Steinberg Wavelab Elements 8 Manual

							WaveLab Elements Concepts
Basic Window Handling
21
Basic Window Handling
WaveLab Elements follows the basic guidelines for the Windows/Mac 
OS interface, which means that Windows/Mac OS standard 
procedures apply.
Closing Windows
•To close a tabbed window, click the “X” button of the 
corresponding tab or press [Ctrl]/[Command]-[W].
• To close a tabbed window without saving your changes, hold 
[Ctrl]/[Command]-[Shift], and click the “X” button. This avoids 
having to confirm a warning message whenever you want to close 
an unsaved window.
• To close all tabbed windows at once, right-click a tab, and select 
Close all.
• To close all tabbed windows but the selected tabbed window, 
right-click a tab, and select Close all but this one.
• To individually select the tabbed windows that you want to close, 
right-click a tab, and select Select files to close. This opens the 
Files to close dialog, where you can select the files that you want 
to close.
RELATED LINKS:
“Files to Close Dialog” on page 53
“Managing Tabs” on page 53
Switching Between Files
You can have multiple files open and switch between them.
•To bring a file to the front, click the corresponding tab.
• To cycle between all open files in a workspace, hold 
[Ctrl]/[Command], and press [Tab] continuously.
• To cycle back and forth between the last two active files, press 
[Ctrl]/[Command]-[Tab]. Between each step you have to release 
all keys.
• To cycle backwards, press [Ctrl]/[Command]-[Shift]-[Tab]. 
						

							WaveLab Elements Concepts
Basic Window Handling
22
Window Switcher
The window switchers let you easily switch between workspaces, 
create new workspaces, or open existing projects. There are two types 
of window switchers: The central switcher bar and the floating window 
switcher.
The floating window switcher behaves like the central switcher bar, but 
takes less room and floats above other windows.
• To activate/deactivate the central switcher bar, in the Audio Files 
workspace or the Audio Montage workspace, select Workspace 
> Command bars > Central switcher bar.
Using the Central Switcher Bar
You can use the central switcher bar to navigate through your 
workspaces.
•To copy a file from one workspace to another, drag it to the button 
of the workspace that you want to open, wait until the workspace 
becomes active, and release the file where you want.
• To create a new file in any workspace, press [Ctrl]/[Command], 
and click a workspace button.
• To open the Open window to select a file, press [Shift], and click 
a workspace button.
• To display a menu listing the files that have recently been used in 
a particular workspace, right-click any workspace icon.
• To create a new file or open a file, right-click any workspace icon, 
and select New or Open. While left-clicking activates a 
workspace, right-clicking does not activate a workspace. 
						

							WaveLab Elements Concepts
Selecting Audio
23
Customizing the Central Switcher Bar
You can customize the central switcher bar using the settings menu.
To open the settings menu, right-click an empty part of the central 
switcher bar.
Hide
Hides the central switcher bar.
Fold
Minimizes the central switcher bar to a thin line. To unfold the bar, 
click the thin line.
Left side/Top/Right side/Bottom
Determines the location of the central switcher bar.
Large/Medium/Small size
Determines the size of the central switcher bar.
Workspace buttons
Determines which workspace buttons are visible on the central 
switcher bar.
Selecting Audio
Almost all types of editing and processing that you perform in WaveLab 
Elements operate on the audio selection. There are numerous ways to 
make an audio selection.
To select the whole audio file, double-click it. If the audio file contains 
markers, triple-click it. 
						

							WaveLab Elements Concepts
Selecting Audio
24
Selecting a Range by Dragging
The standard way to select a range in a wave window is to click and 
drag.
If you drag all the way to the left or right side of the window, it scrolls 
automatically, allowing you to select larger sections than what can be 
shown in the window. The speed of the scrolling depends on how far 
from the window edge you are.
Audio Range Selection in an Audio File
You can edit, process, or play back selection of an audio file.
In the Audio Files workspace, select Edit > Select time range.
All
Selects the entire waveform.
Toggle
Toggles the current audio selection on/off.
Extend to start of file
Extends the selection to the start of the audio file. If there is no 
selection, a selection is created from the edit cursor position.
Extend to end of file
Extends the selection to the end of the audio file. If there is no 
selection, a selection is created from the edit cursor position.
Extend to previous marker
Extends the left edge of the selection to the nearest marker to the 
left or the start of the audio file. If there is no selection, a selection 
is extended until the edit cursor position.
Extend to next marker
Extends the right edge of the selection to the nearest marker to the 
right or the end of the audio file. If there is no selection, a selection 
is extended until the next marker position.
Extend to cursor
Extends the selection to the edit cursor position.
From start of file until cursor
Selects the range between the start of the audio file and the edit 
cursor position. 
						

