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Platform-Independent Documentation
The documentation applies to the operating systems Windows and Mac OS.
Help System
There are several ways of accessing the help system. The documentation is available online and most of it can be downloaded in PDF format from steinberg.help.
Conventions
In our documentation, we use typographical and markup elements to structure information.
Key Commands
Many of the default key commands, also known as keyboard shortcuts, use modifier keys, some of which are different depending on the operating system.
How You Can Reach Us
On the Help menu in WaveLab Yellowtec Edition, you find items linking to additional information.
Before you start working, you need to make some settings.
Connecting the Equipment
Your system setup depends on many different factors, for example, the kind of project that you want to create, the external equipment that you want to use, or the computer hardware available to you.
Audio Cards and Background Playback
When you activate playback or recording in WaveLab Yellowtec Edition, other applications cannot access the audio card. Likewise, if another application uses the audio card, WaveLab Yellowtec Edition is unable to play back. The Windows MME driver is an exception from this.
Latency
Latency is the delay between when audio is sent from the program and when you actually hear it. While a very low latency can be crucial in a real-time DAW application such as Steinberg Nuendo or Cubase, this is not strictly the case with WaveLab Yellowtec Edition.
Defining VST Audio Connections
To be able to play back and record audio in WaveLab Yellowtec Edition, you must specify how the internal input and output channels in WaveLab Yellowtec Edition are connected to your sound card and which device you intend to use for audio playback and recording.
This chapter describes general concepts that you will use when working with WaveLab Yellowtec Edition. Getting accustomed with these procedures allows you to work more effectively with the program.
General Editing Rules
The common editing operations apply to any Steinberg product.
Startup Dialog
Shortcuts
In WaveLab Yellowtec Edition, you can control many functions via shortcuts to speed up your workflow.
Basic Window Handling
WaveLab Yellowtec Edition follows the basic guidelines for the Windows/Mac OS interface, which means that Windows/Mac OS standard procedures apply.
Selecting Audio
Almost all types of editing and processing that you perform in WaveLab Yellowtec Edition operate on the audio selection. There are numerous ways to make an audio selection.
Sliders
At various places in WaveLab Yellowtec Edition, slider controls are available to change parameters. There are a number of ways to change the value of a slider.
Renaming Items in Tables
File Browser
The File Browser window allows you to browse files from within WaveLab Yellowtec Edition. The Auto Play Mode is useful for speeding up the process of auditioning sound files.
Peak Files
A peak file (extension .gpk) is automatically created by WaveLab Yellowtec Edition each time an audio file is modified or opened in WaveLab Yellowtec Edition for the first time. The peak file contains information about the waveform and determines how it is drawn in the wave window or the montage window.
The Workspace window provides an editing and playback environment for each particular file type. Each environment contains functions that are tailored to the specific purpose of each file type.
Audio Editor
The Audio Editor provides tools and functions for sample-accurate audio editing.
Audio Montage
In the Audio Montage, you assemble audio clips into a montage. You can arrange, edit, and play back clips on both stereo or mono tracks.
File Tab
The File tab is the control center of WaveLab Yellowtec Edition. Here, you can save, open, render, import, and export files. It also gives you detailed information about your files and allows you to set up the WaveLab Yellowtec Edition preferences.
Info Tab
The Info tab provides information about the active file and allows you to edit the audio properties of audio files and audio montages.
Tool Windows
Throughout WaveLab Yellowtec Edition there are various tool windows available that allow you to view, analyze, and edit the active file.
Meter Windows
WaveLab Yellowtec Edition contains a variety of audio meters that you can use for monitoring and analyzing audio. Meters can be used to monitor audio during playback, rendering, and recording. Furthermore, you can use them to analyze audio sections when playback is stopped.
Slide-Out Windows
Slide-out windows are hidden in the frame of the Workspace window. When you hover the mouse pointer over the window name, the window slides out. It is hidden again, when you click anywhere else.
Docking and Undocking Tool Windows and Meter Windows
Tool windows and meter windows can be used as docked windows, as floating windows, or as a slide-out window. You can freely drag around the windows and dock them at various locations.
Command Bar
The command bar of file windows allows you to create, open, and save files, and undo/redo changes. You can also use the text field to quickly find and access open files, and to trigger keywords.
Status Bar
The status bar at the bottom of the screen of the Audio Editor and the Audio Montage window shows information about the active window using the units specified in the rulers.
Context Menus
Throughout WaveLab Yellowtec Edition, various context menus are available. These menus group the commands and/or options that are specific to the active window.
Time Ruler and Level Ruler
In the Audio Editor, you can display a time and a level ruler in the wave window. In the Audio Montage window, you can display a time ruler in the montage window.
Managing Tabs
Activating Full Screen Mode
Opening Files
Value Editing
At various places in the program, numerical values can be edited by using a combination of text fields and knobs.
