Steinberg Wavelab Elements - 9.5 Operation Manual

Operation Manual

Cristina Bachmann, Heiko Bischoff, Christina Kaboth, Insa Mingers, Matthias Obrecht, Sabine Pfeifer, Benjamin Schütte, Marita Sladek

This PDF provides improved access for vision-impaired users. Please note that due to the complexity and number of images in this document, it is not possible to include text descriptions of images.

The information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH. The software described by this document is subject to a License Agreement and may not be copied to other media except as specifically allowed in the License Agreement. No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced, or otherwise transmitted or recorded, for any purpose, without prior written permission by Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH. Registered licensees of the product described herein may print one copy of this document for their personal use.

All product and company names are ™ or ® trademarks of their respective owners. For more information, please visit www.steinberg.net/trademarks.

WaveLab Elements_9.5.20_en-US_2018-02-21

5 WaveLab Elements Introduction

5 Platform-Independent Documentation 5 Help System 5 Conventions 6 Key Commands 7 How You Can Reach Us

8 Setting Up Your System

8 Connecting the Equipment 8 Audio Cards and Background Playback 8 Latency 9 Defining Audio Connections 11 CD/DVD Recorders 11 Remote Devices

16 WaveLab Elements Concepts

16 General Editing Rules 16 Startup Dialog 17 Basic Window Handling 17 Selecting Audio 21 Sliders 21 Renaming Items in Tables 21 File Browser 22 Tab Groups 24 Peak Files 25 Companion Files 25 Processing Precision

26 Workspace Window

26 Audio Editor 26 Audio Montage 27 Podcast Editor 27 File Tab 28 Info Tab 30 Tool Windows 30 Meter Windows 30 Slide-Out Windows 31 Docking and Undocking Tool Windows and

Meter Windows

32 Command Bar 33 Status Bar 34 Context Menus 35 Time Ruler and Level Ruler 38 Managing Tabs 39 Activating Full Screen Mode 39 Resetting the Default Workspace Layout

40 Project Handling

40 Opening Files 41 Value Editing 41 Drag Operations 42 Undoing and Redoing Actions 42 Zooming

47 Presets

50 File Operations

50 Recently Used Files 51 Save and Save As 53 Templates 56 File Renaming 57 Deleting Files 57 Temporary Files 58 Work Folders vs. Document Folders 59 Exporting to SoundCloud 60 Copying Audio Information to the Clipboard 60 Setting the Focus on the Current File

61 Playback

61 Transport Bar 70 Starting Playback From the Ruler 70 Using the Play Tool 71 Playback Scrubbing 71 Scroll During Playback 72 Playback in the Audio Montage Window

73 Audio File Editing

73 Wave Window 76 Audio Editor Tabs 83 File Handling in the Audio Editor 101 Changing the Audio Properties 102 Metadata 104 Silence Generator Dialog 106 Bleep Censor 107 Waveform Restoration with the Pen Tool

108 Audio Analysis

108 Global Analysis 115 3D Frequency Analysis

118 Offline Processing

118 Process Tab 120 Applying Processing 120 Gain Dialog 121 Level Normalizer Dialog 121 Envelope Dialog 122 Fades in Audio Files 123 Crossfades 124 Phase Inverting 124 Reversing Audio 125 DC Offset 125 Time Stretching 127 Pitch Shift 128 Resample

129 Audio Montage

129 Montage Window 131 Audio Montage Tabs

Table of Contents 

138 Signal Path in the Audio Montage 139 Creating New Audio Montages 139 Audio Montage Duplicates 140 Creating an Audio Montage from an Audio File 141 Import Options for Audio Montages 141 Missing Files Dialog 142 Assembling the Audio Montage 147 Rearranging Clips 149 Clip Editing 154 Track Activity Indicator 154 Envelopes for Clips 157 Fades and Crossfades in Audio Montages 160 Effects for Tracks, Clips, and the Montage

Output

168 CD Window 170 Mixing Down – The Render Function 170 Loudness Meta Normalizer 171 Notes Window

173 Recording

173 Setting Up the Recording Dialog 174 Dropping Markers During Recording 174 Recording Dialog

179 Master Section

179 Bypassing the Master Section 179 Master Section Window 188 Rendering 192 Saving Master Section Presets 195 Monitoring Background Tasks 195 Dropouts

196 Markers

196 Marker Types 196 Markers Window 199 About Creating Markers 200 Deleting Markers 200 Moving Markers 200 Navigating to Markers 200 Hiding Markers of a Specific Type 201 Converting Marker Types 201 Renaming Markers 201 Selecting Markers 202 Selecting the Audio Between Markers 202 Binding Markers to Clips in the Audio Montage 202 How Marker Information is Saved

204 Metering

204 Meter Windows 204 Meter Settings 204 Resetting the Meters 204 Level Meter 206 Spectroscope 206 Oscilloscope

208 Writing Operations

208 Write Audio CD Dialog 209 Erase Optical Media Dialog 210 About Writing Audio Montages 212 Data CD/DVD Projects 215 Audio CD Formats

