename)

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**Author:** ![dejanst](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc348/32.png) [@dejanst](https://community.asterisk.org/u/dejanst)\
**Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 9:40pm UTC](https://community.asterisk.org/t/asterisk-cant-see-new-sound-files/37911/4 "2012-01-13T21:40:07Z")

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You can also include the full path in the Playback() application.

i.e.

exten =\> 12345,n,Playback(/projects/prompts/project1/all-files-related-to-project1)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/asterisk/original/2X/4/475d0c889911cfb84ac4881ad6df8b523e3f9105.png) [@system](https://community.asterisk.org/u/system)\
**Post date:** [January 15, 2012, 12:01am UTC](https://community.asterisk.org/t/asterisk-cant-see-new-sound-files/37911/5 "2012-01-15T00:01:54Z")

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Paul I find that we sometimes overlook the simplest explanations (or maybe that is just me). Is it possible that someone created the “own-sounds” directory to keep track of which sound files had been added to the distributed sound files but also copied or created links to the sound files in the /var/lib/asterisk/sounds directory as well. Just a thought.

Raymond