Wave Corrector

Convert Vinyl Records and Tapes to Digital Audio

 Ganymede Test & Measurement
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User Manual Part 6.  Wave Corrector Menus




6.1 File menu commands

The File menu offers the following commands:

Open File...

Open a new audio file for processing.

Merge Open...

Merge a group of files before processing.

Batch Open...

Open a group of files for processing.

Save...

Saves the corrected waveform, leaving the file open for further editing.

Save & Close...

Saves the corrected waveform and closes all open files.

Restore Session...

Restores a previously saved correction session.

Save Session...

Saves the current correction session allowing it to be re-opened at a later time.

Auto-Save Session

Automatically saves a .session file once every five minutes

Record New Wave File...

Record a new wave file for processing.

Paths...

Change the location where the program stores its output files and temporary files.

Devices...

Select and input and output audio device.

External Encoders...

Set up external command line encoders.

Exit

Exits Wave Corrector.

1, 2 ,3, 4

The four most recently opened files are listed here.

Open File command (File menu)

Use this command to open a new File for processing in Wave Corrector. Wave Corrector displays the Open File dialog box so you can select the wave file you want to open.

During loading, Wave Corrector will automatically scan the file for track boundaries. If the source type is ?vinyl?, it will also scan for clicks and corrections will be generated. If the source type is ?tape?, then the hiss filter will be applied.

Note, if you have previously saved a Wave Correction session, you can continue working on the file with the Restore Session Command.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Key: CTRL+O

Merge Open File command (File menu)

Use this command to merge two or more wave files prior to processing. For example, if you make two separate recordings of the two sides of an LP, you can use this command to combine them into a single file.

The order of the files to be merged can be changed by dragging with the mouse.

The program automatically places cue markers at the file junctions.

Note, this command can only be used with stereo wave files (.wav) and all files to be merged must share a common sample rate (44.1 or 48 kHz). 


Shortcuts

Key: CTRL+M


Batch Open (File Menu)

Use this command to open a group of files for processing in Wave Corrector. You can perform all the usual Wave Corrector operations in Batch mode except for track splitting. Batch mode is intended for processing individual track or ?song? files.

The batch command is also useful if you intend to apply several processes to a single file (eg click removal, normalisation and channel balance). In this case, you can use Batch Open to open the single file and the program will perform the sequence of operations without further user intervention.

Wave Corrector displays a dialog box (see Figure 12) with the following components:

File List

This area lists the files to be processed. You can drag and drop files here or alternatively use the ?Add? button to bring up a file selector box.

Batch Configuration

Use these controls to set up the required tasks.

Note, 'Normalise' fixes the peak amplitude of each file to the value you set; and 'Scale' varies the amplitude of each file by the amount you set. For both Normalise and Scale, you can type in a value or select a value from the drop-down list. Scale allows both positive and negative values; use positive for gain.

?Trim Silence? removes silence from the start and end of each file before it is saved. If you use ?Trim Silence?, any leading or trailing silence will be removed for the saved file.

Control Buttons

Use these buttons add files, start and stop processing etc. If batch processing is in progress, ?Abort? will halt operation at the end of the current task.

Output Options

Use this section to specify the file type of saved files and to specify whether to add a 'cor' suffix to the file name. Note, if you do not add a suffix, there is a possibility that your original file will be overwritten.

'Add Index' adds a numerical value to each file name equal to its postion it the batch file list. This guards against files being overwritten since each output file will include a unique index number.

For compressed formats, use the Configure button to select the compression parameters.



Figure 12. Batch Dialogue



Save command (File Menu)

Use this command to save the corrected wave. You will be presented a dialog box with the following components:

Track List

This area lists the tracks that you have generated. If you have named any of the tracks, the names will be displayed in the right hand column. Put a check mark next to the files you want to save. Use the Properties button to add or alter track names.

Naming Options

Select a file naming rule from the drop down list or type in a custom rule. The naming rule is used to generate the output file names. The following tokens can be used in track names: INPUT, GENRE, ALBUM, TITLE, ARTIST, and # (for track number). Override the start number if, for example, you are processing the second side of an LP. Use "Consecutive Numbering" to restrict numbering to just the tracks you have selected.

Output Names

This box lists the file names that will be created, Any files that already exist will be shown in red.

File Type

Select the file type for your output files. For compressed formats, use the Configure button to select the compression parameters.

See §3.11 File Naming for advice on naming your files.

Figure 13. Save Dialogue

Shortcuts

Keys: CTRL+S



Save and Close command (File Menu)

Use this command when you have finished making corrections to the wave file. The corrected wave is saved and all open files are closed. See File ? Save command for more information about this command.

Restore Session command (File menu)

Use this command to restore a session you have previously saved. The command restores the correction list, track list, filter and volume settings that were previously saved and regenerates the corrected waveform.

Wave Corrector displays the Open File dialog box so you can select the session file you want to open.

Session files are identified by a .ses extension.


Save Session command (File menu)

Use this command to save and name the current session. Do this if you will want to return to it later to modify the corrected wave.

The command saves the correction list, track list, filter and volume settings so that they can be restored later.

Wave Corrector displays the Save As dialog box so you can name the session. Its default name will be the name of the source file but with the .ses extension.

Note: Do not delete the original uncorrected wave file from your hard disc. ?Save Session? only saves the correction data, it does not save a copy of the wave file. If you delete the wave file, Wave Corrector will not be able to restore the session.

