Steinberg Wavelab Elements 8 Manual
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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 supported: 8 bit, 16 bit, 20 bit, 24 bit, and 32 bit (float) AIFF (.aif, .aiff, .snd) Audio Interchange File Format, a standard defined by Apple Computers Inc.. The following bit resolutions are supported: 8 bit, 16 bit, 20 bit, and 24 bit MPEG-1 Layer 3 (.mp3)The most common audio compression format. The major advantage of MPEG compression is that the file size is significantly reduced, while there is little degradation of sound quality. WaveLab Elements can both open and save files in this format. NOTE: When you open an MPEG compressed file in WaveLab Elements, the file is converted to a temporary wave file. On saving, the temporary wave file is converted back to MP3. MPEG-1 Layer 2 (.mp2, .mpa, .mpg, .mus)MP2 (sometimes referred to as “Musicam files”) is a common file format in the broadcast industry. With regard to file sizes, the same applies for MP3 files. Original Sound Quality (.osq)This is the proprietary lossless compressed audio format of WaveLab Elements. By saving files in this format, you can save considerable disk space without compromising audio quality. Sound Designer II (.sd2)This audio file format is used by Digidesign applications (such as Pro Tools). The following bit resolutions are supported: 8 bit, 16 bit, and 24 bit
Audio File Editing File Handling in the Audio Files Workspace 102 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 NeXT computers. The following bit resolutions are supported: 8 bit, 16 bit, and 24 bit ADPCM – Microsoft/Dialogic (.vox)This is a format commonly used for games and telephony applications. It offers a lower bit rate than linear PCM and thus requires less storage space/bandwidth. Ogg Vorbis (.ogg) Ogg Vorbis is a compressed file format that is open, patent-free, and creates very small audio files maintaining comparatively high audio quality. Text/Excel (.txt) This is a text representation of a waveform. By saving an audio file as a text file and then opening it in a spreadsheet application such as Excel, you can view it in textual, decimal form, and edit the sample values. When you open a text file representing a waveform in WaveLab Elements, it is decoded and opened as an audio file. Note that these files are not compressed in any way, so they become get very large. Note that when using 32-bit float files, the .txt format is not 100 % lossless. This is because it is not possible to express a binary floating point value in textual decimal form without some precision loss. Windows Media Audio (.wma, .asf)Microsoft’s own compressed format. WaveLab Elements lets you import/export audio in this format (Windows only). To import/export audio in WMA surround format, Windows Media Player 9 or later must be installed on your system. Ensoniq Paris (.paf) Used by the Ensoniq Paris™ system. The following bit resolutions are supported: 16 bit and 24 bit FLAC (.fla) Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC) is a codec which allows digital audio to be losslessly compressed. Apple formats (.aac, .m4a, .mp4, .m4b, .caf, .3gp, .3g2, .caf)If Quicktime is installed on your system, these formats are available (read-only and only on 32-bit Windows or MAC systems). Format Description
Audio File Editing File Handling in the Audio Files Workspace 103 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 always done at full resolution (32-bit float), even if your card does not support the full resolution. For playback, WaveLab Elements automatically adapts to the card that you have installed. Creating a New Audio File You can create an empty audio file, to assemble material from other audio files, for example. PROCEDURE 1.In the Audio Files workspace, select File > New. 2. In the dialog, specify the audio properties, and click OK. Saving an Audio File PROCEDURE 1.In the Audio Files workspace, do one of the following: • To save an audio file that has never been saved before, select File > Save as. • To save an audio file that has been saved before, click the Save button, or select File > Save. 2. In the Save Audio File dialog, specify a file name and location. 3. Set up the available options: • Keep this format for next time • Save copy • Open standard file selector before this dialog 4. Click Save.
