Tracktion Waveform 12 - Request New Features and Fixes

[Yulian]

Hello! First of all I want to say that Tracktion Waveform is a really comfortable, reliable and easy to use DAW for me! I am very grateful to the respected developers for the creation and active development of this program, as well as for its availability!

I would just like to suggest some ideas that I think could make WF even cooler and to get even more widespread use it. Although, as I said, this DAW is already great!
I really hope that the functions described below would be useful not only to me =) If so, then I will be glad for your support in the form of likes and comments, or if you just add your requests here .

Some issues I've noticed while working that may need to be fixed:

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• the automation curves not quite in sync with timeline events - Google Drive, Image #1. The screenshot shows the automation of the standard plugin "Volume & Pan" at the time of the initial transient. On the bottom track is the same clip, but with automation applied. It can be seen from the waveform that the dip in volume occurs with a delay from the time where automation is prescribed. The track has been rendered in the track control panel > Render Track. No third-party plugins was used on this track that could introduce a delay.
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• when deleting time, the automation curves of the master track are not deleted or shifted;

Ideas for new features:

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• changing the preset using automation;
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• enable / disable software bypass using automation, since not all plugins have their own bypass.
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• the ability to select points on the automation curve by tracing them with the cursor while holding the left mouse button, as well as move and copy the selection as an entire array (so that the selected area is graphically highlighted, letting you know that it can be moved entirely with the mouse, like a clip).
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• when adding a new "send/return" plugin, automatic selection of a free bus that is not yet involved in the project.
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• don't count "send/return" plugins when counting the number of plugins on a track. Because due to the limitation of the number of plugins on one track (16 units), sometimes there is not enough space for all active sends. Because the plugins "Volume and Pan" and "Level Meter", which are standard on all new tracks, are also included in this number. As an alternative solution, it would be nice to have separate sends section in the track Control Panel or in Mixer. I tried to depict an approximate GUI view of the 'Sends' panel in this Image #5. Although I have to admit that I would like to continue to be able to use sends as a plugin. Because it allows you to send not only PreFade or PreFX (as in many DAWs), but also sound from anywhere in the plugin chain!
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• batch render. This would be very useful, for example, when the project contains several songs or sound effects at once. Or, for example, when you just need to convert a lot of wav clips to mp3. With this capability, one would not have to wait for one render to complete in order to set up the next, and so on every time. Instead, it would be cool to create an export queue using markers and run the render just once. This could be done, for example, by adding render settings to markers, the start and end of which would be the length of time that will be sent to the render. Also, it would be convenient during rendering to see the list of the current queue and, if necessary, cancel one or more items, or change their order. I tried to depict how it might look in the GUI of the Waveform: Google Drive, Images #2 and 3.
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• create markers over selected clips by one click (in addition to the batch render function).
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• the ability to select a different template, except for the standard one, when creating new edits inside already created projects. Now when I click "Create a New Edit" it is created with the default template, even if a different one was selected when the project was created. And I don't seem to be able to set it up any other way right now.
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• support for m4a import (if possible). Unfortunately, there is not always an audio converter at hand, and m4a is a fairly popular audio format, and often music or audio effects can be in this format;
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• show the duration of the marked region or selection in the timeline, not just the start and end time.

Perhaps some of my requests are not described clearly enough, write to me about it, I will clarify or attach more screenshots.
Thank you very much for your attention!!!

[Barry Hufker]

I'll add my requests for features in Waveform:
1. The ability to scrub the audio in a track(s) to try to determine an editing location.
2. "Play up to" (for instance 5 seconds up to the cursor).
3. "Play after from" (5 seconds after the cursor).
4. Changing the waveform size (not audio gain) as I could in older versions of Waveform, with a slider instead of a click. Doing classical music recording, I have to sync spot mics with main mics and being able to really see small signals is imperative.

Thank you,
Long time user, some times poster

[Yulian]

Thank you, Long time user, some times poster

Thank you too for supporting this topic!)

1. The ability to scrub the audio in a track(s) to try to determine an editing location.

If you have audio clips on your tracks, you can double-click on the waveform to play that point. Also after that, you can quickly drag the playhead along the clip by holding the left mouse button, and the sound will be played back just as quickly. But I noticed that I can't get WF to play sound of audio clips by quickly moving the playhead with the mouse over all the tracks at once. I can just move it by holding the mouse wheel in the tracks area, but without sound .

2. "Play up to" (for instance 5 seconds up to the cursor).
3. "Play after from" (5 seconds after the cursor).

I have not seen such a function, if I correctly understood its essence. Perhaps the combination "left/right arrows > space" could be used instead?
WF also has the ability to create custom macros in the "Settings > Keyboard Shortcuts" menu. I think the functions of this tool should be enough to make two macros: one to play 5 seconds after the cursor, and the other before the cursor, and assign hotkeys to these actions. But, unfortunately, I still do not have a very good command of the rules for writing these expressions)

4. Changing the waveform size

You can still do this by clicking on the icon in the lower right corner and setting the size multiplicity of the waveform display. On Screenshot #4 you can see what it looks like.
By the way, it would be great if there was a hotkey for this function)

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I'd also like to add a few more ideas and fix requests:

• the ability to select multiple plugins on track by selecting one and the second while holding "Shift". It would be great if then not only these two plugins were chosen, but also others that are in between. Now I can only select all plugins on track, or select multiple plugins by clicking on each plugin with the mouse while holding "Ctrl" or "Shift".
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• groups and submixes are not displayed in the sidechain selection window in plugins that support it. It would be great to be able to select them there. Now, in order to make a side chain from a group of tracks, I can only route their outputs to another track, and then choose this track as the source of the side chain.
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• no sound when soloing a return channel to which a send was sent from a submix, or from a group of tracks, or from a track that is assigned as an output for other tracks. But it does work when soloing returns that accept sends from simple tracks that directly contain audio or midi clips with virtual instruments (assuming the 'Process audio tracks when muted' checkbox in "Settings > Advanced > Audio Engine" is enabled).

