BaseHead is our monster product for searching and finding your Sound FX, Music and Audio Files..
It makes it easy to Add and Scan through 1000's of audio files and then Filter the Results/Audition and transfer directly into a Target App like Nuendo or Pro Tools.
Either the whole file or just a small section of the sound file can be spotted directly onto the timeline also.
Originally we made this program just for ourselves to use to speed up our work,
but the BaseHead Project has grown beyond that thanks to the input of hundreds of users.
The Mac version was born from the knowledge learned over the years from the Windows version,
but was not ported over.
Instead, it was written from scratch in native code for OSX for maxium speed and power!

 

Features: (Mac)

• Ultra-Fast Searching, Filtering and Previewing of Audio Files.
• The Slickest/Quickest/Coolest interface of them all
• Single Window Interface
• Drag and Drop Support of the whole file or a selection with either Copying or Referencing
• Cross-platform license and Database format
• 42 Fields of Metadata searchable
• FileBrowser Window
• Tag Viewer Window
• Quick switching between multiple databases
• Pitch Slider
• Taglist Page for Copying/Transferring/Renaming multiple sounds at once
• Ability to Add Pre, Post and BWAV Descriptions or Shorten file names on Transfer
• 4 Separate Search Input Fields so you can fine tune searches. Also with Search History
• Injects renamed Descriptions back into the audio files (WAV/BWAV only)
• CD/Folder Browsing of files in the Database
• Boolean Searching (And, Or, Not, Xor, Exact)
• Opens sounds in a wave editor such as Wavelab orPeak destructive editing
• Multichannel audio playback Crashed to Stereo
• Multichannel Drawing
• Remove Duplicates and Hide/Show features.
• Ability to access licenses thru the Network or Web!
• Works over a network
• Ability to set and mark playback regions and burn it into the files.
• SoundMiner v3 Metadata Importing from BWAVs.
• SoundMiner Ripper v4 data now imported
• Reads MP3 ID3 and OGG tags
• Nuendo 5, Cubase 5 and 6 Target App/Spot to Track
• Pro Tools Target App/Spot to Track
• Logic Pro 9 Target App/Region Spotting
• More Mac features are being added weekly.
• Premium Support is FREE!!
• Improves your Sex Life........hehehe

Operating Systems Supported:
OSX 10.5 or Higher with an Intel Processor

Applications with regon spotting Target App  support
Nuendo
Cubase
Pro ToolS
Logic 9 

Other apps that you can use BaseHead with include AVID, AVID Express etc....
Any with Drag and Drop support from the desktop!!

Category: BaseHead - Mac

Installation
Download the latest Mac version 2.x from the Downloads section.
Simply launch the DMG file and put the program anywhere you want on the hard drive (like your applications folder)  and then into the dock.
The demo version will run for 14 days.  Email us if you want an extra 14 days before you buy.The NON-Demo Version will require a license and Codemeter CmStick USB dongle and is for users that have already purchased a license.

 

License/Authorization
BaseHead users a Codemeter Cmstick for copy protection.
You can store your single user or network licenses on it, similar to Syncrosoft, iLok and HASP.
It gives you the freedom of being mobile and also has the option to use it as a Floating Network License so you can load it up with 20 licenses for a whole facility to use running off a single dongle.
If you already have a CmStick we can send you a license to put on that, so that you don't have to purchase another one.
Otherwise, make sure you order one with your order.
See the Codemeter Setup page for more info.

Since the demo will run out in 30 days, make sure you order at least a week before to avoid downtime.
The dongle comes from Los Angeles, but the software is downloaded off the website.
The same 2.x license can be used on both Mac and PC and if you already have a PC license you are already good to go and don't need to purchase another license.......8)

 

 

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Adding files to the Database

 

IMPORTANT!!: You should leave the Database file or only create Databases on Local Hardrives for speed benefits.
DB files on servers can be much slower and are NOT recommended right now. 

Now that you have BH installed and running, it's time to add sounds to the database.

There are a few ways to do this.
1. Go to the Database menu and select Import Files or (Command+I)
2. Simply Drag & Drop folders or files to the results page to initiate importing.

