Steinberg WaveLab Essential 6 Operation Manual

							201
Plug-in processor reference
The following processors are available on the VST Dy-
namics panel (click an item in the list for more information 
about the corresponding processor):
“AutoGate” on page 201
“AutoLevel” on page 202
“Compress” on page 202
“SoftClip” on page 202
“Limit” on page 202
AutoGate
Gating, or noise gating, is a method of dynamic process-
ing that silences audio signals below a certain set thresh-
old level. As soon as the signal level exceeds the set 
threshold, the gate opens to let the signal through. Auto-
Gate offers all the features of a standard noise gate, plus 
some very useful additional features, such as auto calibra-
tion of the threshold setting, a look-ahead predict func-
tion, and frequency selective triggering. Available 
parameters are as follows:
Trigger Frequency Range 
AutoGate has a feature that allows the gate to be trig-
gered only by signals within a specified frequency range. 
This is a most useful feature because it lets you filter out 
parts of the signal that might otherwise trigger the gate in 
places you don’t want it to, thus allowing more control 
over the gate function. The Trigger Frequency Range function is controlled using the control in the upper part of 
the AutoGate panel, and the slider located below it. The 
basic operation of the Trigger Frequency Range function 
is as follows:
1.While playing back audio, drag the slider to the “Lis-
ten” position.
You will now monitor the audio signal, and the gate will be bypassed.
2.While listening, drag the two handles in the Trigger 
Frequency window to set the frequency range you wish to 
use to trigger the gate.
You will hear the audio being filtered as you move the handles.
Dragging the left handle to the right will progressively 
cut frequencies starting from the low end of the frequency 
spectrum.
Dragging the right handle to the left will progressively 
cut frequencies starting from the high end of the fre-
quency spectrum.
3.After setting the frequency range, drag the slider to 
the “On” position.
AutoGate will now use the selected frequency range as the trigger input.
4.To disable the Trigger Frequency Range function, 
drag the slider to “Off”.
AutoGate will now use the unfiltered audio signal as the trigger input.
Calibrate Function
This function, activated by using the Calibrate button lo-
cated below the Threshold knob, is used to automatically 
set the threshold level. It is especially useful for material 
with consistent inherent background noise in the audio 
material, like tape hiss for example. This may be masked 
by the audio content for most of the time, but becomes 
noticeable during silent passages. Use as follows:
1.Find a part of the audio material, preferably not too 
short, where only the background noise is heard. 
If you can find only a short section with background noise, try looping it.
2.Play it back, and click on the Calibrate button.
The button will blink for a few seconds, and then automatically set the 
threshold so that the noise will be silenced (gated) during passages 
where there is no other signal present.
Parameter Explanation
Threshold This setting determines the level where AutoGate is 
activated. Signal levels above the set threshold trig-
ger the gate to open, but signal levels below the set 
threshold will close the gate.
Attack This parameter sets the time it takes for the gate to 
open after being triggered. If the Predict button is 
activated, it will ensure that the gate will already be 
open when a signal above the threshold level is 
played back. AutoGate manages this by “looking 
ahead” in the audio material, checking for signals 
loud enough to pass the gate.
Hold This determines how long the gate stays open after 
the signal drops below the threshold level.
Release This parameter sets the amount of time it takes for 
the gate to close (after the set hold time). If the 
“Auto” button is activated, AutoGate will find an op-
timum release setting, depending on the audio pro-
gram material. 
						

