I realized I needed more precise input than the 1 ms that WaveLab provides. In this situation, I was asking myself, “How can I read the exact sample count in an information field in WaveLab?” I haven’t found any other solution than counting the samples in the last ms and calculating the the rest based on the sample rate. Could this be improved? Am I missing something? I thought WaveLab was an accurate and precise tool, and now… Why can’t I enter values down to the exact sample count and read those values out when I want?
48 kHz means 48,000 samples per second. So, 1 ms has 48 samples.
Background:
I have a special signal at the beginning and end of recordings on different recording devices.
First, I need to align the recordings. Unfortunately, the clocks then run at slightly different speeds. Therefore, I have to perform time stretching so that the signal can be precisely aligned at the beginning and end. Since I can’t enter sample values, this isn’t possible.
By the way: … The input dialog for moving markers only accepts values of 4 minutes and less… Why is that? … Again, sample-accurate input isn’t possible. Can I also select individual or all markers and move them by dragging? Which mouse and keyboard key(s) do I need to use for this? (to achieve sample accuracy.)
I read that there is currently an issue with copying markers in WaveLab 12, which will be fixed in an upcoming update. Is there any information on when this will be? I’m using WaveLab 9, but I looked in the WaveLab 12 manual. Even in the WaveLab 12 Time Stretch dialog… there is no way to enter the sample count.
Is there a way to search for a specific signal in the audio file? This would speed up the search for the alignment signals. Perhaps difficult to implement, but it would be helpful. I know I could halve the error by using values 1 ms different and seeing which has the lower error. But that’s not the solution I’m looking for.
You actually can enter a value in samples, you just have to set the time ruler accordingly. Do a right-mouse-click on the time ruler and select Samples. This is true for the Time Stretching process and also for Move Multiple Markers, for some other time depending operations too.
The screenshot is from WaveLab 12 Pro, but I also tested it in WaveLab 10 Pro (so there might be a chance for 9 or 9.5).
Further, I have no issues with the Move Multiple Markers dialogue either using the default Clock time setting or Samples, again tested in WL 12 and WL 10. I’m not aware of a function to move multiple markers manually at once.
…
… Although, there seems to be a bug when using the Move Multiple Markers dialogue while using the Bars and Beats time ruler format. I cannot enter/set a value above 0:3.99 and going one more tick up just cycles to 0:0.00 instead of 1:0.00 (specifically with set time signature 4/4 , 100bpm and 100 ticks - I tested a few other combinations with comparable faulty results). It seems like I can go normally into the negative though (-Bar : Beat . Tick).
Please have a check on this, @PG1 . Tested with WaveLab Pro 12.0.50 on Win 11 Pro 23H2 (and also an issue in WaveLab Pro 10.0.70 and Pro 11.2.0)
Wow! That’s helpful and precise. I can confirm it works in WaveLab 9 as well.
I tried changing this by clicking on the timing information at the bottom, where I usually change the audio settings from 24-bit to 32-bit float for further post-recording editing.
After changing the ruler setting, the time fields in the dialogs change according to the ruler setting. A really nice and elegant method… if one knows this trick (or the prerequisite).
I just checked the help and manual again. By default, there are only images of time fields. No asterisk or hints how to change this to the five other input options. I guess I’m not the only one saying “Wow” for the first time here, right? I think there is no need to hide this behaviour, but rather to provide hints on the help pages, such as… “The input format corresponds to the settings of the time ruler and can be changed there.”
It reminds me of well-structured object-oriented programming, since all time fields exhibit the same behaviour. I could be wrong, though… because you can program everything in other programming paradigms. But passing on this knowledge to others…
Now I wanted to put this into practice, but I’m stumbling over the input behaviour.
I copy the smp value from the bottom right into a text editor and get an XML info. So far, it’s OK. I see the value I can use. I then calculate the new smp value for the time stretch and copy it as text (Windows: Ctrl+C) to the Windows clipboard (238253580). I set the focus to the time field and select everything to paste the new value. (Windows: Ctrl+V) Now, no value is imported, but a remainder from the audio clipboard is added in the background. (If you don’t notice this and save your file, you’re guaranteed to have a great time later. I now suspect that my last corrupted file was because I didn’t realize that WaveLab hadn’t pasted the clipboard value, but was pasting audio data from an older audio copy and previous actions in the background. And I worked on it for hours, and when I tried to synchronize everything, I wondered why the file size was different.
If I really have to enter the new value manually, WaveLab hides the editor with the value I wont to enter because it places its windows in the foreground. And pasting something into a window that doesn’t have focus is a complete no-go. I don’t think that’s intended or is it? Or am I missing something again?
Hmm…
Testing with WaveLab 10 I can confirm your described behavior - I can neither copy nor paste any value within the Time Stretching dialogue with a keyboard shortcut, instead there is audio inserted in the currently open editor window, even if I did not (intentionally) copy any audio parts before (so it will just insert the whole file at the cursor again).
I CAN copy a value from the dialogue using the context menu per right-mouse-click and paste it anywhere else, but using the same context menu I am not able to paste a value from an external source (MS Notepad, Notepad++, Libre Office …). … However, I CAN copy and paste (via context menu) a value from a marker position in the Markers tool window …
Testing with WaveLab 11 provides basically the same picture, with the only exception, that I must have copied any audio before for it to be falsely inserted (using shortcuts).
Ah, well, pretty broken indeed, when you need that feature. I’m sure I had these or connected issues while working with WL 10 and 11, but I managed somehow.
Using WaveLab 12 for over a year now and doing another test for confirmation I cannot find these issues anymore. Copy and paste of values works fine, both from all within WaveLab and with external applications, also either with keyboard shortcuts or via the context menu.
So I definitely don’t think “intended behavior”, but a bug that went unnoticed for too long.
