Steinberg Wavelab LE - 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 LE_9.5.20_en-US_2018-02-21

5 WaveLab LE 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 Remote Devices

16 WaveLab LE 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 Peak Files 23 Processing Precision

24 Workspace Window

24 Audio Editor 24 Audio Montage 25 Podcast Editor 25 File Tab 26 Info Tab 27 Tool Windows 28 Slide-Out Windows 28 Docking and Undocking Tool Windows and

Meter Windows

29 Command Bar 30 Status Bar 31 Context Menus 31 Time Ruler and Level Ruler 35 Managing Tabs 36 Activating Full Screen Mode 36 Resetting the Default Workspace Layout

37 Project Handling

37 Opening Files 37 Value Editing 38 Drag Operations 39 Undoing and Redoing Actions 39 Zooming 44 Presets

46 File Operations

46 Recently Used Files

47 Save and Save As 49 File Renaming 49 Deleting Files 50 Temporary Files 50 Work Folders vs. Document Folders 52 Exporting to SoundCloud 52 Copying Audio Information to the Clipboard 52 Setting the Focus on the Current File

53 Playback

53 Transport Bar 55 Starting Playback From the Ruler 55 Using the Play Tool 56 Playback Scrubbing 56 Scroll During Playback 57 Playback in the Audio Montage Window

58 Audio File Editing

58 Wave Window 60 Audio Editor Tabs 66 File Handling in the Audio Editor 79 Changing the Audio Properties 79 Metadata 81 Silence Generator Dialog

84 Audio Analysis

84 3D Frequency Analysis

87 Offline Processing

87 Process Tab 88 Applying Processing 88 Gain Dialog 89 Level Normalizer Dialog 89 Envelope Dialog 91 Fades in Audio Files 92 Crossfades 93 Phase Inverting 93 Reversing Audio 93 DC Offset 94 Resample

95 Audio Montage

95 Montage Window 97 Audio Montage Tabs 104 Signal Path in the Audio Montage 104 Creating New Audio Montages 105 Audio Montage Duplicates 105 Creating an Audio Montage from an Audio File 106 Import Options for Audio Montages 106 Missing Files Dialog 107 Assembling the Audio Montage 111 Rearranging Clips 113 Clip Editing 116 Track Activity Indicator

Table of Contents 

117 Envelopes for Clips 118 Fades and Crossfades in Audio Montages 121 Mixing Down – The Render Function 121 Notes Window

123 Recording

123 Setting Up the Recording Dialog 123 Dropping Markers During Recording 124 Recording Dialog

127 Master Section

127 Bypassing the Master Section 127 Master Section Window 133 Rendering 137 Monitoring Background Tasks 137 Dropouts

138 Markers

138 Marker Types 138 Markers Window 140 About Creating Markers 141 Deleting Markers 142 Moving Markers 142 Navigating to Markers 142 Hiding Markers of a Specific Type 142 Converting Marker Types 142 Renaming Markers 143 Selecting Markers 143 Selecting the Audio Between Markers 144 Binding Markers to Clips in the Audio Montage 144 How Marker Information is Saved

145 Importing Audio CD Tracks

145 Import Audio CD Dialog 146 Importing Audio CD Tracks

148 Podcasts

148 Podcast Editor 151 Creating a Podcast 151 Setting Up a FTP for Podcast Publishing 151 Publishing Podcasts 152 FTP Settings Dialog 153 Checking the Podcast

154 Customizing

154 Customizing the Wave Window and the

Montage Window

155 Customizing Shortcuts 159 Plug-in Organization 161 Touch Bar (macOS only)

162 Configuring WaveLab LE

162 Global Preferences 164 Audio Files Preferences 167 Audio Montages Preferences

171 Index

WaveLab LE 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 LE 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 111

Conventions

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

WaveLab LE 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 LE Introduction How You Can Reach Us

How You Can Reach Us

On the Help menu in WaveLab LE, 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 LE, other applications cannot access the audio card. Likewise, if another application uses the audio card, WaveLab LE is unable to play back. The Windows MME driver is an exception from this.

You can run WaveLab LE 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 when WaveLab LE is in Background.

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 LE.

When working with WaveLab LE, 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 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

Setting Up Your System Defining Audio Connections

Defining Audio Connections

To be able to play back and record audio in WaveLab LE, you must specify how the internal input and output channels in WaveLab LE 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 LE 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.

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.

Setting Up Your System Defining Audio Connections

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.

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 LE together with other applications and always give the active application access to the audio card.

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

Setting Up Your System Remote Devices

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

Remote Devices

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

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 LE, and see the control map of MIDI control devices.

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

Setting Up Your System Remote Devices

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 LE 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 LE windows and dialogs.

CC121 Advanced Integration Controller

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

This section describes the WaveLab LE 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 LE 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 LE 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 LE navigation mode by turning off the EQ TYPE button. In WaveLab LE 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.

Setting Up Your System Remote Devices

Frequency knobs (F)

Gain knobs (G)

ALL BYPASS

EQ TYPE deactivated:

LOW ON

LOW-MID ON

HIGH ON

Adjusts the center frequency of each EQ band.

Adjusts the gain of each EQ band.

Activates/Deactivates the EQ bands.

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

Opens the Audio Editor.

Opens the Audio Montage window.

Opens the preferences tab.

EQ-1 knob for the EQ Gain (G)

Scrolls left/right on the timeline.

EQ-2 knob for the EQ Gain (G)

Adjusts the horizontal zoom on the timeline.

EQ-3 knob for the EQ Gain (G)

Adjusts the vertical zoom on the timeline.

EQ-4 knob for the EQ Gain (G)

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 LE.

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.

Setting Up Your System Remote Devices

Next button

Cycle button

Stop button

Play button

Record button

Function Section

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

VALUE knob

Moves the cursor position to the right.

