Copyright: WaveSurgeon Help File v1.3


WaveSurgeon Help Contents

What is Wavesurgeon?

Using WaveSurgeon

WaveSurgeon Tutorial

Terms and Conditions of Use

All rights reserved Square Circle Software 1997 - © Square Circle Software 1997.

This computer program is protected by international law and copyright treaties.

 Unauthorized replication, lending, hiring or distribution of this program can and will lead to prosecution to the

maximum extent of international law.

SoundFont is a registered trademark of E-mu Systems, Inc.  Sound Blasterª and AWE32ª are trademarks of Creative Technologies, Ltd.

All other brand and product names listed are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.


What is WaveSurgeon?

What is WaveSurgeon?

WaveSurgeon is a breakbeat (drum loop) tool, designed to automate the process of editing samples. WaveSurgeon automatically finds drum sounds (segments) and loop points within a sample, and will:

♦	Save each segment to a wave file;

♦	Save a midi timing template based upon the sample to a standard midi file.

♦	Save all segments into a SoundFont 2.0 file for AWE soundcards;

Uses for WaveSurgeon include:

♦	Slowing down and speeding up a loop, without changing its pitch;

♦	Transposing / pitch bending a loop, without changing the speed;

♦	Automatically picking out drum samples (segments)  from loops;

♦	Replacing single drum sounds with others;

♦	Using the midi timing template and replacing the original sounds with others;

♦	Reprogramming the loop, creating new loops or fills.

♦	Precisely editing loops with WaveSurgeon`s editing tools.

♦	Filtering with the AWE`s on-board filter, and adding effects (reverb,etc.) in real time.

♦	Overlaying loops which would otherwise be at a different tempo

WaveSurgeon features a full range of editing tools. These include the ability to add, move, disable / enable and lock / unlock points, and silence/ reverse segments. There is also full windows clipboard support, allowing the user to copy and paste segments around within the sample. Export of a sample via the clipboard to a dedicated sample editing program is also possible, allowing external processing  before being pasted back into WaveSurgeon.

System Specifications

♦	IBM Compatible PC, with Dx2-66 processor (Pentium 75 recommended);

♦	8mb memory (16mb recommended);

♦	Windows 95;

♦	Soundcard.

A sequencer (eg. CakeWalk, Cubase/ Cubasis, Logic) is also highly recommended. A soundcard with onboard sample memory (e.g. the AWE range) is also necessary if sample uploading is required.


WaveSurgeon Controls

click on picture above for help


Sample Display

This shows graphically the loaded Wave Audio File, along with any split points found (shown by the vertical lines). To change a split point, move to the bottom of the point, hold the left button down and drag left or right. To show or disable the icons, use the toolbar on the right hand side.

Click the left mouse button to play a segment. Hold down the [SHIFT] key + press the left mouse button to zoom in; hold down the [CTRL] key +click the left mouse button to zoom out.

Right mouse button brings up the zoom/play menu


Play All Button

When clicked, plays entire visible region of sample.


Loop Button

Click to loop region shown within Left and Right Locators.


Play Selected Button

Click to play the selected segment.


Stop Button

Click to stop playback


Select Tool

Choose Select to select a region, without adding more points.


Add Tool

Click to add a split point to the sample; add points by clicking on the waveform display. New points are automatically locked


Disable / Enable Tool

Click to disable a split point; once disable, click again with tool selected to re-enable.


Lock Tool

Click to lock a split point; click again (with lock tool selected) to unlock a point. When a point is locked, it will not disappear, regardless of sensitivity setting. NOTE: This does not lock the point’s location. It may still be dragged left or right.


Bars, Beats and BPM

Click to change the number of bars and beats within the area of the sample defined by L and R here. It is assumed that the sample is in 4/4 time. The BPM is displayed above the boxes, according to the Bars and Beats entered. Eg for 1 bar, enter 1 bar and 0 beats; for a bar and a half, enter 1 bar, 2 beats. WaveSurgeon defaults to 1 bar whenever a sample is loaded.