Drag Operations
WaveLab Yellowtec Edition makes much use of drag-and-drop techniques to perform various operations, some of which can only be performed this way. These are referred to as drag operations in this documentation.
Undoing and Redoing Actions
You can undo and redo as many steps as you like. The only limitation is the available hard disk space.
Zooming
Presets
You can create presets to save commonly used settings. WaveLab Yellowtec Edition provides a selection of factory presets that can be used by most dialogs.
Recently Used Files
All files that you have recently used in WaveLab Yellowtec Edition are saved in a list. This helps you to gain fast access to recent projects. You can open recently used files via the File menu.
Favorite Files
You can add files that you are using regularly to the favorite files list.
Save and Save As
File Renaming
You can rename a file and update all references automatically. For example, if you rename an audio file named India to Sitar, all open files that reference the file India are updated to reference the file as Sitar.
Deleting Files
You can delete the active file from within WaveLab Yellowtec Edition.
Copying Audio Information to the Clipboard
You can copy information about the name and location of the selected audio file, including any selection information and cursor position. This information can be pasted into an external text application.
Setting the Focus on the Current File
If you are editing inside a floating window or a tool window and you want to switch the focus back to a wave/montage window, you can use the Set Focus on Current File option.
Transport Bar
With this command bar you can control playback of an audio file or audio montage, navigate between various positions in an audio file or audio montage, and open the Recording dialog.
Starting Playback From the Ruler
You can use the ruler to jump to a position and start playback from there.
Using the Play Tool
This tool allows you to play back from any position on one or both stereo channels.
Playback Scrubbing
Playback scrubbing helps you find a specific position in an audio file, by restarting playback repeatedly when you click and drag on the time ruler during playback or when using the Play tool.
Playback in the Audio Montage Window
Playback in the Audio Montage window works the same way as in the Audio Editor. However, there are some things to note.
Audio file editing refers to opening, editing, and saving audio files.
Wave Window
The wave window displays audio files graphically. Here, you view, play back, and edit individual audio files.
Audio Editor Tabs
The tabs in the Audio Editor give you access to the tools and options you need to edit audio files.
File Handling in the Audio Editor
Changing the Audio Properties
You can change the sample rate and bit resolution of audio files.
Meta-Data
Meta-data consists of attributes that describe the audio contents, for example, the title of the track, the author, or the date the track was recorded. Depending on the file format of the selected audio file, this data varies.
Silence Generator Dialog
This dialog allows you to insert silence or background noise in an audio file.
Offline processes are useful for a variety of editing purposes and creative effects, for example, if the computer is too slow for real-time processing or if the editing requires more than one pass.
Level Normalizer Dialog
In this dialog, you can change the peak level of an audio file.
Loudness Normalizer
You can use the Loudness Normalizer to achieve a specific loudness.
Pan Normalizer Dialog
This dialog allows you to ensure that both channels of a stereo file have the same level or loudness, and helps you to get the best possible stereo balance.
Fades in Audio Files
A fade in is a gradual increase in level and a fade out is a gradual decrease in level.
Crossfades
A crossfade is a gradual fade between two sounds, where one is faded in and the other faded out. You can automatically create a crossfade when pasting an audio section into another.
The audio montage is a multitrack non-destructive editing environment that allows you to arrange, edit, play back, and record audio clips.
Montage Window
The montage window is where you assemble your audio montage. This is where you view, play back, and edit audio montages.
Audio Montage Tabs
The tabs in the Audio Montage window give you access to the tools and options you need for editing audio montages. For example, you can edit the envelope curves and fades in clips, make zoom settings, analyze the audio, and render the audio montage.
Signal Path in the Audio Montage
The audio signal passes through the various sections of WaveLab Yellowtec Edition in a certain way.
Creating New Audio Montages
Audio Montage Duplicates
You can create duplicates of audio montages.
Creating an Audio Montage from an Audio File
You can export audio files to an audio montage, including all markers that you have set in the audio file.
Missing Files Dialog
This dialog opens when you open an audio montage, and some audio files that the audio montage refers to cannot be found. You can then search for the files or select a replacement.
Assembling the Audio Montage
You assemble your audio montage by adding tracks and clips.
Rearranging Clips
You can freely arrange clips in the montage window.
Clip Editing
All clips are displayed in the Clips window. In this window, you can edit and rearrange clips and drag them into the audio montage.
Track Activity Indicator
The track activity indicator shows the volume level for audio tracks. It is located on the right side of the track control area in the Audio Montage window.
Envelopes for Clips
For clips in the audio montage, you can create envelopes for volume and fades.
Fades and Crossfades in Audio Montages
A fade in is a gradual increase in level and a fade out is a gradual decrease in level. A crossfade is a gradual fade between two sounds, where one is faded in and the other faded out.
