Options Menu / Page

First off to avoid some confusion, there is an Options Menu AND also an Option Page.

The Options Menu is for items related only to the Results Page and the Options Page is more for global type options.

Options for more dedicated features can be found in their sections also throughout the program.

Example: The PeekTree and Waveform View have their own option menus.
Just look for the little gear icons in each section.

So first let’s take a look at the main Options Menu.

OPTIONS MENU

These options are only for things related to the main Results List.

(For macOS this menu is where all standard macOS applications show menus….at the very top of the screen named “Options”)

Dim Played Records
When ON this will slightly dim the records you already played to give you visual feedback.

Retain Dimmed Records
When ON keeps track of which records you clicked on already until manually cleared. You will see the number of records increasing near the Results Tab. To reset it to back zero simply click on the greenish number that will appear under the Results tab:

Hide Indexes > 1
Hides indexes greater then 1 in the Results List when ON
This is a “Legacy” option for Injector based files. Injector would detect multi-sound fx files from a CD when ripped and assign an index number for each separate sound in the file and create a separate database entry. This option allows BaseHead to hide those additional entries to reduce clutter. If you are not using Injector based libraries then leave this option OFF  

Show Header Grouping
Turn ON to show header grouping in the results list so you can drag column headers to group results (PC only)

Expand Rows Dynamically
Turn ON if you do not want to see multi-line descriptions (previously called “fix row height”)

Show Extra Split Channels
When ON all other split channels files other than .L. or _1. will also be show in the Results List.

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Double Click to Open in Wave Editor
When checked ON will Open the double clicked File in the set Waveform Editor

Spell Check Searches
When ON will enable Spell Check in the Search Boxes on the Results Page (Windows)

The macOS version has this option (plus a few others built in) if you right click the search boxes and go to “Spelling and Grammar”

Options Page

Now let’s take a look where the more global options reside….

(click the Options Tab at the middle/bottom of the program to access this page)

Wave Editor and Wave Editor2

Choose a wave editor like WaveLab or Sound Forge if you want to have the option to edit files in an external editor.

Press (W) to toss the selected file to Wave Editor 1
Press (Ctrl/Cmd+W) to open the file in Wave Editor 2

Make sure “Reference File when Possible” is set to ON if you want to do destructive editing to the original file inside your wave editor.

Transfer Settings

Transfer settings apply when transferring files to a DAW, using the DnD bar or when copying/adding to the taglist. This will set how files are rendered when making edits on the fly and sending to your project.

Target file sample rates can be set up to 192Khz with a bit depth up to 32 for the Ultra Edition .

96/24 is maximum for the Standard Edition and 48/24 for the Lite Edition.

IMPORTANT:  For Spotting function to work correctly you must set the Sample Rate to the same value as your DAW Session Sample Rate.

Pro-Tip: if you want to drag multiple files processed out of BaseHead you should tag them first and then hold Ctrl/Option and drag the Taglist from the DnD Bar otherwise you might be holding down the mouse button for a while as the files are being rendered.

So press (T) and sit back and wait till all the files are copied and processed and then drag them over!

Create Unique Filenames
When ON will always add , (3), (4)… onto the end of files if the same name appears in the transfer folder already instead of using the existing file for functions like ‘Spot to Track.

NOTE: We don’t recommend turning this OFF ever as old versions of Pro Tools on next launch it might say some files are missing.

Reference File When Possible
You must understand this setting fully before using it so that we don’t get hundreds of tech support emails asking why some files copy and others don’t.

When RFWP is ON it will try to Reference the original file location instead of running thru SRC and copying the file to the set Transfer Path. It’s a faster way of working cuz minimal copying is done, but in some cases they must be copied also so files will be scattered all over the place that you will need to condense later on.

Some main things to know about RFWP:

• All selected regions will NEVER be referenced and will still be copied to the set Transfer Path UNLESS spotting with handles ON.
• If Process Panel Plugins are Enabled, files will also still be copied and if the pitch slider is engaged a copy will be also be made.
• Also, spotting with handles with the pitch slider will NOT show the correct region since this is calculated based on destination SR still.

