Desktop & Cloud Sync

How SoundBase Desktop keeps your projects saved locally, synced to SoundBase Cloud, and up to date across your computers and collaborators.

Requirements

• SoundBase Desktop signed in with a SoundBase Pro account
• An internet connection for syncing (the app itself works offline)
• An internet connection at least once every 60 days to verify your license
• Cloud-type projects (projects created with “Store data locally (no cloud sync)” never sync)

Overview — how sync works

SoundBase Desktop is local-first

SoundBase Desktop works from a complete local copy of your projects stored on your computer. Everything you do — editing frequencies, coordinating zones, adjusting project settings — is saved to that local copy first, instantly. You never press a save button, and you never wait on the network to keep working.

Syncing happens in the background: the app continuously sends your changes up to SoundBase Cloud and receives changes made elsewhere (by collaborators, or by you on another computer).

How your changes are tracked

Every time you change something, your computer automatically records a small note describing exactly what changed — which item, which specific fields, the new values, when it happened, and which computer made the change. These records are what get sent to the cloud, so sync is fast and precise: only the fields you actually touched are transmitted, not entire projects.

Because this change history is stored in your local database (not just in memory), edits you make offline survive app restarts and are still synced later.

When sync runs

Sync is continuous, not scheduled:

• Your changes going up: edits are queued and sent within moments — typically well under a second after you make them.
• Changes coming down: while you have a project open, your computer holds a live connection to SoundBase Cloud and receives collaborators’ changes in near real time.
• On reconnect: whenever a connection is established (app launch, network returns), the app runs a full comparison of your open project against the cloud and settles any differences automatically.
• Project list: while you’re on the home page, the list of projects refreshes regularly so new and renamed projects appear.

First-time setup: the one-time data sync

The first time you sign in on a computer, SoundBase Desktop performs a one-time download of your account data. You’ll see a full-screen page that says “This is a one-time data sync to pull in the latest data from SoundBase.” with the note “Please remain connected to the internet and do not close the app during this process.”

A progress bar counts steps (for example, “3 of 10 steps completed”) while status messages rotate through stages such as “Syncing user data…”, “Syncing equipment models…”, “Syncing projects…”, “Syncing your preferences and settings…”, “Syncing zip code data…”, “Syncing public safety channels…”, and “Syncing TV transmitter data…”. When it finishes, you’ll briefly see “Cleaning up the database and getting things ready for you…” before landing on the home page.

Note

This initial sync downloads your project list and account data — not the full contents of every project. Your projects then download automatically in the background while you’re on the projects page (that’s the “(N projects syncing)” note), and opening a project downloads it immediately if it hasn’t finished yet. Anything you edit during the initial sync is queued safely and synced right after it completes.

If a step fails, the screen shows “Sync encountered an error. Retrying…” and tries again automatically. Stay connected and keep the app open.

Opening a project for the first time

When you open a project that hasn’t been downloaded to this computer yet, the app fetches its full contents from the cloud. A thin blue progress bar appears in the navigation bar next to the cloud icon. Small projects (up to about 1,000 frequencies) usually take around 15 seconds; larger projects can take a minute or more.

Note

The bar’s speed is an estimate — it fills to 95% at a predicted pace and jumps to 100% when the real download finishes, so the actual time may be shorter or longer than the animation suggests.

What syncs — and what stays local

Syncs automatically: cloud projects and everything in them (scan data, coordination data, folders), your account data, your preferences and “my stuff,” and equipment models. Some reference data (license entitlements, for example) flows one way, from the cloud to your desktop.

Stays on your computer only:

• Local projects — anything created with “Store data locally (no cloud sync)” never syncs, in either direction.
• Machine-specific details — file locations on your disk and similar computer-specific fields are stripped from outgoing changes.
• Housekeeping and telemetry — sync progress records, usage/activity history, bug report submissions, and similar internal bookkeeping never leave your computer.

Sync status indicators

The cloud icon (inside a project)

While a cloud project is open, a cloud icon in the navigation bar summarizes sync health. It has three states:

Healthy — cloud with a checkmark. Clicking it shows “All changes saved to SoundBase Cloud” with the detail “Desktop and cloud are synchronizing properly.” A small spinner may briefly appear next to the icon while changes are actively uploading.

Offline — cloud with a slash. The popover reads “You are offline” / “Check your internet connection.” Your work keeps saving locally; see Working offline.

Error — red cloud outline. The popover header reads “Sync service not working” with a support code such as “Error code: SB-R”. See the Error reference for what each code means. One special case: “Sign-in to SoundBase Cloud expired” with “Error code: SB-A” means the cloud is rejecting your sign-in — log out and log back in.