Mixing Down – The Render Function
The Render function allows you to mix down the whole audio montage to a single audio file.
You can record audio in the Audio Editor and in the Audio Montage window.
Setting Up the Recording Dialog
Before you start recording, set up the Recording dialog.
Dropping Markers During Recording
When you are recording, you can click the marker buttons to add markers to the recorded file.
Recording Dialog
In this dialog, you can make recording settings and start recording an audio file.
The Master Section is the final block in the signal path before the audio is sent to the audio hardware, to an audio file, or to the audio meters.
Master Section Window
In this window, you can apply effect plug-ins, adjust the master level, and render the audio file or audio montage.
Rendering
By rendering the effects using the Render function in the Master Section, they become a permanent part of a file. So instead of performing all processing in real-time during playback, you can save the audio output to a file on disk.
Monitoring Background Tasks
When rendering, you can monitor the process, and pause or cancel tasks.
Dropouts
A dropout most likely occurs when your computer does not have the processing power to handle all used effect processors.
Markers allow you to save and name specific positions in a file. Markers are useful for editing and playback.
Markers Window
In this window, you can create, edit, and use markers while working on an audio file or audio montage.
About Creating Markers
Markers can be created during playback or in stop mode.
Deleting Markers
Markers can be deleted in the wave window or the montage window, and in the Markers window.
Moving Markers
You can adjust marker positions in the wave window and the montage window.
Renaming Markers
You can change the names of markers.
Selecting Markers
There are several ways to select markers.
Selecting the Audio Between Markers
You can select the audio between two adjacent markers or between any two markers. This allows you to select a section that has been marked.
Binding Markers to Clips in the Audio Montage
In the Audio Montage window, you can bind markers to clips. By doing this, the marker remains in the same position relative to the clip start/end, even if the clip is moved or resized in the audio montage.
WaveLab Yellowtec Edition contains a variety of audio meters that you can use for monitoring and analyzing audio. Meters can be used to monitor audio during playback, rendering, and recording. Furthermore, you can use them to analyze audio sections when playback is stopped.
Meter Settings
You can set up most meters in the corresponding settings dialogs. For example, you can adjust the behavior, scale, and color of the meters.
Resetting the Meters
You can reset the display of some meters, for example, the Level Meter.
Level Meter
The Level Meter displays the peak and average loudness/decibel levels of your audio file, and the balance between the left and right channels in a stereo file.
Loudness Meter
The Loudness Meter is an audio meter for monitoring loudness, according to the EBU R-128 standard.
Phasescope
The Phasescope indicates the phase and amplitude relationship between two stereo channels.
Customizing means making settings so that the program behaves and looks the way that you want it to.
You can configure WaveLab Yellowtec Edition according to your needs.
Global Preferences
Global preferences are preferences that apply throughout WaveLab Yellowtec Edition. Before you start working with WaveLab Yellowtec Edition, it is recommended to edit these preferences according to your needs.
Audio Files Preferences
This dialog allows you to define settings for editing in the Audio Editor. However, these settings also effect other parts of WaveLab Yellowtec Edition. You can choose defaults for editing and playback, adjust the visual appearance of the waveform displays, and determine how WaveLab Yellowtec Edition works with audio and peak files.
Compressor
This plug-in reduces the dynamic range of the audio, making softer sounds louder or louder sounds softer, or both.
DeEsser
This effect reduces excessive sibilance, primarily for vocal recordings. It is a special type of compressor that is tuned to be sensitive to the frequencies produced by the s-sound.
Expander
Expander reduces the output level in relation to the input level for signals below the set threshold. This is useful if you want to enhance the dynamic range or reduce the noise in quiet passages.
Gate
Gating, or noise gating, silences audio signals below a set threshold. As soon as the signal level exceeds the threshold, the gate opens to let the signal through.
Limiter
This plug-in is designed to ensure that the output level never exceeds a set output level, to avoid clipping in following devices.
Brickwall Limiter
Brickwall Limiter ensures that the output level never exceeds a set limit.
GEQ-10/GEQ-30
These graphic equalizers are identical, except for the number of available frequency bands (10 and 30).
StudioEQ
Studio EQ is a high-quality 4-band parametric stereo equalizer with two fully parametric mid-range bands. The low and high bands can act as either shelving filters (three types), or as peak filter (band-pass), or as cut filter (low-pass/high-pass).
PostFilter
This effect allows quick and easy filtering of unwanted frequencies, creating room for the important sounds in your mix.
RoomWorks
RoomWorks is a highly adjustable reverb plug-in for creating realistic room ambience and reverb effects in stereo and surround formats. The CPU usage is adjustable to fit the needs of any system. From short room reflections to cavern-sized reverb, this plug-in delivers high quality reverberation.