218 Loops

218 Basic Looping 219 About Refining Loops 226 Looping Audio Which Is Not Very Well Suited

for Looping

228 Sample Attributes

230 Importing Audio CD Tracks

230 Import Audio CD Dialog 233 Importing Audio CD Tracks 234 Searching Track Names on the Internet 234 Submitting Track Names to the Internet 234 Ultra-Safe Mode 235 Converting Audio CD Tracks to an Audio

Montage

236 WaveLab Exchange

236 WaveLab Elements as External Editor for

Cubase/Nuendo

237 Cubase/Nuendo as External Editor for WaveLab

Elements

238 Podcasts

238 Podcast Editor 242 Global Podcast Options 242 Creating a Podcast 243 Setting Up a FTP for Podcast Publishing 243 Publishing Podcasts 243 FTP Settings Dialog 244 Checking the Podcast

245 Customizing

245 Customizing the Wave Window and the

Montage Window

246 Customizing Shortcuts 250 Customizing Command Bars 250 Plug-in Organization 257 Touch Bar (macOS only)

258 Configuring WaveLab Elements

258 Global Preferences 262 Audio Files Preferences 266 Audio Montages Preferences 269 Synchronizing WaveLab Elements Settings on

Several Computers

269 Multi-User Settings

271 Index

WaveLab Elements

Introduction

Platform-Independent Documentation

The documentation applies to the operating systems Windows and macOS.

Features and settings that are specific to one of these platforms are clearly indicated. In all other cases, the descriptions and procedures in the documentation are valid for Windows and macOS.

Some points to consider:

●

The screenshots are taken from Windows.

●

Some functions that are available on the File menu on Windows can be found in the program name menu on macOS.

Help System

There are several ways of accessing the help system. The documentation is available online and most of it can be downloaded in PDF format from steinberg.help.

●

To open the “What’s This” help, you have the following possibilities:

●

To visit steinberg.help, enter steinberg.help in the address bar of your web browser or open WaveLab Elements and select Help> steinberg.help.

To show tooltips, move the mouse over an interface icon.

To open the help for an active dialog on steinberg.help, click the question mark icon on the title bar (Windows) or in the dialog (macOS) to show the Help button, and then click the Help button, or press F1 (Windows) or Cmd-? (macOS).

To use the menu help, move the mouse over a menu item.

To see information on what kind of editing can be performed when using the mouse and modifier keys in the Audio Montage window, move the mouse over the montage window. The help text is displayed on the info line at the bottom of the window.

In any window, press Shift-F1 and move the mouse over an interface item, or select Help> What’s This?.

In a dialog, select the question mark icon on any title bar (Windows) or in the dialog (macOS), and move the mouse over an interface item or a menu option.

Some “What’s this” tooltips include a link to a dedicated help topic.

RELATED LINKS

Info Line on page 147

Conventions

In our documentation, we use typographical and markup elements to structure information.

WaveLab Elements Introduction Key Commands

Typographical Elements

The following typographical elements mark the following purposes.

PREREQUISITE

Requires you to complete an action or to fulfill a condition before starting a procedure.

PROCEDURE

Lists the steps that you must take to achieve a specific result.

IMPORTANT

Informs you about issues that might affect the system, the connected hardware, or that might bring a risk of data loss.

NOTE

Informs you about issues that you should consider.

EXAMPLE

Provides you with an example.

RESULT

Shows the result of the procedure.

AFTER COMPLETING THIS TASK

Informs you about actions or tasks that you can perform after completing the procedure.

RELATED LINKS

Lists related topics that you can find in this documentation.

Markup

Bold text indicates the name of a menu, option, function, dialog, window, etc.

EXAMPLE

To open the Metadata dialog, open the Metadata window and click Edit.

If bold text is separated by a greater-than symbol, this indicates a sequence of different menus to open.

EXAMPLE

Select File> Open.

Key Commands

Many of the default key commands, also known as keyboard shortcuts, use modifier keys, some of which are different depending on the operating system.

When key commands with modifier keys are described in this manual, they are shown with the Windows modifier key first followed by the macOS and the key:

●

Windows modifier key/macOS modifier key-Z

EXAMPLE

Ctrl/Cmd-Z means: press Ctrl on Windows or Cmd on macOS, then press Z.

WaveLab Elements Introduction How You Can Reach Us

How You Can Reach Us

On the Help menu in WaveLab Elements, you find items linking to additional information.

The menu contains links to various Steinberg web pages. Selecting a menu item automatically launches your browser and opens the page. On these pages, you can find support and compatibility information, answers to frequently asked questions, information about updates and other Steinberg products, etc. This requires that you have a web browser installed on your computer, and a working Internet connection.

Setting Up Your System

Before you start working, you need to make some settings.

IMPORTANT

Make sure that all equipment is turned off before making any connections.

Connecting the Equipment

Your system setup depends on many different factors, for example, the kind of project that you want to create, the external equipment that you want to use, or the computer hardware available to you.

Audio Cards and Background Playback

Latency

When you activate playback or recording in WaveLab Elements, other applications cannot access the audio card. Likewise, if another application uses the audio card, WaveLab Elements is unable to play back. The Windows MME driver is an exception from this.

You can run WaveLab Elements together with other applications and always give the active application access to the audio card.