Note

While a project is actively downloading or reconciling, the icon deliberately stays green even if a momentary hiccup occurs, to avoid false alarms. If a real problem persists, the icon turns red once syncing settles.

The “Found a sync issue?” panel

Clicking the cloud icon reveals an expandable section labeled “Found a sync issue?”:

• When everything is connected, it offers “Sync with SoundBase Cloud” with the hint “Try this first to reconcile your project with SoundBase Cloud.” — this re-downloads and reconciles the current project (the button shows “Syncing…” while it runs).
• Whenever the icon is red (any error state, including project errors), it offers “Retry Connection” instead (shows “Reconnecting…” while it runs).
• While you’re offline, the popover shows only the “You are offline” header — the “Found a sync issue?” section and its buttons are not shown at all.
• Below a divider: “Still having issues after leaving the project and restarting the app?” followed by “Please reach out to SoundBase support.”

These buttons are unavailable when “No project selected. Sync options are disabled.” or “Project is offline locked. Sync options are disabled.” is shown.

Note

Support may guide you through an additional “Manual Sync” tool in this panel. It completely replaces a project’s data with an uploaded file and is intended for support-assisted recovery only — don’t use it without guidance.

The local project icon

If the open project is a local project, you’ll see a desktop-computer icon instead of a cloud icon. Its popover reads “This is a local project” / “This project will never sync to SoundBase Cloud.”

Indicators on the projects page

• While projects are still downloading in the background, the project count shows an italic note like “(3 projects syncing)”.
• If the app can’t reach the cloud from the home page, a red cloud icon appears with the tooltip “Unable to connect to SoundBase Cloud. If you believe this is an error, click here to retry the connection.” Clicking retries the connection.

Working offline

What keeps working

Almost everything. Reads and writes go to your local copy, so you can open downloaded projects, edit, coordinate, and run your show without a connection. Changes are recorded locally and sync automatically when you’re back online.

The exception: collaborative projects lock offline

If the open project has other collaborators with editing rights, going offline locks it to read-only: editing controls across the app are disabled (their tooltips read “SoundBase Pro is offline”), and the cloud-icon popover shows “Project is offline locked. Sync options are disabled.” In older versions this appeared as a red “Offline” button whose popover explained: “For collaborative projects, SoundBase Cloud connectivity is required. To edit offline, remove collaborators or set their permissions to “Viewer”.“ The lock lifts when the connection returns (or when, while online, you remove or downgrade the collaborators).

Solo projects (no other editors) stay fully editable offline.

Before going offline for a show

1. Finish the one-time initial data sync (if this is a fresh computer).
2. Open the show’s project at least once while online so it fully downloads. Confirm the cloud icon reads “All changes saved to SoundBase Cloud.”
3. If you’ll need to edit offline, remove other collaborators from the project or set their permissions to “Viewer” — otherwise the project will be read-only offline.
4. Check that your 60-day license check-in isn’t about to come due (see Signing in again). If it triggers while you’re offline, “Snooze” buys 3 extra days at a time.
5. Don’t edit the same project on another computer while this one is offline.
6. Optionally, export the project as a .soundbase file as your own backup.

When you reconnect

Nothing is required from you. The app checks for internet about every 15 seconds; when it returns, it automatically reconnects, pulls down anything that changed in the cloud while you were away, merges it with your offline work field by field, pushes up your offline edits and deletions, and re-establishes the live update stream. The cloud icon returns to green once everything settles.

Projects: cloud vs. local, downloading, and removal

Choosing at creation time

When you create or import a project, the “Project type” dropdown offers two options:

• “Sync data with the cloud” — the project syncs to SoundBase Cloud, all your devices, and any collaborators.
• “Store data locally (no cloud sync)” — the project lives only on this computer, forever.

A comparison in the “Project Types” dialog spells out the difference: local projects get “Offline access” only, while cloud projects add “Cloud syncing to all your devices”, “Project collaboration”, “Create and share real-time reports”, and “Access SoundBase databases”.

Note

There is currently no way to convert a project between local and cloud after it’s created, and no way to “unsync” or remove an individual cloud project from one computer while keeping it in the cloud. All cloud projects you have access to sync to every computer you sign in on.

Warning

Local projects have no cloud backup at all. If the computer is lost or its local database is cleared, unexported local projects are gone. Export important local projects as .soundbase files.

If you lose access to a shared project

If a project owner removes you from a project, your local copy of that project is removed on a subsequent sync. Your own projects are unaffected.

