Welcome to the BaseHead 3.x online manual. 
Please choose a section to the right to get more information.

You should read this entire page before you getting started to avoid problems.

Requirements:

• Windows 7 or Vista (XP is officially dead to us, Sorry)
• Codemeter Runtime 4.3 or higher installed (Not needed for the Demo version)
• .NET 3.5 or higher
  It's already included in Windows 7 by default.
  (no need to Download unless BH fails to run on Vista)
  
  

Installation:
Download the latest version 3.x from the Downloads section.
Read the Enclosed Readme in the Install package first!!
Then Install the Codemeter Runtime if not already installed. (Not need for Demo version)
If you already have a purchased a 3.x License already then run BaseHead-CM.exe or use the shortcut on the desktop.
If you want to run the Demo version to check it out before you purchase then run plain old BaseHead.exe

Nuendo and Cubase Users!
We are hardwired to these apps now.  Be sure to read the readme enclosed in the full installer the figure out how to install the
SKI plugin so Region spotting will work among other new features for these two DAW's.

 

Quick Start Guide
Just click on the start screen anywhere to hide it and to show the Results Page after launching it.
Then find some folders or files in Explorer and drag them to the Results page and it will start Importing.
Or watch this Video on the Video How To's Page
 

What to do after your demo runs out?
After your demo runs out, you'll have to purchase a license that works with a Codemeter CmStick to continue to use BaseHead.
CmSticks are USB Dongles that you can store your single user or network licenses on. 
Similar to eLicensor and iLok and it gives you the freedom of being mobile and also the option to use it as a 
Floating Network License so you can load it up with 20 licenses for the whole facility to use off one dongle.
Our dongles can also work over the WEB (Yes, you read that correct)
If you already have a CmStick we can add our license onto that so that you don't have to purchase another one. 
See the Codemeter Setup page for more info.
We can also send you a demo extension to use until the dongle arrives after you purchase so you can continue to work.

---

Adding files to the Database
Now you have BH 3.x installed, it's time to add sounds to the database.
After you launch the correct version, click on the Start screen to show the Results Page.
Now just grab some files and folders and drag them to it to start importing!
or you use the key command Ctrl+I

TIP: You can Import and work at the same time unlike the other guys!
Nothing worse then being down from 2-3 hours while creating your Database.........8)

Watch this for an easy getting started guide!!

Video Clip BaseHead 3.x: Quick Start Guide!

to find Sounds simply type the words you wish to look for in the search boxes on the top SEARCH BAR area..
All 4 of the top search boxes can have their values changed to search for any field by clicking on them and selecting a new one from the pull down list.

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.
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.

the above search 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.
These functions work in all of the 4 search boxes.
To Execute a search hit 'ENTER' or click the Search Glass icon.
In version 3.x we have also introduced Combo and ALL search fields

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.

 

Selecting a Region
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 purple box like below........

When you let go of the mouse it will ZOOM in on the selection
To show all the waveform again you can hit A or to undo only one level of zoom you hit Z

When you are happy with your choice then 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)
• Spotting the sound to a Track in your Target App (S) (for supported apps)
• Most commonly is Dragging and Dropping the sound to a Track or into the Audio Pool of your Target App or to a Folder.
• X-fer any selected sound to the Pool or Bin of the Target App (X) or the whole Taglist (ALT+X)

Drag and Drop is done by grabbing the Drag and Drop Bar that is directly to the left of the waveform (see main page image).
Then dragging it to the desired app or folder.
New to version 3.x for PC is the ability to hold CNTRL and grab the waveform from anywhere to DnD it also.
Also, you can just grab the result directly from the list.
Or you can tag many sounds using (T) and then Control+Drag from the DnD Bar to drag the whole Taglist without having to look at it.

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

 

 

 

 

 

(Click to enlarge)

 

 
 

Results List
Where all the search results are filled.  Right clicking the header will allow you to hide and show fields that are desired.

Search Bar
Where all the magic happens!