PROCEDURE

1. Select File> Preferences> Audio Connections.

2. Select the Options tab.

3. Activate Release Driver.

4. Do one of the following:

●

If you want to release the driver when WaveLab Elements is in the background, activate When WaveLab Elements is in Background.

●

If you want to release the driver only when Cubase is in the foreground, activate When Cubase is in Foreground.

Latency is the delay between when audio is sent from the program and when you actually hear it. While a very low latency can be crucial in a real-time DAW application such as Steinberg Nuendo or Cubase, this is not strictly the case with WaveLab Elements.

When working with WaveLab Elements, the important issues are optimum and stable playback and editing precision.

The latency in an audio system depends on the audio hardware, its drivers, and settings. In case of dropouts, crackles, or glitches during playback, raise the Buffer Number setting on the

Setting Up Your System Defining Audio Connections

Options tab in the Audio Connections, or increase the buffer size in the ASIO control panel, specific to the audio card.

RELATED LINKS

Audio Connections Tab on page 9

Defining Audio Connections

To be able to play back and record audio in WaveLab Elements, you must specify how the internal input and output channels in WaveLab Elements are connected to your sound card and which device you intend to use for audio playback and recording.

You can define the buffer settings for your device as well as set up connections to external gear, such as external effects units. You should select at least two channels for stereo playback and recording.

If you have no third-party audio card, you can select the Windows MME driver or Built-in Audio (Mac) options. You can also use MME with most third party audio cards, with the advantage that you can record and play at different sample rates. However, Windows MME drivers do not allow audio monitoring in the Recording dialog or multichannel operation, and other drivers generally offer better sound quality and performance.

RELATED LINKS

Audio Connections Tab on page 9

Selecting an ASIO Driver

Audio Stream Input/Output (ASIO) is a computer device driver protocol for digital audio specified by Steinberg. It provides a low-latency and high fidelity interface between a software application and the soundcard of a computer.

PROCEDURE

1. Select File> Preferences> Audio Connections.

2. Open the Audio Device pop-up menu and select your ASIO driver.

The ASIO Plug-ins tab and the Control Panel button are activated.

3. Optional: Click Control Panel and make your settings.

Selecting a Windows MME Driver

PROCEDURE

1. Select File> Options> Audio Connections.

2. Open the Audio Device pop-up menu and select Windows MME.

3. On the Playback tab, select the audio ports that are used for playback.

4. On the Recording tab, select the audio ports that used for recording and monitor input.

Audio Connections Tab

This tab allows you to specify how the internal input and output channels in WaveLab Elements are connected to your sound card and which device you want to use for audio playback and recording.

● To open the Audio Connections tab, select File> Preferences> Audio Connections.

Setting Up Your System Defining Audio Connections

Global Settings

Audio Device

Allows you to select the audio device that you want to use for playback and recording audio. If you do not have a third-party audio card, you can select the Windows MME driver or Built-in Audio (Mac) options.

Control Panel

When you select an ASIO driver, the Control Panel button is activated. Click the button to open the settings application of your sound card, which is usually installed with the sound card. Depending on your sound card and driver, this provides settings for buffer size, digital formats, additional I/O connections, etc.

Refresh

This button causes audio devices to be evaluated again to reflect device changes.

Playback Tab

This tab allows you to select and name audio ports that are used for playback.

Recording Tab

This tab allows you to select and name your audio ports that are used for recording and input monitoring. The inputs that you define here are then available in the Recording dialog.

Options Tab

This tab allows you to specify the number of buffers and the control driver functionality.

Buffer Number

Increasing this value improves the elasticity of audio streaming to avoid dropouts.

MME Specific – Buffer Size

Increasing this value improves the elasticity of audio streaming to avoid dropouts. This is only available when an MME driver is selected.

Initialize Streaming Engine at First Use

Initializes the audio streaming engine when playback or recording are used for the first time. If this option is deactivated, the audio streaming engine is initialized at program startup.

Setting Up Your System CD/DVD Recorders

Reset Driver When Changing Sample Rate

Resets the driver when sample rate is changed. When playback or recording must be set to a new sample rate, some audio device drivers must be fully reset to work properly. This operation takes some time.

Perform Short Fade In/Out When Starting/Stopping Playback

Performs a short fade in when starting playback and a short fade out when stopping playback. This avoids clicks that are caused by waveforms that are not starting on a zero-crossing point.

Release Driver

Allows you to run WaveLab Elements together with other applications and always give the active application access to the audio card.

● If When WaveLab Elements is in Background is activated, the driver is released when WaveLab Elements is in the background.

● If When Cubase/Nuendo is in Foreground is activated, the driver is released when Cubase/Nuendo is in the foreground.

CD/DVD Recorders

For general instructions on installing internal or connecting external recorders via USB or Firewire, refer to the instruction manual for your computer or your recorder.

Make sure to have the latest firmware version installed on your recorder unit. For CD recorders, the existing firmware must support disc-at-once mode. In addition, running a unit with older firmware can prevent you from writing sub-index markers into the tracks, for example.

Remote Devices

You can use remote devices to remote-control WaveLab Elements.

Several commands can be controlled with knobs and sliders of your remote control device.

Remote Devices Tab

This tab allows you to select a device to remote-control WaveLab Elements, and see the control map of MIDI control devices.