Conflicts and reconciliation

Current versions: conflicts resolve automatically

In current versions of SoundBase Desktop, you will not see a conflict dialog. When the same item was edited both on your computer and in the cloud, the app merges the two copies field by field:

• If you and a collaborator edited different fields of the same item, both edits survive.
• If you edited the same field, the most recent edit wins, silently.
• Items created or genuinely edited on your computer are never deleted by a cloud cleanup — real local work is preserved.

Warning

If two computers edit the same field of the same item while offline, the older edit is discarded on reconnect — with no prompt. Avoid editing one project on two offline computers at once. See the FAQ below.

Older versions: the “Project Data Sync” dialog

Earlier versions of SoundBase Desktop handled conflicts differently, asking you to choose a side. If your version shows these screens, here is exactly what they do.

When a conflict is detected, a yellow warning-triangle button appears in the navigation bar with the tooltip “Project data on your device and in SoundBase Cloud are different. Click for more info.” Clicking it opens a dialog titled “Project Data Sync” listing each conflicted project (account-level conflicts appear as “User Data”) with a “Show” button.

The per-project dialog states: “There are differences between your local project data and the data stored in SoundBase Cloud. Please choose which version you want to keep.” and offers two choices:

• “Push Device Data to Cloud” — your computer’s copy wins. The conflicted items in the cloud are overwritten with your local versions.
• “Overwrite Cloud Data to Device” — the cloud copy wins. The conflicted items on your computer are overwritten with the cloud versions; unpushed local edits to those items are lost.

Either way, you must type the word overwrite into the confirmation field (“Type “overwrite” to confirm action“) before the action runs.

Warning

Both choices permanently discard the losing side’s edits for the conflicted items. Only the items actually in conflict are affected; everything else merges normally. Use “Copy Log to Clipboard” or “View Log” to inspect the differences (and share them with support) before deciding.

The dialog also includes “Pause Sync” / “Resume Sync”. While paused, the sync indicator reads “All changes are not saved to Cloud until sync is resumed” — nothing uploads until you resume.

Older versions also offered “PULL from Cloud” and “PUSH to Cloud” buttons under “Found a sync problem?”, each with an explicit confirmation ending in “IT CANNOT BE UNDONE.” — these replace an entire project copy in one direction and should be used only when you’re certain which copy is correct.

Signing in again (re-authentication)

The 60-day license check-in

SoundBase Desktop verifies your Pro subscription with SoundBase Cloud in the background. If the app hasn’t been able to check in for too long, a dialog appears titled “Internet Connection Required”:

“An internet connection is required every sixty days to validate your license.”

Unless an extension is already active, it adds: “If you need more time, simply click the button below to extend your access by an additional 3 days.” with a “Snooze” button. Clicking Snooze shows the confirmation “Extended for 3 days.” and dismisses the dialog while the extension is active. If the license still can’t be verified when the 3 days lapse, the dialog reappears and Snooze is offered again — each click extends access by another 3 days.

The dialog can’t be dismissed by clicking outside it. To clear it, simply get the computer online — verification happens automatically.

The re-authorization page

If your license can’t be verified (for example, it lapsed or was deactivated), you’ll land on a re-authorization page showing your account with a “Password” field and a “Login” button. This step requires internet; while offline it shows “Cannot connect to SoundBase Cloud. Please check your internet connection.” and disables the buttons. If your account has no available Pro seat, you’ll see “You have no SoundBase Pro Licenses available. Please contact support@soundbase.app.”

After a successful re-authorization, the app runs the initial data sync again and returns you to your projects.

“Switch User and Clear Local Data”

The re-authorization page also offers “Switch User and Clear Local Data” for handing the computer to a different account.

Warning

Confirming this action erases the local database. The confirmation states: “This action will clear your local database of all project data. You’ll need to complete the setup process again, and any unexported local projects or unsynced cloud projects will be permanently lost.” Cloud-synced projects re-download later, but local projects and any changes that never uploaded are gone for good. Export anything important first.

If you ignore re-authentication

Nothing is deleted. Your projects remain on your computer. Access to the app is gated until the license verifies, but the only action that destroys local data is explicitly choosing “Switch User and Clear Local Data.”