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Plug-in processor reference
AutoLevel
AutoLevel reduces signal level differences in audio mate-
rial. It can be used to process recordings where the level 
unintentionally varies. It will boost low levels and attenuate 
high level audio signals. Only levels above the set thresh-
old will be processed, so low level noise or rumble will not 
be boosted. If the input level is greater than 0dB, Au-
toLevel will react very fast, because it looks ahead in the 
audio material for strong signal levels and can attenuate 
levels before they occur, thus reducing the risk of signal 
clipping.
Compress
Compress reduces the dynamic range of the audio, so 
that softer sounds get louder or louder sounds get softer, 
or both. Compress functions like a standard compressor 
with separate controls for threshold, ratio, attack, release 
and make-up gain parameters. 
There is also a separate display that graphically illustrates 
the compressor curve shaped according to the Threshold, 
Ratio and MakeUp Gain parameter settings. Compress 
also features a Gain Reduction meter that shows the 
amount of gain reduction in dB, and a program dependent 
Auto feature for the Release parameter.
SoftClip
SoftClip is designed to ensure that the output level never 
exceeds 0dB, like a limiter. SoftClip, however, acts differ-
ently compared to a conventional limiter. When the signal 
level exceeds -6dB, SoftClip starts limiting (or clipping) 
the signal “softly”, at the same time generating harmonics 
which add a warm, tubelike characteristic to the audio ma-
terial. SoftClip is simplicity itself to use as it has no control 
parameters. The meter indicates the input signal level, and 
thus the amount of “softclipping”. Levels in the green area 
(weaker than -6dB) are unaffected, while levels in the yel-
low-orange-red area indicate the degree of “softclipping”. 
The deep red meter area to the right indicates input levels 
higher than 0dB. 
ÖAvoid feeding SoftClip with excessively high signal 
levels as audible distortion may occur, although the output 
level will never exceed 0dB.
Limit
Limit is designed to ensure that the output level never ex-
ceeds a certain set output level, to avoid clipping in fol-
lowing devices. Conventional limiters usually require very 
accurate setting up of the attack and release parameters, 
to totally avoid the possibility of the output level going be-
yond the set threshold level. Limit adjusts and optimizes 
these parameters automatically, according to the audio 
material. However, should you want to, you can adjust the 
Release parameter manually.
Parameter Description
Threshold Only levels stronger than the set threshold will be 
processed.
Reaction Time Switch This parameter sets the amount of time it takes for 
AutoLevel to adjust the gain. Set this according to 
whether the program level changes suddenly or 
over a length of time.
Parameter Description
Threshold This setting determines the level where Compress 
“kicks in”. Signal levels above the set threshold are 
affected, but signal levels below are not processed.
Ratio Ratio determines the amount of gain reduction ap-
plied to signals over the set threshold. A ratio of 3:1 
means that for every three dB the input level in-
creases, the output level will increase by only one 
dB.
Attack This determines how fast Compress will respond to 
signals above the set threshold. If the attack time is 
long, more of the early part of the signal (attack) will 
pass through unprocessed.
Release Sets the amount of time it takes for the gain to re-
turn to its original level when the signal drops below 
the Threshold level. If the “Auto” button is activated, 
Compress will automatically find an optimum re-
lease setting, that varies depending on the audio 
program material.
MakeUp Gain This parameter is used to compensate for output 
gain loss, caused by compression.
Parameter Description
Threshold This setting determines the maximum output level. 
Signal levels above the set threshold are affected, 
but signal levels below are left unaffected
Release This parameter sets the amount of time it takes for 
the gain to return to its original level when the sig-
nal drops below the threshold level. If the “Auto” 
button is activated, Limit will automatically find an 
optimum release setting that varies depending on 
the audio program material. Parameter Description 
						

							23
Troubleshooting 
						

							204
Troubleshooting
General problems
Cant create a temporary file
 Please check which drive is specified for your temporary files 
(in the Edit Folders dialog). You cannot use a CD-ROM disk 
or a write protected drive for your temporary files.
 Is the drive full? Please select a drive with as much free space 
as possible.
A drive/partition cant be found
 Is this volume a removable drive, or a CD-ROM? In that case, 
is the correct disk really in the drive?
 Have you renamed the Volume since you last used the pro-
gram?
A file cant be deleted or renamed
 Is the volume write protected on which the file is residing? In 
that case, turn the write protection off.
 Is the file on a CD-ROM? Files can’t be deleted from CD-
ROMs.
The program opens/doesnt open with the same files 
each time
 This is not a bug, its a feature! You can decide to have the 
program boot up as you last left it. This is done by activating/
deactivating “Open last window layout on startup” in the Pref-
erences dialog. See Preferences Topics.
My snapshots are gone!
There are two main ways to make sure your snapshots 
“stay” from session to session:
 Make sure “Save view settings in companion file” is activated 
in the Preferences - Wave edit tab. This will automatically save 
any snapshots associated with an audio file.
 Use Open last window layout on startup (described above) to 
make all settings remain just as you left them.
The wave isnt styled as when I opened it last
There are three ways to save your window styling, etc.:
 Make sure “Save view settings in companion file” is activated 
in the Preferences–Wave edit tab. This will automatically save 
any window settings associated with an audio file.
 Use “Open last window layout on startup” in the Preferences 
dialog to make all settings remain just as you left them.
Problems with opening files
The file doesnt appear in the Open dialog.
 Does the file have the right extension? Select “All files (*.*)” 
from the pop-up in the Open dialog and check again.
 Is the drive on which the file resides currently accessible? If 
you use removable hard disks or CD-ROMs, make sure the 
right disk is in the drive.
Cant open a file
 Is the file really a supported file type?
 Is it possible to open it in other programs that support files of 
the same format? If not, it is probably damaged.
 Try opening the file in the Media Player application, included 
with Windows. If that doesnt work, the file is probably dam-
aged. Note that WaveLab Essential carefully checks the file 
headers: if any mistake in the format is found, WaveLab Es-
sential does not open the file for safety reasons. This could 
happen (rarely) with some files created by non-professional 
software.
 Is the drive on which the file resides currently accessible? If 
you use removable hard disks or CD-ROMs, make sure the 
right disk is in the drive.
Problems with saving files
Cant save
 Is the volume on which you are trying to save write protected? 
For example, you cannot save anything on a CD-ROM.
 Is there enough space on the drive?
 Is the drive to which the file was last saved currently accessi-
ble? If you use removable hard disks or CD-ROMs, make sure 
the right disk is in the drive.
 Are you trying to overwrite another file with the same name? If 
so, is that file write protected? If it is, it cant be overwritten. 
Save under another name, or remove the write protection.
 Are you trying to overwrite another file with the same name? Is 
that file open? If it is, close it and try again.
 To get around all of the problems listed above, try saving to 
another disk/folder. 
						

