Steinberg Wavelab Le 8 Manual

							Audio File Editing
File Handling in the Audio Files Workspace
81
File Handling in the Audio Files 
Workspace
About Mono/Stereo Handling
WaveLab LE is very flexible in its handling of stereo. All editing 
operations can be performed on either one channel or on both.
Supported File Formats
WaveLab LE can open and save audio files in a number of file formats.
The following table gives you some basic information about the formats:
Format Description
Wave (.wav) The following bit resolutions are supported: 8 bit, 16 bit, 
20 bit, 24 bit, and 32 bit (float)
AIFF (.aif, .aiff, .snd) Audio Interchange File Format, a standard defined by 
Apple Computers Inc.. The following bit resolutions are 
supported: 8 bit, 16 bit, 20 bit, and 24 bit
MPEG-1 Layer 3 
(.mp3, read only)The most common audio compression format. The major 
advantage of MPEG compression is that the file size is 
significantly reduced, while there is little degradation of 
sound quality. WaveLab LE can both open and save files in 
this format.
This is available on Windows 32/64-bit systems and on 
Mac 32-bit systems.
Original Sound 
Quality (.osq)This is the proprietary lossless compressed audio format of 
WaveLab LE. By saving files in this format, you can save 
considerable disk space without compromising audio 
quality.
Ogg Vorbis (.ogg) Ogg Vorbis is a compressed file format that is open, 
patent-free, and creates very small audio files maintaining 
comparatively high audio quality.
Windows Media 
Audio (.wma, .asf)Microsoft’s own compressed format. WaveLab LE lets you 
import/export audio in this format (Windows only). To 
import/export audio in WMA surround format, Windows 
Media Player 9 or later must be installed on your system.
FLAC (.fla) Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC) is a codec which 
allows digital audio to be losslessly compressed. 
						

							Audio File Editing
File Handling in the Audio Files Workspace
82
NOTE
The “$$$” file type is a temporary file format of WaveLab LE. In case you 
experience a computer, crash you may restore some of your work by 
opening any stray “$$$” files on your hard disk.
About 20-bit, 24-bit, and 32-bit Float Files
You do not need a 20-bit or 24-bit audio card to take advantage of the 
fact that WaveLab LE can handle 20-bit and 24-bit audio files. Any 
processing or editing performed on the files is always done at full 
resolution (32-bit float), even if your card does not support the full 
resolution.
For playback, WaveLab LE automatically adapts to the card that you 
have installed.
Creating a New Audio File
You can create an empty audio file, to assemble material from other 
audio files, for example.
PROCEDURE
1.In the Audio Files workspace, select File > New.
2. In the dialog, specify the audio properties, and click OK.
Saving an Audio File
PROCEDURE
1.In the Audio Files workspace, do one of the following:
• To save an audio file that has never been saved before, select File 
> Save as.
• To save an audio file that has been saved before, click the Save 
button, or select File > Save.
2. In the Save Audio File dialog, specify a file name and location.
Apple formats 
(.aac, .m4a, .mp4, 
.m4b, .caf, .3gp, 
.3g2, .caf)If Quicktime is installed on your system, these formats are 
available (read-only and only on 32-bit Windows or MAC 
systems). Format Description 
						

							Audio File Editing
File Handling in the Audio Files Workspace
83
3. Set up the available options:
• Keep this format for next time
• Save copy
• Open standard file selector before this dialog
4. Click Save.
Saving in Another Format
You can change the file format, sampling frequency, bit resolution, and 
stereo/mono status when saving.
PROCEDURE
1.In the Audio Files workspace, select File > Save as.
2. Specify the file name and location.
3. Click in the Output Format field.
4. In the Audio File Format dialog, set the file format and specify the 
properties.
5. Click OK.
6. Click Save.
RESULT 
A new file is created. The original file is not affected by the operation.
Audio File Format Dialog
In this dialog, you can change various file settings when saving.
In the Audio Files workspace, select File > Save as, and click the 
Output Format field. This dialog can also be opened from various other 
locations in WaveLab LE. 
						