Auto-Save Session command (File menu)

Use this command to cause Wave Corrector to automatically save a session file once every five minutes during an editing session. Selecting the command a second time turns off auto-saving.

When auto-save mode is in operation, the program also automatically creates a session file whenever you save a wave file.

See the Save Session command for more information about session files.

Record New Wave File command (File menu)

Use this command to make a new recording via the Line-In port of your soundcard.

Wave Corrector displays a ?Save As?? dialogue to enable you to provide a name for the file you intend to record.

You are then presented with the Record Dialogue shown below. This dialogue enables you to:

monitor the level of the audio being recorded.

start, stop and pause the recording

set timed, delayed and auto-shutoff recording mode.

set the audio file sampling rate.

adjust the sampling rate for records played slow (eg 78rpm records played at 45rpm)


Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Key: CTRL+R

Figure 14. Record Dialogue

The various areas of the window are described below:

File Information

The Information box shows

Volume Level Meter

The volume level meter consists of a pair of moving bars indicating the per channel amplitude in decibels relative to the digital clipping level. The bars are colour coded according to the following criteria:

A pair of overload indicators latch red when clipping level is reached.

A pair of blue markers hold the peak readings since the last reset.


Use the buttons as follows:


  • Set Volume:

Call up the Windows ?Volume Control? applet. Use the applet to select the input you want to record from (usually ?Line-In?) and to set the recording level.

Hint: Use Ctrl+S to toggle the applet between ?normal? and ?compact? mode. Compact mode takes up significantly less space on your desktop.

Vista Users: Under Vista, this command opens the Sound Recording Devices window. When this appears, double click on your recording device (eg Line-In) to bring up its properties. Then select the 'Levels' tab to select its volume control.

  • Reset Peak:

Reset the blue Peak Hold indicators and the Red overload indicators.


Command Buttons

The following command buttons are provided:

  • Record:

Start Recording. Note this button becomes a pause/continue button once recording has commenced.

  • Stop:

Stop Recording.

  • Override:

When using one of the automatic recording modes, this button allows for manual override of the start and stop functions.

  • Scan Now:

Scan the recorded file for clicks and tracks.

  • Done:

Exit the recorder without scanning. Note the file is saved and can be scanned later if required.

  • Aux Monitor:

Monitor the recording source. NB, only use this option if you are using a separate sound card for recording, eg a USB sound capture device


Record Options

Four recording options are available:


Sample Rate Options

Use the Sample Rate selector to choose either 44.1 or 48 kHz as the sample rate for your recording.

Use the Speed Conversion selector to adjust the sample rate to compensate for playing a disc at a slower than normal speed. This is principally to allow playing a 78rpm record on a 45 rpm turntable. Use the custom speed conversion option if you have a non-standard (eg 80rpm) record. Enter a conversion ratio equal to the actual playback speed divided by the speed at which the disc was originally recorded.



Paths... command (File menu)

Use this command to select the location where the program stores its output files and also where it stores its temporary files.

You can either choose a specific directory or you can choose to use the same directory as the file being processed. For temporary files, you can also choose to use the Windows 'TEMP' directory.

Devices... command (File menu)

Use this command to select an audio input or output device. This is useful if you have more than one soundcard installed on your system. In this case you could, for example, use one soundcard for input and the other for output.

If you are using a non-standard soundcard, you can also use this command to specify an alternative volume control instead of the standard Windows applet.

External Encoders... command (File menu)

Use this command to configure the external command line encoders used by Wave Corrector.

See also §3.3 using an External Encoder.

Figure 15. External Encoders Dialogue

At the top of the window, you can specify a path that Wave Corrector will automatically search for command line encoders. It will add any that it recognises to the encoder list and fill in default entries for the command line string and file extension. The following encoders are recognised:

Therefore, the easiest way to set up Wave Corrector is to place all your command line encoders in a directory and specify it as your auto-detect path. Use the buttons to add, delete or modify these entries.

At the bottom of the window, the Command Line history buffer is displayed. When you modify a command line in the compression settings window, the new command line is saved in the history buffer. The buffer is used to fill the command-line drop down list. To prevent the list from becoming too long, you can removes entries here that you no longer require.

Exit command (File menu)

Use this command to quit Wave Corrector. You can also use the Close command on the application Control menu. Wave Corrector prompts you to save any unsaved corrections.

Shortcuts

Mouse: Double-click the application?s Control menu button.

Key: ALT+F4

1, 2, 3, 4 command (File menu)

Use the numbers and file names listed at the bottom of the File menu to open one of the last four wave or session files you worked on. Choose the number that corresponds with the file you want to open.

6.2 View menu commands

The View menu offers the following commands:

Show Spectrum

Displays the frequency spectrum of the waveform in the main window.

Signature

Shows or hides the Correction signature in the overview window.

Grid

Shows or hides the grid in the main window.

Scale

Shows or hides the scale in the main window.

Background

Select one of three different background colour schemes.

Fine-Line Trace

Reduces the thickness of the waveform trace.

Hide Normalisation

Forces the normalised wave to overlay the un-normalised wave

Toolbar

Shows or hides the toolbar.

Status Bar

Shows or hides the status bar.

Show Spectrum (View Menu)

Use this command to show the frequency spectrum of the currently selection portion of the waveform.

The spectrum is displayed in the Overview Window at the bottom of the display.

