Steinberg WaveLab 3 Operation Manual

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Master Section 10 – 231
The Dithering pane
The Dithering pane allows you to add dithering to the signal before it’s sent 
to the audio hardware or to a file on disk. You can choose between Wave-
Lab’s internal dithering algorithm, Apogee’s renowned UV22HR algorithm 
or any external dithering plug-in of your choice. First, some theory:
What is dithering?
Dithering is a method for reducing quantization errors in digital record-
ings. In the case of WaveLab, dithering is applied when reducing the 
number of bits in a recording, for example when moving from 24 to 16 
bits, and when applying processing.
The theory behind this is that during low level passages, only a few bits 
are used to represent the signal, which leads to quantization errors and 
hence distortion. To the ear, this is perceived as “graininess” during low 
level passages in a recording.
When “truncating bits”, as a result of moving from for example 24- to 16-
bit resolution, such quantization noise is added to an otherwise immacu-
late recording.
By adding a special kind of noise at an extremely low level, the quantization 
errors are minimized. Indeed, the added noise can be perceived as a very 
low-level quiescent hiss added to the recording. However, this is hardly 
noticeable and much preferred to the distortion that otherwise occurs.
• The reason for the dithering block to be last in the Master Section is that 
the output level must not be changed after dithering a signal.  
						

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When should I apply dithering?
The basic rule-of-thumb is that you should dither when moving to a lower 
bit resolution. One obvious instance of this is when converting an audio 
file to a lower resolution (e.g. preparing a 24-bit file for mastering to CD, 
which uses 16-bit format).
However, even if you’re playing back or rendering a 16-bit file to the same 
resolution, you need to dither if you’re using any real-time processing 
whatsoever in WaveLab! The reason for this is that WaveLab works with 
an internal resolution of 32-bit (floating point), for supreme audio quality. 
This means that as soon as you perform any kind of real-time processing, 
the audio data will be treated at this high resolution instead of the original 
16 bits, thus making dithering necessary.
Examples of real-time processing include level adjustments, any effects, 
mixing of two or more clips in a Montage, etc. In fact, the only time when 
a 16-bit file will be played back at 16-bit resolution is if you play it without 
any fades or effects, and with the Master Faders set to 0.00 (no level ad-
justment – Master level indicator turned off).
• To make sure whether you need to dither or not, use the Bit Meter to check 
the actual resolution of your audio signals.
The Bit Meter is described in the section “Bit Meter” on page 170.
Selecting a dithering algorithm
To select and activate a dithering algorithm, click on the arrow button next 
to the plug-in slot in the Dithering pane, and select one of the options from 
the pop-up menu that appears. The default options are “Intern” (Wave-
Lab’s internal dithering algorithm), “UV22” and “UV22HR” (dithering algo-
rithms developed by Apogee). However, you can also add other plug-ins 
to this list, see “Adding other plug-ins to the Dithering pane” on page 235
• When you select any of the “UV22” options, a special control panel appears. 
This is where you make the UV22 dithering settings (see “UV22HR Dither-
ing” on page 234).
This is handled in the same way as regular effect control panels – you can hide or show it by 
right-clicking on the slot, bypass it in the control panel, etc. The same is true if you select any 
plug-in other than the “Intern” option. For the internal dithering, the controls in the Dithering 
pane are used, as described below.
Once you have selected a dithering algorithm, dithering is active (as indi-
cated by the red indicator for the Dithering pane). It will apply to all play-
back (through the Master Section) or rendering.
• To turn off dithering completely, right click in the slot and select “Remove” 
from the pop-up menu that appears.
This is the same as selecting “None” from the effect selection pop-up menu. 
						