Error reference

Messages you may see on screen

Error / Message	What it means	What to do
“You are offline” / “Check your internet connection”	Your computer has no internet. Work keeps saving locally.	Restore your connection; sync resumes automatically.
“Sync service not working” — “Error code: SB-R”	The app can’t reach the SoundBase Cloud sync service — your changes can’t upload (internet itself is fine).	Restart the app, then the computer; try a different network (e.g., phone tether). If it persists, send a Support Package (Help menu) to support@soundbase.app.
“Sync service not working” — “Error code: SB-P”	The real-time update connection is down — cloud changes can’t reach your computer.	Click the cloud icon and use “Retry Connection”; otherwise same steps as SB-R.
“Sync service not working” — “Error code: SB-RP”	Both connections are down (usually a network or service outage).	Same steps as SB-R.
“Sync service not working” — “Error code: SB-E”	The current project’s sync hit an error; cloud services may be fine.	Click the cloud icon and use “Retry Connection”; leave the project (go to the home page) and reopen it; restart the app. If it persists, send a Support Package. (“Sync with SoundBase Cloud” is only offered while the icon is healthy.)
“Sync service not working” — “Error code: SB-RE”	A project sync error combined with a service connection problem.	Capture a Support Package first, then follow the SB-R steps.
“Sign-in to SoundBase Cloud expired” — “Error code: SB-A”	The cloud is rejecting your sign-in; uploads are failing even though services look healthy.	Log out and log back in to SoundBase. If it persists, contact support.
“Not connected to SoundBase Cloud”	You clicked “Sync with SoundBase Cloud” while offline.	Reconnect, then retry.
“Failed to sync project”	The manual project re-sync couldn’t run.	Retry; leave the project and restart the app; escalate with a Support Package if persistent.
“Failed to reconnect stream”	“Retry Connection” couldn’t re-establish the live update connection.	Retry; restart the app if it won’t reconnect.
“No project selected. Sync options are disabled.”	No project is open, so per-project sync actions aren’t available.	Open a project first.
“Project is offline locked. Sync options are disabled.”	The project has editor collaborators and you’re offline, so it’s read-only.	Reconnect, or (while online) remove collaborators / set them to “Viewer” to allow offline editing.
“SoundBase Pro is offline”	Tooltip on disabled editing controls while a collaborative project is offline locked.	Reconnect to the internet, or (while online) remove collaborators / set them to “Viewer” before going offline.
“Unable to connect to SoundBase Cloud. If you believe this is an error, click here to retry the connection.”	The home screen can’t reach the cloud.	Click to retry; check your connection.
“No Internet Connection” / “Network Issues Detected” / “Server Connection Lost”	Full-screen connection alerts distinguishing no internet, network/DNS trouble, or unreachable SoundBase servers.	Check your network; the app reconnects and syncs automatically once restored.
“Sharing changes require Cloud connection. Existing synced collaborators are still shown.”	You tried to change project sharing while offline.	Reconnect before changing sharing.
“Sync encountered an error. Retrying…”	A step of the one-time initial data sync failed; the app is retrying.	Stay online and keep the app open. If it never completes, restart the app.
“Project data on your device and in SoundBase Cloud are different. Click for more info.” (older versions)	A sync conflict needs your decision.	Open the warning, click “Show” on the affected project, and choose a side in the “Project Data Sync” dialog (see Conflicts above).
“All changes are not saved to Cloud until sync is resumed” (older versions)	Sync is paused.	Click “Resume Sync”.
“Please upload a .soundbase file”	A manual sync upload received the wrong file type.	Export the project first (creates a .soundbase file) and upload that.
“Internet Connection Required”	Your 60-day license check-in is overdue.	Get online, or click “Snooze” to extend access by 3 days.
“Cannot connect to SoundBase Cloud. Please check your internet connection.”	Sign-in / re-authorization requires internet and none is available.	Restore connectivity, then sign in.
“You have no SoundBase Pro Licenses available. Please contact support@soundbase.app.”	No Pro seat is free for this computer.	Free a seat on another computer, purchase a license, or contact support.
“Invalid username or password”	Sign-in credentials were rejected.	Re-enter them; reset your password from SoundBase Cloud if needed.
“Two-factor authentication failed”	The 2FA code you entered was incorrect. (If a code was merely missing, the app shows the 2FA entry form instead.)	Enter the current code from your authenticator app.

Codes that appear in logs only (useful when contacting support)

These never appear as dialogs, but support may ask about them when reviewing your Support Package.

Log entry	What it means
VERSION_CONFLICT: Document was modified by another client	Someone else changed an item first; resolved automatically on the next reconciliation. No action needed.
unauthorized-project	A change referenced a project you no longer have access to; it was dropped. Check with the project owner about your access.
Sync system is currently disabled / SYNC_DISABLED	SoundBase has temporarily paused cloud sync (maintenance). Changes queue locally and sync when re-enabled.
Unauthorized / Invalid or expired token	Your sign-in token was rejected; repeated occurrences trigger the SB-A state. Log out and back in.
License expired / User data entitlement is not active. The license may have expired. / User data entitlement not found / Suspicious activity detected	License verification failures. Renew or manage your license in SoundBase Cloud, or contact support.
Skipping sync publish (not authorized)	Changes are waiting because no one is signed in; nothing is lost — they upload after sign-in.