You can watch the progress in the bottom right of the program. 
Unlike other popular DB programs, you can still search and work while importing. 
Watch this quickstart video next to help get you up and running quick!

Video Clip BaseHead Quick Start Video

 

NOTE: If you have older mac files that have NO extensions like SD2's back in the day then you might want to turn ON  "Import file Without Extensions" on the options page.  This option should be left off when scanning folders that are know to have extensions.

If you right click the header on the results page you will get a list of available fields that you can show in this page with options to Show All and Reset to Defaults

 

 

Choosing what is displayed
Under the Database menu there are 3 options for what is displayed globally after a search.
We will get more into hiding records later on in the manual.  
Just make sure you don't turn on the Display Hidden Records setting by accident yet, since it will hide all other records .after a search and you will be left scratching your head wondering where all your files are at........8)

 

Searching for files
To find sounds simply type the words you wish to look for in the search boxes at the top.
The top 2 boxes are hard wired to Description and Filename.
The bottom 2 can have their fields changed: The left box is changeable to any field that is being shown in the Results page, the right box is changeable to any field in the Database.
If you type more than one word (separated by a space) this will perform an AND search and will only find entries that match BOTH words.
Prefixing a word with '-' (minus) will tell the search to omit any results with that word in it

 

metal hit -crash -hollow

This is called a NOT search and would return results with the both the words 'metal' and 'hit' in them as long as 'crash' and 'hollow' weren't also in the BWF description.
An EXACT search can be done by "putting the words in quotes lke this"
An OR search can be done by putting a capital OR between the words.

These functions work in all of the 4 search boxes and you can do combinations also

This might be a good time to look at the different sections of the main page.

(Click to enlarge)

We'd suggest leaving Auto-play ON so you don't have to hit SPACE every time to audition sounds.
That button is to the bottom right.

 

Once you find a sound that you like you can trim the sound down if needed by clicking+wiping across the waveform where you want to zoom in on. It will make a purplish highlight, see below, and when you let go BH will zoom in automatically.

To show all the waveform again you can hit A or to undo only one level of zoom just hit Z

When you are happy with your choice the you can either:

• Toss the file to your main wave editor by clicking on the Open in Waveform Editor button on the command bar (W) to do some destructive editing
• Spot the file to your DAW using "S" or "X" (if supported)
• Or Dragging and Dropping (DnD) the sound to a track in your DAW

 

 

DnD can be done a few ways on the Mac version.

1. Simply right click and drag anywhere on the waveform.
2. Since the above is difficult when using a trackball we also added the ability to hold Command+left click and drag.
3. You can also grab the Record(s) directly in the results list and drag them out of BaseHead to your DAW.

Watch the below video to get more familiar. 

Video Clip

Using BaseHead w/ Pro Tools

 

Most all applies to Nuendo or other DAWs also and Nuendo and Cubase users should install the SKI plugin to be able use the "S" and "X" functions.

 

 

 

 

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Once you found the sound you are looking for you can do any of the functions of the Command Bar.

Add to TagList (T) 
will add the selected sound or region to the TagList.
Once a list has been created you can Drag and Drop it all by showing the Taglist and holding down the OPTION key and ragging from the list.
You can also hold OPTION and grab the Taglist Icon on the main results page to save a few steps

Open in Wave Editor (W)
This with throw the file into the defined wave editor on the preferences page, which is usually something like Wavelab or Sound Forge. You can also set it to Pro Tools or Nuendo to send files to the BIN/Pool using "W"

Open Containing Folder (O)
will pop up an explorer window with the folder where the wav is located selecting the file at the same time.

Spot to Track in Target App (S)
will toss files into the selected target app onto the track at where the cursor is currently parked with the below Target apps.

Nuendo 5  (Install the SKI plugin first)
Cubase 5/6 (Install the SKI plugin first)
Pro Tools
Logic Pro 9

X-fer to Pool/Bin in Target App (X)
will toss files into the Nuendo/Cubase Pool or Pro Tools Bin when selected as a Target app on the options page.

