Steinberg Wavelab Elements 7 Manual

							3.18 Zooming and scrolling 23
Command bars
Tab Groups
Docking windows
Switcher window
3.18 Zooming and scrolling
In WaveLab Elements you can use several mouse and keyboard shortcuts for scrolling and
zooming in the Audio File and Audio Montage Workspaces.
Scrolling with the Mousewheel
ˆ With the cursor in the wave window you can scroll the view horizontally using the mouse
wheel.
Zooming with the Mousewheel
ˆ With the cursor in the wave window hold down [Ctrl]/[Command]while rotating the
mouse wheel. The view will zoom horizontally; if you hold down [Shift]the view will
zoom vertically.
Activating the zoom tool
ˆ Activate the zoom tool by holding down [Ctrl]/[Command]and click on the waveform
( [Ctrl]/[Command] must be pressed first).
Zooming with the Mouse
ˆ Holding your cursor over the Time Ruler and moving the mouse up and down also zooms
the view horizontally. Hold down the [Shift]key to do the same thing while maintaining
the edit cursor in the same position.
ˆ Zoom by dragging the thumb edges of the scroll bars in the Audio File and Montage
windows.
ˆ Zoom by acting on the wheel controls in the bottom right corners of the Audio File and
Montage windows, by click and drag or using the mouse wheel.
ˆ Zoom and scrolling can be undone or redone by the View>Navigate backwards/-
forwards commands.
Changing the Zoom level
ˆ you can make quick changes to the zoom level using the View All or Zoom In
buttons in the control bar. Scrubbing the vertical or horizontal Zoom Wheel (located
in the bottom right hand corner of Main wave window) also alters the zoom level.
Related topics
Shortcut system
WaveLab Elements 7 
						

							24 Using the interface
WaveLab Elements 7 
						

							Chapter 4
WaveLab Elements Concepts
WaveLab Elements is an incredibly powerful tool and has many features which can be used
for a wide variety of audio editing, mastering and mixing purposes. This section provides you
with links to some of the main concepts used throughout WaveLab Elements. Understanding
these concepts can help you to get the most out of WaveLab Elements.
Related topics
Features Overview
Analysis
Authoring CDs and DVDs
Markers
Metering
Offline processing
Presets
Rendering
4.1 Features Overview
WaveLab 7 Elements - Audio Editing and Mastering Suite
WaveLab 7 Elements combines state-of-the-art audio technology from the award-winning
WaveLab 7 with a streamlined workflow and a full complement of editing and mastering
features targeted at project studios and musicians. It includes the same sample accurate 32-
bit audio engine and a wide range of advanced tools with the pristine audio quality originally
engineered for top mastering and editing professionals in WaveLab 7 Pro. The Elements
version provides many of its next-generation features and capabilities to make it one of the
world's best editing and mastering solutions in its price range.
ˆ Sample accurate audio editor with crystal clear audio processing at up to 192 kHz and
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							26 WaveLab Elements Concepts
ˆ For the first time available for both the Mac and PC platforms, ideally suited to multi-
screen setups
ˆ Stereo and multi-channel non-destructive editing with versatile Clip grouping over mul-
tiple lanes, pencil tool (for audio restoration)
ˆ Powerful real-time engine with integration of Clip-based, track-based and global effect
plug-ins
ˆ All major Audio File formats are supported
ˆ Superior audio processors including DIRAC time stretch and pitch correction tools
ˆ Tools for auto split, loop markers and locking markers, editing meta-data tags and batch
file conversion
ˆ Tools for global analysis, 3D-spectrum analysis, VU meter, spectroscope and oscillo-
scope
ˆ 30 state-of-the-art audio plug-ins are provided, including Sonnox DeClicker and De-
Noiser, with four slots for plug-ins, Red Book compatible PQ editing including Audio-
in-Pause, CD-Text and track sheet export, CD burning, enhanced CD grabbing, ability
to burn montages directly to CD and label editing
ˆ Spectrogram View for quick overview of the frequency structure of the Audio File, si-
multaneous aligned use of Wave, Loudness and Spectrum View
ˆ Batch file conversion utility
WaveLab 7 Elements will meet the requirements of all but the most serious audio editing and
mastering tasks. For the ultimate in multi-channel or audio mastering capabilities, check out
the features available in WaveLab.
