Test: Steinberg WaveLab Pro 12
With almost 80 enhancements and optimizations, many of which are based on the wishes and suggestions of users, this audio editor from Steinberg is even more powerful in Version 12. We‘ve taken a closer look at what we consider to be the most important new features.
Anyone who does professional Audio Editing and Mastering can hardly avoid WaveLab. However, it can be annoying in your creative workflow in the DAW if you first have to export the audio file, then import it into WaveLab, edit it there and save it again, then load it into your DAW and position it in the right place. That‘s why, in the past, we‘ve often resorted to the limited capabilities of DAW-internal audio editing instead of using the convenient and powerful tools provided by WaveLab.
WaveLab 12 offers ARA support for the first time, which means it can link into your DAW as an extension and edit selected audio data within your DAW, all while staying synchronized with your song. No more exporting/importing, no need to open the WaveLab software, everything takes place directly in the DAW. Anyone who uses other ARA-compatible software, such as Melodyne, VocAlign, Autotune or SpectraLayers, will immediately appreciate this convenient integration.
Facilitated Import/Export
Unfortunately, users of Ableton Live, Bitwig or FL Studio are left out, as these DAWs do not currently offer ARA support. However, they can look forward to the simplified import and export of audio files. WaveLab 12 makes it easy to mark areas of an audio file, with the software automatically recognizing the transients and snapping them appropriately. You can even use the tab key to jump back and
With the new of ARA support, WaveLab can now be used directly inside your DAW.
forth between the different transients. The selected area can be dragged and dropped from WaveLab onto the desktop or into another program, either unedited or including the plug-ins used in WaveLab. Importing is just as easy, and WaveLab can automatically set suitable crossfades when the new audio file is dragged into an existing audio file.
Optics and Loudness
The new multi-coloured rainbow view of the waveform lets you see at a glance which frequencies are particularly emphasized in which area of the file. When editing vocals, for example, unwanted sibilants or footsteps can now be easily detected due to their coloration.
In mastering, in particular, a reference track from a particularly successful production is often used. As even the smallest differences in volume between tracks can trigger the „louder sounds better“effect, the loudness of the reference track can now be automatically adjusted to match the volume of your own track. In any case, loudness management, which is so important in the age of various digital media, has been extensively expanded in
WaveLab 12. We found the new functions of the Meta-Normalizer (for adjusting songs and stems to each other) and the Loudness Analysis particularly practical. We also liked the null test, which compares two tracks out of phase and can, therefore, reveal unwanted differences between them.
Workflow improvements
Further workflow improvements include the new Startup Wizard with a selection of common projects, the deactivation and hiding of unused tracks with just one click, the more easily storable structure of audio montages and the general export of projects to a shared folder. Anyone working with WaveLab on a laptop without an additional sound card will be very pleased with the ASIO driver. And last but not least, Steinberg has also given WaveLab users some plug-ins: The Black Valve and VoxComp compressors, the EQ-P1A and EQ-M5 equalizers and the Raiser limiter. With SampleAlign, you can delay only one of the two tracks in a stereo file. There is also direct M/S Editing and the adjustment of the volume of both stereo tracks in relation to each other.
Verdict
The highlight of the new WaveLab version is the ARA support, which allows this powerful audio editor to be used directly inside your DAW. In addition, there are numerous workflow improvements and practical new functions that make work significantly easier and faster and make WaveLab easier to use, even for beginners.The improved import/export functions are very helpful. This is a successful update that will also bring WaveLab many new users! ⸬