Steinberg WaveLab Elements 7 Manual download pdf (Page 54)

40 WaveLab Concepts

The Peak Level meters display the peak levels of each channel, graphically and numeri-

cally. By default, the meter segments and numerical peak values are displayed in green

for low levels, yellow for levels between -6dB and -2dB, and red for levels above -2dB.

You can change both the colors and the range boundaries if you wish via the Level/Pan

Meter Settings dialog. This can be accessed through the Functions > Settings...

menu, or by using the icon.

The VU (Volume Unit) meters measure the average loudness (RMS) of each channel.

These meters have a built-in inertia, evening out loudness variations over a user-deﬁned

time span. If you are monitoring playback or audio input, you will also note two vertical

lines following each VU meter bar, seemingly "trying to reach" the current RMS value.

These lines indicate the average of the most recent minimum RMS values (left line)

and the average of the most recent maximum RMS values (right line). To the left, the

difference between the minimum and maximum average values is displayed (the level

value in brackets) - this gives you an overview of the dynamic range of the audio material.

If you are monitoring real-time audio (playback or input), the maximum peak and loud-

ness values are displayed numerically to the right of the meter bars. Numbers in brack-

ets to the right of the Maximum Peak values indicate the number of successive clips

(0dB signal peaks). Recording levels should be set so that they only rarely clip. If the

master level is set too high, the sound quality and frequency response will be compro-

mised at high recording levels, with unwanted clipping effects. If the level is set too

low, noise levels may be high relative to the main sound being recorded.

Pan meters

The lower part of the window shows the pan (the difference in level between the left and

right channel, only applicable when monitoring stereo audio):

The upper pan meters show the peak level difference between the channels, graphically

and numerically. Note that the pan meters are "two-sided"; the level bars can go to the

left or right, indicating which channel is the loudest. The two sides are shown in different

colors (which can be changed via the Settings dialog as explained previously).

The lower pan meters show the average difference in loudness between the channels,

in a similar way. This gives you a visual indication of whether a stereo recording is

properly centered, for example.

If you are monitoring real-time audio (playback or input), the maximum balance differ-

ence value (peak and loudness) for each channel is displayed numerically to the left and

right of the meter bars. The VU meter can be found in the Meters menu of the Audio

Files and Audio Montage Workspaces.It can be used either as a ﬂoating window, or

docked in the Workspace or the Control Window.

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Steinberg WaveLab Elements 7 Manual Page 54