Steinberg WaveLab Essential 6 Operation Manual

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Sampling and creating loops
Basic looping
Instrumental sounds in samplers rely heavily on looping. 
Looping a 
sound allows you to repeat a section of the 
sample indefinitely, to 
create a sustain of unlimited length. 
An example of this would be an organ sound. Without 
looping you will only be able to play notes as 
long as the 
original recording. With looping, notes can be of any length.
Finding a good loop point takes a bit of practice. Here is 
some advice:
 There are only two types of loops: very long and very short. 
Loops of intermediate lengths usually don’t work very well.
 A long loop will sound the most natural, and should be used 
whenever possible. However, if the sound does not have a 
stable section in the middle (an even sustain part), it might be 
hard to find a good long loop. For example, a piano note – 
which decays continuously – will be hard to loop since the 
start point of the loop will be louder than the end. A flute will 
be much simpler, because the sound in the sustain section is 
very stable.
 Very short loops (covering only a few cycles or periods) can 
almost always be found, but may sound “static” and unnatural.
 A loop should normally start a short time after the “attack” por-
tion, that is, when the sound has “stabilized” to a sustaining 
note.
 If you try to set up a long loop, it should end as late as possi-
ble, but before the sound starts decaying to silence (if it does).
 If you go for a short loop, it is harder to say exactly where in 
the sound to put it, but it should definitely be towards the end.
More information about looping in general, and the exact 
capabilities of your sampler in particular, can be found in 
the sampler’s manual. Below follows a description of 
WaveLab Essential’s set of tools for setting up loops.
Setting Description
Name The name the sample will have in the sampler. If the 
sample is an already named file, the name is dis-
played here, but you can change it if you wish. Note 
that not all samplers support all characters. Further-
more, if the name is too long, it will be truncated.
Parse name into 
keyIf a sample is named so as to denote its root key 
(e.g. “Bass C0” – a sample of a bass in the key C0), 
clicking this button will automatically fill in the key 
field (see below) with the root key information taken 
from the file name. Note that you can also use this 
method for samples that are named so as to denote 
their MIDI note numbers (see below).
Parse last 
group of digitsThis is available when you select MIDI note number 
notation (see below), and can be useful when you 
want to use the Parse name into key option (de-
scribed above). In cases where samples are named 
with multiple groups of numbers – e.g. 
“Piano_01_112” – you need to activate this option 
to let WaveLab Essential know that the last group of 
digits is the one denoting the MIDI note number.
Key This specifies which key will play back the sound at 
its original pitch.
Detune This specifies whether the sample should be played 
back at a slightly different pitch. The range is ±50% 
of a semitone, which translates into a quarter tone in 
each direction.
Detect from 
audio selectionIf you click this button, WaveLab Essential will anal-
yse the sample and determine its pitch and amount 
of detune. For this to work properly, the sample must 
be of such a nature that it is possible to clearly de-
tect a pitch (it won’t work properly with chords and 
drum loops for example). 
Musical notation/MIDI 
note numberThese radio buttons let you choose whether to dis-
play the different key values in the dialog with the 
key’s pitch or the key’s MIDI note number. In musical 
notation, keys are denoted according to their pitch 
(e.g. C3 – meaning the note C in the third octave). 
Each key corresponds to a MIDI note number, from 
0 – 127. The key C3 for example, corresponds to 
the MIDI note number 48. MIDI note numbers make 
it possible for samplers to automatically map sam-
ples to the correct keys.
Key range If a sample is part of a multi-sample key map, you 
can specify the key range for the sample, i.e. which 
keys should be able to play it.
Velocity range If a sample is part of a multi-sample key map with 
velocity switchable samples, you can here specify 
the velocity range for the sample – the minimum and 
maximum velocity values that should trigger the 
sample. 
						

							172
Sampling and creating loops
Adding, moving and playing loop markers
Loop markers are added, moved and otherwise edited just 
as any other type of marker. This is described in the sec-
tion “Introduction” on page 98 and onwards.
