Steinberg WaveLab 3 Operation Manual

							16
Using Auto Split 
						

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16 – 342 Using Auto Split
Introduction
Auto Split is a powerful function that allows you to automatically split au-
dio files according to certain specified rules. You can use it to split files in 
the following ways:
• …at marker points
• …at regions containing silences
• …at beat points using beat detection
• …at specific time intervals
• …according to a description of regions stored in a text file
In addition, you can use the Auto Split function to remove silence at the 
start and end of a file, or to split stereo files into two mono files.
The Auto Split function can either create new files or Montage clips refer-
encing the original file(s). The new files or clips can be automatically named 
and/or numbered.
The Auto Split dialog
To open the Auto Split dialog, select “Auto Split” from the Tools menu, or 
press [Ctrl]-[T]. 
What appears is actually a series of dialogs or pages, with different pa-
rameters and options according to what Auto Split method you select. 
When you have set up the first page as desired, click “Next” to proceed to 
the next page, and so on. If you change your mind, you can click “Back” to 
go back to the previous page.
•On the first page you specify what file(s) to process with Auto Split.
You can select between:
• The Wave in the currently active window (or a selection of the same Wave).
• All wav or aif files in a specified folder (optionally including subfolders).
• File List (a text file containing the names and paths to audio files on your disks, 
with one file name per line).
For the last two items you have to click the Browse button and navigate to the desired 
folder or text file, respectively. 
						

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Using Auto Split 16 – 343
• On the second page you select the type of splitting you wish to perform:
•The third page of the dialog varies according to the chosen split method. 
The following pages of the dialog are common to all types of Auto Split, except that certain 
options are greyed out in the dialogs if not applicable.
•The fourth page is where you specify what to do with the regions created 
by Auto Split.
You can choose to save the regions as separate files or to create clips and add these to a 
new or existing Montage. You can also select to not split the file(s) but to create markers at 
the split points instead. Click the question mark icon in the dialog for details.
•On the fifth page you can set various options.
Here you can insert silence at the start and/or end of the files, or automatically assign root 
key note numbers to the files. Click the question mark icon in the dialog for details.
•On the last page you specify how the files, clips or markers created by 
Auto Split should be named before finally performing the splitting.
Options include a source file name plus a key name or number, or the file name as specified 
in a text file. Click the question mark icon in the dialog for details. 
Option Description
Split according to 
markersThis will split the file(s) at specific marker positions. If you select this, the 
next page allows you to select which marker type should govern where 
splitting will occur. 
Split at specific 
intervalsThis will split the file(s) at specific time intervals. If you select this, the 
next page allows you to specify this time interval (and thus the duration 
of each region).
Split between 
silencesThis will split the file(s) so that each non-silent section becomes a sepa-
rate region. If you select this, the next page lets you specify the minimum 
region duration, minimum duration of a silent section, and the signal level 
that should be considered as “silence”.
Learn regions from 
text fileThis mode allows you to split an audio file according to a description of 
regions stored in a text file. See “About the “Learn regions from text file” 
option” on page 346.
Split at beats This option will detect “beats” in the audio material and split the file(s) at 
each beat. If you select this, the next page allows you to specify the sen-
sitivity of the beat detection, the minimum beat level to create a split 
point, and the minimum region duration (i.e. no regions shorter than the 
specified duration will be created).
Cut head and tail This will remove sections from the start and/or end of the file(s), either 
silent sections or sections specified by you on the next page.
Convert stereo files 
to two mono filesThis will split stereo files into two mono files. Since there are no addi-
tional settings for this, the next page will be the “fourth page” below, on 
which you specify where to save the files. 
						

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16 – 344 Using Auto Split
Example 1 – Splitting samples
Here’s one application of Auto Split: Let’s say you are working with a 
sampler (hardware based or software, e.g. Steinberg’s HALion). You have 
made a long recording of separate notes of an instrument that you wish to 
cut up into separate samples and transmit to the sampler:
1.Open the audio file in a Wave window and select Auto Split from the 
Tools menu.
2.On the first page, specify that the “Wave in active window” should be 
processed, and click Next.
The next page asks you what type of splitting to perform.
3.Select “Split between silences” and click Next.
This assumes that there are sections of silence between the recorded notes. If the notes 
have reasonably clear attacks, you could also try the “Split at beats” method.
4.Set up the next page according to the audio file, and click Next.
You should adjust the first setting according to the length of the shortest recorded note, the 
second setting according to the shortest period of silence between two notes, and the third 
setting according to the level of the “silence” between the notes (this can require some ex-
perimenting if the recording contains room ambience or long decaying notes).
5.Now you are asked what to do with the regions to be created. Select 
“Save as separate files”, specify the desired format (wav or aiff) and loca-
tion for the new files and click Next.
6.On the Options page, activate the “Assign Key” option and select the 
“Detect pitch” method. Click Next.
This will analyze each note and assign the correct “Key” setting (also known as “root key”) 
to each sample. If you activate “Quantize to nearest semitone”, WaveLab will set the Key 
according to the closest semitone; if not, the “Detune” setting in the sample may also be 
adjusted, according to any pitch deviations. See “Editing sample attributes” on page 667.
7.On the final page, select the naming option “As audio file name + key” 
and click Process.
WaveLab splits the file according to your settings, and creates new files in the specified lo-
cation. If you are working with HALion, it’s now very easy to import the samples into the 
sampler: open all the created files and use the [Ctrl]-[Shift]-[C] function described in the 
section “Using WaveLab with Steinberg HALion” on page 666.  
						

