Steinberg Wavelab Elements 8 Manual

							Playback
Transport Bar
91
Name
Lets you specify a name for your preset.
When preset is selected with shortcut
This lets you assign a customized playback command to a 
shortcut. For example, you can set a shortcut to play a range with 
a short pre-roll/post-roll, and another shortcut to play a range 
without a pre-roll/post-roll.
On stop, restore previous settings
If this option is activated, the settings are restored as they were 
before playback start. This is useful to trigger a special play task, 
and automatically switch back to the standard settings, as soon as 
playback is finished.
Transport Bar Settings
In the transport bar settings menu, you can customize the transport bar. 
This is useful to optimize the transport bar according to the available 
screen space.
To open the settings menu, right-click the transport bar, or click the 
Settings button on the transport bar.
Hide
Hides the transport bar. To make it visible again, select 
Workspace > Command bars > Transport bar.
Fold
Minimizes the transport bar. To unfold the transport bar again, click 
the thin line where the transport bar was located.
Top/Bottom
Aligns the transport bar at the top/bottom of the wave window or 
the montage window.
Large transport buttons/Small transport buttons
Determines the size of the transport bar buttons.
Align buttons left/Align buttons right/Center button
Moves the transport bar buttons to the corresponding position.
Show time display
Shows/hides the time display. 
						

							Playback
Playing Back Only One Channel
92
Show alternate play buttons
Shows/hides the alternate play buttons in the Ranges and 
Anchors section of the transport bar.
Show all Range and Anchor buttons
Shows/hides the full range of Ranges and Anchors buttons. If this 
option is deactivated, only one range and one anchor button is 
visible. The other buttons can be accessed via shortcuts or when 
you right-click this button.
Show Preset button
Shows/hides the Presets button.
Show Skip button
Shows/hides the Skip mode button.
Edit shortcuts
Opens the Customize commands dialog, where you can edit the 
shortcuts for the transport bar commands.
Playing Back Only One Channel
You can choose to play only the left or the right channel of an audio file 
in the Audio Files workspace.
PROCEDURE

						

							Playback
Starting Playback From the Ruler
93
Starting Playback From the Ruler
You can use the ruler to quickly jump to a position and start playback 
from there.
•Double-clicking the ruler starts playback from that position. 
Playback continues until you click Stop or until the end of the audio 
file or audio montage.
• To set the playback position to a certain position, click the ruler 
during playback. This also applies for clicking the time rulers of 
another audio file or audio montage, which allows you to quickly 
switch playback between audio files or audio montages.
• To start playback from a marker position, press [Ctrl]/[Command] 
and double-click a marker.
Using the Play Tool
This tool allows you to play back from any position on one or both stereo 
channels.
PROCEDURE
1.In the Audio Files workspace, select the Play tool from the Edit 
tools command bar, or press and hold [Alt]/[Option].
2. In the wave window, click at the position where you want playback 
to start.
The cursor shape indicates whether the left (L), the right channel (R), or 
both channels are played back.
RESULT 
Playback continues for as long as you keep the mouse button pressed, 
or until the audio file ends. After playback has stopped, the cursor is 
moved to the playback start position. 
						

							Playback
Playback Scrubbing
94
Playback Scrubbing
Playback scrubbing helps you find a certain position in an audio file, by 
restarting playback repeatedly when you click and drag on the time ruler 
during playback or use the Play tool.
Scrubbing Using the Play Tool
PROCEDURE
1.In the Audio Files workspace, select the Play tool from the Edit 
tools command bar, or press and hold [Alt]/[Option].
2. Click in the wave window, or click and drag the time ruler.
If you click in the wave window, playback starts at the position where you 
clicked. If you click and drag in the time ruler, the audio is played back 
from the edit cursor position and a small section is looped once.
Scrubbing Using the Time Ruler
PROCEDURE
1. Optional: In the Audio Files workspace, activate Options > Stop 
after playback scrubbing, to stop playback after scrubbing.
The edit cursor then jumps back to the start position.
2. Start playback.
3. Click the time ruler and hold the mouse button pressed, and drag 
left or right.
4. When you are done scrubbing, release the mouse button. 
						

