Steinberg Wavelab Elements 8 Manual

Audio File Editing
File Handling in the Audio Files Workspace
101
File Handling in the Audio Files 
Workspace
About Mono/Stereo Handling
WaveLab Elements is very flexible in its handling of stereo. All editing 
operations can be performed on either one channel or on both.
Supported File Formats
WaveLab Elements can open and save audio files in a number of file 
formats.
The following table gives you some basic information about the formats:
Format Description
Wave (.wav) The following bit resolutions are...

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U-LAW (.ulaw, .vox) This is an audio encoding and compression technique 
supported by Windows and Web phones, using 8 bit 
resolution. The U.S. telephone system uses U-law 
encoding for digitization.
A-LAW (.alaw, .vox) This is an audio encoding and compression technique for 
telephony, using 8-bit resolution. The EU telephone system 
uses A-law encoding for digitization.
Sun/Java (.snd, .au) This is an audio file format used on Sun and...

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NOTE
The “$$$” file type is a temporary file format of WaveLab Elements. In 
case you experience a computer, crash you may restore some of your 
work by opening any stray “$$$” files on your hard disk.
About 20-bit, 24-bit, and 32-bit Float Files
You do not need a 20-bit or 24-bit audio card to take advantage of the 
fact that WaveLab Elements can handle 20-bit and 24-bit audio files. 
Any processing or editing performed on the files is...

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File Handling in the Audio Files Workspace
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Saving in Another Format
You can change the file format, sampling frequency, bit resolution, and 
stereo/mono status when saving.
PROCEDURE
1.In the Audio Files workspace, select File > Save as.
2. Specify the file name and location.
3. Click in the Output Format field.
4. In the Audio File Format dialog, set the file format and specify the 
properties.
5. Click OK.
6. Click Save.
RESULT 
A new file is created. The original file is not...

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File Handling in the Audio Files Workspace
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Audio format
Select an audio format compatible with the current file type.
Channels
Specify the number of audio channels for the files to be created. 
For multichannel audio montages, you can create multiple files.
Sample rate
Select a sample rate for the audio file. If you change this setting, a 
sample rate conversion takes place.
IMPORTANT
Use this only for simple conversions. For professional results, use the 
Resample plug-in to add...

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About Changing the Format
When changing the sample rate, bit resolution, and number of channels 
of an audio file, several operations are performed.
• If you only want to change the bit resolution, you can do this 
directly in the Edit > Audio properties dialog instead, and then 
save the audio file.
• For high quality mastering purposes, it is not recommended to 
change the sample rate and number of channels using the Audio 
properties...

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File Handling in the Audio Files Workspace
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Saving a Selection as an Audio File
You can save a selection in the currently open audio file as a new audio 
file.
PROCEDURE
1.In the wave window, make a selection range.
2. Select File > Export > Selected time range.
3. Specify a file name, location, and output format.
4. Click Save.
Saving Left/Right Channel as Audio File
You can save each channel individually into a separate file. Use this 
option when you have been editing dual mono...

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Encoding Audio Files
Audio can be stored in different formats. The process of converting 
audio to another format is called encoding. When saving audio files, you 
can specify various encoding options for some file formats.
MP3 Encoding Dialog
You can edit the encoding options when you save an MP3 audio file.
You can open the MP3 encoding dialog from most places where you 
can select an output file format. For example, in the Audio Files...

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Highest quality (slowest)/Fastest
Select the quality that you want to achieve. The higher the quality, 
the more resources and time are required to analyze and compress 
the audio signal.
NOTE
When selecting Highest quality (slowest), this can enforce a certain 
sample rate for the audio file. If this is the case and the sample rate is 
different from the input sample rate, a message is displayed.
When using the Lame encoder, additional...

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File Handling in the Audio Files Workspace
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MPEG-1 Layer 2 Encoding Dialog
You can edit the encoding options when you save an MPEG-1 Layer 2 
(MP2) audio file.
You can open the MPEG-1 Layer 2 encoding dialog from most places 
where you can select an output file format. For example, in the Audio 
Files workspace, select File > Save as, click the Output Format field, 
select MPEG-1 Layer 2 as type, click the Encoding field, and select 
Edit.
Bit rate
Lets you select the bit rate. The...