NOTE: A value of 1 bar is assumed when a new sample is loaded. It is essential to enter the correct number of Bars and Beats before you can save a Midi File, otherwise the sample will be at the incorrect tempo (although it may sound correct).


Sensitivity Display

Move the slider to change the sensitivity to beats .


Left Locator

Drag to change the start point of the looped region.


Right Locator

Drag to change the end point of the looped region.


Selection Bar

Shows the currently selected region. Click left mouse button to zoom to segment, and right mouse button to zoom out 1:1.


Show Sample Icon Tool

If selected, displays a ‘sample’ icon next to all split points


Show Lock Icon Tool

If selected, displays a ‘locked’ icon next to all locked split points


Show Disabled Icon Tool

If selected, displays a ‘disabled’ icon next to all disabled split points


Open

Opens a wave audio file for processing.


Reopen

Reopens a previously opened wave audio file.


Save to Wave Files

Splits the sample between the loop points into segments, as determined by the sensitivity slider. After choosing a file location and entering a filename each segment will be named filename1.wav, filename2.wav,etc.


Save Selected Segment

Saves the currently selected segment to a wave file.


Save Selected Region

Saves the currently selected segment to a wave file.


Close

Closes the current file.


Revert

Reverts to the unchanged sample.


Crop Region

Crops the sample to the region defined by the locators


Options

Allows you to set the program Options.


Exit

Quits WaveSurgeon.


Save SoundFont and midi template

Saves both a SoundFont and a Midi File.


Terms and Conditions of Use
WaveSurgeon Terms and conditions of use

Square Circle Software provides absolutely no warranty. The software and information are provided "as is" without warranty of any kind, either express or implied, including, but not limited to, any implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. The entire risk as to the quality and usefulness of the software and information is with you. Should the information prove to be incorrect and/or software not work as expected, you assume the cost of all necessary servicing, repair or correction.

In no event will Square Circle Software be liable to you for any damages, any lost profits, lost monies, or other special, incidental or consequential damages arising out of the use or inability to use this software and/or information (including but not limited to loss of data or data being rendered inaccurate or losses sustained by third parties), even if you have advised Square Circle Software of the possibility of such damages, or for any claim by any other party.


WaveSurgeon SoundFont Dialogue Box
SoundFont Dialogue Box

Saves the currently cut segments to a SoundFont, ready to be loaded into the memory of a SoundBlaster 32 / AWE-32 / AWE-64 / AWE 64 -Gold. To load the SoundFont, you require the latest version of the AWE Control Panel (available from the Creative Labs website), and sufficent memory on the soundcard to load the sample.

After clicking this option, you will be greeted with the above box.  Choose the Base Note (i.e. the note the first sample will be mapped to in the midi file, such as C-1, E-3) with the controls on the left, and the interval (the number of notes left between each note) with the up and down buttons on the right. NOTE: Unlike the similar ‘Save Midi Template’ dialogue box, the interval goes up or down by 2 at a time. This is so you can transpose the SoundFont up or down in your sequencer.

FOR EXAMPLE:

Save a midi file off with an interval of 2. Save a SoundFont with the same settings (use the ‘set to midi file settings’ button). Load the midi file into your sequencer, and the SoundFont into your AWE. Now, you may transpose your file up or down by one note (i.e. half the set interval).

‘Reset’ resets the options.  ‘Smooth sample end points’ ensures each sample ends on digital zero, reducing clicks. When finished, click ‘Ok’ to choose a filename and save, or ‘Cancel’ to cancel. Select ‘Use white keys only’ to map the sample only to white keys. In this case, only the octave is selectable.

NOTE: It is advisable to increase the sensitivity as high as possible when using SoundFonts and Midi Files, as all nuances of the sample are captured. If the number of notes used would exceed 128, a message will appear - ‘WARNING - samples exceed available notes’. In this case, reduce the interval, lower the start note, or ensure that there are less samples to be saved (e.g. by reducing the sensitivity).


