diff --git a/bob/bio/spear/config/database/mobio.py b/bob/bio/spear/config/database/mobio_audio_female.py
similarity index 53%
rename from bob/bio/spear/config/database/mobio.py
rename to bob/bio/spear/config/database/mobio_audio_female.py
index e018fc38d10b601ebf4ef0498ba5a154acde6aa0..063798c3fb9d609603464d55e2d2cd146e2b43ac 100644
--- a/bob/bio/spear/config/database/mobio.py
+++ b/bob/bio/spear/config/database/mobio_audio_female.py
@@ -3,19 +3,7 @@
 from bob.bio.spear.database import MobioBioDatabase
 mobio_wav_directory = "[YOUR_MOBIO_WAV_DIRECTORY]"
 
-mobio_audio_male = MobioBioDatabase(
-    original_directory=mobio_wav_directory,
-    original_extension=".wav",
-    protocol='male',
-    models_depend_on_protocol=True,
-    all_files_options={'gender': 'male'},
-    extractor_training_options={'gender': 'male'},
-    projector_training_options={'gender': 'male'},
-    enroller_training_options={'gender': 'male'},
-    z_probe_options={'gender': 'male'}
-)
-
-mobio_audio_female = MobioBioDatabase(
+database = MobioBioDatabase(
     original_directory=mobio_wav_directory,
     original_extension=".wav",
     protocol='female',
diff --git a/bob/bio/spear/config/database/mobio_audio_male.py b/bob/bio/spear/config/database/mobio_audio_male.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..8a7a6bd7df41066ef25619e5eccf36b5c4a9d5e6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bob/bio/spear/config/database/mobio_audio_male.py
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python
+
+from bob.bio.spear.database import MobioBioDatabase
+mobio_wav_directory = "[YOUR_MOBIO_WAV_DIRECTORY]"
+
+database = MobioBioDatabase(
+    original_directory=mobio_wav_directory,
+    original_extension=".wav",
+    protocol='male',
+    models_depend_on_protocol=True,
+    all_files_options={'gender': 'male'},
+    extractor_training_options={'gender': 'male'},
+    projector_training_options={'gender': 'male'},
+    enroller_training_options={'gender': 'male'},
+    z_probe_options={'gender': 'male'}
+)
+
diff --git a/bob/bio/spear/database/database.py b/bob/bio/spear/database/database.py
index d366db482e8ff07918b8dfb12dc45c888d88b60c..a6b9fbe9a967b3c8de56a17074a0e5fb3762ffd0 100644
--- a/bob/bio/spear/database/database.py
+++ b/bob/bio/spear/database/database.py
@@ -13,14 +13,13 @@ import numpy
 
 
 class AudioBioFile(BioFile):
-    def __init__(self, f):
+    def __init__(self, client_id, path, file_id):
         """
         Initializes this File object with an File equivalent for
         VoxForge database.
         """
-        super(AudioBioFile, self).__init__(client_id=f.client_id, path=f.path, file_id=f.id)
+        super(AudioBioFile, self).__init__(client_id=client_id, path=path, file_id=file_id)
 
-        self.__f = f
 
     def load(self, directory=None, extension='.wav'):        
         rate, audio = scipy.io.wavfile.read(self.make_path(directory, extension))
diff --git a/bob/bio/spear/database/mobio.py b/bob/bio/spear/database/mobio.py
index a6469d1c8b3b83947c5e8a80d8fba9792b1bfc1a..81f4b1ee89d601abe107fa3daf15eabd9d8e49b6 100644
--- a/bob/bio/spear/database/mobio.py
+++ b/bob/bio/spear/database/mobio.py
@@ -38,12 +38,12 @@ class MobioBioDatabase(ZTBioDatabase):
 
     def objects(self, groups=None, protocol=None, purposes=None, model_ids=None, **kwargs):
         retval = self.__db.objects(groups=groups, protocol=protocol, purposes=purposes, model_ids=model_ids, **kwargs)
-        return [AudioBioFile(f) for f in retval]
+        return [AudioBioFile(client_id=f.client_id, path=f.path, file_id=f.id) for f in retval]
 
     def tobjects(self, groups=None, protocol=None, model_ids=None, **kwargs):
         retval = self.__db.tobjects(groups=groups, protocol=protocol, model_ids=model_ids, **kwargs)
-        return [AudioBioFile(f) for f in retval]
+        return [AudioBioFile(client_id=f.client_id, path=f.path, file_id=f.id) for f in retval]
 
     def zobjects(self, groups=None, protocol=None, **kwargs):
         retval = self.__db.zobjects(groups=groups, protocol=protocol, **kwargs)
-        return [AudioBioFile(f) for f in retval]
+        return [AudioBioFile(client_id=f.client_id, path=f.path, file_id=f.id) for f in retval]
diff --git a/bob/bio/spear/database/voxforge.py b/bob/bio/spear/database/voxforge.py
index 4e2679834b7c772ca7fe68af32b3ccc6a492aade..26761e5fe23ff9085e28c03bf5f60e5c4dda7ce7 100644
--- a/bob/bio/spear/database/voxforge.py
+++ b/bob/bio/spear/database/voxforge.py
@@ -75,4 +75,4 @@ class VoxforgeBioDatabase(BioDatabase):
                                     model_ids=model_ids, purposes=purposes)
 