4.2 Analysis
WaveLab Elements provides you with a comprehensive set of tools for analyzing your audio
and diagnosing any errors. You can view your Audio File in many different ways using the
suite of audio meters, via its frequency spectrum, or even in three dimensions. There are
also several tools to interrogate any sample of your audio and find any errors or anomalies.
Below you can find links to some of these tools used in WaveLab Elements. Most of them
can be found in the Analysismenu. The meters can be found in the Metersmenu or via the
Workspace >Shared tool windows . More specialized tools also exist as part of some
offline processing dialogs, such as the "Find current peak level" command in the Change
level dialog, or the "Eliminate DC Offset" dialog, for example.
Related topics
Global analysis
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							4.2 Analysis 27
3D Frequency Analysis
VU Meter
Spectroscope
Oscilloscope
Metering
Audio File editing
Offline processing
4.2.1 Global analysis
This dialog allows you to perform advanced analysis on your audio to identify areas with spec-
ified properties. It can be used to find problem areas such as glitches or clipped samples,
or just to check general information such as the pitch of a sound.
How it works When you analyze a section of an Audio File, WaveLab Elements scans it
and extracts information which it displays in the dialog. It also "pin-points" sections of the
file that meet specific characteristics, for example, sections being very loud or almost silent.
You can then browse between these points, set markers or zoom in on them.
Types of analysis On most of the tabs, you will find settings determining exactly how the
analysis will be performed. Each tab focuses on a particular analysis area:
ˆ Peaks- this tab is for finding individual samples with very high decibel values.
ˆ Loudness - this tab is for finding sections that are perceived by the human ear as
louder or weaker in volume. WaveLab uses an accurate method (RMS - Root Mean
Square), to measure a consecutive section of samples and then average their value.
ˆ Pitch- this tab is used for finding the exact average pitch of a section of audio. The
method works best on monophonic material (single notes, without chords or harmonies)
and assumes the analyzed section has a relatively stable pitch. As a general rule try to
analyze the sustain portion of a sound, rather than the attack.
ˆ Extras- this tab is for informing you about DC offsets and the significant bit resolution
of the file. This can be useful, for example, if you wanted to check whether a 16 bit
file really uses 16 bits (or if it was actually recorded with only 8 bit resolution and then
upscaled to 16 bits).
ˆ Errors- this tab is to help you find glitches and sections where the audio has clipped
(gone beyond 0 dB). Checking and browsing the results Checking the results on
the Pitch and Extra tabs is simple, since only one value is returned for the whole section
of analyzed audio. For all the other tabs, the analysis methods returns a series of exact
points ("hot points") in the file or section of audio. Use the relevant buttons in each tab
to select the "hot points" you wish to look at in more detail. Using the slider you can
then browse or skip between these points, adding markers or focusing the waveform
display at that particular point in the file.
You can access this dialog in the Audio File Workspace via Analysis>Global Analysis... .
For an explanation of each parameter and interface feature, click on , or the 'What's this?'
question mark icon. For more information see
Getting Help
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							28 WaveLab Elements Concepts
Related topics
3D Frequency Analysis
4.2.2 3D Frequency Analysis
This function in WaveLab Elements allows you to view a wave file in both the frequency and
time domains. Although a wave display (time domain) tells you a lot about where one sound
starts or ends in a file, for example, it doesn't tell you anything about the timbral contents
of the file. A frequency graph (frequency domain) allows you to investigate the individual
frequency components of an Audio File. With the addition of the time dimension you can
follow these frequencies in your Audio File over time and pick out individual snare hits or
vocal notes in a song, for example. The graph used in WaveLab Elements is sometimes
called a 3D-Spectrogram.
Displaying and viewing the graph
You can choose to analyze a selection of audio or an entire file. If you select a stereo record-
ing, a mix of the two channels will be analyzed. Once you have your region selected or no
region (in the case you wish to analyze the whole file) choose Analysis>3D Frequency
Analysis... . The graph window will appear.
