Steinberg WaveLab 3 Operation Manual
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WAVELAB Analysis 25 – 641 Loudness distribution tool This analysis tool measures the most frequent loudness found in an audio file (this is different from average loudness). The graphic peaks found by the analysis represent these values. The following parameters can be set: Parameter Description Resolution Loudness is the average audio volume computed over a given period. This parameter represents this period. Smaller time values are more suited for sections with abrupt changes in level, like drum hits. Left/Right Allows you to display the loudness in both channels or either the left or right channel in a stereo file. Mono/Mix For a stereo file, this option displays a single graph (average left/right). Display range This adjusts the vertical ruler range, so you can zoom-in the graph (Auto mode has to be off). Auto When this is activated, the vertical ruler is automatically adjusted to optimize the display. Analysis 1-3 You can store 3 different graphs, which is useful for comparison pur- poses. When comparing similar curves, you should switch off Auto mode, to keep the same scale for each analysis.
WAVELAB 26 – 644 Generating signals Audio Signal Generator This utility allows you to synthesize audio documents from scratch. The resulting documents can then be used for a number of purposes: • For testing the specifications of audio equipment. • For measurements of various kinds, including calibrating tape recorders. • For testing signal processing methods. • For educational purposes. The Audio Signal Generator is not intended for synthesizing musical sounds. The Signal Generator is based on a waveform generator which can gen- erate a large number of basic waveforms such as sine, saw, pulse and various types of noise. The Signal Generator has a multitude of settings for character (Source tab), frequency (Frequency tab) and amplitude (Level tab). As if that wasn’t enough, you can combine up to 64 such signal generators into “layers” and even make separate settings for the left and right channel for each. Once all settings have been made, the program calculates an audio file according to the specifications.
WAVELAB Generating signals 26 – 645 Proceed as follows: 1.Select the Audio Signal Generator option on the Tools menu. 2. Decide on a number of layers, by setting the “Number of layers” para- meter at the bottom of the dialog. You can always change this value at a later stage if required. 3.Select one of the layers, using the “Edit layer” parameter. 4.Decide if you want to make changes for both or just one of the channels in this layer, by using the “Edit channel(s)” pop-up. 5.Make the required settings on the Source, Frequency and Level tabs. Click the question mark icon in the dialog for details. Please note that the length of the file is determined by settings on the Level tab. 6.Repeat steps 3 to 5 as required. 7.When everything is done, set up a file format and Global level in the mid- dle section of the lower half of the dialog. 8.Click Generate. The file is generated and opens up in a new window. The algorithms that the Audio Signal Generator is based on were optimized for accuracy, not for speed. Creating long and/or complex files might take a while, especially on slower computers.
WAVELAB 26 – 646 Generating signals DTMF Generator DTMF (Dual Tone Multi Frequency – or Touch Tone) is a way of generat- ing signals by combining two sine waves with variable frequencies, used in telephone systems. The numbers you press generate sine waves of dif- ferent frequencies, and these signals are then decoded at the central telephone office to actually identify which numbers you press. The DTMF Generator does just this – it allows you to generate an audio file with the sounds you hear when pressing the different keys on a tele- phone. To use the DTMF Generator, proceed as follows: 1.Pull down the Tools menu and select DTMF Generator. The DTMF Generator dialog opens. 2.Enter a dial string in the text box in the top of the dialog. The characters you can use are the same as those you can use on a telephone and are listed in the dialog. Any other characters will not generate any tone. 3.Select the desired standard; DTMF or MF. The difference between the options is described in the table below. 4.Make the desired settings for Durations and Amplitude. Click the question mark icon in the dialog for details.
WAVELAB Generating signals 26 – 647 5.Select a bit resolution and a sample rate for the file to be created. When you click the button, the Audio Properties dialog (see “Editing audio properties” on page 127) opens to let you make settings for the audio file. 6.If you wish, you can save the settings you make as a preset. You can create presets for settings in the dialog, for quick recall. 7.When the settings are to your satisfaction, click Generate. The file is generated and opens up in a new window.
WAVELAB 27 – 650 Synchronizing WaveLab to external devices Introduction It is possible to synchronize the audio playback in WaveLab to incoming MIDI Time Code (MTC), or via the ASIO Positioning Protocol (for sample accurate sync). • For MTC sync to be possible, you need to have a MIDI Interface installed and working! • For sync to ASIO Positioning Protocol, you need compatible audio hardware with a built-in time code reader. See “Sync to ASIO Positioning Protocol (APP)” on page 656. MTC sync MIDI Time Code provides timing information, so that each time position coincides in the master (the other recorder, MIDI sequencer, etc.) and the slave (WaveLab). However, there is still one problem: Even though Wave- Lab starts playback of an audio file at the exact correct position, it cannot affect the timing of the audio file once playback is started. At that point, the playback of the audio file is only dependent on the clock on the com- puter’s audio card. Let’s say you are syncing WaveLab to a tape recorder providing MTC. As the clock on the computer’s audio card and the internal clock of the mas- ter (in this case the tape recorder) are not synchronized, the audio file(s) played back by WaveLab and the tape tracks will inevitably be drifting out of sync after a period of time. The solution is to not only synchronize WaveLab, but also the audio card! This means that you need: • A synchronization device that can send both MTC and word clock. • An audio card that can read and synchronize to incoming word clock. With this setup, the master device sends MTC into WaveLab (ensuring that audio playback starts at the correct time position) and word clock to the audio card (ensuring that audio playback continuously follows the master device.