							WaveLab Elements Concepts
Selecting Audio
25
From cursor to end of file
Selects the range between the edit cursor position and the end of 
the audio file.
From cursor to previous marker
Selects the range between the edit cursor position and the nearest 
marker to the left or the start of the audio file.
From cursor to next marker
Selects the range between the edit cursor position and the next 
marker or the end of the audio file.
Playback position => Selection start
Creates a selection range from the playback position to the end of 
the audio file. If no playback is taking place, the position of the edit 
cursor is used.
Playback position => Selection end
Creates a selection range from the playback position to start of the 
audio file. If no playback is taking place, the position of the edit 
cursor is used.
Double length
Doubles the length of the current selection range.
Halve length
Halves the length of the current selection range.
Extend to all channels
Extends the current selection range to all channels.
Left channel only
Reduces the current selection range to the left channel only.
Right channel only
Reduces the current selection range to the right channel only.
Loop region
Selects the range between the two loop markers that encompass 
the edit cursor.
Generic region
Selects the range between the two generic markers that 
encompass the edit cursor. 
						

							WaveLab Elements Concepts
Selecting Audio
26
Selecting in Stereo Files
If you are working on stereo material in the Audio Files workspace, you 
can apply an operation to one channel only or to the entire stereo 
material.
Which channel is selected when you click and drag in the wave window 
depends on where you position the mouse cursor, as indicated by the 
pointer shape. The pointer shape indicates which channel will be 
affected.
The following pointer shapes are available:
Switching the Selection Between Channels
You can switch the selection that you have made for a channel to all 
channels or switch the selection to the other channel.
PROCEDURE
1.In the Audio Files workspace
						

							WaveLab Elements Concepts
Selecting Audio
27
Moving a Selection Range
If a selection range is the right length, but at the wrong position, you can 
move it.
PROCEDURE
1.In the wave window, hold down [Ctrl]/[Command]-[Shift].
2. Click in the middle of the selection and drag to the left/right.
Extending and Reducing the Selection
You can resize a selection range in the wave window without having to 
make a new one.
There are several ways to extend/reduce the selection:
• Make a selection range, [Shift]-click outside the selection range, 
and drag to the left/right, or click and drag the edges of the 
selection range to the left/right.
• To extend the selection to the previous/next boundary (marker or 
start/end of file), press [Shift] and double-click the non-selected 
area between the boundaries.
Extending and Reducing the Selection Using the Cursor Keys
•To move the start/end of a selection in the wave window to the 
left/right, hold down [Shift] and press the left/right cursor keys. To 
move it in bigger steps, press the [Page Up]/[Page Down] keys.
• To extend a selection to the previous/next boundary in the wave 
window (marker or start/end of the audio file), hold down 
[Ctrl]/[Command]+[Shift] and press the left/right cursor keys.
Deleting Selections
There are several options for deleting a selected time range.
Audio Files Workspace
The following options can be found on the Edit menu:
Trim
Removes the data outside the selection. 
						

							WaveLab Elements Concepts
Sliders
28
Remove
Removes the selection. The audio to the right of the selection is 
moved to the left to fill the gap.
Sliders
At various places in WaveLab Elements, slider controls are available to 
change parameters. There are a number of ways to change the value of 
a slider.
•Position the mouse over the slider and use the mouse wheel (no 
click is required). Hold [Ctrl]/[Command] while using the mouse 
wheel to scroll faster. This modifier also applies to the zoom 
wheels. To move the button of a slider, click and drag it.
• To move the slider handle directly to a position, click the slider at 
any position.
• To move the slider handle in smaller steps, right-click or below the 
handle. Keep the mouse button pressed to automatically step to 
the next value.
• To reset the slider to the default value, if available, 
[Ctrl]/[Command]-click the slider, or click using the third mouse 
button, or double-click the handle.
Renaming Items in Tables
You can rename items in tables in the Markers window, and in the CD 
window.
•To rename an item, double-click it or select it, and press [Return], 
and enter the new name.
• To rename the previous/next item, press [Arrow Up] or [Arrow 
Down] instead of [Return]. This way you move the focus on the 
previous/next item, while staying in the edit mode. 
						

							WaveLab Elements Concepts
File Browser
29
File Browser
The File Browser window in the Audio Files workspace and the Audio 
Montage workspace allows you to browse files directly from within 
WaveLab Elements. It can be very useful in speeding up the process of 
auditioning sound files.
The File Browser window provides you with all the standard browsing 
functions as well as additional controls to audition audio files and any 
marker defined regions. You can use it to open or insert files or regions 
of files by dragging them onto an open workspace.
You can also choose to only view certain types of files.
File Browser Window
In this window, you can browse files and open them in WaveLab 
Elements.
In the Audio Files workspace or the Audio Montage workspace, select 
Workspace > Specific tool windows > File Browser.
You can add your favorite folders to the left pane by dragging them from 
the middle pane.
The following options are available in the File Browser windows:
Look in
Lets you select a file location to browse and lists the recently used 
locations.
Back/Forward/Parent Directory
Let you navigate through the list and file hierarchy.
List View
Shows only the file name in the file list. 
						

							WaveLab Elements Concepts
Tab Groups
30
Detail View
Shows the file name, size, type, and modification date in the file list.
File name
Shows the file name of the selected file.
File format list
Lets you select which file format to display.
The following options are only available in the File Browser window in 
the Audio Montage workspace:
Select Audio Files
Shows only audio files.
Select Audio Montages
Shows only audio montages.
Auto-Play mode
Starts playback automatically for the selected file.
Play selected audio file
Plays the selected audio file.
Tab Groups
 With tab groups, you can view the content of different files and meters 
at the same time, without having to navigate through different windows.
2 empty tab groups in the Audio Montage workspace