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WaveLab 4

In the world of top-range digital audio editors there are but a few. Steinberg's WaveLab is one. Ian Waugh opens the door on version 4...

When the original version of WaveLab was released over five years ago, one of its best features was the non-modal dialogue boxes. This means you can open a window to perform a function such as processing, for example, but still access the waveform display behind it. If you're thinking "so what?" open up a few of your favourite apps. and try it. That, coupled with its many powerful and unique features made WaveLab a dream to use.

The intervening versions have added many new features taking the program way beyond a simple audio editor.

The first thing you'll notice is the cool new interface. However, existing users will find it easy to find their way around. Having said that, the program is now very sophisticated so new users will have to give themselves some time to become familiar with it.

The heart of the program is still the audio editor section which handles both mono and stereo waveforms. You can edit either half of a stereo wave and convert between mono and stereo formats.

It supports multiple sample rates from 8 to 32 bit and sample resolutions up to 192KHz. It can import and export a range of audio formats and supports MP3 encoding and decoding.

However, there's another section called Audio Montage which lets you drop audio clips onto additional tracks. It works a little like a multi-track recorder although it's not a substitute for a dedicated multi-track application. One of its main uses will be to arrange tracks for CD creation. Sliding two clips together creates a crossfade - adjustable, of course.

Very effective

As well as the usual cut, copy, paste and mix functions, there are many real-time and off-line processes. Off-line functions include time stretching and pitch shifting, pitch bend and automatic pitch recognition and pitch adjustment, harmonisation and chorus. There's also sophisticated dynamics functions with compression, limiting, gating, and expansion.

Real-time effects include reverb, echo, chorus, EQ, multiband compression, a voice attenuator, auto panner, stereo expander and noise gate. There are also functions such as the denoiser and declicker to help remove noise from recordings, and there is a range of analysis functions like a spectrum analyser and an FFT meter.

The effects are generally quite excellent with many sophisticated features, and it's difficult to imagine anyone wanting more, especially for mastering or CD creation. But if you do, the program, of course, supports both DirectX and VST plug-ins.

We must mention the dithering options which include WaveLab's dithering algorithm and Apogee's highly-acclaimed UV22. You'd use these if you need to change the sample rate before burning a CD.

Burn, baby, burn

One of WaveLab's main features is CD burning. It supports full Red Book CD (audio CDs) burning with CD text, and Mixed Mode, ISO image, cue sheets, and on-the-fly burning. It has a CD label editor and you could well use it for copying CDs although its strength lies in the range of options it offers for creating and compiling individual tracks into a CD.

It supports all the esoteric CD codes (if you have to ask you probably won't want to use them - and you don't have to) and the highly-regarded ability to set the inter-track gap which is a doddle to use.

The program supports a wide range of CD-R recorders and it's a good idea to check the Steinberg web site to make sure yours is supported before buying the program.

Sample this

In the old days, audio editors were much used for editing samples used in hardware samplers. Their tiny and clumsy LCDs made editing and looping extremely difficult. Even today, most people who use hardware samplers still find it easier to use a software editor for editing and here WaveLab excels, too.

It supports most popular samplers including those by Akai, Roland, Kurzweil, Emu and Ensoniq, and it supports the generic MIDI and SCSI sampler protocols so you should be able to use it with virtually any sampler.

It includes various tools to help create loops and there's an interesting Auto Split function that splits an audio file into individual segments. This comes into its own when used with sample CDs where it will split a track containing several samples such as drum loops into individual samples. You can, of course, use these with computer-based applications and also shunt them off to a hardware sampler.

Summary

It's difficult not to like WaveLab. Its range of processes and functions is extremely impressive and it can be put to many uses from audio editing and processing, vinyl recording and enhancement to CD compilation and burning and more.

It's probably the only audio editor you'll ever need. Highly recommended.

Ian Waugh

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