Here is a brief description on how to create a basic loop:
1.Make a selection that corresponds to the area you 
want looped.
If you like, you can play back with “Loop selection” activated on the 
Transport bar and adjust the selection during playback.
2.Bring up the Marker toolbar.
3.Click on the loop marker icons (the green ones).
The selection is now enclosed by loop markers.
4.Make sure that “Loop as marked” is activated on the 
Transport bar.
Click the Playback end position/Loop mode button to open the corre-
sponding pop-up.
5.Play back and adjust the position of the markers to 
change the loop.
A basic loop setup using markers.
Getting a good loop by just dragging the markers around 
might be hard.
 Most often you will hear a click or an abrupt 
change in timbre at the 
turning point, which is hard to get 
rid of by dragging the markers.
We suggest you only use this method for setting up the 
basic length of the loop (leaving clicks, etc. as they are) 
and then use the Crossfade Looper and Loop Tone Equal-
izer (described below) to perfect it.
Using the Crossfade Looper
What is the Crossfade Looper?
The Crossfade Looper is a special tool for creating “seam-
less” loops. It allows you to “nudge” the loop points while 
at the same time providing visual feedback of the “join” 
between the start and end point.
The Crossfade Looper can also automatically find loop 
points for you, by scanning the area of the waveform that 
is in the current loop points’ vicinity. You can specify pa-
rameters for how “finicky” the program should be when 
suggesting loop points.
Finally, if you can’t find a good enough loop point using 
the methods described above, the Crossfade Looper al-
lows you to process the waveform to allow for smoother 
loops. It does this by crossfading areas of the waveform 
close to the loop start and end points.
Opening the Crossfade Looper
Before you open the Crossfade Looper we suggest you 
set up a basic loop as described on the previous pages. 
Then proceed as follows:
1.If you have several loops, place the wave cursor some-
where inside the one you want to work on.
This can be done by clicking somewhere between the loop markers.
2.Select Crossfade Looper… from the Sampling menu.
3.Click on the “Loop points” tab.
This tab should be your starting point, since this is where you adjust the 
loop points.
ÖThe following sections describe the common proce-
dures for using the Crossfade Looper.
About the Crossfade Looper dialogs
The Crossfade Looper dialogs are non-modal. While they 
are open, you can still access other windows (e.g. the 
Transport bar). However, all editing of the Wave window 
on which you are working is blocked out (except moving 
the current pair of loop markers, of course).
!Please note the points about marker pairs (see 
“About marker pairs” on page 98).
!Note that it takes a while for changes in the loop to 
take effect on playback. Exactly how long depends 
on your buffer settings, see “About loop updating 
and short loops” on page 58. 
						

							173
Sampling and creating loops
Furthermore, each time you click Apply, the process starts 
out from the wave data as it was when you opened the 
Crossfade Looper (since you want to be able to try out 
various types of crossfading without re-processing the 
wave each time). This affects the undo function: there is 
only one step of undo and no redo in the Crossfade 
Looper.
Moving the loop points “manually”
Let’s assume you have set up a basic loop that you are 
happy with, except for glitches or “bumps” at the turning 
point. You can then use the Crossfade Looper to move 
the points manually, in small steps, to eliminate the glitch.
This is actually technically no different from moving the 
loop points in the wave display, but the features of this di-
alog makes it much easier to find good loop points, since 
the display gives you visual feedback as you go along. We 
also recommend that you have playback going on in “Loop 
as marked” mode since you will then also hear what you 
are doing!
The two ways of moving loop points
There are two ways of moving the loop points: dragging in 
the actual waveform (position the mouse pointer in the 
display and drag sideways) and using the “nudge” but-
tons.
 Dragging in the waveform allows you to perform larger moves 
more quickly. The nudge buttons are more useful for fine-tuning since they 
move the points by one screen pixel. This means that in 1:1 
zoom mode, each press on a nudge button moves the loop 
point a single sample.
The various moving options
 By moving the left part of the display, you are moving the end 
point to a later (left) or earlier (right) position.