While the spectrum is displayed, use the 'Show Overview' command to restore the normal overview display.


View Signature (View Menu)

Use this command to display or hide the correction signature in the overview window.

The correction signature is a thin red line that can be displayed at the top of the Main window and in the Overview window. It indicates the rate at which Wave Corrector is making corrections. A rise in the signature during a medium or loud passage usually means that the click detector has mis-fired due to the music content. Such areas of the file can be auditioned and unnecessary corrections deleted as required. Alternatively, the click threshold could be reduced during these periods using the block re-scan function.

Figure 16. Signature Display

See under ?False Positives' in §4.1 Understanding Click Concealment for more advice on using the correction signature.


View Grid (View Menu)

Use this command to turn on or off the Grid in the main window.


View Scale (View Menu)

Use this command to turn on or off the Scale in the main window.

Background (View Menu)

Use these commands to select the background colour of the main window.

Use White background if you require a high contrast image, for example if you are using a laptop or if you are visually impaired.

Fine-Line Trace (View Menu)

Use this command to reduce the thickness of the waveform trace.

This improves the resolution of fine detail.

Hide Normalisation (View Menu)

Use this command to force the normalised wave to overlay the un-normalised wave.

When you normalise the amplitude of a file, or adjust the left-right channel balance, the corrected and uncorrected waves will no longer overlay one another. This command adjusts the display amplitudes so that the overlay is restored. This is useful if you want to visually compare the corrected and uncorrected waves.


Toolbar command (View menu)

Use this command to display and hide the Toolbar, which includes buttons for some of the most common commands in Wave Corrector, such as File Open. A check mark appears next to the menu item when the Toolbar is displayed.


Status Bar command (View menu)

Use this command to display and hide the Status Bar, which describes the action to be executed by the selected menu item or depressed toolbar button, and includes panes to indicate the statistics of the current operation. A check mark appears next to the menu item when the Status Bar is displayed.


6.3 Waveform menu commands

The Waveform menu includes the following commands that let you re-scan the loaded file for clicks, track boundaries or both, and to perform various global operations on the waveform.

Undo Cut

Restores a block removed by the ?Cut & Splice? command.

Re-Scan Clicks

Re-scans the source wave file for clicks and generates new corrections. Track markers are left unchanged.

Super-Scan Clicks

Re-scans the source wave file for clicks and superimposes new corrections on top of existing corrections. Track markers are left unchanged.

Re-Scan Tracks

Re-scans the source wave file for track boundaries. Click corrections are left unchanged.

Re-Scan All

Re-scans the entire file applying click correction or hiss correction as appropriate.

Auto-Scan Options

Sets the sensitivity for clicks and inter-track gap detection and sets the hiss filter intensity.

Undo Volume Changes

Remove volume changes from the file.

Go to Max Sample

Centres the display on the maximum sample in to wave file.

Normalise

Adjusts the amplitude of the wave.

Channel Balance

Re-balances the amplitudes of the left and right channels

Remove Filtering

Removes all digital filtering and restores the unfiltered wave.

Filters

Applies a combination of digital filters to the wave file.

Capture New Profile

Captures a new noise profile to be used by the hiss and hum filters

Status

Shows the filters and corrections which are currently applied to the waveform.






Undo Cut Command (Waveform Menu)

Use this command to restore a block that has been removed with the Block Cut & Splice command.

To restore a cut block, first select its Cut Marker in the Correction List and then select this command. The block will be restored.

Re-Scan Clicks Command (Waveform Menu)

The source file is automatically scanned by Wave Corrector when it is first loaded. This command enables you to re-scan for clicks if the results of the original scan are unsatisfactory.

All the existing corrections are removed before re-scanning begins.

Track markers are unaffected when you use this command.

Selecting the command activates a dialogue box for entering new scanning parameters. See the Waveform ? Options command for descriptions of the detection parameters available.

When running re-scan, you have the option to preserve any manually entered (user) corrections. Similarly you can preserve any ?cut & splice? blocks in the waveform.

Note: You cannot use this command after digital filtering has been applied (eg the hiss filter). Therefore, make sure your corrections are satisfactory before applying any digital filters. Alternatively, you can use the Waveform ? Remove Filtering command to restore the Re-scan Clicks capability.

Figure 17. Re-Scan Clicks Dialogue

Shortcut Toolbar:



Super-Scan Clicks Command (Waveform Menu)

The source file is automatically scanned by Wave Corrector when it is first loaded. This command enables you to re-scan for clicks if the results of the original scan are unsatisfactory.

The command is similar to ?Re-Scan Clicks? except that the original corrections are not removed before re-scanning, the new corrections being superimposed upon the existing corrections.

If you have a very crackly recording, set the number of passes of super-scan to a value greater than one. Each pass of the super-scan detector removes residual clicks.

Selecting the command activates a dialogue box for entering new scanning parameters.

Track markers are unaffected when you use this command.

Selecting the command activates a dialogue box for entering new scanning parameters. See the Waveform ? Options command for descriptions of the detection parameters available

Note: You cannot use this command after digital filtering has been applied (eg the hiss filter). Therefore, make sure your corrections are satisfactory before applying any digital filters. Alternatively, you can use the Waveform ? Remove Filtering command to restore the Super-Scan Clicks capability.

