Wave editor

Open a wave file always by selecting New wave editor instance in MIDI Locator's main menu




Open wave editor window

Play, sound quality

If you have opened a wave file and you press play inside the wave editor, the file will be sent to your default Direct-X wave output device. Your wave file is internally recalculated to 44.1 kHz and send to Direct Sound as 44.1 kHz stream, nevermind which frequency your file uses. So it is possible to play a 96 kHz file, even if your sound driver only supports 44.1 kHz.

On the other hand, a recalculation is only done by fast raw calculation, there will be no quality interpolation when playing 96 kHz wave files.

That was the the point of wave output. What about the internal calculations used by edit functions ?

Inside the wave editor's edit function MIDI Locator will always use the original material and internal calculate (mix, paste, volume change etc.) with its frequency. That is, interpolation is not used there, as long as not two pieces wave of different frequency have to be merged. This happens if stretching or compressing the copy buffer, and putting it back on the original wave. That is a point where you can decide, if MIDI Locator should use a high quality interpolation algorythm - or not. Because it can be very time consuming. If you want it, please set 'Interpolation' to 'on' in MIDI Locator's settings.

From edit functions now back to the realtime play : An original 44.1 kHz wave file will always be played in it's original qualtity, because the output device will be set to 44.1 kHz, no recalculation is necessary. But if you want the best play back result for a 96 kHz file, first open the wave, paste it to the copy buffer. Then create a new wave file with 44.1 kHz with the same length, and paste the copy buffer into it with 'Interpolation' parameter set to on (but it will need a while to recalculate, you will see).

Single document window

If you want to open a second wave file while the first one is still opened, please just create again a new instance of the wave editor with "New wave editor instance".

A wave editor instance is a single document window. If you open another wave by pressing the open button in one instance, the preveous opened file will be closed.

Think of a wave editor instance as a small wave editor application (with own toolbar buttons) inside MIDI Locator. You can open 10 wave editor instances if you want, but one and the same file can't be opened in another instance at the same time.

MIDI Locator tries to safe your time as good as it can, so all wave changing functions (volume, cut, paste...) are done direct to your opened wave file. This keeps a frustrating saving time at the end of your work out of your life, and all changes could be undone by the undo function, immediatelly. Inside the wave editor you'll be never asked for "save file ..." like as working with the MIDI functions, because the wave editor has saved your file !

The wave editor works with a separate, internal clipboard (copy buffer). So it is possible to hold MIDI data and wave data in it at the same time.


Fast view image


Visualisation of fast view image file

MIDI Locator creates a fast view image for a preveous not opened wave file. The creation can cost a little time if you open a large wave file the first time inside MIDI Locator's wave editor. The image is stored as separate data inside your wave file.


Selection

When you press the left mouse button and move the mouse, you define a selected area (inverse shown in the window). All further wave changing functions are limited to the width of this selection.


Wave editor showing wave file partially covered by a selection

Even if you press play, playback starts at the beginning of your selection and ends at it's end. If you want to release your selection (for example if you want to start playback from the left screen side), just click the left mouse button at any position inside the wave editor window and release it at the SAME position - the selection disappears.

Use the +1 and -1 buttons to expand or minimize your selection on it's right edge pixel by pixel. This is usual used to hear a kick drum starting and audible finding a beat in a peace of music.

The +1 and -1 button act on your last selected cue point or loop point (see flags).

Only if no such flag is selected, the +1 and -1 button refer to the selection end in the explained way.

Deselect a flag by pressing ESC or by touching the end of the selection.


Zoom

If you want to zoom the wave file, just create a selection and press the zoom plus button. Zoom back with the zoom minus button. If you double klick the zoom minus button, you can get the whole view of your wave in a very fast way.


Cut/Copy/Paste CTRL-X, CTRL-C, CTRL-V

Cut
your selection by pressing the Cut button or CTRL-X, copy it with Copy button or CTRL-C, paste it with the Paste button or CTRL-V. The Cut function removes your selection and its contens from your wave file and fills the copy buffer (clipboard). Please read seperate page about Wave editor's clipboard.


Delete DEL

If you want the same functionallity without filling the copy buffer, press the
DEL key.


Set Wave Info dialog

Press the Set Wave Info button

Set wave info dialog

Tempo calculation

MIDI Locator helps you in calculating the tempo of sampled music : Create a selection which exactly covers 10 whole measure (use the zoom function, cue points, the +1/-1 buttons and PLAY for exact adjustment).

You can now read the calculated tempo in BPM in the upper right dialog part.

Gain

The gain volume doesn't have direct affect to your wave file, it's just saved as a parameter in wave file.

Use this slider to boost or lower volume of your wave without changing your original wave. The gain change will be used in all modules inside MIDI Locator where the wave will be outputted.

The idea is that samples which are soft should not be powerd up with a destructive wave data changing "volume change". You should just set a positive gain for them. Because if you later command MIDI Locator to play that file (maybe by a Note On event) with a low volume, MIDI Locator would lower the volume of your up pumped wave file, unnessecarily.

The use of gain keeps the original dynamic of your wave as good as possible.

Key

Set the original key of your wave file here, if you want to use it in MIDI Locator's Virtual Sample Player.

Copy buffer properties

They specifiy how the wave editor treats the copy buffer. The settings are only available if you have previously copied a piece of your wave file into the copy buffer and have pressed the paste button one time, so that the "ghost" is visible.

Velocity for use in Virtual Sample Player

You can set a volume range if you will later user this wave file in the Virtual Sample Player. Only if a Note On has a volume value inside that range, the sample will be played.


Undo

You can undo the last 10 changes in your wave file. Note that a first selection change after a preveous wave data change consumes 1 undo step.