Steinberg WaveLab 3 Operation Manual

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•If you are editing a clip color element, you can make separate color set-
tings for the left and right sides of stereo clips.
If you want the same color for the left and right sides, you must make sure that the checkbox 
Edit Left/Right is activated (it is by default).
When this is activated, settings for the left side of a clip are automatically “mirrored” on 
the right side, and vice versa.
•If you activate the Link sliders checkbox, you can adjust all three sliders at 
once, by moving one of them.
This is useful if you want to adjust the brightness of the color, without affecting the hue.
•Some elements can be hidden totally by activating the Hide option.
When this is activated, it is not possible to make any color adjustments (since the element 
won’t be visible in the Audio Montage anyway).
•It is also possible to select colors from a standard Windows color dialog, 
opened by clicking the Select button.
4.If you make a mistake, you can undo your latest adjustment by clicking the 
Undo button.
To undo all changes you made since you opened the dialog, click Undo All.
5.If you want to apply the same color to several elements, you can use the 
Copy and Paste buttons.
Set up the color, click Copy, select the next element and click Paste to apply the same 
color settings.
•You can also copy an entire color scheme (for example, copy all settings 
for one of the custom schemes to the default scheme) by dragging and 
dropping in the Items list.
6.If you are editing one of the color definitions (the items that appear on the 
track, group and clip color menus), you can rename the color by clicking 
on the name in the Item list and typing a new name.
In the Items list, the color definitions that can be renamed are displayed in blue.
7.When you’re finished, click Close to close the window.  
						

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Automatic coloring – Setting up  conditions 
When you have defined a custom color scheme, you have the option of 
automatically applying this to any files you add to the Montage that match 
certain conditions.
Select a custom color scheme in the Audio Montage Colors dialog and 
click the Conditions button to bring up the “Style condition” dialog. Here 
you can set up which conditions must be matched for a clip to automatically 
get the selected custom color scheme. The procedures and options are the 
same as when setting up style conditions for Wave windows (see “Setting 
up style conditions” on page 735), with one exception: here, the “Name” 
condition refers to the clip name, not the name of the actual audio file.
When you close the dialog, the selected color scheme will be applied to 
all clips that match the set conditions.
The color elements
Clip colors
Under the heading Clip Colors you can select colors for various elements 
in the following clip types:
For each item, you can select colors for a number of different clip ele-
ments. You can make separate adjustments for the left and right sides of 
a stereo clip, though by default, editing a color for the left side will auto-
matically change the same setting for the right side and vice versa (see 
“Defining custom colors” on page 740). For mono clips, the “Left (mono)” 
setting is used.
Option Description
Crossfade Region Allows you to set the background color for overlapping clip sections.
Default The default colors, used for clips for which you haven’t selected any spe-
cific color.
Locked The colors used for all locked clips.
Muted The colors used for all muted clips.
Custom These options correspond to the items on the Color submenus (on the 
Track menu, clip speed menu and Groups view : Grouping menu). These 
can be renamed, and you can also set up conditions for when these 
should be automatically applied, as described above.  
						

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The following color elements are available:
For the Crossfade Region item, you can only select colors for “Background” 
and “Background (sel. range)”.
Option Description
Background top/bot-
tom (normal/selected/
selected range)The background colors of the clip (unselected, selected and selec-
tion range, respectively). The resulting display backgrounds will be 
gradient “fades” from the top colors to the bottom colors (this can be 
turned off in the Preferences–Environment tab, as described in the 
section “Colors” on page 737.
Waveform (normal/
selected/sel.range)The waveform color for unselected/selected clips or selection 
ranges, respectively.
Waveform outline (nor-
mal/selected/sel.range)The color of the waveform outline (unselected/selected clips and se-
lection range, respectively).
Edge The left and right edge of the clip.
Edge (selected) The left and right edge, if the clip is selected.
Edge (sel. range) The left and right edge, if within a selection range.
Axis (level zero) The color of the horizontal dotted line in the middle of a clip, indicat-
ing zero level.
Axis (half level) The color of the horizontal dotted lines halfway up and down from the 
middle of a clip, indicating 50% level.
Channel separator 
(stereo clip)The line dividing the two sides in a stereo clip.
Clip name The name label of the clip.
Focused Clip name The name label of the focused clip (see “About selected and focused 
clips” on page 413).
Focused Clip name 
backgroundThe name label background of the focused clip. 
						

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Miscellaneous colors
This section of the Items list in the dialog contains color settings for other 
elements in the Track View:
Working with window layouts
Window layouts are used for creating various “work displays” for differ-
ent situations. The following items are stored in window layouts:
• The size, position and minimize/maximize properties of document windows. This 
does not include the contents of the window, just the properties of the window 
“frame” itself. For example, if some Database window was included in the window 
layout, the Database you currently have open when you load the preset will be 
sized and moved accordingly.
• Positions of non-modal dialog boxes, such as the off-line processors. This in-
cludes opening any such windows.
• Positions of plug-in processor panels.
Windows that are already open will never be closed as a result of recalling 
a window layout.
Option Description
Background 
top/bottomThe background colors of the Track View.
Background (selected 
range) top/bottomThe background colors in selected ranges.
Cursor The color of the Montage cursor. Note that because of the blinking 
Cursor, the selected colors will appear in inverse video in the Mon-
tage.
Marker The color of the marker lines in the Montage.
Cue-Point The color of the vertical dotted cue point lines.
Marker (source) The color of marker lines from the source Wave windows (shown in 
clips if the option “Show source’s ruler and markers” is activated on 
the clip speed menu).
Time Ruler (source) The color of the source ruler (shown in clips if the option “Show 
source’s ruler and markers” is activated on the clip speed menu).
Time Grid The color of the time grid (see “The time grid” on page 377). 
						