Rename Stored Description (R)
pops up a dialog box that lets change the Description field for WAV or BWAV files.Once you Inject it it will permanently burn then new description into the BEXT and aXML chunks of the wave file.

TIP: CNTRL+ENTER will execute the Inject command so no need to grab the mouse to click it if you like to use key commands more like us....8) 
 

Mark Playback Region (M)
sets the start and length of the file or Index.
you can use this to always have BH play a certain region of a file every time the file is selected.
You can also adjust indexes that were ripped with Injector Pro
Note: This function does write back into the file and DB on the Mac version, but only writes into the DB on the PC version till 3.x.  So use the Mac version if you want to save this data in the physical file.

 

Remove Playback Region (Command+M)
simply removes any set playback region.

 

Retrigger Playback (`}
simply triggers the currently playing file fromthe top

 

Play Random Sound (?)
plays a random sound in the current Results List 

 

 

 

 

 

Import Audio Files
imports files and scans meta-data to be added in the DB.  Can also be initiated by dragging files to the Results page.

Create New Database
creates and selects a new DB

Open Database
opens a new DB

Display Options
these are online settings that let you can choose to either display ALL, Hidden or Visible  Records after a search. 
Hidden Records if shown will be grayed out slightly.

Remove Duplicate Entries
will remove entries that are the oldest when two or more of the same are found in the DB.

Cleanup Broken DB Links
will checks if databases in the bottom left DB hotswap popupbox still exist.  
If not they are removed from the list.

Show ALL Hidden Records
this is a one shot command that will show all records you have marked as Hidden all at once to allow you to re-show them or delete them

Delete Record
will remove selected records from the database.

Delete Record and Data File
will remove selected records from the database and also the associated file from the hard disk.

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Database Location
This is where the .db file is located.
note: currently the DB file can not be shared with another Mac directly so make sure you have a local copy on each Mac otherwise you'll get permissions issues. We'll be looking into this once we are feature complete.

Wave Editor
Choose your wave editor like Peak or WaveLab.  Then you can use W to toss the selected file to it for editing.
make sure "Reference File when Possible" is set to ON if you want to do destructive editing to the original file.
Also if you are a Pro Tools user and want a quick way to toss files to the PT bin then set PT as the application here.

Transfer/Project Path
This is where you Select where BH will copy non-referenced Files.  If no project is running or selected then the Default Transfer path is selected.


Target File Options:
All the options in this category describe how a file will be named once sent to your Target Application unless 'Reference File when possible' is checked ON and the whole file is selected. In this case the file will transfer over as is with no naming options applied since it will be only passing a link of the file to your DAW. 
Naming options are only applied when you DnD from the Waveform.  
If you DnD from the Result list the files will always be Referenced.
The top combo box gives you the option to use the Filename or Description of a combination for the newly written filename.

Use S&E
When checked BaseHead will add the Start and End numbers to the end of the filenames on transfer.
 

Reference File when Possible
When checked ON a referenced audio file will be transferred to your DAW whenever the whole file is selected.
this is a better way to work if a) you plan on dragging more sounds into your project than you plan on keeping in the end or b) if you have your DAW set to Convert Files on import to avoid having duplicate copies of the same file on you hard drive.
When checked OFF a copy is always made to the set Transfer Path.

 

Target DnD Application

Use this to choose which Target app you want to bring to the foreground after Drag and Drop is initiated. 
It's a handy feature if you are working on a single monitor or laptop with limited screen space or to pop an app like Nuendo forwared so as soon as the sound hits the timeline the video will start tracking it.
Click the tiny button with the X to the right to clear this selection.

Max Filename Length
When a File is copied, the filename will be limited to this value.

Max Records returned
Lets you limit how many records can be returned to speed up the results page. The lower the number the faster BaseHead will return results.

 

General--

Show all Metadata in Tag Viewer
When checked ON the right panel will show every field in the selected file that has Metadata regardless what the Results Page is set to. When checked OFF the fields between the two windows will stay in sync.

Ignore Playback Markers
When checked ON playback markers will be ignored and the files will always play from the start.

Ignore Indexes on Import
when checked ON aXML indexes written from Injector will be ignored on import.