● To open the Remote Devices tab, select File> Preferences> Remote Devices.

Setting Up Your System Remote Devices

Device Editing Tab

This tab lets you select a MIDI control device and see the control map.

Active

Activates the selected device and scans the MIDI ports.

In-Port/Out-Port

Select the MIDI input/output ports of the device that you want to use.

Name

Lets you enter a map name.

Expand/Collapse

Expands/collapses the folder tree of the control map.

WaveLab Elements Action List

This folder tree lists the parameters that you can remote-control. The top folder represent contexts. The related parameters can only be controlled if the context is active. For example, if an audio file is active.

A remote control can be used in several contexts if these are exclusive. For example, parameters that can be used for an active audio file or an active audio montage.

The Global folder contain the parameters that can always be controlled.

Options Tab

Emulate Mouse Wheel

If this option is activated, the AI knob of Steinberg controllers acts as a mouse wheel in the WaveLab Elements user interface, except for plug-ins.

Edit Focused Numeric Field

If this option is activated, the AI knob Steinberg controllers can be used to edit the focused numeric field that you find in many WaveLab Elements windows and dialogs.

Setting Up Your System Remote Devices

CC121 Advanced Integration Controller

You can use Steinberg’s CC121 Advanced Integration Controller to control WaveLab Elements.

This section describes the WaveLab Elements factory preset for the CC121. For detailed information on how to use the controller, refer to the manual that came with the CC121. Note that the CC121 was originally designed for Cubase. The following mapping combines the WaveLab Elements functionality with the CC121 controls. The controls that are not listed in the following paragraph are not assigned to a parameter.

Channel Section

You can use all controls of the CC121 channel section, except the fader, to control the elements of the selected track in a WaveLab Elements audio montage. You can use the fader for the

Master Section.

Fader

Controls the Master Section fader.

PAN knob

Controls the gain of the selected track.

Mute

Mutes/Unmutes the selected track.

Solo

Activates/Deactivates solo for the selected track.

CHANNEL SELECT

Selects the previous/next track in the audio montage.

To move the cursor to the previous/next clip edge in the audio montage, hold Alt. To move the cursor to the previous/next region edge, hold Shift. To move the cursor to the previous/next marker in the Audio Editor, hold Ctrl/Cmd.

EQ Section

With the EQ section you can easily control the Steinberg Studio EQ plug-in.

If the EQ TYPE button is activated on the CC121, you can adjust the parameters of the focused Studio-EQ. All necessary EQ parameters, such as Q/F/G of each band, EQ TYPE selection, and ALL BYPASS on/off can be set. You can switch to WaveLab Elements navigation mode by turning off the EQ TYPE button. In WaveLab Elements navigation mode, you get access to alternative functions, such as scrolling, zooming, and switching between windows.

EQ TYPE activated:

Bandwidth knobs (Q)

Adjusts the Q (bandwidth) of each EQ band.

Frequency knobs (F)

Adjusts the center frequency of each EQ band.

Gain knobs (G)

Adjusts the gain of each EQ band.

Activates/Deactivates the EQ bands.

ALL BYPASS

Activates/Deactivates bypass for all plug-ins in the Master Section.

EQ TYPE deactivated:

Setting Up Your System Remote Devices

LOW ON

LOW-MID ON

HIGH ON

EQ-1 knob for the EQ Gain (G)

EQ-2 knob for the EQ Gain (G)

EQ-3 knob for the EQ Gain (G)

EQ-4 knob for the EQ Gain (G)

Opens the Audio Editor.

Opens the Audio Montage window.

Opens the preferences tab.

Scrolls left/right on the timeline.

Adjusts the horizontal zoom on the timeline.

Adjusts the vertical zoom on the timeline.

Scrolls tracks on the Audio Montage window or scrolls vertically on the Audio

Editor.

EQ-1 knob for the EQ Frequency (F)

Scrolls left/right on the overview timeline of the Audio Editor.

EQ-2 knob for the EQ Frequency (F)

Horizontally zooms in/out on the overview timeline of the Audio Editor.

EQ-3 knob for the EQ Frequency (F)

Vertically zooms in/out on the overview timeline of the Audio Editor.

EQ-4 knob for the EQ Frequency (F)

Vertically scrolls on the overview timeline of the Audio Editor.

Transport Section

In this section you can control the transport functions of WaveLab Elements.

Previous button

Moves the cursor position to the left.

Rewind button

Moves the edit cursor position to the left.

Forward button

Moves the edit cursor position to the right.

Next button

Moves the cursor position to the right.

Cycle button

Activates/Deactivates Cycle mode.

Stop button

Stops playback. Press again to move the cursor to the previous start position. Press a third time to move the cursor to the beginning of the project.

Play button

Starts playback.

Setting Up Your System Remote Devices

Record button

Function Section

In this section, you can adjust functions, such as fades and envelope level, by using the VALUE knob.

VALUE knob

FUNCTION button 1

FUNCTION button 2

FUNCTION button 3

FUNCTION button 4

Press once to open the Recording dialog. Press again to start the recording. Press a third time to stop recording. The recorded file opens in the Audio Editor.