There is a scrub wheel that allows you to rotate the view around and a settings button that
displays the range of frequencies currently displayed. Click on this button to open the
set-
tings dialog
and edit the frequency range displayed, as well as to access other options.
Tip: The length of the selection affects the accuracy of the analysis. For short selections
the result will be very detailed. For longer selections (over a minute or so) the results are
generally less detailed as the harmonic content may vary between "measuring points", and
as such are not included in the graph. You might for example make a separate analysis of
the attack (beginning) of a sound, since the most drastic variations usually occur there.
Some example uses for 3D Frequency Analysis
The 3d Frequency Analysis graph in WaveLab Elements can be used for many purposes, for
example:
ˆ to see how the frequency spectrum is distributed in a mix.
ˆ as a basis for EQ-ing, so that you know which frequencies to reduce or boost.
ˆ to see which parts of the audio spectrum a certain background noise occupies (for
removing by filtering).
ˆ for educational purposes - these graphs tell you a lot about how different sounds are
"built".
Related topics
Frequency range
Metering
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							4.2 Analysis 29
4.2.3 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
for low levels, yellow for levels between -6dB and -2dB, and red for levels above -2dB.
You can change both the colors and the range boundaries if you wish via the Level/Pan
Meter Settings dialog. This can be accessed through the Functions>Settings...
menu, or by using the
icon.
ˆ The VU (Volume Unit) meters measure the average loudness (RMS) of each channel.
These meters have a built-in inertia, evening out loudness variations over a user-defined
time span. If you are monitoring playback or audio input, you will also note two vertical
lines following each VU meter bar, seemingly "trying to reach" the current RMS value.
These lines indicate the average of the most recent minimum RMS values (left line)
and the average of the most recent maximum RMS values (right line). To the left, the
difference between the minimum and maximum average values is displayed (the level
value in brackets) - this gives you an overview of the dynamic range of the audio material.
ˆ If you are monitoring real-time audio (playback or input), the maximum peak and loud-
ness values are displayed numerically to the right of the meter bars. Numbers in brack-
ets to the right of the Maximum Peak values indicate the number of successive clips
(0dB signal peaks). Recording levels should be set so that they only rarely clip. If the
master level is set too high, the sound quality and frequency response will be compro-
mised at high recording levels, with unwanted clipping effects. If the level is set too
low, noise levels may be high relative to the main sound being recorded.
The VU meter can be found in the Metersmenu of the Audio Files and Audio Montage
Workspaces.
Related topics
Metering
4.2.4 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 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.
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Related topics
Metering
4.2.5 Oscilloscope
The Oscilloscope offers a highly magnified view of the waveform around the playback cursor
position.
If you are analyzing a stereo file, the Oscilloscope normally shows the separate levels of
the two channels. However, if you activate the option "Show Sum and Subtraction" on the
Functions menu (or click the +/- icon), the upper half of the Oscilloscope shows the sum of
the two channels and the lower half shows the subtraction.
Making settings
By opening the Settings dialog you can adjust the display colors, and choose to activate
Auto-zoom or not. With Auto-zoom activated, the display is optimized so that the highest
level reaches the top of the display at all times. The Settings dialog can be accessed through
the Functions >Settings... menu, or by using the
icon.
The Oscilloscope 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.
Related topics
Metering
4.3 Authoring CDs and DVDs
WaveLab Elements provides extensive tools for authoring both audio and data disks. De-
pending on your connected optical hardware you can burn CD-R, CD-RW and DVD-
R/DVD+R disks. WaveLab Elements allows you to author professional audio CD disks with
control over track indexes, CD-Text, ISRC codes etc. You can validate your disks before
burning to make sure they conform to valid CD standards (such as the Red Book standard)
or choose to author using newer formats with CD-Text support. When it comes to outputting
your final disk you can burn it straight from within WaveLab Elements.
Important note for Mac OSX users
When using the CD-R/DVD-R drive on Apple OSX computers for importing or burning it is
important to note the following. If you insert a optical CD or DVD disk in the drive while the
drive is not selected in WaveLab Elements for import or burning, WaveLab Elements will not
be able to "see" the drive. The disk drive is "taken over" by other applications under Mac OSX
and is not seen by WaveLab Elements when this happens. To avoid this occurring, make sure
there is no disk in the drive when opening any CD window within WaveLab Elements.