Audio File Editing File Handling in the Audio Files Workspace 104 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 affected by the operation. Audio File Format Dialog In this dialog, you can change various file settings when saving. In the Audio Files workspace, select File > Save as, and click the Output Format field. This dialog can also be opened from various other locations in WaveLab Elements. Type Select an audio file type. This affects the options available on the Audio format menu. File extension Select a file extension compatible with the current file type.
Audio File Editing File Handling in the Audio Files Workspace 105 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 limiting and dithering. Bit resolution Select a bit resolution for the audio file. This option is only available for certain file types. IMPORTANT Reducing the bit resolution is only advised for simple conversions. For professional results, it is recommended to add dithering in the Master Section. Meta-data Lets you make meta-data settings that are saved with the file. This option is only available for certain file types. The following options are available: • When Do not save anything is selected, no meta-data are saved with the file. • When Inherit from source file is selected, the meta-data of the source file are used. If this option is selected and the source meta-data is empty, the default meta-data will be used, if available. • When selecting Specific to this configuration, you can edit the meta-data, or replace it with a meta-data preset. To edit the meta-data, open the meta-data pop-up menu again, and select Edit.
Audio File Editing File Handling in the Audio Files Workspace 106 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 dialog, but instead use plug-ins and functions of the Master Section. • For the available compressed file formats (MP3, MP2, WMA, and Ogg Vorbis), you can specify various options, such as bit rate and compression method, and also enter text tags for the file. Saving as OSQ File OSQ (Original Sound Quality) is a lossless audio compression format, which can significantly reduce the audio file size without affecting the audio quality. 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 type to Original Sound Quality (OSQ) and specify the properties. 5. Click OK. 6. Click Save. Property Action Sample rate If a new sample rate is specified, a sample rate conversion is performed. Bit resolutionIf a different bit resolution is specified, the file is either “truncated” down to 8 bits, or “padded” up to 24 bits. If you are converting to a lower bit resolution, you should consider adding dithering. Mono/ StereoIf the file is converted from mono to stereo, the same material is used in both channels. If the conversion is from stereo to mono, a mix of the two channels is created.
Audio File Editing File Handling in the Audio Files Workspace 107 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 files, for example. PROCEDURE 1.In the Audio Files workspace, select File > Export > Left channel or Right channel. 2. Specify a file name, location, and output format. 3. Click Save.
Audio File Editing File Handling in the Audio Files Workspace 108 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 workspace, select File > Save as, click the Output Format field, select MPEG-1 Layer 3 (MP3) as type, click the Encoding field, and select Edit. Encoder Lets you select the encoder (Fraunhofer or Lame). Constant/Variable Bit Rate The bit rate is related to the quantity of data used to encode the audio signal. The higher the value, the better the quality, but the larger the output file. If you choose Variable Bit rate, the rate changes, according to the complexity of the audio material.
Audio File Editing File Handling in the Audio Files Workspace 109 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 settings can be made on the Advanced tab. Allow intensity stereo coding Decreases the bit rate by reorganizing the intensity information between the channels. Specify as “Original Recording” Marks the encoded file as the original recording. Write private bit This is a custom flag. Write copyright flag Marks the the encoded file as copyright protected. Write check-sum Allows other applications to check the integrity of the file. Create long frames Saves space by writing fewer headers in the file (not compatible with all decoders).
Audio File Editing File Handling in the Audio Files Workspace 110 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 bit rate is related to the quantity of data used to encode the audio signal. The higher the value, the better the quality, but the larger the output file. Stereo encoding - Standard In this mode, the encoder does not use the correlation between channels. However, the encoder can take space from a channel that is easy to encode and use it for a complicated channel. Stereo encoding - Joint In this mode, the encoder uses existing correlations between the two channels to increase the ratio quality/space. Stereo encoding - Dual In this mode, both channels are independently encoded. This mode is recommended for signals with independent channels. Specify as “Original Recording” Marks the encoded file as the original recording. Write private bit This is a custom flag. Write copyright flag Marks the encoded file as copyright protected. Write check-sum Allows other applications to check the integrity of the file.