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Master Section 10 – 233
Making settings
When dithering, there are no hard and fast rules for how to set up the pa-
rameters – this largely depends on the type of material. We recommend 
that you experiment and let your ears be the final judge.
The available parameters are different for the internal algorithm and the 
UV22 algorithms:
Internal dithering
Internal dithering must be used when rendering multichannel Montages, 
see “Dithering and multichannel Montages ” on page 526.
Parameter Description
Noise Type Determines the dithering method used:
In “Off” mode, no dithering is applied – use this as a Bypass function. 
The “Type 1” mode is the most “all-round” type of method.
The “Type 2” mode emphasizes higher frequencies more than Type 1.
Noise Shaping This parameter alters the character of the noise added when dithering. 
Again, there are no hard and fast rules, but you may notice that the higher 
the number you select here, the more the noise is moved out of the ear’s 
most sensitive range, the mid-range.
Output Bit 
ResolutionThis is where you specify the intended bit resolution for the final audio, after 
dithering, regardless of whether you will “Render” the settings or play back 
in real-time.
It is very important to set this to the correct resolution!
Dithering will change the sample resolution, but not the sample size. E.g. 
when dithering 24-bit to 16-bit, the file will be still be 32-bit in size, al-
though only 16 bits of information will have significance. 
Hence, when rendering to a 16-bit file, specify the desired file resolution to 
avoid wasting space!  
						

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10 – 234 Master Section
UV22 Dithering
The UV22 is a dithering plug-in based on an algorithm developed by Apo-
gee. 
The UV22 is mainly included for backwards compatability, so that Wave-
Lab Master Section presets saved in earlier WaveLab versions can be 
loaded successsfully.
UV22HR Dithering
The UV22HR is an advanced version of Apogee's renowned UV22 dither-
ing algorithm, capable of dithering to 8, 16, 20 or 24 bits.
Option Description
Normal Try this first, it is the most “all-round” type.
Low This applies a lower level of dither noise.
Autoblack When this is activated, the dither noise is gated (muted) during silent pas-
sages in the material.
Option Description
Normal Try this first, it is the most “all-round” type.   
						

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Master Section 10 – 235
Adding other plug-ins to the Dithering pane
If you have purchased another dithering plug-in that you prefer, you can 
use this instead of the internal or UV22/UV22HR dithering. It’s also pos-
sible to insert some other type of plug-in in the Dithering pane – it will be 
applied after the Master level faders (possible useful plug-ins would be 
maximizers, limiters, etc.).
Please remember that the meters in the Master Section monitor the signal 
before the Dithering pane! To avoid clipping, check the Level/Pan Meter and 
adjust the output level setting of the plug-in, if available.
To make a plug-in available on the plug-in slot pop-up menu in the Dither-
ing pane, proceed as follows:
1.Pull down the Options menu and select “Organize Master Section plug-
ins…”.
A dialog appears, listing all plug-ins installed in your system. See “Organizing plug-in pro-
cessors” on page 753.
2.Locate the plug-in in the list.
Note that plug-ins can be placed in groups (folders) in the list – click the plus sign next to a 
folder to view the contents of a group if needed.
3.Activate the checkbox in the PM column for the plug-in.
PM stands for “Post Master fader”.
4.Click OK to close the dialog.
Now, the plug-in will appear on the pop-up menu in the Dithering pane, and 
can be inserted after the Master Level faders (as with the regular dithering 
types). You make settings for the plug-in like you would for effects in the Ef-
fects pane. Note also that the plug-in will still be available for selection as a 
regular, pre-master effect.
Low This applies a lower level of dither noise.
Autoblack When this is activated, the dither noise is gated (muted) during silent pas-
sages in the material.
Bit resolution You use the buttons 8, 16, 20 or 24 to select the intended bit resolution for 
the final audio. As when using the internal dithering, it is very
important to set this to the correct resolution! Option Description 
						

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Master Section presets
You can turn all settings currently made in the Master Section into a pre-
set. This includes which processors were used, what settings were made 
for each one of them, and dithering options.
Creating presets
To create a new preset, proceed as follows:
1.Set up the Master Section as you want it.
This includes selecting Processors, making settings, and setting dithering options.
2.Click the Presets button in the Effects pane.
3.Type in a name for the preset in the upper right corner.
4.If you want the dithering options and Master level settings to be part of 
the preset, make sure “Save Dither/Level settings” is activated.
This is the default.
5.Click Add.
• The presets are saved automatically when you quit the program. The next 
time you load the program, the presets are ready and waiting, just as you 
left them.  
						