PeekTree Panel (E)
Shows multiple trees that include:

• Favorite Searches
• Recent Searches (these can be added to the Favorites list by clicking the green Add button)
• Playlist (recently played files)
• Paths (recently added paths
• X-fers (files recently transferred out of BaseHead to a target app or folder)

Info Strip
here you have the Drag and Drop Bar and also a few other controls

• Database Hot swap Combo Box - Let's you switch between databases that have already been loaded previously.
• Database Folder - Click to Open a new DB file
  Tip: CNTRL+Click of this folder will show you the DB location in Explorer
• Transfer Path Folder - this is where you Select where BH will copy non-referenced Files. 
  Tip: CNTRL+Click of this folder will show you this location in Explorer
  You can also set the Transfer Path by dragging and dropping a folder to it from Explorer......8)

 

Transport Controls

• Cycle (only works if a region is zoomed or a Playback Marker is set by design) - (L)
• Auto-Play
• Reverse Playback (changes playback direction) - (Q)
• Continuous Play (once the end of a file or End Marker is reached it skips to the next in the list)

We'd suggest leaving Auto-Play on (in the transport section) so you don't have to hit 'SPACE' every time to audition sounds

 

---

 

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 to the TagList.
once a list has been created you can Drag and Drop by Grabbing the DnD symbol in the upper left corner of the TagList also.
you can also Transfer all the sounds in the Taglist to the target applications' Pool/Bin using ALT+X

 

Open in Wave Editor (W) 
This with throw the file into the defined wave editor on the Options Page, which is usually something like Wavelab or Sound Forge.
Note: Destructive edting can be done inside BaseHead in version 3.x and up.
 

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.

Copy File to set Transfer Path (C)
files are copied to the location of your set Transfer Path

Spot to Track (S)
if your one of the type of guy s that prefers to lay a cursor/marker down in your DAW and toss files to it instead of Drag and Drop then this is the option for you.
Select your Target App on the Options page and hit "S" to test it out.
This feature is NOT supported by every target app.
Go to the Video How To's page to see how to set it up with Nuendo, and Cubase

 

X-fer to Pool/Bin in Target App (X)
files are tossed to the Pool/Bin in Nuendo Cubase or Pro Tools

Show Folder Contents (Alt+F)
will show the folder contents of the selected file in the Results Page

Play Random Sound (?)  - (The "/" key next to the right hand Shift Key)
will randomly pick a sound from the returned results and play it.

Rename BWAV Description (R)
burns a newly added Description fback into the file. 

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:To Remove a playback region use the key command (Ctrl+M)
(Watch the below video to see it in action)

Video Clip Playback Regions & Destructive Editing

 

Save Edited File (Ctrl+S)
the brings in a new function to allow users to Destructively Edit files.
(Watch the above video to see it in action)
 

Build Waveforms for ALL Shown Records
this feature will walk all the files currently shown and draw the overviews.
this can take a while so it's best to do it over night if you have a big library.
make sure you set your 'max records returned' on the Options page to ALL so all records get displayed for walking.
the waveform files are stored in a follder named _bh3Cache next to the files.

Video Clip Building Waveform Caches

 

---

Wave Editor 
choose your wave editor by clicking the Folder and find the executable (e.g. wavelab.exe or forge70.exe)

Database Location
is where the SQLite .db file is located.
note: the network db can run a little slower, depending on your network and current db size.
Always best to have a local DB copy.

Naming 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.

This Combo box has 4 option on how to name the target file
Description
Description+Filename
Filename
Filename+Description

Reference File When Possible
when checked, a referenced audio file will be transferred to your host app when the whole file is selected to transfer.
This is for people that prefer speed when working over names being applied

Use Description for Region Name  (Nuendo/Cubase and Pro Tools)
when checked BH name the region in the supported DAW's with just the description instead.
NOTE: this will not work if Pro Tools receives a file it needs to convert on import

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

Misc. check boxes

Double Click to open
when checked on, double clicking a result will launch the file into your set Wave Editor

with this option checked. When you hit the key command to draw focus to the Filename, Description or CD/Folder input boxes, The existing text will be selected. Unchecked will just place the the cursor t o the right of your previous search.

Disable Drop Shadows
Shuts off some graphics and animations for slower machines

Fixed Row Heights
turn this option  ON if you don't want to see Multi-line Descriptions.

Skip Silence
when checked, BH will jump to the first part of a file where sound is depending on the threshold value.
Note: this feature only works when a waveform overview file is written already.

Disable Playback Regions
when checked ON, set Playback REgions will be ignored during playback and not be displayed also.

Use Waveform Caching
when checked ON, a waveform overview file will be written to the hard drive in a sub folder of the files directory.
We recommend building waveforms for all your files to make BH run faster.
Go to the Video How To's Section of the manual to see how to create cache files for all files at once! 

