A few newbie questions - also looking for some beginner's tips

[Aleque]

Hello

I am trying to learn Wavelab 12 Pro from scratch, and I could use a few pointers to guide me in the right direction, please.

1). How do I apply simple effects to my audio, like reverb and delay? There is a “PLUG-INS” button at the top left but I can’t even press it, because it’s greyed out.

2). Speaking of plugins- how do plugins work exactly in Wavelab? Are they already built in inside of Wavelab or does Wavelab use plugins from a DAW like Cubase? I have Cubase 13 Pro, by the way.

3). On my Desktop I have a shortcut to a folder, where my audio is. But when I try and open that folder in Wavelab, it just says c:/AUDIO.lnk in the directory field at the top of the Open window and shows no content of the folder. Is there a fix or a workaround for that?

4). Someone told me that I can use markers inside of Wavelab and even give them names, and then later when I save that file in Wavelab, I should be able to see those same markers with the names on them, when I import the audio in Cubase. I tried that, except that when I import the audio in Cubase, I see no markers, even when I use Wavelab as ARA extension to view the audio. What am I doing wrong?

5). And finally, can someone please give me a few useful workflow tips and tricks. Or at least some of the most useful (or used) shortcuts for Wavelab in regular workflow? I tried googling for that but haven’t had much luck.

I know there is a manual, and I do plan on looking up specific features. But right now I’m struggling to figure out which of these features I will be using the most. And I do plan on watching some YouTube tutorials, as well. But in the meantime a few helpful tips would be really appreciated to get me started.

Thanks!

[rickpaul]

@Aleque

I am trying to learn Wavalab 12 Pro from scratch, and I could use a few pointers to guide me in the right direction, please.

I’m in the exact same boat, just having installed the trial version a few days ago and started trying my first experiment on a project yesterday. While I’d watched a few tutorial-style videos, I still ended up with a bunch of frustrating points, some of which I’ve now gotten past.

@Aleque

1). How do I apply simple effects to my audio, like reverb and delay? There is a “PLUG-INS” button at the top left but I can’t even press it, because it’s greyed out.

This was a biggie for me, and I still don’t know about that plug-ins button. But, assuming you’re talking about trying to put plugin effects on clips, the solution was needing to enable the Inspector from the Tool Windows menu:

After doing that, the Inspector will be among the tabs on the right side, and you can click on the Clip option (or track or output), and there will be plugin inserts for Clip Effects that can be used to add plugins from a menu.

@Aleque

2). Speaking of plugins- how do plugins work exactly in Wavelab? Are they already built in inside of Wavelab or does Wavelab use plugins from a DAW like Cubase? I have Cubase 13 Pro, by the way.

Both. Some plugins are provided by WaveLab, and others will be from your collection of VST3 plugins. By default the plugins are organized by vendor then category, but, in the plug-ins section of the preferences (File/Preferences/Plugins), you can change the organization, to a degree. As far as I can tell, it doesn’t have fully custom menus like Cubase, but, for example, I changed the organization to category then vendor, and I also explicitly hid a bunch of plugins that I don’t want cluttering up WaveLab menus.

@Aleque

5). And finally, can someone please give me a few useful workflow tips and tricks. Or at least some of the most useful (or used) shortcuts for Wavelab in regular workflow? I tried googling for that but haven’t had much luck.

Yeah, this is challenging as the workflow and interface are decidedly different. I have at least found a few things, like that the G and H that Cubase uses for zooming out and in work in WaveLab, too. I also noticed that various modifier keys with the mouse wheel take different types of actions, such as scrolling and zooming in and out. I had the hardest time initially trying to zoom in on the waveform, but there was a special control, that looks nothing like the Cubase control for doing a similar thing that could do that (and I think one of the mouse-wheel modifiers also did.

One other key thing (for me at least) I found was that S splits a clip at the current location. I ended up searching on that and finding something in the manual.

Speaking of the manual, you can get to the web help version directly at:

https://www.steinberg.help/r/wavelab-pro/12.0/en

You can also get to it through the menu in WaveLab, but it gets to a higher-level place where you pick which version and which manual and … I just kept the manual open in my browser while working in WaveLab, though I also ended up googling other things when running into blocks. Reminds me a bit of when I first started with Cubase.

[Thomas_W_Bethel]

There are some excellent tutorials online in YouTube. Maybe take some time to watch them??? I have been a WL user since version 1.6.2 and WL 12 has added so many NEW features I have to consult the manual and watch the online YouTube tutorials when I run into a problems. WL has become very powerful thanks to PG but it is also a lot more complex. Best of luck!!!

[Aleque]

Thank you guys for the replies. Sorry, it took me some time to reply. It’s a bit overwhelming with a new software and so much new stuff to learn. Yes, it seems complex and overwhelming, which is why I am trying to find a few features at a time to focus on.

[PG1]

@Aleque

It’s a bit overwhelming with a new software and so much new stuff to learn. Yes, it seems complex and overwhelming, which is why I am trying to find a few features at a time to focus on.

It’s perfectly natural to feel overwhelmed when you’re getting acquainted with new software—there’s always a lot to take in. Focusing on a few features at a time is a great approach. I recommend starting with the core functionalities that you’ll use the most, and gradually exploring from there. Learning step by step will help you gain confidence and build a solid foundation.

[Aleque]

Can you please tell me how to change the background color of the audio, when using audio montage? I tried looking in Preferences > Audio Montages > Style, Custom from the dropdown menu, but found no option there to edit colors of the audio.

EDIT: Sorry, I think I found it. I had to go to Default and then Left or Right. That’s a bit different than changing colors in Audio Files > Style.

Another quick question, please. When the audio is playing, the green cursor indicates where the playhead is. If I click somewhere while it’s playing it just places a red cursor. Can I set up the program to immediately continue playing from where i click?

[Laturec]

@Aleque

Another quick question, please. When the audio is playing, the green cursor indicates where the playhead is. If I click somewhere while it’s playing it just places a red cursor. Can I set up the program to immediately continue playing from where i click?

While playback is active, you can left-mouse-click directly on the Time Ruler on the top to immediately move the green Playback Cursor and the red Edit Cursor to the desired position and continue playback from there. This works for both the Audio Editor and the Audio Montage, and even over different opened files/montages.

[PG1]

@Aleque

Can you please tell me how to change the background color of the audio, when using audio montage?

You can choose between a global dark skin or light skin. This is easy and fine.
But I highly recommend not to modify the color of a given scheme. There are many colors that are involved. Finding the right color without breaking some scenario is complex. Not something to do if you are a beginner.

[Aleque]

Thanks for the advice. I am only interested in changing too much white on the screen into something darker. Makes it less painful on the eyes, especially in the evenings and nights.