Activates/Deactivates Cycle mode.

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.

Starts playback.

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.

FUNCTION button 1

Adjusts the fade in settings of the active clip.

FUNCTION button 2

Adjusts the fade out settings of the active clip.

FUNCTION button 3

Adjusts the envelope level of the active clip.

FUNCTION button 4

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 LE 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.

Setting Up Your System Remote Devices

CUBASE READY Indicator

The CUBASE READY indicator has no function in WaveLab LE.

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 LE Concepts

This chapter describes general concepts that you will use when working with WaveLab LE. 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 LE starts, the Startup dialog opens where you can select which file you want to open.

Create

Empty Window

Creates an empty WaveLab LE window.

WaveLab LE Concepts Basic Window Handling

Open

Last Files

Opens the files that you last used in WaveLab LE.

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 LE.

Basic Window Handling

WaveLab LE 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 LE 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 LE 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 LE 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 option:

● 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 LE 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 LE Concepts Sliders

Sliders

At various places in WaveLab LE, 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 Clips 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 LE. 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 LE.

● 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 LE Concepts Peak Files

Location

Auto-Play Mode

Play Selected Audio File

File type list

Folder tree

Favorite folders

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

Automatically starts playback of the selected file.

Plays the selected audio file.

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

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

Shows the folders that are available on your computer.

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 50

Peak Files

A peak file (extension .gpk) is automatically created by WaveLab LE each time an audio file is modified or opened in WaveLab LE 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.

WaveLab LE Concepts Processing Precision

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.

Processing Precision

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

Mixing inside WaveLab LE 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 50 Audio Tab on page 163

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.

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 58

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.

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.

RELATED LINKS

Audio Montage on page 95

Workspace Window Podcast Editor

Podcast Editor

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

RELATED LINKS

Podcasts on page 148

File Tab

The File tab is the control center of WaveLab LE. 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 LE 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 an audio file, audio montage, or podcast.

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 import audio files to an audio montage and audio CD tracks from an audio CD.

Save As

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.

Save All

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.

Workspace Window Info Tab

Export

Preferences

RELATED LINKS

Info Tab on page 26 Configuring WaveLab LE on page 162

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 LE. You can set up the preferences for the following parts of WaveLab LE:

● Global

● Audio Connections

● Shortcuts

● Plug-ins

● Remote Devices

● Folders

● Audio Files

● Audio Montages

Info Tab

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.

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

Workspace Window Tool Windows

Name

File Properties

Audio Properties

Metadata

Copy to Clipboard

Reveal in File Explorer/macOS Finder

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

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

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.

Displays the metadata of the active file.

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

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

Delete

Deletes the active file.

Tool Windows

Throughout WaveLab LE 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.

Workspace Window Slide-Out Windows

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

An open slide-out window

Docking and Undocking Tool Windows and Meter Windows

Tool windows and meter windows can be used as docked windows, as floating windows, or as a slide-out window. You can freely drag around the windows and dock them at various locations.

●

To undock a tool window or meter window, drag the corresponding tab to another position.

Now the tool window or meter window is a floating window which can be freely moved.

●

To dock a tool window or meter window, click and hold the caption bar or click the Options button on the right of the caption bar and select Dock Tab Group Elsewhere.

Yellow symbols indicate locations for docked windows, pink symbols indicate locations for slide-out windows. Drag the window to one of the locations.

Workspace Window Command Bar

●

To dock a floating tool window or meter window at its last docked position, click the

Options button on the right of the caption bar and select Dock to Last Place Again.

RELATED LINKS

Slide-Out Windows on page 28

Command Bar

The command bar of file windows allows you to create, open, and save files, and undo/redo changes. You can also use the text field to quickly find and access open files, and to trigger keywords.

New

Allows you to create an audio file, audio montage, or podcast.

Open

Allows you to open an audio file, audio montage, or podcast.

Save

Saves the active file.

Save As

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

Undo

Allows you to undo changes.

Redo

Allows you to redo changes that were undone.

Workspace Window Status Bar

Navigate Backwards/Navigate Forwards

Customize Command Bar

Maximize Window

Layout Options

Status Bar

The status bar at the bottom of the screen of the Audio Editor and the Audio Montage window shows information about the active window using the units specified in the rulers.

The information displayed on the status bar is updated depending on the cursor position and on the audio selection that you have made.

In the Audio Editor and Audio Montage window, this allows you to navigate to the previous/next cursor position, zoom factor, or selection range without undoing/ redoing the edit operation.

Allows you to select the buttons that you want to display on the command bar.

Maximizes the window. To restore the window size, click the button again.

Allows you to determine the position of the command bar and transport bar.

Time/Level (dB)

Displays the time of the audio file at the mouse cursor position. In the Audio Editor, it also displays the level.

The value in brackets shows the time from the edit cursor position to the mouse cursor position.

Audio Information at Edit Cursor

Displays the time at the position of the edit cursor. This information changes if you reposition the cursor.

● To define the cursor position, click the Audio Information at Edit Cursor field

to open the Cursor Position dialog.

● To focus the cursor position, right-click the Audio Information at Edit Cursor

field.

Audio Selection Indicator (Audio Editor)/Audio Range Indicator (Audio Montage)

In the Audio Editor, this displays the length of the current selection, or the total length of the audio file if no selection has been made.

In the Audio Montage window, this displays the length of the audio selection if a clip is selected, or the size of the audio montage.

If you have zoomed in, you can right-click the indicator to display the selected audio range, the active clip, or the whole file. Left-click the indicator to open the Audio

Range dialog, where you can define or refine a selection.

Zoom Indicator

Displays the current zoom factor.

● To open a pop-up menu, that allows you to make additional zoom settings,

click the indicator.

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