Any chance we could get a decibel scale for the montage, so we can see levels as in the file editor?
Maybe as a tip in the status bar, to show what’s under the mouse. But I don’t favour adding permanent rulers.
I’ll take what I can get…
Is the issue the challenge of scaling/calculating dB? I ask because soundBlade (my main axe) has auto-scaling waveform displays AND always shows a dB scale. This really helps ground you in reality - knowing that mountainous peak is actually just 3dB above the noise floor reminds you of the magnification and provides perspective on how significant a waveform feature may be (is that peak a mountain or molehill). Without this feature, it’s easy to get lost, and hard to really know what you’re looking at.
So yeah, if nothing else is available, a cursor-based probe beats what exists, and addresses my concerns and needs minimally.
Thanks man!
No, this is not a matter of difficulty. But the question is: why do you need that for in the Audio Montage? As all stuff is mixed further and the levels are likely to change.
I take your point that things will change IF you add effects, but in general I like to know what I’m looking at, in a relative and absolute sense. When I do add effects I have a pretty good idea of my gain staging, so I know how much I’m adding/cutting in general.
WRT the issue of what’s displayed, you’ve introduce a new additional feature request: I’d love and prefer a Montage waveform display that was capable of showing a post-track effects view would not only be handy, but also strong selling point vs ALL competitors. I’m specifically not suggesting a post-Master view because it doesn’t reflect routing of the actual signal accurately. I suppose it might be a useful option in preferences, to extend the competitive advantage. In short, a rough render of the file offers something unique and truly different, that mastering engineers generally pine for.
But for now, I’d just like what I already have and use without the fancy post-effects rendering: a way to know what I’m looking at in absolute terms, even when zoomed to extremes.
-d-
Update: the lack of vertical scale is becoming a show stopper. I just got in a job with files unusually low in level. This is invisible in Montage, and with the addition of effects, things “look” more or less normal in the level meters. Fortunately my SpectraFoo meters have longer hold/accumulation time and in K-mode with longer holds I realized level was really low in the files.
I really need to know what I’m looking at as inputs, so I’m not forced to meter at multiple points in the path. This gets more confusing as you add tracks. Give me a scale in the montage, if this is where I’m expected to place files for relative level setting. The lack of scale in montage is making me crazy, and makes me use my other daw even when I’d prefer WL7. SOrry to be a pest. I’m sure you don’t miss it if you’ve never had it, but once you’ve been to the big city, it sucks to go back to the farm.
Hi Dave, a workaround for now: a doubleclick in the upper left corner of a clip opens the underlying wav file in the wave window, where you can see a scale. alt+tab brings you immediately back to the montage. Not exactly what you want but maybe this helps as first workaround…
Great tip, Lutz… I always bum when my renders take me back there, but in this case it’s just what the Dr ordered. 