WaveSurgeon File Menu

click on picture above for help


WaveSurgeon Midi Template Dialogue Box
Midi Template Dialogue Box

Saves the timing of the currently loaded loop into a Midi File. You MUST enter (correct) values into the bars and beats boxes for this function to be effective.

After clicking this option, you will be greeted with the above box.  Choose the Base Note (i.e. the note the first sample will be mapped to in the midi file, such as C-1, E-3) with the controls on the left, and the interval (the number of notes left between each note) with the up and down buttons on the right.  Reset resets the options. When finished, click ‘Ok’ to choose a filename and save, or ‘Cancel’ to… cancel.

Select ‘Use white keys only’ to map the sample only to white keys. In this case, only the octave is selectable. Select ‘Reverse notes in midi file’ to reverse the keyboard mapping. This feature is best used with the quantise function of you sequencer (particularly groove quantise) to create interesting effects. If the number of notes used would exceed 128, a message will appear - ‘WARNING - samples exceed available notes’. In this case, reduce the interval, lower the start note, or ensure that there are less samples to be saved (e.g. by reducing the sensitivity).


Help Menu

Choose Help (F1) to use this help file, or About to display the version of WaveSurgeon, along with the licensed user information. You may also visit Square Circle’s Internet home page.


Info Panel

Shows the sample rate.


Hint Panel

Gives help related to the current control under the mouse pointer.


Zoom Panel

Shows Zoom magnification.


WaveSurgeon Options
Options

General Options Tab

Click the checkbox to save off controller changes in the midi file which enable the AWE`s on-board filter. To use this option, ensure it is selected (it is initially disabled), save a midi file, load it into your sequencer (and load the SoundFont into your soundcard), and map the modulation wheel of your midi keyboard to controller 38 (the Data Entry Controller). You may now alter the cutoff point with the mod wheel.

You may also select the location of the soundcard control panel. Click ‘Browse’, locate the file (normally named ‘Awecp32.exe’ for AWE soundcards), and click ‘OK’.

Colour Tab

Choose the colour you wish to change with the ‘Change Colour’ listbox, and clicking ‘Change’. You can then alter the colour with a standard Windows 95 colour requester. Any changes are reflected on the Tab; click ‘Ok’ to use the new colours, and ‘Cancel’ to keep the old ones.


WaveSurgeon Right Mouse Menu

click on picture above for help


Play Sample

Plays the current segment of the sample.


Save Sample

Saves the current segment of the sample to disk.


Zoom In

Zooms into the sample.


Zoom Out

Zooms out of the sample.


Zoom 1:1

Zooms out of the sample.


Zoom To Sample

Zoom to the current segment of the sample.


Tools

Allow you to silence a segment (good for gating effects), or reverse a segment.


Edit Menu

Allow you to copy and paste segments to/from the clipboard.


Add At Current Length

When selected, adds a new point at the current sensitivity level. This ensures that when a point is unlocked, it will not disappear if the sensitivity is below 50% (the normal cutoff point for newly added points).


Open A File

Closes the existing sample and opens a new one.


Split Sample to Wave Files

Saves the segments in the selected region to wave files.


Save Midi Timing Template

Saves the timing information from the selected region to a midi file.


Split Sample to Sound Font

Saves the segments in the selected region to a SoundFont file.


Close File

Closes the current file.


Control Panel

Opens the soundcard Control Panel.


Sample Position

Shows the current position of the cursor along the sample. Particularly useful when editing points.


WaveSurgeon Edit Menu

click on picture above for help


View Menu

To display or hide the file and edit toolbars, check or uncheck their names in this menu. You may also open the soundcard control panel from here, and move the play bar to the top of the screen.


Undo

Undoes the last operation (including Undo).