If this all doesn’t make complete sense to you then leave this setting OFF until it does. hahaha 8) 

IMPORTANT:  For Spotting function to work correctly should never have this option ON unless you know 100% the Sample Rate of  all the source files match the DAW session Sample Rate.

Target Application [Spot-To-Track]

Note: As of BaseHead 2021.5.x Lite versions of BaseHead can now use basic Spot-to-Track functionality

This is where to set a destination DAW the transferred files will be tossed to using Spot to Track (S) and X-fer to Pool (X).

Target Applications with Hardwired/Advanced Support:

• Nuendo 5-10
• Cubase 6-10
• Pro Tools 10-2019
• REAPER
• Logic Pro X
• Premiere Pro (Added in version 5.2)
• Pyramix

Target Applications with Basic Support: (PC only cuz not possible on macOS)

• Audition
• Fairlight
• Samplitude X3 (x64)
• Sequoia
• SONAR
• Studio One
• Vegas

NOTE: the available/compatible options will change depending on which DAW is selected and which version of BaseHead you are using:

Delay Slider (PC)
When using a DAW with generic support you might need to raise the delay slider up to slowdown the key commands being fired to your DAW if it’s tripping up.

Target DAW Language (PC)
if you are running a Windows install in German then select it here.

Bring to Foreground
When checked ON, if you Drag and Drop a sound from BH, the selected target application will jump into focus.
This is very useful when working on one monitor or when you are using Edit Mode with video in Nuendo.

Note: This state can be temporarily reversed, if you need to drag a file to another location or internally inside BH, by holding the ALT key on PC or Cmd key on Mac.

Use Description for Region Name
(Pro Tools, Nuendo/Cubase, REAPER, Logic Pro X)
When checked ON sends the [description] to the region name instead of the newly generated [filename].

Auto-Switching Paths
(non-lite versions)
(Nuendo/Cubase. Pro Tools and REAPER)
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 again it will change the transfer path automatically to follow to what is was last set to.

One great 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. Also…Adding -01, -02, -03 etc… to the end of the session filename will be ignored also so you don’t have to reset the Transfer Path each time you do a quick ‘Save As’ in your DAW.

Go to the How To Video Pages to see this feature in action!

Follow Session Folder
(non-lite versions)
(Nuendo/Cubase, Pro Tools and REAPER)
when checked ON the Transfer Path will follow the audio file folder for the current Active Project automatically.

Go to the How To Video Pages to see this feature in action!

IMPORTANT Pro Tools Mac Users:
“Follow Session Folder” can not be used with macOS Spaces or in FULL SCREEN mode cuz macOS blocks messages between programs in this state

Spot with Handles
(non-lite versions)
(Nuendo/Cubase, Pro Tools, REAPER and Logic Pro X)
When checked ON additional time will be added to the start/end of the file when spotting to DAW with (S), but just the selected region will be on the timeline. You can define the amount of additional handle to add to the file using the dropdown selection box to the right from 1 second to the whole file. Note that this setting will break RFWP since a new region needs to be created.

Pro Tools Users: 
Make sure BH copies the files instead of Pro Tools. If PT touches the file and re-copies it, it will ignore all handle information for any file sent to it from and external application. Also…This feature only works with the (S) action/command as expected and designed. It is impossible to drag and drop with handles without using a Spot to Track API.

Spot Multiple Files In-line
(non-lite versions)
(Nuendo/Cubase, Pro Tools and REAPER)
When ON it will place spotted files head to toe on the same track instead of up and down on the timeline.

IMPORTANT Pro Tools Mac Users:
“Spot to Track” can not be used with macOS Spaces or in FULL SCREEN mode cuz macOS blocks messages between programs in this state

Active Project
(non-lite versions)
(Nuendo/Cubase, Pro Tools and REAPER)
This will show what project is active in your DAW. Used for ‘Auto-Switching Paths’ and ‘Follow Session Folder’ if supported.

Note: Pro Tools and REAPER are pinged every 7 seconds when BH is in the foreground

DnD Application switching (macOS Only)
Use this to choose a Target app you want to bring to the foreground after DnD is initiated if it’s not in the Target App popup box already. Click the tiny button with the (X) to the right to clear this selection.

Note: This will be disabled if a Target Application is selected

Misc Options

Max Records Returned
Lets you limit how many records to be returned to speed up the Results List.

