Details Panel (Metadata)

(Standard & Ultra Versions)

You will find the Details Panel on the Right Side Panel of the results list by selecting the Details tab.

The Details panel is a customizable info panel that displays all the imported metadata for the selected file and allows you to add/edit any of the editable fields. All edits are stored in the BaseHead database but can be “Burned” into the files metadata chunk when desired.

Customising Details Display

(Ultra and Standard Only)

Clicking the Gear Icon in the top-right of the window shows these options.

Hide Spectrum Meters
when ON hides and disables the Spectrum Meters at the bottom of this panel.

Auto-Complete Editing (Ultra Only)
when ON will show suggestions while typing based on other values already in the current [field] in the database.

Dynamic Display
Select this option ON to only show fields for available metadata in the selected file. All empty fields will be hidden and this will automatically change when metadata is available in a file.

Select this option then click the field selector to choose which fields to show/hide:

Once you get all the fields you care about editing….go ahead and tag away by selecting the records you want to change and double clicking a [field] you want to change!

NOTE: Some fields like [sample_rate] and [bit_depth]…etc are dimmed and can’t be edited for obvious reasons…8)

Almost all metadata editing in BaseHead is done on this panel but you can quickly edit the description of selected files directly from the result list by pressing (R). For Lite users who do not have access to the details panel, you can now use the R function as of BaseHead 2020.10.92

For Ultra users you can also batch update metadata for files using the Batch Rename Panel using rules to format your data

Detail panel Right Click Options

• Remove Entries with [xxx] “XXX” from Database
• Set Entries [xxx] “XXX” to Hidden
• Set Entries with [xxx] “XXX” to Visible
• Search For [xxx] “XXX”
• Create Group from [xxx] – A new quick way to create colored ‘Groups’ Fast!

Metadata Formats

OUR PREFERRED METADATA FORMAT IS OPEN SOURCE iXML
Steinberg created a metadata-rich sub chunk for SFX and Music inside iXML.
So instead of re-inventing the wheel we decided to use and support this.

The huge difference with this from many other programs out there is all metadata will be written in a Non-Encrypted iXML chunk!!

iXML, Why is this so Important?

This chunk is a Non-Encrypted and an Open Standard so it can be read by any program, if they choose to support it, now or in the future making your files more future proof.

Programs come and go and your metadata should flow between them also.
BaseHead will NEVER encrypt your hard work and valuable time you spend adding metadata to prevent you from leaving our software. We don’t believe in locking users into our program, but instead believe in just making better software that people want to use instead of forced to keep using it.

Even our Database is un-encrypted also so you can open it any SQLite editor if you so desire..
Please help us spread the word and inform others so they get the correct information and don’t get stuck in a dead end program.

This is what your hours of hard work of tagging sounds look in another program that is encrypted.

No one in the future will be able to read or parse that cuz it’s impossible…

This is how ours looks…

Huge Difference huh?   😉

So you have the piece of mind that whenever the new hot audio database program comes out that you want to use the data will be readable by it if they spend a day parsing what we wrote.

Currently about 35 fields will go back and forth between BaseHead and Steinberg’s MediaBay. This is a first in the audio metadata world that two program share metadata other than just the bext description……8)

Join us in waiving the Open Standards Metadata flag!!

Nuendo/Cubase Compatibility

Here are a few screen caps to show how BaseHead and MediaBay Translate fields
(version 4.x screenshot, Extra compatible fields have been added in more recent versions)

BaseHead -> Nuendo

Nuendo -> BaseHead

Curious to know more how Basehead reads/Writes <Steinberg> iXML?

This Extended iXML Compatibility Whitepaper shows exactly what <STEINBERG> iXML <TAG> we read during Importing and what  BaseHead Database [field] it’s written to when editing or transfers occur.   So if you want to add compatibility with BaseHead in your application we suggest just using the same format.   We were the first to adopt this Extended iXML chunk fully with the goal to finally rid the world of non-compatible and locked down metadata … 😉   

Also if you are user and see [fields] not translating from other applications or wrong values in files from SFX vendors please show them this ^^above^^ document so they can hopefully correct it on their end.
TIP: you can view Live Metadata in files via the Metadata Viewer Panel (F3).

FYI: Pro Sound Effects’ SEARCH is currently in the process of conforming to our above standard.  When completed then 3 major players in the metadata game are finally on the same page.  8)

Metadata Chunk Panel (F4)

Attention Library Creators: If you are looking to distribute you SFX to the world and want to make sure your metadata will be read by some (cough cough) “rival” programs then best to ONLY tag your SFX in the 7 fields listed below but first make sure to turn ON the ID3 Chunk Editing in the Metadata Chunk Options Panel (F4)  (Ultra version)

This panel can be used to turn on or off Chunks in all three stages from Importing files to Editing them to Transferring and creating new files.

If in doubt, simply leave all options enabled unless you have a need to not copy certain metadata chunks.

CatID Option: As of v2021.2.28 BaseHead now supports importing of UCS Category Data for files that have been labelled with this format. This allows files that contain the UCS CatID tag on the front of the filename to auto-populate the Category and Sub Category fields in BaseHead based on the UCS tagging database which is now part of BaseHead. To enable UCS detection you must first select the UCS Template on the Options page, Misc Setting. Setting the CatID template to disabled will cause the Catid import option to be ignored.

Set this option “Low” to allow importing of this data from the filename only if existing Category/Sub Category information is not included within the files iXML data, or is not already in your database if you are refreshing the CatID data. Only missing Cat/SubCat data will be populated

Set this option “High” to force UCS CatID data to be written to the database. This will ignore any iXML tags stored within the file and will overwrite existing Category, Sub Category and ShortID fields in your database if you are forcing a category refresh from the database menu

Here is a table to show you what goes where when you tag in these fields in regards to ID3.

MP3 Files:

ProTip: We linked [track_title] to [description] for MP3 files since ID3 does NOT have a proper place to file away a description.  So if you change [track_title] you will see it copy to the [description] field in the Database at the same time.

FYI: BaseHead can also Import/Export various text file formats of all fields that you can also use to import into “rival” programs also now as another option if that is what you prefer. You can check out more info on this in the Import/Export Text File* section

Adding Artwork / Images

(Standard & Ultra Only)

BaseHead Ultra has the ability to add Art/Images to files that burn into the ID3 chunk of a file. Just drag a .gif .png .jpg or .tif to the Details Panel and it will add the artwork to the selected records. Images can be added to MP3, Wav and AIF files and can be burned into the files.

The image artwork will appear in the details panel over the spectrum meter. Click the artwork to move it to the side of the spectrum meter.

Right clicking an image will remove it.

Also if you just place images with the same name as the audio file in the folder with the extensions (.png, .jpg and .jpeg)

It will show these as priority over any image burnt into the file.

Image files should ideally conform to normal album art standards.
Usually a perfectly square 300×300 pixel image is best if you want to play it safe.
Here’s is some good info to make sure you are conforming the ID3 standards

Embedding Album Art in MP3 Files