Wavelab 9 - still complicated workflow?

[aMUSEd]

I like the new interface but tbh I am getting sick of waiting for it to scan plugins every time I just want to quickly open a wav file. Why does it even try to scan instruments (which it then often asks to blacklist, stalling the scan, so I can't even leave it running unattended). It should be possible to turn off the startup scan.

[Ph-J]

I like the new interface but tbh I am getting sick of waiting for it to scan plugins every time I just want to quickly open a wav file. Why does it even try to scan instruments (which it then often asks to blacklist, stalling the scan, so I can't even leave it running unattended). It should be possible to turn off the startup scan.

Don't know if you can turn it off, but you could restrict the paths it scans maybe ?

[Jperkinski]

In the preferences you can tell WaveLab which plugins to ignore. For me, it only scans for plugins when it detects plugins that have been updated.

So, most times WaveLab launches really fast. If I install some updates like UAD, or Waves, it takes a bit to rescan those but the same is true with REAPER and Pro Tools as well.

[will adam]

I've used Bias Peak; they went out-of-business. I acquired SoundForge and Sony sold it to Magix but that company does not support Mac.

I finally arrived at WaveLab and love it, so far. It's definitely beautiful! It functions flawlessly with Mac-Sierra OS; SoundForge was giving me problems with blips on playback. I got tired of explaining to clients that the sounds they were hearing, like drop-outs, were not a part of the file. I think it was a buffering issue but no help so, "Bye-Bye!"

There's a learning curve with any software and this is acceptable to me. The difference is, I feel like I'm learning faster but I've been doing this work for more than ten years now. I find that the tools are right there, where I want them, even if I have to hit tabs to get between groups of tool-categories.

One issue, which cropped up the other day, is I could not come up with a pitch-change plug that worked so, for that instance, I went to Audacity, which worked perfectly. ("Why did I go to Audacity instead of SoundForge?") SoundForge takes too long to load for doing just-one-function. I'm sure I'll figure this one out but, if someone will chime-in, I'd love to hear what you have to say. Thanks in advance!

One issue, of file-protocol; I do a lot of LP digitization/preservation. I feel a bit clumsy at the point where I start splitting up files for separate tracks. The default file-format is WAV and I use AIFF; no big deal and I can tell WaveLab to remember this but, sometimes it gets confusing putting files where I want them to go, specifically and, in this, I often have to go back, in the Finder, and move them manually.

IE the Save-As protocol is confusing to me right now but, I think I'll eventually learn where I make a mistake and not make it anymore; It's me, not the program but it's still confusing.

My overall impression is, especially since I've used Cubase for years, I love WaveLab!

[Jperkinski]

One issue, of file-protocol; I do a lot of LP digitization/preservation. I feel a bit clumsy at the point where I start splitting up files for separate tracks. The default file-format is WAV and I use AIFF; no big deal and I can tell WaveLab to remember this but, sometimes it gets confusing putting files where I want them to go, specifically and, in this, I often have to go back, in the Finder, and move them manually.

IE the Save-As protocol is confusing to me right now but, I think I'll eventually learn where I make a mistake and not make it anymore; It's me, not the program but it's still confusing.

My overall impression is, especially since I've used Cubase for years, I love WaveLab!

Welcome to WaveLab. If you have individual clips for your CD tracks in the montage, you can use the CD Wizard to insert the track markers as you wish. If you have a continuos file from an LP capture, you can assign shortcuts to insert track markers quickly where you'd like them. I highly recommend the CD Track Splice Marker vs. the traditional CD Track Start and End Markers. The Splice Marker is easier to manage and it doesn't leave out any audio that might be between the End and next Start Marker by accident.

Also, it's been awhile since I first set up WaveLab 9 but somewhere in the settings is a way to use the main OS X standard Save/Save As.. dialogue box and perhaps this will be more natural and comfortable for you to use. If you can't find that setting, I can try to dig deeper and find it.

You can also create a preset for saving files you can dial in all the settings (bit-depth, format etc.) which makes things easier.

One big plus of WaveLab is that if you really get stuck, you can post on the official WaveLab forum and PG who is the main WaveLab developer will usually answer you. Additionally, I have a WaveLab Facebook group that can also be helpful for things:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/WaveLab/

Best,
Justin

[aMUSEd]

The manual (for Elements) doesn't seem to correspond to the application. I am trying to simply split a clip, the manual says open the Fade tab then move the cursor upwards towards the ruler and it should turn into a scissors tool but a) there is no Fade Tab - Fade is part of the Process tab, which isn't even in the manual, and b) the cursor won't change and there doesn't seem to be a menu command for this basic function. Audacity is so much easier.

[Jperkinski]

The manual (for Elements) doesn't seem to correspond to the application. I am trying to simply split a clip, the manual says open the Fade tab then move the cursor upwards towards the ruler and it should turn into a scissors tool but a) there is no Fade Tab - Fade is part of the Process tab, which isn't even in the manual, and b) the cursor won't change and there doesn't seem to be a menu command for this basic function. Audacity is so much easier.

Are you talking an audio file or an audio montage? Each one has it's own set of tabs.

In a montage, you can simply press the S key and it will nondestructively split the clip.

[aMUSEd]

I just clicked on an audio file and opened it, not really sure what a montage is.

[Jperkinski]

I just clicked on an audio file and opened it, not really sure what a montage is.

A montage is a place where you can nondestructively arrange files, similar to a DAW. It's where you would want to arrange an album for example, or arrange some audio clips to create something new.

If you want to edit a clip, you could load it into a montage, do your edits, and then render a new file containing those edits.

[aMUSEd]

Ok that is more complicated, I assumed I could just open a wave file and edit it. How do I make it into a montage, there doesn't seem to be an option to do that?

[Jperkinski]

Ok that is more complicated, I assumed I could just open a wave file and edit it. How do I make it into a montage, there doesn't seem to be an option to do that?

You can edit WAV files directly though I don't know all the limitations of Elements vs. Pro.

If you go to File>New>Audio Montage you'll see a new session appear. You have to choose what sample rate you want to use.

You can also choose File>New>Audio Montage>From Current File to open the file in a montage.

[aMUSEd]

OK thanks - I see now there's a lot more tools available in this view. Don't know why it doesn't just default to this though.

[Jperkinski]

OK thanks - I see now there's a lot more tools available in this view. Don't know why it doesn't just default to this though.

A montage is like a DAW project. You need to save a session file, like when you save a Pro Tools session file. Then you also have the option to open the audio file directly as you have found. A montage has a .mon extension.

I normally open WaveLab, create a new montage using one of my templates to save time, and then import the file(s) to the montage.