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Master Section 10 – 237
Loading a preset
To load a preset, select it in the list to the left, and click on one of the Load 
buttons, depending on the desired load method:
• The Replace method replaces all settings in the Master Section with the setting in 
the preset.
• The Mask method replaces only those slots in the Master Section that are actually 
used in the preset.
• The Append method fills the unused slots in the Master Section with the settings 
in the preset.
If there are not enough free slots available to load the entire preset, a warning message will 
appear.
Modifying a preset
1.Set up the Master Section as desired.
If you only want to adjust a few settings in an existing preset, you may want to load this first, 
as described above.
2.Go back to the “Master Section Presets” window.
3.Select the preset you want to overwrite with the new settings.
4.Click the Update button.
•To update settings for the last loaded preset you can [Ctrl]-click the Pre-
sets button.
This will save any changes without having to open the dialog.
Deleting a preset
To delete a preset, select it in the list to the left and click the Delete button.
Using key sequences for presets
If you want to invoke a preset via a key command sequence, you can do 
this by defining key sequences.
A key sequence contains between one and three keys that must be 
pressed in a certain order to recall the preset.
Defining key sequences
1.Select the preset for which you want to create a key sequence, and click 
the key sequence button.
2.If you want to clear the current key sequence, click Clear. 
						

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10 – 238 Master Section
3.Make sure Catch mode is active.
4.Press the first combination of keys that you want to use.
You can include modifiers ([Shift], [Ctrl], [Alt], etc.) if you like. There is also a setting that 
makes the program distinguish between two modifiers with the same label, on each side of 
the space bar.
5.Proceed with the following key(s).
6.Disable Catch mode.
This is just a safety measure so that you don’t accidentally erase or add to your current key 
sequence, when pressing more keys.
7.Close the dialog.
8.Use the Default Key Action buttons to decide whether your key se-
quences will invoke the “Replace”, “Mask” or “Append” load method.
This setting is global to all Key sequences.
Using key sequences
Key sequences can only be invoked when the Master Section Presets di-
alog is closed. Press the keys in the order they were entered in the dialog, 
and the preset is loaded.
Saving and loading preset groups
You can save one or more created presets as a preset group for easy ac-
cess. If you have added presets to the Preset window and want to save 
them as a group, use the drop-down menu at the bottom of the dialog to 
enter a name for the group and save it.
When you have saved a set of presets as a group, you can delete the pre-
sets themselves, since they are saved in the group and can be recalled by 
selecting that group from the drop-down menu.
This function is useful if you are working on several projects, since it 
makes for a convenient way to keep specific Master Section presets for 
specific projects well organized and easily accessible. 
						

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Rendering
While the Master Section can perform all processing in real time during 
playback, it’s also possible to save the audio output to a file on disk. This 
is done with the Render function.
There are several uses for Rendering:
• Mix down a complete Audio Montage to an audio file.
This can be a goal in itself, but can also be necessary if your Montage uses e.g. more ef-
fects than the system can handle in real time. By Rendering it to a file first, and creating a 
CD from this file instead, you can avoid dropouts and CD burning failure.
• Mix down a file in a Wave window to a new audio file, complete with Master Sec-
tion effects, dithering and other settings.
You can freely choose the format of the new audio file, allowing you to create an mp3 file 
and add effects at the same time, for example.
• “Apply” all settings in the Master Section to a file in a Wave window.
This is the same as the previous option, but the Master Section processing will transpar-
ently and permanently be “applied” to the current file instead.
Rendering Audio Montages is described in the Audio Montage chapter (see 
“Mixing down – The Render function ” on page 527). This section describes 
Rendering waves.
What is rendered?
When you use Render, all Master Section settings (effects, master levels, 
dithering, etc.) are included in the resulting audio file. In other words, what 
you hear is what you get.
• One thing to note: the Bypass switch affects playback only, while the effect 
On switches affect both playback and Rendering. 
						

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Calling up the Render dialog and filling out the options
Click the Render button to call up the following dialog:
The Render dialog for Wave windows (for information on Rendering Audio Montages, see 
“Mixing down – The Render function” on page 527).
Here is what the options mean:
Range
This is where you specify what part of the wave to render.
Option Description
Selection Process only the portion that is currently selected in the Main view.
Whole file Process the entire file.
Skip Mute 
RegionsWhen this is activated, regions between Mute markers (see “The vari-
ous marker types” on page 329) will not be included in the resulting file.
Regions In this mode, all regions of a certain type (either Track, Loop, or Generic 
– selectable from the pop-up), can be rendered separately. This is a 
powerful option allowing you to instantly create/process multiple files/
selections as defined by region markers. You could for example add a 
fade-in and fade-out to each region.