[Yulian]

• don't count "send/return" plugins when counting the number of plugins on a track.

As an alternative solution, it would be nice to have separate sends section in the track Control Panel or in Mixer.

I tried to depict an approximate GUI view of the 'Sends' panel in this Image #5

[Yulian]

I have a few more wishes regarding automation:

• the ability to move automation tracks up or down. Now their movement is blocked.
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• the ability to set a custom color for the automation curve, or choose "use track color" checkbox. And also, so that the custom color is displayed in the "Active parameter curves for this track" menu, for example, in the form of a colored button, as in the browser, in the "Search" tab, in the "Favorites Tags" section. This could make things easier and faster when the project contains many automation tracks.
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• the ability to give a name to the automation track. It cannot be renamed now. The standard name can be too long, as it contains information about which track, effect and parameter the automation takes place on. This view sometimes makes it difficult to find the desired automation track.
  It would be great to be able to optionally set a custom name displayed in the "Track Inputs" area or in the track names area.
  Or you can add a small text block in the tracks area, containing only the name of the parameter wich be automated, or a custom name (similar to how the name of a clip looks like).
  But at the same time, duplicate the standard name of the automation track in the Control Panel in order to, if necessary, obtain information about which particular plugin and track this automation belongs to.

[Yulian]

Thanks to the Tracktion development team for the 'A/B Switch' utility plugin that was added to W12 (as well as many other cool plugins). This is very handy to use in a rack to compare tracks or processings, or use it for any other purpose.

Please add another similar 'Mix' plugin but with one rotary knob to smoothly mix the two input channels.
For example:

• 100% to the left - only the first stereo channel will be output;
• 100% to the right - 2nd stereo channel;
• center position - both channels are equal.

Please make two inputs and one output so that you can use this plug-in without a rack, by selecting the sidechain channel as the second stereo channel (as opposed to the 'A/B Switch' plug-in, which has one input and two outputs).
Thank you, you are the best!

[Watchful]

The developers aren't reading this forum anymore, except in rare instances. I'm not sure how to suggest new features, but KVR doesn't seem to be it. Maybe direct message?

[Yulian]

The developers aren't reading this forum anymore, except in rare instances. I'm not sure how to suggest new features, but KVR doesn't seem to be it. Maybe direct message?

I had suspicions about this) It seems that this is true, unfortunately . It's strange why this happened. But thank you for letting me know and for giving me the idea to contact them directly. I'll try to find a new channel of communication.

[pough]

Please add another similar 'Mix' plugin

Have you watched the video preview for the next version? It doesn't go into details but it has new mixer plugins.

Go to 1:44

[Kott]

changing the preset using automation;

this one is not a good idea, unlike others

[Yulian]

Have you watched the video preview for the next version? It doesn't go into details but it has new mixer plugins.

Wow, I don't understand how I could miss this!) Thank you, it seems there really is a two-track mixer!) And besides, a lot of incredible features! I would like to know if the release of WF12.5Free is planned, and whether there will be at least something from this golden list)

Now it's clear why the team rarely visits the forum now: I think they took a well-deserved vacation after such a big job. .

this one is not a good idea, unlike others

Thank you for your comment!
Yes, I understand that. It's just that at the moment when I wrote this, this thing would be very useful to me.
Switching a preset is likely to be harsh and unpleasant to the ear, and possibly cause a loud click. But this could be done in the pauses between clips, where nothing sounds.
Perhaps this feature needs another special kind of automation, with points instead of a curve, and for each point to have a drop-down list of available built-in and custom presets.
Still, it is much more convenient to automate one parameter at the right time than to do it for all 10+ plugin parameters.
Although, if it is possible to automate the software bypass, then two plug-ins and two automations could be dispensed with)

[Kott]

While parameters are designed for interactive modulation, the presets - are not. Switching the preset can take ages (in computing terms), loading other samples, re-calculating waveforms etc., that's why nowhere preset "live-switching" in DAWs (afaik).

[Yulian]

Switching the preset can take ages (in computing terms), loading other samples, re-calculating waveforms etc., that's why nowhere preset "live-switching" in DAWs (afaik).

Hmm, I didn't even think about it. For some reason, I meant only effect plugins, and presets, as simple sets of parameter settings. I didn't take into account that if there was the possibility of "live switching" of presets, then this would also apply to instrument plugins, each of which can use samples and heavy files, and this could cause unexpected problems.
And by the way, I didn't know that no other DAW has this feature.
Thank you for this useful information!)

[jkh]

After updating from 12.1 to 12.5, I'm experiencing a bug when starting Waveform on macOS 13. It prompts me for my password every time: "Waveform 12 (64-bit) wants to make changes. Enter your password to allow this." Whether I enter my password or just close out of the pop up, Waveform still starts up and otherwise works normally.

[lunheim]

I'm experiencing the same issue after updating Waveform to the latest version. I have submitted a support ticket to Tracktion regarding this issues.