Steinberg WaveLab 7 Operation Manual

9.2 Shared tool windows 217
ˆ The outer meters are "history" meters, showing how many bits were recently in use. You
can adjust the hold time in the Settings dialog.
ˆ The "over" segment indicates clipping, similar to a clip indicator.
ˆ If the "below" segment is lit, there are more than 24 bits. The bit meter will show the 24
higher bits, and the "below" segment indicates the existence of extra, lower bits. Note
that audio is always processed with more than 24 bits...

218 Control Window
Related topics
Metering
Spectrometer
9.2.6 Spectrometer
The Spectrometer uses FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) techniques to display a continuous
frequency graph, providing a very precise and detailed real-time frequency analysis.
ˆ The current frequency spectrum is shown as a linear graph.
ˆ Spectrum "peaks" are shown as a short horizontal lines, indicating recent peak/maxi-
mum values.
Snapshots
By using the "Add snapshot" and
"Erase last snapshot" buttons, you...

9.2 Shared tool windows 219
Selecting Spectrometer presets
If you have assigned your settings to the Preset buttons in the Settings dialog, you can quickly
switch between different level scales and display modes, by clicking one of the Preset icons
[1]-[5], or selecting the desired preset from the Options pop-up menu.
Exporting FFT data as ASCII text
When using the Spectrometer in off-line mode ("Monitor Edit cursor Position" or "Analyze
audio election" mode) you can export the displayed...

220 Control Window
9.2.8 Timecode
This shared tool window displays the current time of the playback head (or the cursor position
if not playing back), in the timecode format currently selected in the Time Format dialog.
The current time can be in a range of standard SMPTE formats, CD or DVD specific formats,
or a custom one - see
Time Format dialog .
The most common use for this window is for working with video or film. You can use it to
display the playback head position of the current Audio File in a...

9.3 Metering 221
Control Window
Rendering
9.2.10 Log window
This shared tool window allows you to view log messages that have been issued by WaveLab.
When using WaveLab's scripting language for example, the logWindow( )function outputs
messages to this window. There are a number of toggle buttons and these allow you to filter
the types of messages displayed.
Note: When using the logWindow( ) method you need to have the
"Show informal notes"
button selected for the messages to be visible. If no...

222 Control Window
ˆ Monitor File Rendering - the meters display what is being written to disk during
file rendering, taking into account Master Section settings, with average, minimum and
maximum peak values computed. After rendering, the meter(s) freeze, and remain frozen
until you refresh or change the monitor mode.
ˆ Monitor Edit cursor position - the meters display static information about the
audio beneath the edit cursor. Note that the Master Section settings are not taken into
account in this...

9.3 Metering 223
9.3.1 VU Meter
The vu-meter is used to display the peak and average loudness/decibel level of your Audio
File. It also displays the pan, or the balance between the left and right channels in a stereo
file.
The upper part of the level/pan meter window shows the peak level and average loudness,
in the following way:
ˆ The Peak Level meters display the peak levels of each channel, graphically and numeri-
cally. By default, the meter segments and numerical peak values are displayed in green...

224 Control Window
Related topics
Metering
9.3.2 Spectroscope
The Spectroscope shows a continuous graphical representation of the frequency spectrum,
analyzed into 60 separate frequency bands, represented as vertical bars. Peak levels are
shown as a short horizontal lines above the corresponding band, indicating recent peak/-
maximum values. The Spectroscope offers a quick spectrum overview. For a more detailed
analysis of the audio spectrum, use the
Spectrometer . The Spectroscope can be found in
the...

9.3 Metering 225
9.3.4 Bit Meter
The Bit Meter shows the resolution or the number of bits used in the digital audio being
monitored. Normally the maximum number of bits in an Audio File is the same as the resolution
of the Audio File (e.g. a 16 bit Audio File shows that up to 16 bits are used), but sometimes
this is not the case.
As soon as you perform any kind of real-time processing on an Audio File, the audio data is
treated at a much higher resolution (32 bit floating point), to allow for pristine...

226 Control Window
To adjust the Bit Meter settings, select "Settings..." from the Options pop-up menu or by
using the
icon.
The Bit meter can be found in the Metersmenu of the Audio Files and Audio Montage
Workspaces. It can be used either as a floating window, or docked in the Workspace or the
Control Window .
Related topics
Metering
Dithering
9.3.5 Phasescope
The Phasescope indicates the phase and amplitude relationship between two stereo chan-
nels. It is only really relevant when monitoring...