Figure 18. Super-Scan Clicks Dialogue

Re-Scan Tracks Command (Waveform Menu)

Wave Corrector automatically scans the source file when it is first loaded. This command enables you to re-scan for track boundaries if the results of the original scan is unsatisfactory.

All the existing track boundaries are removed before re-scanning begins.

Click corrections and digital filtering are unaffected when you use this command.

Selecting the command activates a dialogue box for entering your scanning options.

User Assisted

This setting allows you to tell Wave Corrector how many tracks to aim for. The program increases its track detection sensitivity until the required number is reached.

Auto-Detect

Tracks are detected automatically.

Remove All

All track markers are removed and the file is treated as a single song.

Gapless Track Boundaries

This setting is provided to enable the production of ?Disc-At-Once? recordings on your CDr.

In gapless mode, the end of a track is always made exactly adjacent to the start of the next track. It is also positioned on a 588-sample boundary. This enables the CDr burner to produce a seamless track change with no gap between tracks. You can only do this if your burning software supports Disc-At-Once?.

Figure 19. Re-Scan Tracks Dialogue


Re-Scan All Command (Waveform Menu)

This command is the equivalent or re-loading the file into Wave Corrector and starting again. All existing corrections, track boundaries and digital filters are removed before re-scanning begins.

Selecting the command activates a dialogue box for entering new scanning parameters.


Auto-Scan Options Command (Waveform Menu)

Use this command to select the Auto-Scan Options Dialogue Box.

The dialogue box allows you to:



Note that you must select ?Re-scan All? to apply revised options to a wave file which is already loaded. The exception to this is the ?synchronise track boundaries? option which is applied immediately.

Figure 20. Auto-Scan Dialogue

Shortcut: Toolbar:

Basic Options

Source Recording

This setting allows you to choose options for either a vinyl or a tape/cassette source recording.

If ?Vinyl? is selected, wave files are automatically scanned for clicks when they are loaded, but no filters are automatically applied.

If ?Tape? is selected, wave files are not scanned for clicks, but a hiss filter is automatically applied instead.

Click Threshold/Hiss Reduction

When a vinyl source is selected, this slider allows the click threshold can be set to a value between 0 and 5 where ?0? is ?Off? ie no clicks will be detected. This alters the sensitivity of the click detection algorithm. The default value is 3.

When a tape source is selected, the slider allows the amount of hiss reduction to be set. Values between 0 and 20 dB can be set where ?0? applies no hiss reduction, and 20dB applies the maximum. The default value is 8dB.

Restore Defaults

Select to return all options to their default values as shown below:

Click Detect Threshold: 3

Hiss reduction: 8dB


Note, only these basic settings are restored to their default values. The advanced settings have their own restore Defaults button.

Enable Splitting

Check this box to cause Wave Corrector to locate boundaries between album tracks.

Gapless Track Boundaries

This setting is provided to enable the production of ?Disc-At-Once? recordings on your CD.

In gapless mode, the end of a track is always made exactly adjacent to the start of the next track. It is also positioned on a 588 sample boundary. This enables the CD recorder to produce a seamless track change with no gap between tracks. You can only do this if your recording software supports Disc-At-Once?.

In normal (non-gapless) mode, you can cut out unwanted gaps between tracks. Remember that the CD recorder will normally insert its own 2 second silence between tracks.

Advanced Options

Enable and Disable Wave Corrector?s advanced options. These advanced options should only be altered by expert users. They are provided to help prevent the incidence of ?False Positives?, ie places where components of ordinary music are detected as clicks. Most of these settings allow you to selectively reduce the click detection sensitivity.

AGC Setting

This setting turns down the click detector sensitivity as the music gets louder. At low volumes clicks are detected normally, but as the volume increases, they become progressively less likely to be detected.

Noise Discriminator

This setting causes Wave Corrector to analyse the spectrum of a click and reject or accept it depending on the noise characteristics of its spectrum.

Minimum Magnitude

This setting allows you to reject clicks below the magnitude you set. Most low magnitude clicks tend to be inaudible anyway so it is often possible to allow Wave Corrector to ignore them.

Click Detect Mode

The click detect mode can be set to ?differential? or ?per channel? and should be set according to the characteristics of the source recording. If the original source is of a mono disc recorded with a stereo cartridge then there can be an advantage to be gained by detecting on the stereo difference channel. This is because there is no legitimate difference signal and therefore all the difference channel signal represents unwanted noise. This mode is called DIFFERENTIAL Mode.

On the other hand, if the original source is a stereo record, then it is better to detect on each channel separately (PER CHANNEL Mode). To summarise:

Mono Record + Stereo Cartridge

Use Differential Mode

At all other times

Use Per Channel Mode


This setting has no effect when the ?Tape? source is selected.

Note, if the ?Differential? detection mode is selected when there is no stereo difference channel data available then the detection mode automatically reverts to ?Per Channel? mode.

Correction Width

This setting allows you to normal or narrow correction widths. The narrow setting causes less disturbance to the waveform but some severe clicks may not be fully corrected.

Advanced Defaults

Sets all advanced options back to their default values.

Undo Volume Changes command (Waveform Menu)

Use this command to remove normalisation and channel balance that has been applied to the file.

Go to Max Sample (Waveform Menu)

This command scans the file (if necessary) for the maximum amplitude sample and re-centres the display on that sample.

If you have edited the file since the last time you used this command, Wave Corrector will re-scan the file in case the peak has changed.