 By moving the right part of the display, you are moving the 
start point to a later (left) or earlier (right) position.
 If you activate Linking, both the start and end points will move 
simultaneously. That is, the loop length will be exactly the 
same, but the entire loop will move.
 You can switch to the Wave window and adjust the markers 
there, if needed.
Using the auto-find feature
If desired, you can have the program search for good 
loop points 
automatically. This is technically no different 
from adjusting the loop points yourself, only that the pro-
gram uses pattern matching algorithms to suggest loop 
points for you.
Let’s say that you want to let the program find a better 
start point for the loop. You first set up a start and end 
loop marker, to get a basic loop, as described above. You 
then invoke the automatic searching, and the program 
searches the waveform from the current start point, 
trying 
to find a section that is as similar as possible to the area 
just 
after the current end point. When it finds a match it 
stops.
You decide how similar the section must be to be consid-
ered a match.
Setting up the parameters
The auto-find parameters.
There are two parameters for the auto-find feature, de-
sired correspondence and search accuracy.
 Search accuracy is a parameter for determining how many 
samples should be included in the analysis. Higher values re-
sult in greater accuracy, but also longer processing times.
You can drag either side of the waveform directly…
…or use the nudge buttons. 
						

							174
Sampling and creating loops
 Desired correspondence is a value for how well the found 
section must resemble the section to which it is compared, to 
be considered a match. WaveLab Essential uses two meth-
ods for comparison, “phase match” and “join match” (which 
provide much better matching than the simple zero crossing 
detection used by most other programs. Phase matching also 
ensures that no harmonic cancellation will occur when you 
crossfade, see later in this chapter). First phase matching is 
performed and then, to “fine tune”, a join match is employed. A 
value of 1000 will most likely fail completely, since it requires a 
100% perfect match.
Searching
1.Set up the search parameters.
2.Click on one of the buttons in between the “nudge” 
buttons.
Each time you click, the program scans from the current point (forwards 
or backwards, depending on which button you clicked) until it finds a 
point that matches. It then stops. If you wish you can stop at any time by 
clicking the right mouse button, by using the Stop button on the status 
bar or by hitting [Esc]. The program will then jump back to the best match 
found so far.
3.Check the loop by playing back.
4.If you think there might be a better point, at some later 
or earlier position, just click the button again, and scan-
ning continues from this point onwards.
Remember that you can always go back to the main Wave 
window and adjust the markers manually.
Working with candidates
Often you will want to try various alternatives before com-
mitting to a loop. To be able to compare several alterna-
tives, WaveLab Essential offers looping candidates. These 
allow you to store sets of loop points in memory locations 
for later recall.When you have set up the loop points as desired, you 
store them by selecting “Save candidate” from the options 
pop-up menu in the dialog, and then selecting one of the 
five memory locations.
To recall a stored candidate, select “Restore candidate” 
from the pop-up menu, and then select the desired mem-
ory location from the submenu. The points are now re-
called and the loop points in the wave are moved to the 
positions stored in the memory location.
ÖTo compare several candidates, you can for example 
have playback going, select them one after the other, and 
listen to the difference.
Once you have found your candidate, you can select OK to exit this win-
dow or proceed to crossfading.
Things to note about candidates
 There is only one set of candidates per Wave window, not one 
per set of loop points. This means that if you have several sets 
of loops in your file, you must be careful so that you don’t re-
call the wrong set.
 Crossfading is not part of the candidate, only loop positions 
are. You should decide on a candidate to use before you ap-
ply crossfading. 
						

							175
Sampling and creating loops
Creating a crossfade
What is a crossfade and when do I need it?
Sometimes it is impossible to find a loop that doesn’t 
cause any glitches. This is especially true for stereo mate-
rial, where you might be able to find a perfect candidate 
for either channel, but not for both at the same time.
One solution to this problem is to use crossfading. This 
technique “smears” the material around the end loop point 
so that it loops perfectly. It does this by mixing material be-
fore the loop start with material just before the loop end.
The only problem with this technique is that it alters the 
waveform and hence changes the sound. However, nor-
mally you can find settings that minimize this problem.