							Audio File Editing
File Handling in the Audio Files Workspace
84
Type
Select an audio file type. This affects the options available on the 
Audio format menu.
File extension
Select a file extension compatible with the current file type.
Audio format
Select an audio format compatible with the current file type.
Channels
Specify the number of audio channels for the files to be created. 
For multichannel audio montages, you can create multiple files.
Sample rate
Select a sample rate for the audio file. If you change this setting, a 
sample rate conversion takes place.
IMPORTANT
Use this only for simple conversions. For professional results, use the 
Resample plug-in to add limiting and dithering.
Bit resolution
Select a bit resolution for the audio file. This option is only available 
for certain file types.
IMPORTANT
Reducing the bit resolution is only advised for simple conversions. For 
professional results, it is recommended to add dithering in the Master 
Section.
Meta-data
Lets you make meta-data settings that are saved with the file. This 
option is only available for certain file types.
The following options are available:
• When Do not save anything is selected, no meta-data are saved 
with the file.
• When Inherit from source file is selected, the meta-data of the 
source file are used. If this option is selected and the source 
meta-data is empty, the default meta-data will be used, if available.  
						

							Audio File Editing
File Handling in the Audio Files Workspace
85
• When selecting Specific to this configuration, you can edit the 
meta-data, or replace it with a meta-data preset. To edit the 
meta-data, open the meta-data pop-up menu again, and select 
Edit.
About Changing the Format
When changing the sample rate, bit resolution, and number of channels 
of an audio file, several operations are performed.
• If you only want to change the bit resolution, you can do this 
directly in the Edit > Audio properties dialog instead, and then 
save the audio file.
• For high quality mastering purposes, it is not recommended to 
change the sample rate and number of channels using the Audio 
properties dialog, but instead use plug-ins and functions of the 
Master Section.
• For the available compressed file formats (WMA, and Ogg Vorbis), 
you can specify various options, such as bit rate and compression 
method, and also enter text tags for the file.
Saving as OSQ File
OSQ (Original Sound Quality) is a lossless audio compression format, 
which can significantly reduce the audio file size without affecting the 
audio quality.
PROCEDURE
1.In the Audio Files workspace, select File > Save as.
2. Specify the file name and location.
3. Click in the Output Format field.
4. In the Audio File Format dialog, set the type to Original Sound 
Quality (OSQ) and specify the properties.
Property Action
Sample rate If a new sample rate is specified, a sample rate conversion is 
performed.
Bit 
resolutionIf a different bit resolution is specified, the file is either “truncated” 
down to 8 bits, or “padded” up to 24 bits. If you are converting to a 
lower bit resolution, you should consider adding dithering.
Mono/ 
StereoIf the file is converted from mono to stereo, the same material is 
used in both channels. If the conversion is from stereo to mono, a 
mix of the two channels is created. 
						

							Audio File Editing
File Handling in the Audio Files Workspace
86
5. Click OK.
6. Click Save.
Saving a Selection as an Audio File
You can save a selection in the currently open audio file as a new audio 
file.
PROCEDURE
1.In the wave window, make a selection range.
2. Select File > Export > Selected time range.
3. Specify a file name, location, and output format.
4. Click Save.
Saving Left/Right Channel as Audio File
You can save each channel individually into a separate file. Use this 
option when you have been editing dual mono files, for example.
PROCEDURE
1.In the Audio Files workspace, select File > Export > Left channel 
or Right channel.
2. Specify a file name, location, and output format.
3. Click Save. 
						