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Window layouts are managed in the Window Layouts dialog on the View 
menu. The procedures are the same as when handling regular presets (for 
detailed descriptions, see “Presets” on page 65):
•To create a new window layout, set up the display as you want it (see the 
list above) and use the Window Layout dialog to name and add the new 
layout.
•To modify an existing window layout, set up the display as you want it, se-
lect the window layout in the dialog and click the Update button.
•To load an existing window layout, select it in the dialog and click Load.
Using key sequences
You can use key sequences for recalling window layouts, just as with many 
other items (see “Customizable key/MIDI commands” on page 746). This 
can be used for quick and easy window control. For example, open a sin-
gle document window, maximize it, save a window layout and assign it to a 
key sequence. Later, this key sequence can be used to maximize the active 
window only.
Setting default size and position for windows
As mentioned above, while window layouts can be used for storing the 
size and position of windows, it also stores settings for various 
dialog 
boxes. If you only wish to determine a default size and position for different 
types of windows (Waves, Audio Montages, Basic Audio 
CDs, etc.), you 
can instead use the option “Remember active window’s
 layout as opening 
setting” on the View menu. This is a quick and 
effective way of organiz-
ing your working environment the way you want it.
To set a default size and position for a certain type of window, proceed as 
follows:
1.Open or create the desired type of window.
2.Size and position it the way you like.
3.Pull down the View menu and select “Remember active window’s layout 
as opening setting”.
A dialog appears asking you to confirm the option.
4.Click “Yes” to continue.
All windows of that type will now open in this same size and position.
• Loading a window layout as described above will override this setting. 
						

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Creating a Favorites menu
The Favorites item on the File menu allows you to assemble a list of files 
that you want to be able to open quickly – a library if you will.
• To add a file to the list, make sure its window is active and select “Add current 
document” from the Favorites-Functions submenu.
• To open a file from the list, select it.
• To clear the whole list, select Clear List from the Favorites–Functions submenu.
• To update the list so that it only lists files that actually still exist in the specified lo-
cations on your hard disk(s), select Validate List from the Favorites–Functions 
submenu.
Files that can’t be found are removed.
Customizable key/MIDI commands
In addition to the fixed key commands for selecting from menus, etc., there 
are a number of operations for which you can set up your own commands. 
You can do this in two ways:
•By specifying a key sequence – a sequence of between one to three keys 
that must be pressed in a certain order to invoke the operation.
•By specifying a MIDI command. 
You need a MIDI controller device (e.g. a MIDI keyboard or a dedicated controller device) 
connected to your PC via a MIDI interface for this to work. 
						

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Key sequences and MIDI commands are listed and managed in the “Key-
board/MIDI Commands” dialog, opened from the Options menu.  
						

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About the list of operations
The main part of this dialog is occupied by the list of available operations 
that can be called up via key sequences and/or MIDI commands. You can 
choose to view this list in one of two ways, with the “Sort” buttons in the 
upper right corner of the dialog:
• “Sort by Command” organizes the operations in folders, in groupings that relate 
to various sections in the program.
• “Sort by Key” lists all commands in a “flat” fashion (no folders), and sorts the list 
alphabetically via the defined key commands, which allows you to easily find a 
command assigned to a certain key.
Regardless of which mode you select, the actual available operations are 
the same, it’s just the view that changes.
The “dynamic” items in the list
Please note that the number of items in the list varies with other settings 
in the program. For example, if you have assigned key shortcuts to plug-
ins, in the Plug-in manager, they will appear in this list too. Otherwise they 
will not.
The columns
• The Description column lists the operations available.
• The next column allows you to choose between three modes that determine 
when 
a key sequence is available and when it is not, see 
“Setting enable options” on 
page 751.
• The Key column shows the Key sequence defined for the operation.
• The MIDI Event column shows any assigned MIDI commands. 
						

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Defining key sequences
1.Select the operation for which you want to create a key sequence.
2.Click the “Key Sequence…” button.
3.If you want to clear the current key sequence, click Clear.
4.Make sure “Catch mode” is active.
5.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.
6.Proceed with the following key(s).
7.Disable “Catch mode”.
This is just an optional safety measure so that you don’t accidentally erase or add to your 
current key sequence, when pressing more keys.
8.Close the dialog.
It is possible to define the same key sequence for two operations. If you do, 
one of them will be invoked. To see which, select “Sort by key” and locate 
the items in the list. The top one is the one that will be used. 
						

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Defining MIDI Commands
Before you can use MIDI commands you have to select the MIDI interface 
for incoming messages from the “Input for MIDI commands” pop-up.
1.Select the operation for which you want to define a MIDI command.
2.Click the “MIDI Event…” button.
3.If you want to clear the current MIDI command, click Clear.
4.Send the MIDI event from your controller.
Press the key or button you wish to use on your MIDI controller and the MIDI command will 
be set for the operation. Which MIDI channel you are sending over is also taken into account.
5.You have the option of specifying a “Context” for the command.
If you click “Context”, a second MIDI Command dialog is opened.
A context can be a Program change or a Note ON message. E.g. if you 
choose a Program change as context, the command will only be triggered 
if the last program change received is the one specified as the context. 
This is a way of introducing “modifier” options via MIDI messages.
6.Click OK to exit the MIDI command dialog(s) and then the Key Commands 
dialog.
7.Make sure “Enable MIDI Commands” is activated on the Options menu.
Now the MIDI function you have set up is active.
• All MIDI controllable WaveLab functions are of the “on/off” type except the 
separate Shuttle/Pitch bend function (see “Using a MIDI pitch bend wheel 
to control Shuttle” on page 144).