							205
Troubleshooting
Recording problems
I cant record
 Are you trying to record at a sample rate/bit resolution that 
your card doesnt support? Check the documentation for the 
card to find out which formats it supports.
 Is the card really installed correctly? Try using some applica-
tion included with the card to see if that works. Also try the 
“Sound recorder” included with Windows.
 Do you have the latest drivers for your card? Contact your 
dealer for the latest drivers.
 Is your temporary files location set up correctly and do you 
have enough free space on that drive?
I can’t hear what i just recorded
 Do the meters move when you record? Do you get a wave-
form in the window? If you do, the recording is not the prob-
lem, it is the playback.
 Check the Mixer. Do you have the correct recording inputs ac-
tivated, and are the levels set properly?
 If you cant seem to activate the correct inputs and levels from 
WaveLab Essential, try the mixer application that was included 
with your audio card. Some card drivers do not react correctly 
to the standard Windows commands transmitted by WaveLab 
Essential.
 Please check your cables and the devices you have con-
nected. Is there really a proper audio signal coming in to the 
card?
 Have you selected the appropriate recording mode for the re-
cording source? If you want to record an external audio signal 
through the active inputs on your audio hardware, you must 
select the “Audio input (hardware)” mode in the Record dia-
log. 
There is too much noise in my recordings
 Have you adjusted your recording levels properly?
 Is the source connected to the proper input?
 Have you specified 8 bits as the bit resolution for the record-
ing? Try 16 bits instead.
 Keep in mind that microphones provided with sound cards are 
very low quality.
The mixer cant be “created”
 Have you specified your audio card in the Preferences dialog? 
A mixer cant be created if “Microsoft Sound Mapper” is se-
lected.
 Do you have the latest and correct drivers for your card? We 
have noted that some card drivers contain “bugs” that prevent 
a mixer from being created.
Playback problems
No playback at all
 Is the card really installed correctly? Try using some applica-
tion included with the card to see if that works. Also try the 
“Media Player” included with Windows. If that doesnt work, 
theres something wrong with the card or the installation.
Playback is choppy
 Are you using a compressed hard drive? You should not use 
WaveLab Essential on such drives because they eat up too 
much processor power!
 To play a quality wave (e.g. 16 bit Stereo 44,1 kHz file) from a 
CD-ROM, your CD-ROM reader must be at least of a “Double 
Speed” type.
A file cant be played
 Is the file really in a format (sample rate, bit resolution mono/
stereo) supported by your audio card? The format of the file is 
indicated on the status bar.
Playback can’t be heard
 Do you have an application for the audio card that allows you 
to adjust playback volumes? Are these settings correct?
 Check the cables and the other audio equipment you use. 
						