Copy All

Copies the entire sample to the clipboard.


Paste All and Keep

Pastes the clipboard information into WaveSurgeon, retaining the current split points.


Paste All and Find New

Pastes the clipboard information into WaveSurgeon, finding new split points.


Lock All

Locks all split points.


Unlock All

Unlocks all split points


WaveSurgeon Tutorial

Getting started

To begin with, load Sample1.wav, by clicking on ‘Open…’, on the ‘File’ menu. Click the ‘Play All’ to play the entire sample, and ‘Stop’ to halt playback.

Drag the Slider to the right to increase the sensitivity to beats. The higher the level, the more segments found.

Click the waveform display to select a sound.  ‘Play Selected’ plays the currently selected sound. ‘Save Selected Segment’ (under the ‘File’ menu) saves it. Click the right mouse button to see more options - zoom in / out, save segment, reverse and silence segment, and copy and paste segment.

Drag the ‘L’ and ‘R’ locators to the start and end of the loop. Now click ‘Loop’ to play (loop) the sample within the loop points. Once you have found a loop, if you have a soundcard with onboard memory (such as the AWE), select ‘Save to SoundFont 2.0’, on the ‘File’ menu. Choose a name for your file, and click O.K. AWE users may load the file into the User section of the AWE control panel (this must be the latest version which supports SoundFont 2.0 - download the update from the Creative Labs website -  www.creaf.com), and click Apply. NOTE: You must have enough on-board memory to load the sample. Owners of other soundcards may use a converter to convert the SoundFont to their sample type (e-mail SquareCircle for help if you have any questions).

Loading the SoundFont into AWE soundcards

Firstly, run the AWE control panel. Click the ‘User’ tab. Select a free variation number from the list box (e.g. 001). Click ‘Browse’, select the SoundFont 2.0 (.sf2) file you have saved, and click ‘OK’. Click ‘Apply’. You may then select a bank in your sequencer (look in your sequencer manual for help) to match the bank you have loaded the SoundFont into (e.g. bank 001 in the control panel matches bank 1 in your sequencer), and select program change 1. If you receive a message informing you that you do not have enough memory free,  try selecting the ‘Synth’ tab, selecting the ‘General Midi’ option from the ‘Available Synth’ tab, clicking ‘Apply’, and repeating the above steps.

Loading the samples into non-AWE soundcards + samplers

Users without a soundcard which supports sample-upload may save the individual segments with the ‘Split Wave File‘ option, again under the File menu. Load the files into a ‘WavePlayer’ type utility (as built into MicroLogic 2.0, or supplied with Cubasis),  and map to the keyboard, beginning on the Start Note you selected. You may also, as many users do, use the program with a sampler (e.g. Akai, E-mu, Yamaha, Kurzweil). If your sampler accepts .wav files on P.C. floppy disks, simply load them in, and map the samples to the corresponding notes in the midi file.

Once the template has been saved, enter the number of bars / beats occupied, and click the ‘Save Midi Template’ option under the  ‘File Menu’. Select the Base Note, and the interval between notes desired. Click ‘Ok’. If the notes and intervals in the midi file exceed the maximum allowable (128), an error message will be displayed. Reduce the Interval and/or lower the Base Note.

Load the midi file into your sequencer. If you selected the SoundFont option, you must alter the bank and program change in the sequencer to match the SoundFont in the soundcard. Hit Play. You should hear the original loop. Try changing the tempo, or moving the pitch bend wheel on your keyboard.

Trying the example files

The example sample1.mid and sample.sf2 will give a demonstration of WaveSurgeon`s capabilities. Load the SoundFont into your soundcard (using the technique described above, in the case of the AWE, or convert the file for other soundcards), and the midi file into your sequencer, choose the correct bank and program change, and hit play. The files are saved using 100% sensitivity, so if you split the Sample1.wav into wave files (having previously set the L + R locators to the beginning and end of the bar), you can then use the samples with your sampler.