Normalise Command (Waveform Menu)

This command linearly adjusts the amplitude of all samples such that the maximum sample amplitude is equal to a user-selected level. The level range available is -20 to 0 dBFS where 0dBFS (decibels relative to Full Scale) is the maximum sample amplitude possible with 16bit coding.

Figure 21. Normalise Dialogue



Channel Balance (Waveform Menu)

This command allows you to vary the relative amplitude of the left vs. right channels by up to 6 dB. The command is provided principally to allow the correction of cassette originated recording which sometimes exhibit a channel imbalance.

Wave Corrector measures the average amplitude of the left and right channels to provide an estimate of any imbalance that might be present. Please remember however that stereo recordings can have a deliberate imbalance between channels so this information should be treated with caution.

You can manually select a re-balancing value, or alternatively you can check the auto-balance check box. If you check auto-balance, Wave Corrector?s estimated value will be used.

When xdB lift is applied to say the left channel, the program actually increases the amplitude of the left channel by x/2 dB and decreases the amplitude of the right channel by the same amount. This gives the required re-balancing.

Figure 22. Channel Balance Dialogue

Remove Filtering (Waveform Menu)

This command removes all digital filtering and restores the waveform to its pre-filtered state.

Click corrections are not removed by this command.


Filters Command (Waveform Menu)

This command allows any combination of five different digital filter types to be applied to the waveform.

For a more complete discussion on digital filtering, see the §3.13 Digital Filtering and subsequent sections.

Shortcut

Toolbar:




Figure 23. Filters Dialogue

Filter Selection

Use the check boxes to enable or disable each filter.

For the Hiss and treble control filters, move the associated slider to adjust filter intensity..

For the graphic filter, choose a filter from the drop down list. Alternatively, click New/Edit to create a new filter or to edit an existing one. (See below.)

Filter Application

Select either ?Replace Existing? or 'Superimpose'. 'Replace Existing' causes Wave Corrector to remove all existing filtering before applying the filter(s) you have selected. ?Superimpose? does not remove any existing filtering before applying the filter(s).

You can either apply the filter immediately or test it on a short section of the wave. To run a test, click the ?Test? button. The filter will be applied to a section of the file centred on the current centre position in the waveform window. Wave Corrector gives the option of testing over a 4-second or 20-second period, and you can audition the section before and after the filters are applied.

To apply the filter(s) to the entire wave file, click the ?Apply? button.

Status Area

This area shows what filters (if any) have already been applied to the current file.

Graphic Filter Editor

Select the check box and choose a graphic filter from the drop down list.

To create a new filter or to edit an existing filter, click on the 'New/Edit' button. This launches the Graphic Filter Editor:



Figure 24. Graphic Filter Dialogue

To add a new point to the graph, click with the left mouse button at the new position. To move an existing point, drag it while holding down the left mouse button.

To delete a point, click over it with the right mouse button.

Use the LF Expand button to display the bottom 10% of the spectrum.

If you are editing an existing filter, click the Update button to save your changes. Alternatively, create a new filter by entering a new name in the edit box on the right and clicking ?Save?.

Use the Delete Filter button to remove an existing filter from the dropdown list.

You can also use the keyboard to edit the filter as follows:

Cursor Left/Right:

Select Point.

Delete:

Delete selected Point

Insert:

Inset point to the left of currently selected point.

Ctrl + Cursor Up/Down:

Move Currently selected point vertically

Ctrl + Cursor Left/Right:

Move Currently selected point horizontally.


Edit Noise Profile (Waveform Menu)

The command enables you to view and audition a file?s noise profile and to capture a new one if necessary. By default, Wave Corrector automatically captures a noise profile by scanning the start of the file; the end of the file; and, if necessary, a quiet section in the middle of the file. Wave Corrector analyses the quality of the captured profile and issues a warning if its reliability is suspect. The profile can also be unreliable if the start or end of your wave file has noise-like characteristics (eg applause). In such circumstances, you should use this command to check the profile.

To check the noise profile, click the play button. You should hear background hiss but no wanted audio content. If wanted audio is present, drag the blue block to another part of the waveform and check again.

To select a different section of the file, click ?Create New?. This will enable you to navigate to a new position.

Note, the noise profile block must be in the range between 0.1 and 1.0 seconds. The program will not let you select a block outside this range.

To read more about noise profiles, see section §3.14 Noise Profilesgen_profiles.

For shellac records, you can specify a dual profile. Select a profile for the lead-in period of the record and a second profile for the lead-out. See §3.15 Processing Shellac Recordsgen_shellac for more information about this.

Figure 25. Edit a Noise Profile

Status Command (Waveform Menu)

This command shows the status of the currently loaded file.

It lists the number clicks corrected; the number of tracks found; the filters which have been applied; and any amplitude changes which have been applied.


6.4 Corrections menu commands

Once a set of corrections has been scanned into the computer, the Corrections Menu allows you to manipulate them in a variety or ways. For example, you can manually add new corrections, and remove existing ones. You can also audition the effect of a correction on the audio quality of the waveform.

The following commands are available:

Remove Current

Removes a correction from the correction list..

Stereo (Left/Right Channel)

Selectively removes a correction from the left or the right channel.

Adjust/Insert

Adjust the placement and width of a correction or inserts a new correction at the current position.

Shrink

Reduce the width of the a correction.

Insert Cue

Insert a Cue Marker at the current position.