Rotate this knob to adjust the assigned function. Press the knob to reset the parameter to its default value.

Adjusts the fade in settings of the active clip.

Adjusts the fade out settings of the active clip.

Adjusts the envelope level of the active clip.

The element clicked last in the Nudge section of the Edit tab in the Audio Montage window is assigned to this button.

AI Knob Section

WaveLab Elements can be controlled with the AI knob of Steinberg’s CC121, CI2+, and CMC-AI controllers. With the AI knob, you can control the parameter that the mouse points to.

NOTE

The AI knob only works on parameters that are automatable.

In this section you can control parameters via the AI knob.

AI KNOB

Controls the VST 3 plug-in parameters, emulates the mouse wheel, for example, for scrolling, and lets you edit a focused numeric field. To control a parameter with the AI knob, move the mouse cursor over the parameter that you want to control, and move the AI knob. You can activate/deactivate the emulation of the mouse wheel and the editing of the focused numeric field in the Options tab.

LOCK

When the mouse cursor points to a parameter, press LOCK to control this parameter regardless of the position of the mouse cursor.

CUBASE READY Indicator

The CUBASE READY indicator has no function in WaveLab Elements.

Foot Switch Section

The foot switch has the same function as Shift. Press and hold the foot switch while turning the AI knob to fine tune parameters.

WaveLab Elements Concepts

This chapter describes general concepts that you will use when working with WaveLab Elements. Getting accustomed with these procedures allows you to work more effectively with the program.

General Editing Rules

The common editing operations apply to any Steinberg product.

●

To select and move interface items, and to select ranges, click and drag with the mouse.

●

Use the keys of your computer keyboard to enter numeric values and text, to navigate lists and other selectable interface items, and to control the transport functions.

●

Common operations like cut, copy, paste, or the selection of multiple items can be performed using standard keyboard shortcuts.

NOTE

The behavior of your product is also governed by your preference settings.

Startup Dialog

When WaveLab Elements starts, the Startup dialog opens where you can select which file or template you want to open.

WaveLab Elements Concepts Basic Window Handling

Create

Empty Window

Creates an empty WaveLab Elements window.

Templates

Allows you to open a template in a new project.

Open

Last Files

Opens the files that you last used in WaveLab Elements.

Recent File

Allows you to open a recently used file.

Browse

Allows you to select the files that you want to open.

Use as Default (Do Not Show This Dialog Again)

If this option is activated, the option that you select is used from now on and the startup screen does not open anymore. To display the Startup dialog, even if this option has been activated, press Ctrl/Cmd when starting WaveLab Elements.

Basic Window Handling

WaveLab Elements follows the basic guidelines for the Windows/macOS interface, which means that Windows/macOS standard procedures apply.

Closing Windows

●

To close a file tab, click the X button of the corresponding tab or press Ctrl/Cmd-W.

●

To close a file tab without saving your changes, hold Ctrl/Cmd-Shift, and click the X button of the tab. This avoids having to confirm a warning message whenever you want to close an unsaved tab.

●

To close all file tabs but the selected file tab, right-click a file tab and select Close All But

This.

Switching Between Files

You can have multiple files open and switch between them.

●

To bring a file to the front, click the corresponding tab.

●

To switch between the files, hold Ctrl/Cmd, and press Tab continuously.

●

To switch back and forth between the last two active files, press Ctrl/Cmd-Tab. Between each step you have to release all keys.

●

To switch backwards, press Ctrl/Cmd-Shift-Tab.

●

To toggle between the active file and the last edited file, press F5.

Selecting Audio

Almost all types of editing and processing that you perform in WaveLab Elements operate on the audio selection. There are numerous ways to make an audio selection.

●

To select the whole audio file, double-click it. If the audio file contains markers, triple-click it.

WaveLab Elements Concepts Selecting Audio

Selecting a Range by Dragging

The standard way to select a range in the wave window is to click and drag.

If you drag all the way to the left or right side of the wave window, it scrolls automatically, allowing you to select larger sections than what can be shown in the wave window. The speed of the scrolling depends on how far from the wave window edge you are.

Audio Range Selection in an Audio File

You can edit, process, or play back selections of an audio file.

● To access the audio range selection options, in the Audio Editor, select the Edit tab.

The following selection options are available in the Time Selection section:

All

Selects the entire waveform.

Toggle

Toggles the selection range on/off.

Extend

Opens a menu where you can select the following options:

● Extend to Start of File extends the selection to the start of the audio file. If there is no selection, a selection is created from the edit cursor position.

● Extend to End of File extends the selection to the end of the audio file. If there is no selection, a selection is created from the edit cursor position.

● Extend to Previous Marker extends the left edge of the selection to the nearest marker to the left or the start of the audio file. If there is no selection, a selection is extended until the edit cursor position.

● Extend to Next Marker extends the right edge of the selection to the nearest marker to the right or the end of the audio file. If there is no selection, a selection is extended until the next marker position.

● Extend to Cursor extends the selection to the edit cursor position.

● From Start of File Until Cursor selects the range between the start of the audio file and the edit cursor position.

● From Cursor to End of File selects the range between the edit cursor position and the end of the audio file.

● From Cursor to Previous Marker selects the range between the edit cursor position and the previous marker or the start of the audio file.