							206
Troubleshooting
Editing problems
After editing I get clicks and pops
 Are you making “splices” in the middle of an audio section? If 
you do, we recommend that you make all cuts at zero cross-
ings, to avoid clicks and pops.
After crossfading, I get distortion
 If both sections play at full level during the crossfade, it is pos-
sible that clipping will occur (although it is unlikely). If this hap-
pens, undo the crossfade, lower the gain of both sections (by 
3 or 6 dB for example) and try again. The problem cannot oc-
cur if you check the “Inverse of Fade In” or “Inverse of Fade 
Out” options.
Troubleshooting and precautions
The following sections provide information concerning 
problems relating to CD/DVD burning, hardware devices, 
precautions for trouble-free CD writing as well as hard-
ware and setup issues.
Problems and solutions
General instructions
The following text is written for problems relating to CD 
burning, but applies to DVD as well.
 If you run into problems, the first thing to check is your hard-
ware and software setup. To isolate the problem, you could try 
using other CD burning software (for example a program sup-
plied with the CD-R unit). If this doesnt work either, the prob-
lem isnt with WaveLab Essential, but with some other 
component in the system.
 When you insert a disk into the recorder, make sure you wait 
long enough before you start using it. You might have to wait 
several seconds. Watch any possible LEDs on the front panel. 
They will indicate when the unit is ready for use (see the oper-
ation manual for the unit for details).
 If your CD recorder doesnt respond, the first thing to do is to 
eject the disc and insert it again. This will reinitialize the re-
corder. If this doesnt work, you might try switching off the recorder 
(even if the computer is still on), wait three seconds and then 
turn it back on again. Often, only rebooting the computer is 
not enough.
Questions and Answers
 I have problems with a Phillips CDD-2000 unit.
If you have a real Phillips drive or a drive that contains this 
Phillips mechanism, you must make sure that the firmware 
version is 1.25 or later. A firmware update can be found at 
http://www.philips.com/sv/pcaddon.
 I have other problems writing a CD and/or importing CD audio 
tracks.
Well of course there could be many reasons for this. 
Check the “Day to day precautions for trouble free CD 
writing” section below. But, here are two more things to 
try:
Open the Control Panel, and double click on System. Se-
lect the Device Manager tab, select CD-R in the list (if this 
entry exists, which is not mandatory) and click on the 
Properties button and then select Settings. Disable the 
“Insert auto notification” to prevent Windows from reading 
from the CD-R during the writing process.
If you have problems at higher speeds, try lowering it. 
Even if your system writes correctly at 8x most of the time, 
its safer to write at lower speeds.
 I have problems writing CDs when I specify ISRC and EAN/
UPS codes, but otherwise things work fine.
If you try to write a ISRC code or EAN/UPC code, Wave-
Lab Essential might return an error if: a) the CD recorder 
does not support this (not all do, or not all firmware ver-
sions do). b) the codes are not properly formatted: UPC/
EAN: 13 numeric characters. ISRC: 5 alphanumeric fol-
lowed by 7 numeric characters.
 A CD disc that I have created doesnt play correctly on my CD 
player.
The reflections of a “normal” CD and a CD-R are different 
(a CD-R reflects less light). A dirty lens on the CD player 
might disturb playback. This is more common on old CD 
players because their lasers do not properly calibrate for 
recordable CDs. Sometimes, the combination of disc 
brand and CD recorder brand can make a difference.
!Please note that Steinberg cannot make any guaran-
tees about the validity of your recorded audio CDs. 
						

							207
Troubleshooting
Day to day precautions for trouble-
free CD writing
The most important thing to remember is that CD writing 
is a real-time operation where a laser burns depressions 
into the surface of the CD. This is done at a speed which 
cannot be slowed down or interrupted. Any interruption 
will most likely be fatal, rendering the CD-R disk useless. 
For these reasons you should make sure your system 
does not interrupt the CD-R writing once its under way. 
Read the following points:
 Keep the CD-recorder on a vibration-free surface. Sudden 
“shocks” could cause writing interruptions.
 Do not read files directly from a CD, copy them to a fast hard 
disk first.
 Do not read files over a network. Networks usually are far too 
slow for CD-R writing.
 Turn off networking, at least for the hard disk drive from which 
you are reading, since the CD writing may be interrupted by 
anyone trying to access this drive.
 It is best to store the files on a hard disk partition that is 1 gi-
gabyte in size, or smaller (since this means the sectors will be 
16kByte rather than 32kByte).
 Do not read files from a hard disk with compression enabled!
 It is highly recommended that you keep your hard disk(s) de-
fragmented at all times. Windows includes an application for 
this. 
 If you have multiple hard drives in your system, put the audio 
files on your fastest drive! Also use a fast drive for WaveLab 
Essentials “temp” files.
 Turn off any screen savers, anti-virus, schedulers, animated 
icons and alarm or reminder programs that might interrupt the 
CD burning operation.
 Make sure any fax reception or background e-mail software is 
disabled.
 If you use the System Agent, make sure no activities are 
scheduled for the time you write to the CD. Do no use the 
“When Idle” option in the System Agent.
 Disable any System Monitoring programs.
 If you use the CD-R unit as a CD-ROM reader, make sure you 
quit the Explorer and close any “My Computer” windows be-
fore writing.
 Stop audio playback in WaveLab Essential before writing.
Hardware and setup issues
CD-R Drivers
 If you have previously installed another CD-R software prod-
uct, you may run into driver conflicts. Normally this should not 
happen since WaveLab Essential has built-in drivers that are 
loaded as needed, and which usually override any other in-
stalled drivers. However, if you do have problems writing to 
CD-R, this is a point to check.
 If it isnt absolutely required, dont install any other driver for 
your CD-R unit (for example a driver that allows you to use the 
CD-R as a CD-ROM drive). The drivers might make Windows 
try to access the drive during writing, which can cause system 
interruptions.
 In the advanced BIOS settings of your SCSI host adapter, the 
following should normally be disabled:
- Plug and Play SCAM Support
- Support Removable Disks Under BIOS as Fixed Disks
- BIOS Support for Bootable CD-ROM
- BIOS Support for Int 13 Extensions 
Networking Cards
Network cards can produce hardware interrupts which 
momentarily halt operation of all software. This can cause 
various problems. For CD writing, a non-networked ma-
chine is more stable than a networked one.
 If you need to keep your machine connected to a network try 
to not load the network card drivers when you plan to write 
CDs.
About Hard disks
 Many hard disks automatically perform something called ther-
mal calibration at regular (but unpredictable) intervals. For this 
reason, drives sold as “A/V drives” are recommended, since 
they have built-in “intelligence” which delays any recalibration 
to times when the disk is not being used. Some drives not 
marketed as “A/V Drives” also have this capability, check with 
the vendor if in doubt.
CD-R disks
 There are many brands of CD-R disks. Always use one that 
has been tested and recommended by your CD-R drive man-
ufacturer.
 CD-R discs are not as solid as real CDs. Handle them with 
care! Do not expose discs to sunlight for long periods, and 
avoid heat and humidity. 
						