Find?

Find a correction meeting search criteria.

Find Next/Previous

Moves to the next (or previous) correction meeting the search criteria.

List?

Specify which corrections are displayed in the correction list.

Audition Commands Original and Corrected

Plays the click waveform before and after correction has been applied.

Cancel Playback

Cancels playback of the click.


Remove Correction Command (Corrections Menu)

Use this command to remove a correction from the correction list and to restore the original waveform. A confirmation dialogue prevents you from accidentally removing a correction.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Key: Delete

Stereo (Left/Right Channel) Command (Corrections Menu)

Use this command to selectively remove a correction from the left or the right channel. First select the correction you want to modify from the correction list and then select the left or the right channel command. The correction for that channel will be removed. Selecting the command again will restore the correction.

Adjust/Insert Command (Corrections Menu)

Use this command to adjust the placement and width of a correction. The command is also used to manually insert a new correction.

If an existing correction is selected when you invoke this command, then that correction will be adjusted. Otherwise, the command creates a new user correction and inserts it at the current location. Once you have confirmed the new correction it will appear in blue in the correction list and will be annotated ?User?.

Note this command is automatically invoked when you drag with the mouse over the edge of a correction. Alternatively, it can be manually invoked via the menu or by clicking the toolbar button.

When the command is invoked, the ?Adjust Mode? dialogue appears and the main window background colour changes to mid-blue.

To adjust the placement and/or width of the correction you can use the cursor keys or the mouse.

You can pick up and drag the edge of the correction with the mouse. This widens or narrows it and affects the sound quality of the correction. The cursor Up/Down keys can be used as an alternative to the mouse.

The placement of the correction can be moved with the cursor Left/Right keys.

The cursor keys on their own move the correction 1 sample at a time.

In conjunction with the Shift Key, they move it one division at a time.

In conjunction with the Ctrl Key, they move it half a screen at a time.

Alternatively, you can hold down the shift key and click with the left mouse button over the required new position.

During adjust mode, you can audition your changes in order to hear their effect by using the auditioning commands.



Figure 26. Confirmation Dialogue

When you are satisfied with the changes, click ?Apply? in the confirmation dialogue box to make them permanent. To cancel your changes, click ?Abort?.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Key: Insert

Shrink (Corrections Menu)

Use this command to reduce the width of the currently selected correction. Note this command is only available at horizontal scales of 100 samples per division or less.

Shortcut

Key: Page Down

Insert Cue (Corrections Menu)

Use this command to insert a Cue Marker into the Correction List at the current location. Cue markers are also shown in the main display window as light blue short vertical lines.

Cue markers are used to identify locations that you might want to return to later.

Note, during playback, you can insert cue markers by pressing the TAB key. Markers are inserted at the current playback position.

Shortcuts

Key: Tab
Key: Numeric Keypad ?Plus?

Find Correction (Corrections Menu)

Use this command to invoke the Find Dialogue that allows you to specify search criteria to be used by the 'Find Next' and 'Find Previous' functions.

Figure 27. Find Dialogue

You can search for corrections based on the various criteria:

  • Magnitude 30+

Find a correction whose magnitude is 30 or greater. These corrections are shown in red in the correction list. This option is the equivalent of the ?Find Critical Correction? command in previous versions of Wave Corrector.
This is the default criterion for searches.

  • Magnitude 15+

Find a correction whose magnitude is 15 or greater. These corrections are shown in yellow or red in the correction list.

  • Custom Limit

Use this option to set your own magnitude limit.

  • User Corrections

Find a user correction. User corrections are those which have been manually entered and are shown in blue in the correction list.

  • Cut Marker

Find a cut marker. Cut markers represent sections you have removed with the block Cut and Splice command.

  • Cue Marker

Find a cue marker. Cue markers are created when you press the TAB key during track playback and are shown in white in the correction list. They enable you to mark a particular point to return to later.

  • Timed Jump

Use this option to move forward or back by a precise timed interval. This option is provided to help locate the remnants of repeating clicks on vinyl records. Pre-sets are provided for the three common turntable speeds or for greater precision, you can enter your own value.

Shortcut

Toolbar: Find Correction

Find Next and Find Previous Correction Commands (Corrections Menu)

Use these commands to jump forward or back to the next correction that meets the search criteria. Search criteria are set using the Find? command.

Shortcuts

Toolbar: Find Next Correction

Toolbar: Find Previous Correction


List Command (Corrections Menu)


Use this command to specify which corrections are displayed in the correction list.

Figure 28. List Dialogue

This command is useful when Wave Corrector generates a very large number of corrections. You can make the list more manageable by restricting visibility to only those corrections larger than specified limit.

If you are running under Windows 95, 98 or ME then a limit will be automatically set to comply with the list limitations inherent in these operating systems. (No more than about 32000 items can be listed.)

Certain items will always be displayed irrespective of the option you select. These items are:



Audition Commands (Corrections Menu)

Use the Audition Correction commands to hear a click before and after correction has been applied. Use the ?Play Original? or ?Play Corrected? option as required.

The duration of the played back correction is dependent on the selected horizontal scale of the main window. If the window is displaying more than 2 seconds of waveform, then the playback will start and end at the window boundaries. If, on the other hand, the window is displaying less than 2 seconds the playback if forced to a 2 -second period centred on the correction event.

During playback, the second status bar pane from the left indicates whether the original or corrected version is being played. You can instantly switch between versions by clicking over this pane with the mouse.