Cache Locally
when checked ON, it creates the waveform caches on your local C: drive in a folder named _localBHCache that mimics your drive/folder structure. This is helpful for slow networks servers and when a network SFX server's write access is disabled.

Audio Engine Options

Sound Output
this is where you select the sound card output that you want BaseHead to play out of. Cards with WASAPI drivers are the only ones supported right now, but most all cards should work with it if they work in Windows 7 or Vista. 

Release driver
check this to release the driver in background

Exclusive Mode

turn OFF if you are having sound card driver sharing issues.  Otherwise Leave ON.
This is a fix for a problem seen is some internal sound cards not letting two audio apps play nice together.
If you are using a Pro Audio Card with 88.2 or higher sample rate and audio is playing fast then turn this option ON!
In general this option should be left ON unless trying to fix a problem. 

 

 

 

Force Sample Rate
this checkbox will make BH Play at the set Rate. No matter what it's set at your sounds will play at the normal Pitch with Re-sampling.
It more of a Fix for DAW's that switch rates when then see an different Audio Rate.
So If your Session in Nuendo is set to 48Khz, Set BH to 48000.

Max Records returned
lets you limit how many records max can be returned to speed up the results page.
the lower the number the faster.

 

Target Application
This section is for setting up your Target App with either Spot to Track, X-fer to Pool or Both.
Depending on what DAW is selected, your options will be shown on the screen that are available.

Target Applications with Advanced Support:
Nuendo 5/6
Cubase 5/6
Pro Tools 7-10

Target Applications with Basic Support:
Adobe Audition
Adobe Premiere Pro
Nuendo 4
Reaper
Samplitude 11
Sequoia 11
Sonar 8
Sonar X1
Sony Vegas 9
Sony Vegas 10
Sound Forge 9  (2 Track editors should be set as a WaveEditor instead for best results)
Studio One
Wavelab 6 and 7  ( 2 Track editors should be set as a WaveEditor instead for best results)

Delay Slider
when using a DAW with generic support you might need to raise the delay slider up if the key commands being fired
by BH are tripping up.
(This setting is  only for Non-Hardwired DAW's)

Target DAW Language
if you are running a Windows install in German then select it here.
(This setting is only needed for Non-Hardwired DAW's)

Bring to Foreground
when checked ON if you Drag and Drop a Sound from BH or hit S or X, the selected target application will go into focus.
Useful when working on one monitor or when you are using Edit mode with a Video Track in Nuendo.

 

Auto-Switching Paths (Nuendo/Cubase and Pro Tools)
this feature is used to detect which project is open or in focus currently.
You can assign a different transfer path to each project and when BH sees it appear it again it will change the transfer path automatically to follow.
One use for this is if you are working on a 5 Reel Film and each of the 5 reels has a different Audio files folder.
Once they have been set once, the next time you load that project, BH will change to the assigned Project Folder each time it sees that project open in the future.
Note: to clear or edit the paths go to MyDocuments\BaseHead 3.x\baseheadPaths.txt

Spot with Handles  (Pro Tools 10 Only Currently)
when checked ON the whole file will be transferred after hitting "S" to  Pro Tools 10, but just
the region will be on the timeline.
When OFF then just the selected region will be transferred to the supported target DAW.
Note: This will only work with files of the same sample rate as the session.
PT10 copies the file to the project folder if the SR is different and that removes the handles.
Once we add SR conversions this will be fixed.

 

Follow Session Folder (Nuendo and Cubase)
when checked ON the BH Transfer path with follow the Audio Folder for the current active Nuendo of Cubase session.
Note: the SKI plugin needs to be installed.  See the Readme in the Full Installer for direction how. 
 

Active Project(Nuendo, Cubase and Pro Tools)
this will show what project is running in Nuendo/Cubase or Pro Tools for Auto-Switching paths and Follow Session Folder
Note: These programs are pinged every 8 seconds when BH is in the foreground.

---

 

The TagList can be opened by hitting (ALT+T)
It's used to collect multiple sounds to be X-fer'd or DnD'd at the at the same time.
There is a DnD symbol at the top left corner of the TagList also and looks the same as the one on th WaveForm Window.
To add sounds to the TagList simply select it in the Results list and hit (T).
From the TagList you can add Pre or Post Description to all the files.
So 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 faster later in your DAW.
Most of the features on this page are self explanatory. Play with it to see.