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Example 2 – Converting marker type 
Another example of Auto Split does not involve any actual splitting of the 
file. Instead we illustrate how you can use Auto Split to convert all markers 
of one type to another. Proceed as follows:
1.Open the audio file containing the markers you wish to convert in a Wave 
window and select Auto Split from the Tools menu.
2.On the first page, specify that the “Wave in active window” should be 
processed, and click Next.
The next page asks you what type of splitting to perform.
3.Select “Split according to markers” and click Next.
4.Next you specify what type of markers should be used to “split” the file 
and click Next.
Here you select the existing marker type that you are about to convert.
5.On the next page, select “Do not split, only create markers at splitting 
points”.
6.Then on the same page, set the marker type you want to convert the exist-
ing markers to.
7.Continue through the next pages and set options as required.
8.Finish by clicking Process on the last page.
The markers are changed to the specified type. 
						

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16 – 346 Using Auto Split
About the “Learn regions from text file” option
You can split an audio file according to a description of regions stored in 
a text file. 
This works as follows:
•The text file must be placed in the same folder as the audio file, with the 
same name, and with an extension that you specify in the WaveLab dialog 
(e.g. “txt” or “xml”).
Each region is described by a name, a start position and end position (or a region length). 
The text file is a series of such descriptions. WaveLab lets you specify a few parameters so 
as to adapt to different text formats. Let’s start by an example:
Name=My region
Start=10000
End=20000
Name=My other region
Start=50000
Length=15000
The parameters are each identified by a tag. There are 4 possible tags: 
• Region name
• Region start
• Region end
• Region length 
These tags can be customized in the dialog. The text file must specify 
either the “End” or the “Length” parameter. The “End” parameter is the 
sample position right after the last sample of the region so that “End to 
Start” equals “Length”.
•Each parameter (name, positions), must be located on a separate text 
line.
This does include the XML style, which is normally allowed to do otherwise.
•The time values must be in samples or in time code format.
Hours:minutes:seconds:samples.
There are 3 possible text formats:
• “Tag” = “Value”: The tag comes first, then the sign “=”, then the value.
• “Tag” Tabulation “Value”: The tag comes first, then a tabulation sign, then the value.
• XML style: The tag comes first, surrounded by < and >, then the value, lastly the 
tag surrounded by . 
When you select this text format, the characters are expected to be in the UTF-8 format. 
						

							17
Preparing a Basic Audio CD 
						

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17 – 348 Preparing a Basic Audio CD
Creating, opening and saving Basic Audio CDs
Basic Audio CD was the first implementation of CD burning in WaveLab. The 
Audio Montage has since added many new features for CD creation, but 
this original concept (Basic Audio CD) still represents a simple and effec-
tive way to create a CD. 
The Basic Audio CD allows you to burn real “red book compatible” CDs. 
It is in this window that you assemble the files you want to appear on the 
CD, and make settings for them.
•To create a Basic Audio CD, pull down the File menu, select New, and 
from the submenu that appears, select Basic Audio CD.
You will get a blank window that you can fill with entries, see “Adding files to a Basic Audio 
CD” on page 350.
•To open an already existing Basic Audio CD, select Open from the File 
menu, and Basic Audio CD from the submenu that appears. Alternatively, 
use the list of recently opened files at the bottom of the File menu.
When you open a Basic Audio CD, all the files to which it refers are also opened. However, 
they do not appear in windows. If some files that are part of the Basic Audio CD can't be 
found, a warning message appears.
•Once you have created your list, you can save it to disk like any other file, 
using the Save and Save as commands.
Please note that the Basic Audio CD can very well be used as a generic 
“play list”. It allows you to easily assemble lists of files or sections of files 
with adjustable pauses in between. These lists can be used for auditioning 
or for creating complete program material. 
						

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About the Basic Audio CD window
When a Basic Audio CD is active, a new menu called “CD” appears. You 
can also open this menu from the top left corner of the Basic Audio CD 
window.
The CD menu, here invoked from the main menu bar.
• You can have several Basic Audio CD windows open at the same time.
• The Basic Audio CD is merely a list of the files (or file segments), it does not con-
tain the actual files themselves.
This means that changes you make to the files will be reflected in the list as well. In other 
words, it is very important to keep track of changes made to files that are used in several 
Basic Audio CDs, because these changes will appear in all these lists.  
						

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17 – 350 Preparing a Basic Audio CD
Adding files to a Basic Audio CD
What audio file formats can be used?
You can add any type of file to a Basic Audio CD. However, when it is 
time to burn the CD, the files in the list must meet the following specifica-
tions:
• 44100 Hz (44.1kHz).
• Mono, dual-mono or stereo.
• 8, 16, 20 or 24 bit resolution.
The files will be converted to 16-bit stereo on the fly, while the CD gets burned.
A track can only appear once in each Basic Audio CD!
Using Add Track(s)
This item on the CD menu is used to add tracks directly from disk.
1.Select Add Track(s) from the CD menu.
2.In the File dialog that appears, select as many files as you wish.
3.Click OK.
The files are now added to the list:
• If a file contains CD start and sub-index markers, these are used to define the 
track in the list.
• If there are several sets of markers, there will be several track entries in the list, all 
“pointing” to this file.
• If a file does not contain any markers, a dialog box will ask you if you want to use 
the file start and end as boundaries for the track. Click “OK” (or “OK for all, if you 
have selected several files): you can always move the markers later to redefine the 
positions.
For more information about markers, see “Working with CD markers” on 
page 358.
By dragging a document
You can drag an entire Wave document into the Basic Audio CD, by us-
ing the drag icon on the title bar. When you do this, all CD tracks defined 
in the document are added to the list.