Shortcuts

Toolbar: : Play original

Toolbar: : Play Corrected

Key: Numeric Keypad ?1?: Play original

Key: Numeric Keypad ?3? Play Corrected

or: click the right mouse button in the main window and select the required option.

Cancel Command (Corrections Menu and Tracks Menu)

Select Cancel to stop playback immediately.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Key: Esc
Key: Numeric Keypad ?0?


6.5 Tracks menu commands

The Tracks menu includes commands that let you select a track, reposition a track boundary, and step between tracks. A list of the tracks detected is appended to this menu.

The following commands are available:

Next Marker

Jumps forward to the next track boundary marker.

Previous Marker

Jumps back to the previous track boundary marker.

Split Track

Inserts a new track boundary within an existing track.

Merge Tracks

Merges the tracks on either side of a track boundary.

Cue Markers to Tracks

Convert all cue markers to track boundary markers.

Play Commands Original and Corrected

Plays the current track(s) before and after correction has been applied.

Audition Track Boundary

Auditions a track start or end boundary position.

Pause

Pauses or resumes playback.

Skip Back

Skips back 2 seconds during playback.

Cancel Playback

Cancels playback of a track.

Fade Type

Sets the Fade-Type to linear or logarithmic.

Gapless (use Disc-at-Once)

Toggles between gapless and normal track boundaries

Properties?

Set Fade-in and fade-out periods and set pre- or post-track silence periods.

Track mm:ss

The tracks of the current wave file are listed at the bottom of the Tracks menu. A check mark indicates the currently selected track..

Next Marker and Previous Marker Commands (Tracks Menu)

These commands enable you to jump forward to the next track boundary marker, or back to the previous one.

When auditioning the placement of track boundaries, you can use these commands to quickly step through the tracks adjusting them as required.

Shortcuts

Toolbar: Next Marker

Toolbar: Previous Marker



Split Track Command (Tracks Menu)

This command enables you to split the current track. This will normally be because Wave Corrector has failed to correctly identify a track boundary.

You may also wish to place a track boundary in the middle of a piece of music in order to force a track change at that point on the resulting CDr. Remember to use Synchronise Tracks mode if this is the case in order to get a seamless track transition, and also to burn the CDr in ?Disc-at-Once? mode.

Move to the point where you want a new track boundary to occur and select this command. The new boundary will be created and subsequent track numbers will be incremented by one. The new boundary is automatically selected to enable you to accurately adjust it to its final position.

Shortcut

Toolbar: Split Track



Merge Tracks Command (Tracks Menu)

This command enables you to merge two tracks into one.

To use this command, you must select a track boundary marker which lies between the tracks you want to merge and then select the command. (Note: you can immediately move to the track end or track beginning marker associated with the current track by using the ?Next Marker? or ?Previous Marker? command.)

You will normally use this command when Wave Corrector incorrectly identifies a track boundary, say during a pause in the recorded music.

A confirmation dialogue prevents you from accidentally removing a track boundary.

Shortcut

Toolbar: Merge Tracks



Cue Markers to Tracks Command (Tracks Menu)

This command converts each cue marker into a pair (Track End/Track Beginning) of track boundary markers. Use this command to manually split a file into arbitrary tracks.

Play Track(s) Commands (Tracks Menu)

These commands enable you to play back a track or the entire wave file both before and after corrections have been applied. Use the ?Play Original? or ?Play Corrected? option as required.

If a track is currently selected (see §5.1 Selecting a Track) these commands play that track. If no track is selected, then the entire wave file is played.

When Wave Corrector gets to the end of the track, it loops back to the beginning and continues playing. To cancel playback, select the Cancel Command either via the tracks menu; or by selecting the toolbar button; or by pressing the Escape key.

During playback, you can jump immediately to any point in the track by left-clicking the mouse in either the overview window or the main window. Playback continues from that point. Also, you can use the backspace key to skip back about 2 seconds.

The second status bar pane from the left indicates whether the original or corrected version is being played. You can instantly switch between versions by clicking over this pane with the mouse.

Shortcuts

Toolbar: Play from start

Key: P

Toolbar: Play from marker

Key: Space Bar


Audition Track Boundary Command (Tracks Menu)

Use this command to audition the placement of a track boundary.

For an end of track marker, playback starts at the left-hand side of the main window, and stops at the marker.

For a start of track marker, playback starts at the marker and ends at the right-hand side of the main window.

You can alter the placement of a marker by dragging it with the mouse while holding down the left mouse button. Confirm the new position by selecting ?Apply? in the Confirmation dialogue.

Shortcuts

Toolbar: Audition Track Boundary

Pause (Tracks Menu)

Use this command to pause playback. Use the command a second time to resume playback.

Shortcuts

Toolbar: Pause

Key: Space Bar
Key: Numeric Keypad ?Del?



Skip Back (Tracks Menu)

Use this command to skip back 2 seconds during playback. This is useful to repeat a section that you have just heard.

Shortcuts

Key: Backspace
Key: Numeric Keypad ?Enter?



Fade Type (Tracks Menu)

Use this command to select the type of fade to be applied at the start and end of tracks. The options are ?linear? or ?logarithmic? Linear is a more gradual type of fade, whereas logarithmic mimics the turning of a typical volume control.

Fades are applied using the Tracks ? Boundaries command; or directly in the Track Boundary View window.