● From Cursor to Next Marker selects the range between the edit cursor position and the next marker or the end of the audio file.

● From Playback Position to End of File creates a selection range from the playback position to the end of the audio file. If no playback is taking place, the position of the edit cursor is used.

● From Playback Position to Start of File creates a selection range from the playback position to start of the audio file. If no playback is taking place, the position of the edit cursor is used.

● Double Selection Length doubles the length of the current selection range.

● Halve Selection Length halves the length of the current selection range.

Channels

Opens a menu where you can select the following options:

● Extend to All Channels extends the current selection range to all channels.

WaveLab Elements Concepts Selecting Audio

● Left Channel Only reduces the current selection range to the left channel only.

● Right Channel Only reduces the current selection range to the right channel only.

Regions

Opens a menu where you can select the following options:

● Loop Region selects the range between the two loop markers that encompass the edit cursor.

● Generic Region selects the range between the two generic markers that encompass the edit cursor.

Selecting in Stereo Files

If you are working on stereo material in the Audio Editor, you can apply an operation to one channel only or to the entire stereo material.

Which channel is selected when you click and drag in the wave window depends on where you position the mouse cursor. The pointer shape indicates which channel will be affected.

The following pointer shapes are available:

Select left channel

Clicking in the upper half of the left channel selects the left channel.

Select both channels

Clicking in the middle area between the left and the right channel selects both channels.

Select right channel

Clicking in the lower half of the right channel selects the right channel.

Switching the Selection Between Channels

You can switch the channel selection that you have made for a channel to all channels or switch the selection to the other channel.

PROCEDURE

1. In the wave window of the Audio Editor, select a range.

2. Select the Edit tab.

3. In the Time Selection section, click Channels and select one of the following options:

●

Extend to All Channels

●

Left Channel Only

●

Right Channel Only

You can press Tab to switch between the different channel selections.

WaveLab Elements Concepts Selecting Audio

Selecting in the Overview of the Audio Editor

The ranges that you select in the overview of the Audio Editor also apply to the main view.

PROCEDURE

● In the wave window of the Audio Editor, hold down Ctrl/Cmd and click and drag in the overview.

Moving a Selection Range

If a selection range has the correct length, but the wrong position, you can move it.

PROCEDURE

1. In the wave window, hold down Ctrl/Cmd-Shift.

2. Click in the middle of the selection and drag to the left/right.

Extending and Reducing the Selection

You can resize a selection range in the wave window.

There are several ways to extend/reduce the selection:

● Select a range, Shift-click outside the selection range, and drag to the left/right, or click and drag the edges of the selection range to the left/right.

● To extend the selection to the previous/next boundary (marker or start/end of file), press

Shift and double-click the non-selected area between the boundaries.

Extending and Reducing the Selection Using the Cursor Keys

●

To move the start/end of a selection in the wave window to the left/right, hold down Shift and press the left/right cursor keys. To move it in bigger steps, press the Page Up/Page

Down keys.

●

To extend a selection to the previous/next boundary in the wave window (marker or start/ end of the audio file), hold down Ctrl/Cmd+Shift and press the left/right cursor keys.

Deleting Selections

There are several options for deleting a selected range.

Audio Editor

The following options can be found on the Edit tab in the Cutting section.

Crop

Removes the data outside the selection.

Delete

Removes the selection. The audio to the right of the selection is moved to the left to fill the gap.

Audio Montage Window

The following option can be found on the Edit tab in the Removal section.

Delete Selected Clip

Deletes the selected clip.

WaveLab Elements Concepts Sliders

Sliders

At various places in WaveLab Elements, slider controls are available to change parameters. There are a number of ways to change the value of a slider.

●

Position the mouse over the slider and use the mouse wheel without clicking. Hold Ctrl/

Cmd while using the mouse wheel to scroll faster. This modifier also applies to the zoom

wheels. To move a slider, click and drag it.

●

To move the slider handle to a position, click the slider at any position.

●

To move the slider handle in smaller steps, right-click or click below the handle. Keep the mouse button pressed to automatically step to the next value.

●

To reset the slider to the default value, if available, Ctrl/Cmd-click the slider, or click using the third mouse button, or double-click the handle.

Renaming Items in Tables

You can rename items in tables in the Markers window, and in the CD window.

●

To rename an item, double-click it or select it, and press Return, and enter the new name.

●

To rename the previous/next item, press Up Arrow or Down Arrow. This way you move the focus on the previous/next item, while staying in the edit mode.

File Browser

The File Browser window allows you to browse files from within WaveLab Elements. The Auto Play Mode is useful for speeding up the process of auditioning sound files.

The File Browser window provides you with all the standard browsing functions. It features additional controls to audition audio files and any marker defined regions. You can use it to open or insert files by dragging them to another location.

You can also choose to only view specific file types.

File Browser Window

In this window, you can browse files and open them in WaveLab Elements.

● To open the File Browser window, select Tool Windows> File Browser.

Back/Forward/Parent Directory

Allows you to navigate through the list and file hierarchy.

WaveLab Elements Concepts Tab Groups

Location

This menu allows you to select a file location to browse and lists the recently used locations.

