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● Knowledge Base · Add-ons

Database Sharing and Sync (DSS)

Real-time sync between basehead clients — without a dedicated server and without dragging IT into it.

DSS icon
No dedicated server Real-time sync Works offline + reconciles Multiple DBs at once LAN or internet
Don’t own DSS yet? Click the Share button in Options → Manage Databases and you’ll see an in-panel offer with Start DSS Trial · 15 days and Learn More. While the trial is active the Shared tab appears and shared (S) databases show up in the top-left Hotswap dropdown. When it ends DSS locks again — your base license is never changed.

Two ways to share

Two modes, same sync engine. What changes is discovery and access control — gated by whether the Teams addon is licensed on your LLS. An LLS alone doesn’t unlock auto-discovery… without the Teams addon you’re still in manual mode.

Mode 1 — Default

Manual sharing

Peer-to-peer. No LLS needed.

  • Host clicks Copy Info to grab a connection string.
  • Client pastes it into the Remote tab and pulls.
  • Best for small teams and ad-hoc setups.
Mode 2 — Teams addon on LLS

LLS + Teams sharing

Requires the Teams addon licensed on your LLS.

  • Shared DBs auto-populate in the Remote tab for every teammate with access. No connection strings.
  • Only Curator / Admin can host. Access is by team membership.
  • Best for orgs already on an LLS + Teams.
Under the hood. Sync is always peer-to-peer via LiteSync (ports 9000–9100). In Mode 2 the LLS is only a registry for discovery + team access. Sync Health, offline reconciliation, and everything below work identically in both modes.

How it works

Once a client connects to a shared database, every change made on any client is pushed to the host the moment it happens — provided the host’s basehead is open. If the host is offline, connected clients keep working against their local copy… when the host comes back online, all pending changes sync automatically.

For sync to occur, the database must be marked Active on the Shared tab. A single client can share multiple databases at the same time.

Note. Imports, Groups, and CloudPacks sync automatically after each change, but you’ll need to click the Refresh icon next to the DB Hotswap box to update the NodeTree visually.

UI at a glance

Mode 1 — Manual
Local tab — preparing to share
Local tab — prepare to Share
Shared tab — view shared DBs (with Copy Info)
Shared tab — view shared DBs
Remote tab — pull and sync
Remote tab — pull and sync
Mode 2 — LLS + Teams

The LLS handles discovery + authorization, so the UI drops the manual plumbing. No IP:Port fields, no connection strings, no “if you can reach it you can pull it.”

  • Remote tab shows a Teams overlay — you get a live list of every DB your team can access. Pick one and Pull.
  • Shared tab hidden from Reader / Editor — hosting is a permission, granted centrally. Only Curator / Admin see the tab at all.
Local tab — Teams-managed database list
Local tab — Teams-managed list
Remote tab — Teams overlay auto-populates every shared DB your team can access
Remote tab — Teams overlay auto-populates
Shared tab — Curator / Admin only, no Copy Info button
Shared tab — Curator / Admin only

How to share

Mode 1 — Manual
  1. Open the Shared tab. The Location line shows the share as ip (hostname).
  2. Pick Hostname (default) or IP address in the dropdown next to Copy Info.
  3. Click Copy Info and send the string to whoever needs to connect.
Mode 2 — LLS + Teams
  1. Sign in to Teams and open the Shared tab (Curator / Admin).
  2. Activate the DB — it auto-registers with the LLS.
  3. Grant team access from the LLS admin.

Orphan detection. Abandoned LLS registrations show up flagged for cleanup.

Heads up on capacity. A single client can share several databases without issue. If you’re sharing three or more large databases, consider running a dedicated basehead instance just for hosting.
Hostname vs IP. Hostname keeps the share working after the host gets a new IP (DHCP, Wi-Fi switch) — clients reconnect on their own. IP address works across subnets / VPN but breaks when the host’s IP changes. A hostname only resolves when both machines are on the same network… if a client can’t find the host by name, switch the dropdown to IP address, click Copy Info again, and re-paste.

How to connect

Mode 1 — Manual
  1. Open the Remote tab. The paste field accepts an IP or hostname.
  2. With a string on your clipboard, click Paste/Pull. Sync starts immediately.
  3. Ping to verify — it reports the live sync link when connected.
  4. Connected by hostname? Clients reconnect on their own after the host’s IP changes — no re-paste. (A plain-IP connection does not survive an IP change.)
Mode 2 — LLS + Teams
  1. Sign in to Teams and open the Remote tab.
  2. Every DB your team has access to auto-populates. Select one and Pull.

Survives IP changes. In LLS mode clients connect by the host’s name and re-check it each time, so a share keeps working after the host gets a new IP — even when the host is sharing in Manual mode.

Sync health badge

The badge sits next to the active database name in the title bar — it reports the live sync state for whichever Remote DB is active, and is hidden entirely when no Remote DB is active. Hover for a tooltip… right-click for a header that summarizes the same state plus a state-aware action menu.

ColorStateMeaning
Sage green #8CA667 Healthy Sync is working normally — peer connected, server reachable, host still sharing, no changes stuck waiting to upload.
Neutral gray #9AA0A6 Indeterminate Share state can’t be verified yet — usually you host this DB and have deactivated your own share, or the Teams remote-DB list is mid-refresh.
Soft yellow #F7E186 Sync paused — host offline DB pragma reports a problem, the server is unreachable, the primary host stopped sharing, or local changes have been queued more than 120 s without draining (stuck sync).
Sky blue (pulsing) #6EB6E6 Recovering Auto-reconnect in progress — basehead is retrying on its own, no action needed.
Orange-red #FA5D48 Failed — repair recommended Recovery attempts exhausted. Open Sync Diagnostics for the specific reason and run Repair if offered.

Tooltip

Hover the badge for Database Sync: <state> plus the last-check time, the count of pending changes, and a one-line status message.

Right-click menu

The action menu adapts to the current state:

  • Online — when the badge is yellow or red and the server is reachable: Reconnect, Repair, View Diagnostics, Show Raw Sync Status.
  • Offline — when the server is unreachable: Retry Connection Now, View Diagnostics.
  • Local share deactivated — when you host the DB and deactivated your own share: only View Diagnostics is shown — re-activating the share is the fix, not reconnecting.
  • Teams login needed — when the Teams addon is enabled and you’re not signed in, the menu header changes to Log in to Teams to reconnect. The misleading “Primary host is no longer sharing this database” detail is suppressed in this case (the host is still sharing — your client just lost its Teams session and can’t see the shared-DB list).

Networking

Port range
9000–9100 — must be open between hosts and clients for DSS to communicate.
File access
Audio files must live at a path every connected rig can reach. Otherwise clients can browse the database but won’t be able to play.
Over the internet
Modify the connection string to use the host’s public IP and forward ports 9000–9100 on the host’s router. Some IT knowledge required.

Working tips

  • Verify everyone on the team has the correct connection string.
  • Use Ping before connecting to confirm reachability.
  • Share connection strings through a secure channel — anyone with the string can connect.
  • Back up your databases regularly. DSS syncs changes… it doesn’t replace a backup strategy.

Single-user / multi-rig

DSS is also useful for solo users running basehead on multiple machines on the same network — for example a desktop, a laptop, and a Mac in the same studio. With a single Cloud License using Hostile Takeover mode, the DSS engine stays alive between takeovers, so databases stay in sync even as the active license moves between rigs.

Walkthrough video

Now shipping: the LLS can host shared databases itself, so they stay online even when every workstation is off. See Hosting databases on the LLS.