NOTE: The lower the number the faster BaseHead will return results.
Never set this to (all) besides for temporary special circumstances.

UCS Template
If you have media that contains UCS Category ID metadata to auto-populate category/sub category metadata and you would like to have this imported into your library automatically, select the UCS Template to use. 

If no UCS information is detected, BaseHead will either use existing ixml data if it is available within the files metadata or folder structure to populate this field for you. 

Auto Toggle M/S Decoder (Standard and Ultra)
When ON will auto-switch the M/S Decoder ON/OFF when the tag M/S is found in the [microphone] field. Simply add this tag to your M/S recordings to have it auto switch with this option.

Auto Kill OnScreen Keyboard (PC Only)
When ON you will not be asked to Kill the Onscreen Keyboard at launch. It will be automatically killed if found.

Disable Split Playback
When ON Detection of Split Files (.L .R .C… OR _1 _2 _3…) with Grouped Playback is Disabled.
The waveform will no longer turn orange with split files grouped.

Loose Match Split Detection
When ON matches numbered extension Split files to name and rough length instead of the iXML metadata for files that might be missing this info

Fold Down Field Recordings
When ON an attempt to auto-detect multi-track field recordings will occur and fold down the tracks to stereo output for monitoring.
This functionality can also be toggled on/off from the Fold button on the QAP.

Note: You can force this auto-detection by adding F/R in the [microphone] field.

Optimize for Cloud NAS
         

Turn this option ON if you have files on a Cloud NAS server like LucidLink or Google Drive with File Streaming.

Enabling this option will improve performance for BaseHead when accessing files stored on a Cloud based NAS server that streams files via HTTPS. This can also be used in a local network environment to help improve performance on slow networks.

Performance is improved by allowing the file to immediately start playing as it is being streamed instead of having to wait for the file to completely buffer to get an accurate file length. One thing to note is that due to streaming files on-the-fly this will disable the ability to reverse a file in the WF window so just be aware that using file streaming with this option ON will not allow you to reverse the file.

For Google Drive users that wish to use cloud streaming, be sure to set your drive option to allow file streaming:

Font?
The font option is now located on the Results Page, Right-Click the header bar to set font style and size

Advanced Options

Backup Database
Enable this option to create automatic weekly backups of the database. Backups will be stored in: ~Documents/BaseHead 5.x/DB Backups You can also choose how many to store with the combo box next to this option.

Enable RAM Database
This option is set ON by default and is recommended to leave enabled unless you have a specific reason to disable it! The RAM database option will load your selected database library into RAM instead of reading it from your drive. This can help improve speed and performance on large libraries when doing “Deep Character Searches”

Metadata Chunks Panel (F3) (Ultra Only)
This advanced user only panel gives you full control of what metadata is imported, edited and added to newly transferred file. If this panel makes no sense to you, then close it and never open and look at it again 8)

Drive Re-Mapping (Ultra and Standard)
When checked ON will allow you to map new locations if folders have been moved in the top 4 boxes or let you compensate for a path between PC and Mac databases for files that are not at a normal network path. Simply add the source path you want to change in a left box and what you want to change it to in the right box.

Example: To change the path of D:\OldDrive\SFX\Metal Impacts\ to E:\NewDrive\SFX\Metal Impacts/
First press the settings icon and open the Re-Name Panel:

Then just type D:\OldDrive\ in the left box and E:\NewDrive\ in the right box

NOTE: Make sure you check the option ON on the options page otherwise it won’t be enabled

Find/Replace
This middle section allows you to physically change the database [folder] or [path] in the current opened database.
Test your changes in the top section to make sure you got the values correct.
Then once you get it work and want to make the change permanent then copy and paste the values into this middle section and press ‘Commit’.

Hard Drive ID Re-Mapping (PC Only)
are for when a drive is NO longer on the system and the hard drive ID is orphaned and you want to map the whole drive to another one that is a copy of the original.
Orphaned drives will appear in the left combo box and you can map them to a new drive letter in the right box.
Make sure you press ‘Apply’ once you’ve made your choice.