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							4.4 Markers 31
Audio CD authoring basics
To begin authoring an audio CD in WaveLab Elements you simply add audio Clips to the Au-
dio Montage Workspace to automatically create CD tracks. One audio Clip is the equivalent
to one CD track, so keep this in mind when organizing your Clips. You can add Clips to an
Audio Montage in a variety of ways - see
Audio Montages for more information on adding
audio to a montage.
Each time you add a Clip a new CD track is created and appears in the
CD window. This
specific tool window is the basis of CD authoring in WaveLab Elements and provides a
number of tools for authoring and burning CDs. You can use the
CD window to precisely
edit track start and end times, audition each track using the track audition buttons, add ISRC
codes, change the gain of individual tracks, and adjust the pauses between Clips. You can
even
add and edit CD-Text , check the conformity of your disk to common standards and
once you are happy with your CD layout burn a CD directly via the
Write Audio CD window.
Burning your CD/DVD
Once you have compiled an audio CD you can burn it by choosing the
button which
opens the
Write Audio CD dialog. Here you can choose the device you wish to burn with
and choose standard options as to how the disk will be burnt. For more information see
Write
Audio CD
.
Authoring a data disk
You can also burn data CDs or DVDs using the
Data CD/DVD window throughout WaveLab
Elements (if you wish to back up all your session files, for example). You can access this
window via Utilities>Data CD/DVD... . You can add any file to a new data CD or dvd
at anytime via the File>Special >Add to DATA CD/DVD function in both the Audio
File and Audio Montage Workspaces. Note that all files referenced by the data disk must be
saved before attempting to create a data CD/DVD. For more information see
Data CD/DVD .
CD burning preferences
Some preferences for CD burning are set in Global Preferences. Select Preferences...>
Global preferences >CD Burning .
Related topics
Write Audio CD
Data CD/DVD
CD
4.4 Markers
Markers are visible indicators that can be used to save and name specific time positions
in an audio or audio montage file. In WaveLab Elements, markers can be used for adding
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							32 WaveLab Elements Concepts
comments, editing, synchronizing, defining loops, and defining CD/DVD-A tracks. Markers
can be used in pairs as well as individually to mark regions or places for future reference.
Once you have defined some markers in your file you can quickly move the playhead to a
marker during editing, or select the audio between two markers. Markers can also be used
to identify an audio cue, or the beginning or end of a filter or effect.
About marker types
There are many types of markers, all of which, in addition to visually marking locations in a
file, can be used to assist editing and playback. Some like the Loop and CD Track markers
have a unique function. For information on each type and how to use them see
Marker types .
Adding markers
The most common way to create markers is from the
Marker window . If this is not visible
make sure that "Markers" is ticked in the menu Workspace>Specific tool windows >
Markers . Add markers by:
Placing a single marker
Play back the wave. When the cursor is at the position where you want a marker:
ˆ Press [Insert] on the PC or 'M' on the Mac (there is no Insert key on the Mac) to insert
a generic marker.
ˆ Click a marker button on the Marker window toolbar. Tooltips for each type of marker
are shown when hovering the cursor over its button.
ˆ Select a marker of a specific type from the Marker Window Insert menu.
Placing a pair of markers
Some markers come in pairs. To create a pair of markers make a selection around the audio
region where you wish to define a start and end:
ˆ Click a marker pair button on the Marker window toolbar. The types of marker are shown
when hovering the cursor over each button.
ˆ Select "Create region type from selection" from the Marker Window Insert menu, choos-
ing the type of marker pair you wish to use. You need to specify a region for these marker
types to become available.
Some types of markers can be added during recording via the recording dialog. You can
also create a marker by dragging a selection of text from a text application to a Time Ruler.
Moving markers
Once placed, markers can be dragged into a new position in the Waveform windows. If you
hover the mouse cursor over a marker, the exact time position is displayed. Dragging the
marker with the left mouse button held down causes the time display to be updated as you
drag. You can also move a marker by editing its time entry in the Marker window.
WaveLab Elements 7