Setting up
1.While still at the “Loop points” tab (in the Crossfade 
Looper dialog), try to create as good a loop as you can.
2.Click on the Crossfade tab.
3.Make sure the Crossfade check box is activated.
There is a corresponding check box on the Post-Crossfade tab. This lets 
you choose if regular crossfading and/or post-crossfading will be per-
formed when you click Apply later.
The Crossfade tab with crossfading activated.
4.Decide on a length for the crossfade either by drag-
ging the length handle or by adjusting the Length value 
below the graph.
The length is used to adjust the amount of the audio file that will be pro-
cessed. This area is always located just before the end of the loop, but 
the Length value adjusts how far towards the start of the loop it 
stretches. As you can see, an equally large area before the loop start is 
used as basis for the processing. However, this area is not processed, 
just analysed.
Generally you will want the crossfade to be as short as it 
can be, with an acceptable result:
 Using a long crossfade will be a better guarantee that the loop 
will be smooth. However, more of the waveform will be pro-
cessed and hence changed in character.
 Using a short crossfade will ensure the sound is affected as 
little as possible. However, the loop might then not be as 
smooth as otherwise.
5.Decide on a crossfade shape, by dragging the shape 
handle or by adjusting the shape value.
The considerations for this are the same as when creating other cross-
fades, see “Crossfade” on page 73. 0% means that the sound level will 
be equal in the middle of the crossfade, whereas 100% means that the 
energy will be equal in the middle of the crossfade. Use low values for 
“simple” sounds and high values for “complex” sounds.
Applying and checking the crossfade
When you click Apply, the sound is processed. If you have 
playback going, repeating the loop you will hear the 
change take effect after a short while.
ÖYou can check the crossfade visually by opening the 
“Loop points” tab and activating “Display processed sig-
nal” on the options pop-up menu.
When this is activated, the display will show the waveform as it looks 
when crossfaded. When the option is deactivated, the display will show 
the waveform as it originally was. Switching back and forth allows you to 
compare the two.
ÖYou can undo the crossfade by selecting Undo from 
the Edit menu.
ÖIf you click OK, the dialog closes and crossfading is 
made permanent.
If you click Cancel instead, the dialog closes and the waveform is re-
verted back to the way it was before crossfading.
!Do not move the loop points after performing a 
crossfade! The waveform has been processed spe-
cifically for the current loop settings! 
						

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Sampling and creating loops
Creating a post-crossfade
The post-crossfade is accessed from its own tab.
This is identical to the regular crossfade, but it is applied 
to the area after the loop. This means that it is used to fade 
the material so that there will be no glitch when playback 
continues out of the loop.
The post-crossfade looks at the part of the waveform that 
occurs just after the loop start and processes a certain 
area beginning at the end of the loop. The Length param-
eter adjusts the size of this area.
Everything else is identical to regular crossfading, see 
above.
Working with presets
As with effect processors, you can create presets for set-
tings in the dialog for quick recall. See “Presets” on page 
30 for details. This comes in extremely handy for example 
when processing a number of similar files, for example for 
creating a multisample (several instrumental samples 
mapped across the keyboard).
Using the Loop Tone Equalizer
The Loop Tone Equalizer is a function for looping those 
un-loopable sounds, for example sounds that constantly 
decay in level or continuously change in timbre. The Loop 
Tone Equalizer applies drastic processing to the sound 
that evens out changes in level and timbral characteristics, 
before and during the loop.
It does this by using one of the following two methods:
Slice mixing
A number of slices is specified for the looped section. If for example you 
specify eight slices, the loop is cut up into eight sections of equal length. 
These sections are then mixed together as one sound which is repeated 
eight times. This new piece of audio replaces all audio inside the loop in 
a smart way so that no harmonic cancellation (due to phase offsets) oc-
curs.
Chorus smoothing
This has nothing to do with a conventional chorus effect, but uses a 
method known as “Phase Vocoding” to filter the harmonics. This method 
is recommended for looping ensemble and choir sounds.
