BaseHead

Countless audio files, stored in several folders, are part of a sound designer's life. If you spend too much time looking for specific audio files, you can use BaseHead to locate them faster. You just need to add your files to the application's database and you will be able to search for the sounds you need, using a wide range of criteria. You can also tag your files or load them in external applications.

BaseHead is available for Windows and Mac OS X. It is the flagship of a larger collection of applications, which make it easier to work with audio files. You can download BaseHead and install its components in just a few seconds, without installing any prerequisite drivers or services.

The first thing you need to know about BaseHead is that you can't use it as a traditional media player. Of course, you can play the listed audio files, just by selecting them, but once you click something else or minimize the interface, the playback will stop. The software's purpose is to index audio files, in various formats, and to locate them instantly. You can play the files just to make sure that you found the right sounds.

The user interface has a modern and elegant design. Its menus and options, that neatly fade in or out, and the fact that it does not show too many colors (blue and green are the main colors) allow you to work in a very comfortable manner. You can switch between different sections, in which you can view all your database entries and tagged items, change the software's general settings or browse through you local folders.

When you play an audio file, its right and left channels will be displayed as blue and green waveforms, in the lower region of the window. You can zoom in on a specific segment and play it on a loop or in reverse. You can also review a selected file's metadata, rename it or perform other actions, on the right side of the interface.

While browsing through your local folders, you can select one or more audio files and add them to the database instantly. Once you add your files, you can type keywords, in different input fields, if you wish to look for items with specific names, descriptions, or other characteristics. Furthermore, you can select different search criteria, in separate drop menus.

As previously suggested, BaseHead allows you to load your files in external editors. You can make a few adjustments, for individual programs, in the general settings menu. BaseHead supports numerous third party programs, including Adobe Audition, Premiere Pro, Nuendo, Fairlight and many others.