Auto-Play Mode

Automatically starts playback of the selected file.

Play Selected Audio File

Plays the selected audio file.

If this button is activated, you can enter text in the search field.

File type list

Allows you to select which file type and file format to display.

Folder tree

Shows the folders that are available on your computer.

Favorite folders

You can add your favorite folders by dragging them from the folder tree. Each file type has its own favorite folder.

File list

Shows the following information about each file:

● Name shows the name of the audio file.

● Size shows the size of the audio file.

● Type shows the file type of the audio file.

● Date Modified shows the date on which the audio file was last saved.

● Sample Rate shows the sample rate in Hz.

● Bits shows the bit depth in bits. “32F” means 32-bit float and “64F” means 64-

bit float.

● Bit Rate shows the bit rate in kbps.

● Length shows the length of the audio file.

● Channels shows the number of channels.

Create Folder

Allows you to create a new folder. Right-click in the file list and select Create Folder.

Audio Regions

If the selected file contains region markers, the regions are displayed in the Audio Regions section. You can drag regions onto a track.

RELATED LINKS

Folders Tab on page 58

Tab Groups

With tab groups, you can view the content of different files, tool windows, or meters at the same time, without having to navigate through different windows. Each tab group has its own content and tab bar.

You can have two file tab groups.

WaveLab Elements Concepts Tab Groups

Empty File Tab Groups

File Tab Groups with Audio Montages

Creating File Tab Groups

PROCEDURE

1. In the top right of a file tab window, open the Tab Group pop-up menu.

2. Select Create a Tab Group (Split Vertically) or Create a Tab Group (Split Horizontally).

WaveLab Elements Concepts Peak Files

Creating File Tab Groups in Empty Tab Groups

PROCEDURE

● In the top right of an empty file tab group, click Create a Tab Group (Split Vertically) or Create a Tab Group (Split Horizontally).

Using Tab Groups

The Tab Group button in the top right of each tab window allows you to maximize, move, and close tab groups. Tabs are used differently depending on the type of window.

Tool Window Tab Groups

● To hide a tool window tab group, open the Tool Window Tab Group Options pop-up menu and select Hide All.

● To reorder tabs in a tab group, drag the tab horizontally to a new position on the tab bar.

● To dock the tab group to another location, open the Tool Window Tab Group Options pop-up menu and select Dock Tab Group Elsewhere. Now you can select where to dock the tab group.

File Tab Groups

● To close a file tab group, click the Tab Group button and select Hide All.

● To reorder tabs in a tab group, drag the tab horizontally to a new position on the tab bar.

● To move a tab to another project, drag the tab to another project.

● To paste the content of a tab into an audio file, drag the tab onto the waveform. The tab is

● To maximize the active file tab group, open the File Tab Group Options pop-up menu, and

Peak Files

A peak file (extension .gpk) is automatically created by WaveLab Elements each time an audio file is modified or opened in WaveLab Elements for the first time. The peak file contains information about the waveform and determines how it is drawn in the wave window or the montage window.

Peak files speed up the time it takes to draw the corresponding waveform. By default, the peak file is saved in the same location as the audio file.

inserted at the cursor position.

select Hide Other File Tab Groups.

To show all file tab groups, open the File Tab Group Options pop-up menu, and select Show Other File Tab Groups.

You can also double-click the file tab header of a tab group to show/hide other file tab groups.

Rebuilding Peak Displays

Normally, peak files are automatically updated when the date of the peak file is older than the date of the audio file. However, it can happen that the date of the audio file is not automatically updated. In this case you can force a rebuild of the peak file.

PROCEDURE

1. In the Audio Editor, select the View tab.

2. In the Peaks section, click Rebuild Display.

WaveLab Elements Concepts Companion Files

Companion Files

Companion files (extension .vs) contain Master Section presets and view settings for audio files. If this feature is activated when you save a file, the settings are recreated the next time that you load the file.

Companion files are only available in the Audio Editor.

The following view settings are included in companion files:

●

Window size and position

●

Zoom level

●

Scroll position

Storing Companion Files in Another Location

By default, companion files are saved in the same location as the audio file. However, you can select another file location.

PROCEDURE

1. Select File> Preferences> Folders.

2. Click Companion Files and specify another file location.

Processing Precision

WaveLab Elements can load audio samples in many formats but processes them internally as 64bit float samples.

Mixing inside WaveLab Elements is also done in 64-bit float. 32-bit PCM samples can be transferred to 64-bit float and back.

Plug-ins are processed in 64-bit float by default. You can also set the plug-in processing to 32-bit float.

You can set up the processing precision for plug-ins and for temporary files in the Audio tab of the Global Preferences.

NOTE

Processing in 64-bit float means double precision but slightly longer process time than 32-bit float.

Temporary files in 64-bit float have double precision but take longer to read and write than 32-bit float and their file size is twice as big.

RELATED LINKS

Temporary Files on page 57 Audio Tab on page 260

Workspace Window

The Workspace window provides an editing and playback environment for each particular file type. Each environment contains functions that are tailored to the specific purpose of each file type.

● Audio Editor for viewing and editing audio files.

● Audio Montage window for assembling and editing audio montages.

● Podcast Editor for preparing and uploading podcasts.