New Feature: You now no longer have to show the Taglist to DnD the files from it.
Simply hold Cntrl when you grab the DnD bar in the bottom left and it will DnD the Taglist instead now.

 

 

 

 

 

---

Video How To's

 

BaseHead 3.x Quick Start Guide
watch this for a getting started guide!

Building Waveform Caches
shows how to build waveforms for all files at once

Playback Regions & Destructive Editing
shows how to mark playback regions and destructively edit files.

Using the PeekTree
shows how to use the power of this new 3.x feature in detail.

Power User and Workflow Tips
you think you know all the tricks? Think again....8).

Using Nuendo or Cubase with BaseHead
a must watch if you are using one of these Steinberg DAW's
Shows tips on:

• Auto-Switching Paths
• Follow Session Folder
• Region Spotting to a Track
• Tossing files to the POOL
  
   

Using Pro Tools with BaseHead!
a must watch if you are a Pro Tools users.!
Shows tips on:

• Auto-Switching Paths
• Region Spotting
• Region Spotting with Handles
• Tossing Files to the Bin Only 

 

 

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

 

 

---

Operation FAQs 

 

What types of authorizations do you offer?
Codemeter CmStick USB Dongles

What is a Codemeter CmStick?
They are USB Dongles that you can store your single user or network licenses on. 
Similar to eLicensor, iLok and HASP.
They will be required in the future so you might as well start off with one.

Do you offer Network Floating Licenses so we can run multiple BH licenses off one dongle.
We sure do. The Codemeter CmStick versions will allow you to do this.
For example: you can buy 10 licenses and put it on one CmStick.
Then at anytime up to 10 PC's can run BH on the network at one time.
You can even access your license thru the Web now!
Email us for specifics!! 

Why Codemeter instead of eLicensor or iLok?
Neither offer a Network Floating License currently or work over the web also.

How do I physically change BWAV descriptions in the files themselves?
Select a record and hit R

How do I fix a Waveform Cache that never rendered fully?
Hit "F5" to re-draw it

 

Why does my Recycle Bin look empty ever since I started using the Codemeter dongle?
See this post for a fix!
http://social.answers.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/w7performance/thread/28b20a44-c2d8-4814-a968-2448f5e2755c

How can I speed up and optimize BaseHead?

1. Build all your waveforms for all your files and maybe cache them on your local drives
2. Set you 'Max Files Returned' to a lower number like 500
3. Shut off all fields on the Results Page you don't care about. 
   (Right Cllick the header to see field choices)

 

 

---

   (This is for the upcoming version 3.1 and higher)

The Process Panel will have many features in the future, but the one that is here now is the ability to add VST plugins on playback.

VST2 32bit plugins are supported right now.
To scan your plugins, first click the Process Panel Tab in bottom of the right sidebar.  
Then click the blue Paths Icon above the VST Rack to add VST paths for scanning. 
This will pop up a window that will allow you to add and remove paths where your VST plugins are located.  
By clicking the "Default" button it will add the path that is set if your registry currenty.  
The Default location tends to be C:\ProgramFiles(x86)\Steinberg\VstPlugins.  
Once you have all you paths listed that you want to scan hit the "SCAN" button and sit back as it scours thru your plugins and opens them to make sure they are valid.

If you expirence any hard crashes, then relaunch BaseHead and it should Blacklist the bad plugin. on next scan.  
You can look at the Blacklist TAB for all plugins that are Blacklisted.

NOTE:Currently it seems that many plugins that run on dongles like iLok will crash while scanning.  
We are checking into this still, but you can easily blacklist a whole folder of plugins by clickin the BlackList Tab and then the green ADD icon and typing the folder name like i.e "SoundToys" to avoid scanning any plugins in that folder ever again.
Also note: since Waves plugins runs with a Waveshell it is impossible to add those currently also. 

Plugins that throw up soft errors (i.e. Nuendo's built in Chopper plugin) will warn you that you need Nuendo to run it can also be manually blacklisted by just adding the words "Chopper" to the blacklist.
This way you never have to look at that warning again the next time you re-scan.

Once a scan is successful and complete you will see the combo boxes on the Process Panel fill with your plugins.
Now you can play and add VST's to the playback of your audio files.

Saving of plugin chain presets and the ability to transfer with plugins to your DAW will come in the future along with more insert slots.

 

 

 

Category: BaseHead - PC