Gapless (Tracks Menu)

Use this command to force zero length gaps between the tracks of a loaded file. When gapless mode is in operation, you cannot insert fades or silent sections at the boundaries. There is an exception to this rule at the start of the first track and at the end of the last tracks. For these special boundaries you can insert fades and silences even in ?gapless? mode.

Use ?gapless? mode when you require a seamless transition between tracks.

Note, when you burn a CDr from a set of gapless files, you must set your burning software to 'Disc-at-Once' mode. This forces the software to leave out the usual 2-second gaps between tracks.



Properties? Command (Tracks Menu)

This command enables you to set fade in and fade-out times and also to set pre- or post-track silence periods.



Figure 29. Track Properties Dialogue

The dialogue lists all the tracks in your project and shows the track running times together with the text information tags that apply to each track. As well as track tags, you can also enter an album title and a genre. These tags will be applied to all tracks. Settings for fade-in/out and pre/post-track silence periods are shown in the right hand columns..

To alter the settings for an individual track, highlight the track and click the ?Edit? button.

You can also use this dialogue to set one or more tracks to the program?s default values. To do this, highlight the tracks you wish to set and click one or both of the ?Use Defaults? buttons.

To edit the default values, click the ?Change' button in the Defaults section of the dialogue.



Track List (Tracks Menu)

Once the source file has been scanned, a list of the detected tracks is appended to the bottom of the Tracks Menu. The list shows the track number and the track duration in minutes and seconds.

To select a track, click on it in the Tracks menu.

The currently selected track is indicted by a check mark next to it in the menu.

Shortcuts

You can also select a track by clicking over the Tracks indicator in the top right hand corner of the Overview Window.

If a track is selected, and the user selects a correction from a different track, the current track is automatically updated to reflect the change.


6.6 Block menu commands

The Block Menu provides commands for operating on a portion of the wave file instead of on the entire file

Block operations are only available when a block is selected. See §4.10 Block Operations for more information on selecting and using blocks.

Remove Corrections

Removes all corrections in a block

Re-Scan

Re-scans a block using new parameters

Super-Scan

Re-scans a block using new parameters and superimposes new corrections on top of existing corrections.

Merge Tracks

Merge all tracks in a block.

Cut & Splice

Removes the selected block from the waveform and cross-fades between. The sections immediately before and after.

Splice Length

Sets the length of the cross-fade splice.

Play Block

Auditions the block, before or after correction.

Cancel Block

Cancels a block.

Remove Corrections Command (Block Menu)

This command enables you to remove all corrections from a block and to restore the original waveform. A confirmation dialogue prevents you from accidentally removing a block of corrections.

This command is only available when a block is selected.

Shortcut

Key: Delete

Re-Scan (Block Menu)

This command enables you to re-scan a portion of the file, leaving the rest of the file unchanged. All the original corrections in the block are removed before re-scanning begins.

Selecting the command activates a dialogue box for entering new scanning parameters.

When running re-scan, you have the option to preserve any manually entered (user) corrections in the block Similarly you can preserve any ?cut & splice? sections in the block.

This command is only available when a block is selected.


Super-Scan Command (Block Menu)

This command enables you to re-scan a portion of the file, leaving the rest of the file unchanged. The command is similar to ?Re-Scan Block? except that the original corrections are not removed before re-scanning, the new corrections being superimposed upon the existing corrections.

Selecting the command activates a dialogue box for entering new scanning parameters.

If the block contains very crackly material, set the number of passes of super-scan to a value greater than one. Each pass of the super-scan detector removes residual clicks.

This command is only available when a block is selected.



Merge Tracks in Block (Block Menu)

Use this command to merge a group of tracks into one single track.

Mark a block encompassing the track boundaries you wish to remove and select this command. The tracks boundaries will be deleted and the tracks merged.



Cut and Splice (Block Menu)

Use this command to remove a section of the waveform.

The currently selected block is removed and the program cross-fades between the sections immediately before and after the block.

Use this command to remove a serious aberration that cannot be removed with the normal correction process. The command can also be used to remove longer sections; for example, an audience cough during a live concert.

The length of the cross-fade is determined by the Splice Length command.

Before actually applying the cut, you can audition its effect with the audition toolbar buttons. Audition Original plays the section without cutting the block; Audition Corrected plays the section after cutting the block.

Splice Length (Block Menu)

Use this command to set the cross-fade splice length used when the Cut and Splice command is invoked.

The following options are available:


Play Block Commands (Block Menu)

Use these commands to audition the selected block before or after correction. Use Play Block ? Original or Play Block ? Corrected as required.


Cancel Block Command (Block Menu)

Use this command to cancel the currently selected block..

6.7 Help menu commands


The Help menu offers the following commands, which provide you assistance with this application:

Tip of the Day

Provides hints and tips at start-up.

Help Topics

Offers you an index to topics on which you can get help.

On-Line Support

Get support via the Wave Corrector website.

Register Wave Corrector

Enables the user to enter their registration key.

About

Displays the version number of this application.



Context Help command

Use the Context Help command to obtain help on some portion of Wave Corrector. When you choose the Toolbar?s Context Help button, the mouse pointer will change to an arrow and question mark. Then click somewhere in the Wave Corrector window, such as another Toolbar button. The Help topic will be shown for the item you clicked.

Shortcut

Keys: SHIFT+F1


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