Documentation
Everything you need to know about setting up and using Sonidata for professional UCS field recording.
Recording
Sonidata records high-quality audio directly on your iPhone or iPad. Choose from three quality presets to match your session requirements — from broadcast-standard WAV to lightweight compressed capture.
Tagging & Metadata
The Naming View is the core of Sonidata. It's where you assign UCS-compliant metadata to your recordings using the industry-standard Universal Category System (UCS v8.2) — ensuring your files are named consistently and compatible with any sound library manager.
Voice Slate
Voice Slate lets you dictate the FX Name using speech-to-text instead of typing — ideal when your hands are occupied with gear or you're working quickly between takes.
Siri Shortcuts & Automation
Control Sonidata hands-free with Siri, the Shortcuts app, Back Tap, or the Action Button. Three dedicated actions let you manage recording sessions without ever touching the screen.
Location Tagging
Sonidata can automatically tag recordings with GPS location data, embedding geographic context directly into your file metadata.
Browsing Your Library
Sonidata offers four ways to browse your recordings — each designed to help you find the right file quickly, whether you're searching by name, folder, date, or location.
Folder Organization
Sonidata can automatically organize your recordings into a UCS folder structure — so your files mirror the same hierarchy used by professional sound libraries.
Photo Attachments
Attach a photo to any recording — useful for documenting the recording environment, location, source, or any visual reference you want linked to the audio file.
Exporting Your Library
Export your entire recordings database as a CSV file for import into sound library managers. CSV headers are aligned with Soundminer V5 field names — including FXName, Designer, Manufacturer, Microphone, CategoryFull, Channels, and more — for seamless import without manual column remapping. Also includes all UCS metadata fields, location data, coordinates, file paths, audio format, file size, duration, sample rate, and bit depth.
Importing Audio
Import external audio files into Sonidata using the iOS Share Extension — bring in recordings from other apps and tag them with proper UCS metadata.
Free vs Pro
Sonidata offers a generous free tier for everyday recording and tagging, with a Pro upgrade that unlocks the full professional toolkit. Pro is a one-time lifetime purchase — no subscription.
Privacy & Data
Sonidata is designed with a strict on-device privacy model. Your recordings, metadata, and personal data never leave your device unless you explicitly export or share them.
Supported Languages
Sonidata's interface is localized in 21 languages. UCS category names are translated from the official UCS v8.2.1 translations database.
Troubleshooting
Recordings now appear instantly after stopping. If one is missing, re-open the app to trigger a filesystem rescan. Check that the recording is in the app's Documents folder (not a system folder). If the file was moved manually via the Files app, Sonidata will re-sync on next launch.
Sonidata Embed (macOS)
Sonidata Embed is a desktop companion app for macOS (Windows coming soon) that takes your Sonidata session exports and embeds the metadata directly into your recorder's WAV files.
Field to Library — Workflow
Sonidata's workflow takes you from raw field recordings to a fully tagged, metadata-embedded, UCS-organized sound library — without modifying your original files. Whether you record with the built-in iPhone microphone or an external recorder, the result is the same: DAW-ready WAV files with industry-standard metadata that any sound library manager can read.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions, format details, and quick answers to common issues.