							208
Troubleshooting
 The top (label) side of a CD-R disc is also vulnerable. Dont 
use alcohol-based pens to write on discs and dont put labels 
on unless they are specifically designed for CD-Rs (otherwise 
the glue on the label might eat through the surface).
Links and sources for more information
 A general CD-R site that might be of interest: 
http://www.osta.org/technology/cdqa.htm 
						

							24
Key commands 
						

							210
Key commands
File handling
View
The following commands scroll the window without mov-
ing the cursor:
Overview
Zooming
Main View
Processing
Key Command Function
[Ctrl]-[O] Open wave file
[Alt]-[Enter] Open wave file information window
[Ctrl]-[F2] Open Audio CD Montage
[Ctrl]-[S] Save current document
[Shift]-[S] Save current document under new name and/or in 
a new location
[Ctrl]-[Shift]-[S] Save all currently open documents
[Ctrl]-[N] Create new wave
[Ctrl]-[W] Close current document (and all its related win-
dows)
[Ctrl]-[E] Convert Wave to MP3 (Save special – Encode 
(MP3))
[Ctrl]-[Shift]-[E] Convert Wave to MP2 (Save special – Encode 
(MP2))
[Shift]-[E] Save current wave selection as a new wave file
Key Command Function
[Ctrl]-[Home] Start of Wave or Montage
[Ctrl]-[End] End of Wave or Montage
[.] (Numeric keypad) Cursor position
Key Command Function
[Ctrl]-[J] Zoom out to display the entire wave/Montage hori-
zontally
Key Command Function
[G] Zoom in horizontally
[Arrow up] Zoom in horizontally (or Zoom out if Cubase com-
patibility is enabled)
[H] Zoom out horizontally
[Arrow down] Zoom out horizontally (or Zoom in if Cubase com-
patibility is enabled)
[Ctrl]-[Arrow up] Zoom in horizontally to maximum zoom factor
[Ctrl]-[Arrow down] 
or [J]Zoom out horizontally to display the entire wave or 
montage
[Shift]-[G] or
[Shift]-[Arrow up]Zoom in vertically (or Zoom out if Cubase compati-
bility is enabled)
[Shift]-[H] or 
[Shift]-[Arrow down]Zoom out vertically (or Zoom in if Cubase compati-
bility is enabled)
[Shift]-[J] Zoom in or out to get an optimized level display 
(best fit)
[K] Zoom selection
[Ctrl]-[L] Zoom in vertically to decrease the number of visible 
tracks (Montage)
[Ctrl]-[Shift]-[L] Zoom out vertically to increase the number of visi-
ble tracks (Montage)
Key Command Function
[N] Level Normalizer
[Ctrl]-[G] Change gain
[D] Dynamics
[V] Level envelope
[Ctrl]-[D] Easy Fade
[Ctrl]-[F] Fade in/out
[X] Crossfade
[Ctrl]-[R] Reverse
[R] Waveform Restorer
[T] Time stretch
[P] Pitch Correction
[Ctrl]-[Q] EQ