         # make sure to return BioFile representation of a file, not the database one
-        return [AudioBioFile(BioFile(client_id=f.client_id, path=f.path, file_id=f.id)) for f in objects]
+        return [AudioBioFile(client_id=f.client_id, path=f.path, file_id=f.id) for f in objects]
diff --git a/bob/bio/spear/test/test_databases.py b/bob/bio/spear/test/test_databases.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..de485e19ebc179c16b914566d01adf01b0175847
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bob/bio/spear/test/test_databases.py
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python
+# vim: set fileencoding=utf-8 :
+# @author: Manuel Guenther <Manuel.Guenther@idiap.ch>
+# @date: Thu May 24 10:41:42 CEST 2012
+#
+# Copyright (C) 2011-2012 Idiap Research Institute, Martigny, Switzerland
+#
+# This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
+# it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+# the Free Software Foundation, version 3 of the License.
+#
+# This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+# but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+# MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+# GNU General Public License for more details.
+#
+# You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+# along with this program.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+
+
+from nose.plugins.skip import SkipTest
+
+import bob.bio.base
+from bob.bio.base.test.utils import db_available
+from bob.bio.base.test.test_database_implementations import check_database, check_database_zt
+
+
+@db_available('voxforge')
+def test_voxforge():
+    database = bob.bio.base.load_resource('voxforge', 'database', preferred_package='bob.bio.spear')
+    try:
+        check_database(database, groups=('dev', 'eval'))
+    except IOError as e:
+        raise SkipTest(
+            "The database could not queried; probably the db.sql3 file is missing. Here is the error: '%s'" % e)
+
+@db_available('mobio')
+def test_mobio():
+    database = bob.bio.base.load_resource('mobio-audio-male', 'database', preferred_package='bob.bio.spear')
+    try:
+        check_database_zt(database, models_depend=True)
+    except IOError as e:
+        raise SkipTest(
+            "The database could not queried; probably the db.sql3 file is missing. Here is the error: '%s'" % e)
diff --git a/buildout-dev.cfg b/develop.cfg
similarity index 86%
rename from buildout-dev.cfg
rename to develop.cfg
index 2f6eb54bcc7361bd5da0ca5bee344699a79a6839..ffb07d990693e588dfdeee0c7e3b4e1db1d181af 100644
--- a/buildout-dev.cfg
+++ b/develop.cfg
@@ -47,9 +47,9 @@ bob.learn.linear = git https://gitlab.idiap.ch/bob/bob.learn.linear
 bob.learn.em = git https://gitlab.idiap.ch/bob/bob.learn.em
 bob.measure = git https://gitlab.idiap.ch/bob/bob.measure
 bob.db.base = git https://gitlab.idiap.ch/bob/bob.db.base
-bob.bio.base = git https://gitlab.idiap.ch/bob/bob.bio.base branch=issue-8-remove-database-configuration
-bob.db.bio_filelist = git git@gitlab.idiap.ch:bob/bob.db.bio_filelist
-bob.db.voxforge = git git@gitlab.idiap.ch:bob/bob.db.voxforge
+bob.bio.base = git https://gitlab.idiap.ch/bob/bob.bio.base
+bob.db.bio_filelist = git https://gitlab.idiap.ch/bob/bob.db.bio_filelist
+bob.db.voxforge = git https://gitlab.idiap.ch/bob/bob.db.voxforge
 
 [scripts]
 recipe = bob.buildout:scripts
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index f41c5b4009ab7726a8bca8a3070723989167f822..42c0cf4a37a9e6b2962c49db9f509f7cda9b36a1 100644
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -103,8 +103,8 @@ setup(
         'voxforge         = bob.bio.spear.config.database.voxforge:database',
         'banca-audio      = bob.bio.spear.config.database.banca_audio_G:database',
         'timit            = bob.bio.spear.config.database.timit:database',
-        'mobio-male       = bob.bio.spear.config.database.mobio:mobio_audio_male',
-        'mobio-female       = bob.bio.spear.config.database.mobio:mobio_audio_female',
+        'mobio-audio-male       = bob.bio.spear.config.database.mobio_audio_male:database',
+        'mobio-audio-female       = bob.bio.spear.config.database.mobio_audio_female:database',
       ],
 
       'bob.bio.preprocessor': [