You can use both slice mixing and chorus smoothing in 
conjunction, but it is highly unlikely that you will ever need 
to. Note also that the original length of the loop will not be 
changed by the processing.
In addition to the above, the Loop Tone Equalizer includes 
a crossfade facility so that the original sound fades into 
the processed sections as playback approaches the loop 
start.
!If you intend to use the sound in your sampler in such 
a way that the area after the loop is never played, you 
don’t need to worry about this feature at all! Some 
samplers don’t even allow you to play the area after 
the loop. However, if you do intend to use the area 
after the loop it is very important to have post-cross-
fade activated! 
						

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Sampling and creating loops
To use the Loop Tone Equalizer, proceed as follows:
1.Set up a basic loop of the length you desire.
This will probably not be a very good loop. If it was you wouldn’t need to 
use the Loop Tone Equalizer.
2.Select Loop Tone Equalizer from the Sampling menu 
and click on the Loop Tone Equalizer tab.
3.Make sure that either slice mixing or chorus smoothing 
is activated and make the desired settings.
For slice mixing, you need to determine the number of slices. Only exper-
imentation can tell how many slices are needed, but generally, the more 
slices, the more natural the sound (to a certain extent). However, the pro-
gram puts a restriction on the number of slices, so that each one is never 
shorter than 20 milliseconds.
For chorus smoothing, you can make the following set-
tings:
4.Switch to the Pre-Crossfade tab and set up a cross-
fade.
You will need to use this feature since the Loop Tone Equalizer itself 
changes the timbre inside the loop and only there. This will mean that the 
transition into the loop will not be as smooth as expected, unless you ap-
ply crossfading. Generally, this is the same as the crossfade in the 
Crossfade Looper window. However, the difference is that this cross-
fade is made before and up to the loop start. The processed material cre-
ated by the Loop Tone Equalizer is added to the original material before 
the loop.
5.Click Apply, and the sound gets processed.
If you have playback going, repeating the loop, you will hear the change 
take effect 
after a short while.
ÖYou can undo the crossfade by selecting Undo from 
the Edit menu.ÖIf you click OK, the dialog closes and processing is 
made permanent.
If you click Cancel instead, the dialog closes and the waveform is re-
verted back to the way it was before processing.
About the end of the loop – Post-crossfading
After using the Loop Tone Equalizer, the transition from 
the end of the loop to the end of the file in many cases 
won’t be very natural. This can be fixed as follows:
1.Close the Loop Tone Equalizer and open the Cross-
fade Looper.
2.Click on the Crossfade tab and deactivate the Cross-
fade option (the check box).
3.Click on the Post-Crossfade tab and make sure 
Crossfade is activated.
4.Set up the post-crossfade parameters and click Apply.
Working with presets
As with the Crossfade Looper, you can create presets for 
settings in the dialog for quick recall. See “Presets” on 
page 30 for details.
Option Description
Timbre This governs the amount by which the timbral char-
acteristics of the sample should be evened out. The 
higher the value, the more pronounced the effect.
Chorusing The delay time of the chorus effect varies with the 
modulation, which causes a sweeping effect. What 
this parameter does is determine the width and 
speed of the chorus sweep.
Enhance Warmth Creates a smoother, warmer sounding effect.
Stereo Expansion This increases the width of the sample in the stereo 
sound image.
!Do not move the loop points after performing the 
processing! The waveform has been processed spe-
cifically for the current loop settings! 
						

							21
Customizing 
						

							179
Customizing
What is customizing?
When we talk about customizing, we mean making set-
tings so that the program behaves and looks the way you 
want it to!
Preferences
In the Preferences dialog on the Options menu you will 
find a number of settings, collected on tabs, for tailoring 
the look and behavior of the program.
Saving the preferences
To make sure the preference settings “stick”, select the 
General tab and make sure “Save preferences on exit” is 
activated. When this is activated, all your preferences set-
tings (as well as all menu options, etc.) are automatically 
saved when you Quit the program.