The Workspace window is highly customizable to match your workflow.

Elements of the Workspace Window

The Workspace window contains the following elements:

● A menu bar

● Tab groups to host the files to edit. You can move the content of a tab to another tab, create a new empty tab, display the file path, and access other functions by right-clicking.

● A set of tool windows. Which tools are available depends on the file type you are working on. The tool windows can be activated/deactivated individually.

Audio Editor

The Audio Editor provides tools and functions for sample-accurate audio editing, high-quality analysis, and processing.

The Audio Editor includes various metering tools.

The wave window gives you a graphical representation of the audio file and allows you to view, play back, and edit the file.

RELATED LINKS

Audio File Editing on page 73

Audio Montage

In the Audio Montage, you assemble audio clips into a montage. You can arrange, edit, and play back clips on both stereo or mono tracks.

Features include both track- and clip-based effects, volume and pan automation, and wideranging fade and crossfade functions.

You can place any number of clips on an audio track. A clip contains a reference to a source audio file on your hard disk, as well as start and end positions in the file.

The montage window gives you a graphical representation of clips on tracks. In it you can view, play back, and edit the tracks and clips.

Workspace Window Podcast Editor

RELATED LINKS

Audio Montage on page 129

Podcast Editor

In the Podcast Editor, you assemble, define, and publish your podcast to the Internet.

RELATED LINKS

Podcasts on page 238

File Tab

The File tab is the control center of WaveLab Elements. Here, you can save, open, render, import, and export files. It also gives you detailed information about your files and allows you to set up the WaveLab Elements preferences.

Info

Provides information about the active file and allows you to edit the audio properties of audio files and audio montages.

New

Allows you to create audio files, audio montages, or podcasts. You can create new files or use a template.

Open

Allows you to open audio files, audio montages, or podcasts.

You can also open files that you have previously copied to the clipboard in the File Explorer/macOS Finder.

Import

Allows you to open different file formats. The following formats are supported:

● Audio File to Montage

● Unknown Audio

Workspace Window Info Tab

Save As

Save All

Export

Preferences

You can also import audio CD tracks from an audio CD.

Allows you to save the active file or the project. You can specify the name, file format, and location. You can also save a copy of the active file.

Allows you to save all changed files of your project at once. The file list gives you an overview of all files that have been changed.

You can use the filter to show all changed files, only audio files, or only audio montages.

Allows you to render the active file and upload the audio file to SoundCloud.

Allows you to view and change the preferences of WaveLab Elements. You can set up the preferences for the following parts of WaveLab Elements:

● Global

● Audio Connections

● Shortcuts

● Plug-ins

● Remote Devices

● Folders

● Audio Files

● Audio Montages

Info Tab

Tools

Allows you to access the following tools:

● Data CD/DVD

● Batch Conversion

RELATED LINKS

Info Tab on page 28 Configuring WaveLab Elements on page 258

The Info tab provides information about the active file and allows you to edit the audio properties of audio files and audio montages.

● To open the Info tab, select the File tab, and click Info.

Workspace Window Info Tab

Depending on the selected file, different information and options are available.

Name

Displays the name, file extension, and file location of the active file. You can edit these attributes.

File Properties

Displays the size, date, and file format of the active file.

Audio Properties

For audio files, this displays the sample precision, channels, and sample rate of the active file.

For audio montages, this displays the mode, channels, and sample rate of the active file.

You can edit these attributes.

Sample Attributes (audio files only)

Displays the musical attributes tune, key range, and velocity range.

Metadata

Displays the metadata of the active file.

Copy to Clipboard

Opens a menu from which you can select which information about the active file you want to copy to the clipboard.

Reveal in File Explorer/macOS Finder

Opens the File Explorer/macOS Finder to show the location of the active file.

Delete

Deletes the active file.

Workspace Window Tool Windows

Tool Windows

Throughout WaveLab Elements there are various tool windows available that allow you to view, analyze, and edit the active file.

Generally, the content of a tool window is synchronized with the active file, with the exception of the audio meters which displays the audio file being played back. Tool windows can be docked and undocked, and saved in your custom layouts. Some tool windows are only available for specific file types.

The tool windows can be accessed via the Tool Windows menu.

Opening and Closing Tool Windows

You can close all tool windows that you do not need for your project.

●

To open a tool window, select Tool Windows and select a tool window.

●

To close a docked tool window, right-click the tool window tab and select Hide.

●

To close an undocked tool window, click its X button.

Meter Windows

WaveLab Elements contains a variety of audio meters that you can use for monitoring and analyzing audio. Meters can be used to monitor audio during playback, rendering, and recording. Furthermore, you can use them to analyze audio sections when playback is stopped.

The meter windows can be accessed via the Meters menu.

Opening and Closing Meter Windows

You can close all meter windows you do not need for your project.

●

To open a meter window, select Meters and select a meter window.

●

To close a docked meter window, right-click the meter window tab and select Hide.

●

To close an undocked meter window, click its X button.

Slide-Out Windows

Slide-out windows are hidden in the frame of the Workspace window. When you hover the mouse pointer over the window name, the window slides out. It is hidden again, when you click anywhere else.

Slide-out window tab

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