So how do I re-map a drive scanned on a Mac to a Drive Letter on PC?
Mac and PC local drive paths are very different. One has a drive letter that changes constantly (PC) depending on when it was plugged in and where and the slashes are opposite also.
We create both [folder] (PC) and [path] (Mac) on import, but we can only guess or get you part of the way there.
You need to tell BH what the other path is a bit still via Drive Re-Mapping
So if you scanned a drive on mac that pulls up as G: on PC then…
First…look at the path it’s looking for in the Details Panel.
It might be like \\localhost\FlashDrive\SFX\
So to remap this to G: path put in any left box put \\localhost\FlashDrive\SFX\ and in the matching right box put G:\SFX\

NOTE: ALWAYS! swap out paths from the very start! Re-Mapping won’t swap out in the middle.

FYI….If you are moving locations a lot on PC, you’ll want to switch to Importing via Hard Drive ID’s

[Video] Drive Remapping Example

Auto Complete (Non-Lite Versions)
When ON will fill in the search boxes with previous successful searches. Click the settings icon to be able to remove items from this list..

Thesaurus

(Ultra Only)
When ON the thesaurus feature uses “like” search terms which will be displayed in the middle search field if a match to your search is found. You can edit/add/remove any of these automatic matches in the displayed field to help narrow your search further:

This can also be turned on from the green T icon on the search bar.
You can edit this internal thesaurus and disable any of the included thesaurus matches or add your own rules in the User Tab
Click the settings icon next this checkbox on the Options Page to show it and make changes.

[Video] Using The Thesaurus

Check out this video for a detailed overview on using the Thesaurus and adding your own search terms.

Audio Options

Set your BaseHead audio device, playback and channel offset (for multi-channel setups) here.

Audio Device Selection
This is where you select the sound device output that you want BaseHead to play out of. Windows devices with WASAPI drivers are the only ones supported right now, but most all cards should work with it if they work in Windows 10,8,7 or Vista. 

Channel Offset
If you select an audio device and the playhead is moving in BH but you are not hearing any audio or the audio is coming out the wrong speakers you might need to do a channel offset to move the BH audio outs over the channels that are router to your speakers. This is where you would do that 8)

Note: This is only available if the selected device is a multi-channel output

Playback Quality
Can be set for 0-3. For best performance leave it at 0. If recording the output of BaseHead with then raise it up higher if you desire.

Channel Order
If you are using a multi-channel audio setup choose between Film, SMPTE and DTS channel orders for your setup here.

Mono to Center Channel
When ON and more than 4 speakers are detected all Mono and Solo’d sources will play out the center channel speaker instead of front L/R channels

Release driver
Check this to release the driver in background when switching between applications so BaseHead can release the driver for another application to use.

Exclusive Mode (PC)
Turn ON to grab exclusive control of your audio hardware.

Latency Slider
raise up if you are hearing pops and clicks during playback.

ReWire (PC/Mac)
ReWire can be used as your audio output to playback up to 6 channels directly into your DAW. You can enable rewire from the results page using the ReWire button at the top right of the result list.

Note: you need to have a ReWire capable host open first to allow it to accept a connection

Another highly recommended option for Windows users to feed audio into your DAW (32 or 64 bit) is made by VB-Audio called VoiceMeeter

The only thing I don’t like about VoiceMeeter is that it wasn’t made 8 years ago….8)

Source Nexus (A Rewire Replacement)
A great alternative to ReWire for BaseHead is Source Nexus

This works with all versions of BaseHead from Lite to Ultra.
It will stream 8 channels of audio to you DAW and a lot more solid and modern and more flexible than ReWire. If you are having issues with ReWire and want to update to something more modern this is worth a look.

NOTE: Source Nexus was initially a Mac only solution but is now available for PC too. A free trial is available to test so if you are looking for a modern replacement for the aging ReWire solution check out SN.

Also as a point of interest, you can also check out LoopBack or Soundflower which are virtual audio cable routing applications that can send audio between applications

Setup Source Nexus / Rewire for macOS

Setup Source Nexus / Rewire for PC

[Video] Using Rewire / Source Nexus

Server Settings

Enable Server Databases
The BaseHead server feature uses a central server database to allow multiple users to connect to the same database at the same time. Enable this option and enter your server location and database credentials to allow a BaseHead client to connect.

Head over to the BaseHead Server product page to learn more about this add-on option.