Import files without Extensions
for files back in the day that didn't have .wav and .aif on the end of them.
This option should be turned OFF unless you know you are scanning folders with these types of files in them.

Font
I think you can figure this one out...........8)

 

Audio--
Sound Output
This is where you select the soundcard output that you want BaseHead to play out of.

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The TagList can be viewed by clicking the 2nd Tab button labeled Taglist or simply by hitting Option+T

 

 

The main purpose of the Taglist is to collect multiple sounds to be transferred (or DnD) at the same time.

To add sounds to it simply select a sound in the Results List and hit T

 

 

You can Drag and Drop all the checked files in the taglist to your Target app by holding OPTION and left clicking then dragging anywhere in the Taglist. Or without looking at the taglist you can hold OPTION and drag from the Drag and Drop Bar that is in the bottom left of the prgram.

From the TagList you can also add Pre or Post Description to all the files during transfer. 
So for example, if they are ALL metal sounds you can tag an extra "MTL" on the front or rear of all the sounds to help recognize them later in your DAW.
Also if you right click the Taglist list you will get a context menu with a few other self-explanatory options:

• Clear List
• Check All Files
• Un-Check All Files

 

 

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Video How To's

 

Video Clip BaseHead Quick Start Video

Video Clip Using BaseHead w/ Pro Tools

Video Clip Playback Region Marking Feature

 

 

Codemeter Setup Videos
Codemeter Setup in a Network Environment
walk thru how to set up a dongle on a Windows Home server with a mac client connecting to it

Accessing Licenses over the Web!
shows how to access your license on the dongle from anywhere in the world

 

 

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BaseHead is crashing on certain files during import.  What can I do about this?
check if the files are LOCKED.  If so, un-lock them

 

I have a bunch of SDII and AIFF file that aren't importing?
They probably don't have extensions.  If so, then turn ON the option "Import files without extensions" on the Options Page

 

Where is the preference file stored in case I want to blow it out and delete it?
<user folder> Library/Preferences/com.BaseHeadInc.BaseHead.plist
If you are in 10.7 or above it may be hidden. In this case go to a command prompt and type
"chflags nohidden ~/Library/" (without the quotes)

 

 

Why do I get assertion errors when spotting to Pro Tools?
Make sure your PT bin doesn't have a search in it.  Make sure to display ALL before spotting!
Dumb, we know! 

Will there be a Version 3.x for Mac?
Yep!  working on it now!

 

I use both Mac and PC's.  How can I run the 2.x Mac version after I upgrade my PC copy to 3.x?
In the downloads is a special version for Mac 2.x that runs on the 3.x license

 

 

 

 

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Space - Play/Stop
A - Show all of waveform (Zoom out Full)
C - Copy File to set Transfer Path
(Command+D) - Set focus to Description Search Box
(Command+F) - Set focus to Filename Search box
I - Inject Stored Description
L - Loop Region Playback ON/OFF
M - Mark Playback Region
Command+M  - Remove Playback Region
O - Open Containing Folder
R - Rename BWAV Description for selected file
S- Spot to Track
T - Add to Tag List
W - Open in Wave Editor
Z - Undo one Level of Zoom
? - Play Random Sound 

` - Re-Trigger Playback 

(Option+B) - Open File Browser
(Option+V) - Open Viewer
(Option+T) - Open Tag List
(Option+P) - Open Preference Window
(Command +I) - Import Files
(Command +N) - Create New Database
(Command +O) - Open Database

(Shift+A)  Display ALL Records
(Shift+V) Display Visible Records
(Shift+H) Display Hidden Records 

(ALT+SHIFT+H) Show ALL Hidden Records 

Arrows Left/Right -  Navigate wave by 1 second
Ctrl+ Arrows Left/Righ  Navigate wave by 10 seconds
DEL - Delete Record
Ctrl+DEL - Delete File
Shift+DEL - Delete Record without confirmation
Ctrl+Shift+DEL - Delete File without confirmation (be careful!)
Command+Q - Quit BaseHead

[ ] Increase Waveform Gain (or use the mousewheel when hovered over)

 

Category: BaseHead - Mac