Steinberg WaveLab Le 7 Getting Started Manual

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Installation and setup
Install WaveLab LE
The installation procedure automatically unpacks all the 
files and puts them in the right places.
1.Insert the Steinberg WaveLab LE DVD into your disk 
drive.
Depending on your system, the WaveLab LE Start Center program on 
the DVD may start automatically. If no interactive start screen appears, 
open the DVD and double-click the icon “WaveLab LE Start Center” to 
launch the interactive start screen. 
2.Click a flag to select your language.
3.Click the Install button.
4.Follow the on-screen instructions.
5.When you see a message saying that the installation 
was successful, click the Close button.
At this point, you can browse through the additional options and informa-
tion on the Start Center DVD.
6.Click the Exit button at the bottom right of the Start 
Center window to quit the Start Center application.
7.Eject the DVD.
Installing manually
In case you do not want to install WaveLab LE via the in-
teractive start screen, follow the procedure below:
1.Start the installation:
Windows: Double-click the file called Setup.exe.
Macintosh: Double-click the file called “WaveLab LE 7.mpkg”.
2.Follow the instructions on screen.
Register your software
We encourage you to register your software! By doing so 
you are entitled to technical support and kept aware of up-
dates and other news regarding WaveLab LE.
Proceed as follows:
Go to www.steinberg.net/mysteinberg, log in to the exclu-
sive MySteinberg online customer portal and register your 
product by following the instructions on screen.
Set up the application preferences
WaveLab LE is highly configurable. All the preference dia-
logs are in the Options menu:
•Global preferences.
In this dialog you can specify settings that apply to the whole WaveLab 
LE application and its workspaces, such as the language, user interface 
and startup options.
•Audio File editing preferences.
In this dialog, you can make settings for Editing (Display, Playback 
Browser, Snap to zero-crossing, etc.), File Type (e.g. 32-bit) and Style 
(colors used for waveforms, background and other elements).
•Favorite folders.
In this dialog you can set the preferred folders for saving and opening dif-
ferent types of file (temporary files, audio files, and Podcasts) and control 
whether they are updated automatically.
•Audio streaming settings.
In this dialog you can specify the Audio devices used for recording and 
playback, along with various options such as number of buffers and pre/
post roll times.
•Customize commands.
In this dialog you can create your own shortcuts. Bear in mind that many 
shortcuts are context-sensitive. 
						

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Quick tour 
						

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Quick tour
Introduction
The following sections introduce you to some of WaveLab 
LE's main windows.
WaveLab LE user interface (GUI)
WaveLab LE is highly customizable. You can set up your 
workspace exactly as you want it:
•Drag WaveLab LE’s panels around and dock them to 
different places in the main application window. Try it!
•Make panels float as separate windows, if you like.
•WaveLab LE also makes use of tabs.
If you have more than one Audio File open, they appear as tabbed sec-
tions in the main application window, rather than as separate windows. 
						

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Quick tour
Master Section
The Master Section is found at the end of the WaveLab 
LE signal path, before your audio material is passed on to 
the audio hardware, or before it is rendered to disk as an 
audio file. This is where you set the master volume, and 
add global effects. The Master Section includes:
•Three effects slots
•Master level faders
•Render function to create a final audio master fileThe Master Section is shared by the Audio Files and Au-
dio Montage workspaces (it is a “shared tool”). You can 
have either or both of these workspaces open at the same 
time, but the Master Section will only be active in one 
workspace at any one time.
You have complete control over how the Master Section is 
displayed. 
•You can have the Master Section as an independent 
floating window, or dock it to the Audio Files or Audio 
Montage workspace in a frame.
•To bring the ‘active’ workspace (that currently ‘owns’ 
the Master Section) to the foreground, select Global > 
Master Section.
•To show or hide the Master Section’s frame in the Audio 
Files or Audio Montage workspace, select Workspace > 
Shared tool windows > Master Section.
You can dock this shared tool window, or have it float. Note that the two 
workspaces do not have to have the same setting here: you might want 
for example to have the Master Section docked in the Audio Files work-
space, and not visible in the Audio Montage workspace. 
						

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Quick tour
Editing
The Audio Files window is your main editor for working on 
individual audio files.
WaveLab LE allows you to open, edit and save audio files 
of various formats. You can always undo any edits you 
have made. As well as being able to cut, copy and paste 
audio sections, you can apply processes such as normal-
ization, and create level envelopes or fades. You find 
these features in the various options and dialogs of the 
Edit menu and the Process menu.
You can open audio files in the Wave window using the 
following methods:•Select File > Open, browse to an audio file and click 
Open.
•Browse to an audio file using WaveLab LE’s File 
Browser, and double-click to load it.
If WaveLab LE’s File Browser is not visible, select Workspace > Spe-
cific tool windows > File Browser. 
•Drag and drop from the Windows Explorer/Mac Finder. 
						

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Quick tour
Audio Montage
The Audio Montage provides a track-based working envi-
ronment (one mono, one stereo, two mono, two stereo, or 
one mono and one stereo track).
Here you can combine (mix) multiple audio files on up to 
two tracks to create new mixes of your music, radio plays, 
commercials and so on.
You can open a new (empty) Audio Montage workspace 
(select Global > Audio Montage Workspace), or create 
an Audio Montage from a file you are working on in the 
Audio Files workspace (select Edit > Create Audio Mon-
tage from Audio File).Audio Montages have their own file type (.mon). 
						

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Quick tour
Podcast
WaveLab LE allows you to make your audio available on 
the Internet in the form of Podcasts. A simple and intuitive 
user interface allows you to create Podcasts without quit-
ting WaveLab.
For example, if you are working on an audio file in in the 
Audio Files workspace, select Edit > Create Podcast 
from Audio File. If you do not have an audio file open, and 
want to start a new Podcast file, select Global > Podcast 
Workspace.
Podcasts have their own file type (.pdc).