Troubleshooting

The cloud icon is red with SB-R, SB-P, or SB-RP.

1. Click the icon and use “Retry Connection”. 2. Restart the app. 3. Restart the computer. 4. Try a different network (a phone tether rules out venue firewalls, which commonly block sync). 5. Still red? Open Help, download a Support Package, and email it to support@soundbase.app with the error code.

The cloud icon is red with SB-E (project error).

1. In the popover, click “Retry Connection”. 2. Leave the project (go to the home page), then reopen it. 3. Restart the app. 4. If it persists, send a Support Package. (Once the icon is green again, “Sync with SoundBase Cloud” becomes available if you want to force a re-download.)

“Sign-in to SoundBase Cloud expired” (SB-A). Log out and log back in to SoundBase. Your queued changes are held safely and upload after you sign back in.

Changes made on one computer aren’t appearing on another.

1. Confirm both computers show the green “All changes saved to SoundBase Cloud” icon. 2. Make sure both have the same project open — live updates flow to open projects. 3. On the receiving computer, click the cloud icon and choose “Sync with SoundBase Cloud”. 4. Restart the app on both machines.

The one-time initial sync never finishes / keeps saying “Sync encountered an error. Retrying…” Stay connected and keep the app open — it retries automatically. If it loops for a long time: restart the app (progress is safe), and try a different network. As a last resort, support may walk you through “Switch User and Clear Local Data” — never do this on your own if you have unexported local projects.

The app says I’m offline but my internet works. The connectivity check uses DNS; some venue and corporate networks block it. Click the offline icon to retry, and try another network. If a phone tether fixes it, ask the venue’s IT about firewall restrictions.

My project is read-only and editing controls are disabled (tooltips say “SoundBase Pro is offline”). That’s the offline lock for collaborative projects. (Older versions showed a red “Offline” button in the navigation bar instead.) Reconnect to the internet, or — while online — remove collaborators or set them to “Viewer” before going offline.

The blue download bar seems stuck near the end. The bar animates on an estimate and holds at 95% until the actual download completes. Large projects can take over a minute. Only worry if the icon turns red afterward.

The conflict warning keeps coming back (older versions). Resolve every listed item via “Show” in the “Project Data Sync” dialog, and make sure sync isn’t paused (“Resume Sync”). Repeated conflicts usually mean the same project is being edited from two places while one is offline — keep both machines online, or work from one at a time.

FAQ

Is my data lost if my subscription lapses? No. Your projects stay in your local database, and your cloud data stays in SoundBase Cloud. A lapsed license gates access to the app until it’s renewed and re-verified — nothing is deleted. The only way local data is erased is if you explicitly confirm “Switch User and Clear Local Data.”

Can I edit the same project on two offline computers? You can, but you shouldn’t. When both reconnect, edits merge field by field and the most recent edit to any given field wins — the older edit to that field is discarded without warning. Edits to different fields all survive. The safe patterns: both computers online, one computer at a time, or different projects per computer.

Does sync include my telemetry or monitoring history? No. Usage and activity records, sync progress bookkeeping, bug report submissions, and machine-specific details (like file paths on your disk) never leave your computer. Local projects never sync at all.

How do I force a fresh copy of a project from the cloud? Open the project, click the cloud icon, expand “Found a sync issue?”, and click “Sync with SoundBase Cloud” (“Try this first to reconcile your project with SoundBase Cloud.”). This re-downloads the project and reconciles it — items with genuine local changes are preserved, so it’s safe to use.

Do collaborators see my changes live? Yes. While you’re both online with the project open, changes propagate in near real time — typically within moments. If a collaborator is offline, they receive your changes automatically the next time they connect.

Do I need to save before quitting or going offline? No. Every change is saved to your local copy the moment you make it. Offline edits survive app restarts and upload automatically once you’re back online and signed in.

Can I stop one project from syncing, or convert a cloud project to local? Not currently. The cloud-or-local choice (“Sync data with the cloud” vs. “Store data locally (no cloud sync)”) is made when a project is created or imported and can’t be changed afterward, and there’s no per-project “unsync” — all cloud projects you can access sync to every computer you sign in on.

What’s a Support Package and when should I send one? It’s a diagnostic bundle you can download from the Help menu. Include it whenever you email support@soundbase.app about a sync problem, along with any “Error code: SB-…” shown on the cloud icon — it lets support see exactly what went wrong.