							Playback
Scroll During Playback
95
Playback Scrubbing Preferences
You can define the behavior of the Play tool in the Audio file editing 
preferences.
In the Audio Files workspace, select Options > Audio file editing 
preferences > Editing tab.
•If Restrict to Play Tool is activated, scrubbing is not available 
when you click and drag on the time ruler during playback.
• The Sensitivity setting determines the length of the audio loop that 
is played once when click and drang on the time ruler with the Play 
tool activated.
Scroll During Playback
You can determine how the view should be scrolled in Play mode.
In the Audio Files workspace or the Audio Montage workspace, select 
View > Scroll during playback.
The following options are available:
Immobile view
Disables scrolling.
View follows cursor
The view automatically changes to keep the playback cursor 
visible.
Scroll view (partial)
The view only scrolls when necessary to keep the playback cursor 
visible.
Scroll view (always)
Scrolls the view to keep the playback cursor centered.
NOTE
If you get dropouts during playback, do not use the scroll options. 
						

							Playback
About Playback in the Audio Montage Workspace
96
About Playback in the Audio Montage 
Workspace
Playback in the Audio Montage workspace works the same way as in the 
Audio Files workspace. However, there are some things to note.
Mute and Solo Tracks
You can mute or solo tracks in an audio montage by using the 
corresponding buttons in the track control area.
•When a track is muted, the mute button is yellow.
• When atrack is soloed, the solo button is red.
•Solo can only be activated for one track at a time. However, you 
can unmute other tracks when Solo is active if you want to listen 
to a combination of tracks.
Playing Back Individual Clips
You can play back an individual clip on a track. Overlapping clips or clips 
on other tracks are muted.
PROCEDURE
1.In the Audio Montage workspace, right-click the lower part of the 
clip that you want to play back.
2. On the menu, select one of the following play options:

						

							 97
Audio File Editing
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.
The wave window consists of two displays. You can use one display as 
an overview to navigate through the project and the other as the main 
view for editing.
You can synchronize the waveform displays so that they display the 
same part of the audio file, by clicking the Sync with other view button. 
						

							Audio File Editing
Wave Window
98
Magnetic Bounds in Audio Files
Certain positions, such as markers or selection edges, can be defined 
as magnetic. Dragged elements can snap to these positions. This makes 
it easier to position items accurately.
For example, when you move a marker and it gets close to one of the 
magnetic bounds, the marker snaps to this position. A label is displayed, 
indicating the snap position.
Magnetic Bounds Menu
On this menu, you can specify which positions should be magnetic. 
When Snap to magnetic items is activated, items that you move snap 
to these positions.
In the Audio Files workspace, select Options > Magnetic bounds.
You can let items snap to the following positions:
Start/End of file
Moved elements snap to the start/end of the file when they are 
moved near these positions.
Time ruler marks
Moved elements snap to the time ruler grid when they are moved 
near these positions.
Markers
Moved elements snap to marker positions when they are moved 
near these positions.
Selection edges
Moved elements snap to the selection edges when they are moved 
near these positions.
Cursor
Sets the edit cursor magnetic when moved near this position. 
						

							Audio File Editing
Wave Window
99
Zero Crossing
A zero crossing is a point where the waveform crosses the zero level 
axis.
If you cut out a portion of a wave and paste it in somewhere else, there 
often is discontinuity where the two waves are joined. This discontinuity 
results in a transient in the wave, which is perceived as a click or bump 
in the sound.
To avoid this, you must make the splice at a zero crossing, especially if 
you do not use crossfades.
If you activate Options > Snap selection to zero crossings, the 
selections that you make are always adjusted so that they start and end 
at the nearest zero crossing.
WaveLab Elements can automatically search for zero crossings and 
extend the selection outwards so that it begins and ends at a zero 
crossing. This helps avoid clicks, pops, and bumps.
When you perform editing operations, such as cutting, pasting, or 
dragging, make sure that the material is inserted at a zero crossing. 
						

							Audio File Editing
Wave Window
100
Setting Up the Zero Crossing Detection
You can let selection edges automatically snap to the nearest zero 
crossing point when making a selection. In the Audio file editing 
preferences dialog, you can specify whether to allow snap at high zoom 
factors, and specify the scan range for the zero crossing detection.
PROCEDURE
1.In the Audio Files workspace, select Options > Snap selection 
to zero crossing.
2. Select Options > Audio file editing preferences.
3. On the Editing tab, fill out the Snap selection to zero crossing 
options.
4. Click OK.
Moving the Cursor Position to the Closest Zero Crossing
You can automatically move the cursor position to the closest zero 
crossing.
PROCEDURE
1.In the Audio Files workspace, position the cursor in the waveform.
2. Select View > Move cursor to > Snap position.