							Audio File Editing
File Handling in the Audio Files Workspace
87
Encoding Audio Files
Audio can be stored in different formats. The process of converting 
audio to another format is called encoding. When saving audio files, you 
can specify various encoding options for some file formats.
Ogg Vorbis Dialog
You can edit the encoding options when you save an Ogg Vorbis audio 
file.
You can open the Ogg Vorbis dialog from most places where you can 
select an output file format. For example, in the Audio Files workspace, 
select File > Save as, click the Output Format field, select Ogg Vorbis 
as type, click the Encoding field, and select Edit.
Average bit rate
If this option is activated, the average bit rate in the file remains 
constant during encoding. Because the file size is proportional to 
time, the localization of a given point is easier, but it can result in a 
lower quality compared to the Variable bit rate option.
Variable bit rate
If this option is activated, the bit rate in the file will vary during 
encoding, depending on the complexity of the material. This can 
give a better quality/size ratio in the resulting file.
In the Quality field, select the quality. Lower quality settings result 
in smaller files. 
						

							Audio File Editing
File Handling in the Audio Files Workspace
88
Windows Media Audio Encoding Dialog
You can edit the encoding options when you save a Windows Media 
Audio (WMA) audio file. This dialog is only available in on Windows 
systems.
You can open the Windows Media Audio dialog from most places 
where you can select an output file format. For example, in the Audio 
Files workspace, select File > Save as, click the Output Format field, 
select Windows Media Audio (WMA) as type, click the Encoding field, 
and select Edit.
Encoder
Lets you select the encoder.
Output sample rate
Lets you specify the output sample rate of the encoded file. The 
higher the sample rate, the higher the quality, but the larger the 
output file.
Output bit resolution
Lets you specify the output bit resolution of the encoded file. This 
parameter is not available for all encoders.
Channels and bit rate
The available items here depend on the selected encoding method 
and the output sample rate.
VBR (Variable bit rate)
If this option is activated, the bit rate in the file will vary during the 
encoding, depending on the complexity of the material. This can 
produce a better quality/size ratio in the output file.
In the Quality field, select the quality. Lower quality settings result 
in smaller files.
Two-pass encoding (better, but twice as long)
If this option is activated, the encoding quality increases, but the 
process takes twice as long. 
						

							Audio File Editing
File Handling in the Audio Files Workspace
89
Constrained bit rate
This option is available when the VBR and Two-pass encoding options 
are activated. This is used to maintain the bit rate within limits to avoid 
peaks. This is recommended for certain media, such as CD or DVD.
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.
PROCEDURE
1.Optional: If you only want to use a certain time range of the audio 
file, create a selection range in the wave window.
2. In the Audio Files workspace, select File > Export > Create 
audio montage from active file.
3. Select whether to export the whole file or the selected time range.
4. Optional: Decide if you want to perform any of the following marker 
operations:
•Transcribe markers
•Split at generic region markers
5. Click OK.
Inserting Audio Files into Another Audio File
You can assemble an audio file from several audio files.
PROCEDURE
1.In the Audio Files workspace, open the audio file in which you want 
to insert another audio file.
2. If you want to insert an audio file at the edit cursor position, select 
View > Move cursor to > Snap position.
The edit cursor snaps to the nearest zero crossing. This avoids glitches.
3. Select File > Import and choose one of the following options:
•Insert audio file at start
•Insert audio file at end
•Insert audio file at cursor position
When you select Insert audio file at cursor position, the audio file is 
cut at the insert position. The part after the cut is moved to the right.
4. Select the audio file that you want to insert, and click Open. 
						

							Audio File Editing
File Handling in the Audio Files Workspace
90
Turning Selections Into New Files
You can turn selections into new files via dragging, or by using the Edit 
menu.
Turning Selections Into New Files By Dragging
PROCEDURE
1.In the Audio Files workspace, make a selection in the wave 
window.
2. Drag the selection to the WaveLab LE tab bar, and release the 
mouse button.
RESULT 
The selection appears in a new stereo window.
Turning Selections Into New Files Using the Menu
PROCEDURE
1. In the Audio Files workspace, make a selection in the wave 
window.
2. Select Edit > Copy selection to new window > As is.
RESULT 
The selection appears in a new stereo window.