Creating startup preferences
To make sure the program starts with the same preference 
settings each time you launch it, proceed as follows:
1.Set up all preferences as desired and make sure “Save 
preferences on exit” is activated.
2.Quit the program.3.Launch the program again, and deactivate “Save pref-
erences on exit”.
Now you can change the preferences for this session, but the settings 
you had when you last quit will be the ones you get next time you launch 
the program.
Folder editing
Navigating to the right folder via file dialogs can some-
times be time consuming, but WaveLab Essential gives 
you the option to optimize these operations.
If you select “Folders” from the Options menu, a dialog 
opens where you set for the saving and opening of prefer-
ences for WaveLab Essential’s various folders. 
To the left in the dialog is a tree list with two root folders; 
“Work folders” and “Document folders”. Work folders are 
the folders associated with temporary files, and Document 
folders are all folders associated with WaveLab Essential 
specific files and documents (Wave, Audio CD Montage, 
etc.). 
Work folders
The Work folders are usually set up after installing Wave-
Lab Essential, as the folders specified for temporary files 
have an important bearing on WaveLab Essential’s overall 
performance. See “Temporary files” on page 15 for a de-
scription of how to set up these folders. 
						

							180
Customizing
Document folders
For each WaveLab Essential document type, you can 
specify paths to open and save folders (given that the 
document can be saved). This is done in the following 
way:
1.Click on the plus sign for a document type in the tree 
list.
All document types will have Open and Save sub-items.
2.Select either Open or Save.
Now you can specify a path to a folder which will be automatically se-
lected when opening or saving a document of this type.
For each folder, you can specify the following:
Saving the window layout
If “Open last window layout on startup”, on the Prefer-
ences–General tab is activated, the program will open in 
exactly the same state as it was when you last quit (with 
the option activated). The snapshots, and even the docu-
ment windows you had open (and their “layout”) will auto-
matically be reopened.
You can use this to create a startup “layout” that will al-
ways appear when you launch WaveLab Essential:
1.Set up all windows as desired.
2.Make sure “Open last window layout on startup” is ac-
tivated and quit the program.3.Launch the program again, and deactivate “Open last 
window layout on startup”.
The next time you launch the program, it will open with the windows set 
up as in step 1 above, regardless of whether you have changed the win-
dow layout since.
ÖIf you hold down [Ctrl] when quitting the program, the 
effect of the “Open last window layout on startup” setting 
is reversed. If it was activated, it will be deactivated and 
vice versa.
ÖIf you hold down [Ctrl] when launching the program, 
no window layout is loaded.
Styling WaveLab Essential – Wave 
windows
It’s possible to “style” the Wave windows to your liking, by 
adjusting colors (of waveforms, background, cursor lines, 
etc.) and changing the look of the ruler and other window 
details.
By saving the current window style as default, you can 
change the style that is normally used when you open or 
record an audio file in a Wave window.
On the following pages, we will first describe the general 
procedure for how to change the default style, then de-
scribe the elements you can change.
Changing the default style
1.Set up a Wave window to look the way you want it.
Note that this also includes the ruler formats – see “Units of time and 
level” on page 28.
2.Select “Save current window style as default” from the 
View menu.
Now, all Wave windows (which have not been opened before) will be 
shown in the style you specified.
The elements of a style
ÖWhen you change any of these style settings and want 
to make the changes available to other Wave windows, 
you need to save them as the default style. 
If you dont do so, newly opened Wave windows will automatically be re-
set to the default style!
Item Description
Current folder Here you can specify a path to a folder to use for 
Saving or Opening documents of the selected 
type.
Keep last used The last folder used for saving or opening docu-
ments of the selected type will be selected the 
next time you open or save from the file dialog.
Change when save/
open folder changesUse this if you want the folder to be redefined if 
the opposite operation is performed (open vs 
save). If you set this option both for the Open and 
Save folders, then these folders will always be the 
same.
When opening 
WaveLab Essential 
set this folderIf you want to reset the folder to a specific folder 
each time you open WaveLab Essential you can 
specify a path here.