Loudness Units

The Mode Bar on the left edge of the Workspace lets you choose which loudness unit the Timeline displays. The active mode determines the value shown on each track's playhead label during playback and on the selection range readout.

Playback-safe switching

Tap any loudness button on the Mode Bar to change units instantly. The playhead label updates in real time without interrupting playback.

Core Interactions

  Select a Track for Playback

The Timeline is multi-track, but only one track plays at a time.

Mid-playback switching

Click any other titlebar while audio is playing to instantly swap the audible source — the playhead position and playback state carry over.

  Navigate and Seek

Several methods are available for moving the playhead with precision.

Live loudness feedback

As you move the playhead, the loudness label on the selected track updates in real time, giving you immediate level context at any position.

  Add an Annotation

Annotations turn listening into planning. The full annotation workflow — directives, colors, range annotations, editing, and deletion — is covered in the Annotations sub-section. The essentials:

Range annotations

Click and drag horizontally on the waveform before clicking + to create a time-spanning annotation. Perfect for marking sections like chorus build or vocal comp region.

Zoom & Navigation

The Layout Bar on the right edge of the Workspace hosts all Timeline zoom and focus controls. Four quick-focus buttons let you frame your view instantly, a cycling preset button steps through four calibrated zoom states, and the XY Scale Controller gives you continuous logarithmic control over timeline scale and track height simultaneously.

Full detail in Layout Bar

The Layout Bar section documents every zoom control, all four Track Size Presets, and the XY axis ranges in full.

Analysis is cached locally for recently played regions. This means you can scrub back through a section you’ve already heard and interact with the analyzer—even without playback—making it ideal for detailed EQ planning or revision comparison.

When to use the Frequency Analyzer

Tonal Balance Checks: Use Flat mode to assess overall spectral distribution against reference tracks; annotate imbalances for corrective EQ planning.

Problem Frequency Hunting: Switch to Tilt Down to isolate low-end resonances, or Tilt Up to spot harsh highs. Use Hold Mode to freeze and annotate problematic zones.

EQ Decision Documentation: Before opening your DAW, use range annotations to map out corrective moves—your future self (or collaborator) will thank you.

Mastering Prep: Validate spectral consistency across an album or EP; annotate tracks that need tonal alignment before the final chain.

Client Communication: Use cached scrubbing to show clients exactly where a frequency issue occurs, then annotate it as a shared action item.

Cached Playback & Interactive Scrubbing

The Frequency Analyzer doesn’t just react to live playback—it remembers. As audio plays, spectral data is cached in real time for the duration of your listening window.

Pause playback and scrub backward through recently heard material—the analyzer display updates smoothly as you move, letting you inspect spectral content at any cached position. Drag the playhead or use the Integrated Player’s scrubber to revisit a passage; the analyzer reflects the frequency data for that exact moment without requiring re-decoding. Use this to pinpoint problematic resonances, verify EQ moves, or compare spectral evolution across sections—all without restarting playback.

Tilt Modes: Calibrate Your Spectral Perspective

Human hearing perceives frequency logarithmically, and different playback systems emphasize different parts of the spectrum. The Analyzer’s tilt modes let you adjust the display’s frequency weighting to match your monitoring context or analytical goal—helping you visualize what a flat, well-balanced mix should look like on your chosen scale.

0 dB/oct (Flat Spectrum)

Linear amplitude response across the frequency axis. Every octave occupies equal vertical space, giving you an unweighted, technical view of spectral energy. Use this when you need an objective baseline—ideal for comparing against reference meters, validating broadband balance, or spotting gross tonal imbalances.

3 dB/oct Tilt

Applies a gentle downward slope that approximates the natural frequency response of human hearing and many consumer playback systems. This mode helps you visualize how your mix might translate to typical listening environments. A “flat”-looking display in 3 dB/oct tilt often correlates with a subjectively balanced mix across headphones, earbuds, and small speakers.

4.5 dB/oct Tilt

Applies a steeper downward slope that further emphasizes low-end energy relative to highs. This mode is useful when working in treated rooms or on full-range monitors, where you want to ensure your low-end decisions aren’t being masked by room modes or monitor coloration. A well-balanced mix in 4.5 dB/oct tilt often translates reliably to both high-fidelity and compressed playback scenarios.

Hold Mode: Freeze for Inspection

When you stop playback, the Analyzer can either reset to a live feed or hold its last frame—your choice. Enable Hold Mode using the pause toggle in the top right corner of the component, to freeze the spectral display at the exact moment playback stopped. Exit Hold Mode by clicking the pause button again. Resuming playback always shows live analysis.

This is invaluable for:

• Studying a transient’s harmonic content without it disappearing
• Comparing two frozen snapshots side-by-side (by toggling tracks)
• Taking time to annotate complex spectral events without rushing

Annotating the Analyzer

Turn spectral observations into time-synced, recallable decisions. The Analyzer supports both point annotations (for specific frequencies) and range annotations (for bands or sweeps), following the same intuitive workflow as other WavePlan annotation surfaces.

The annotation appears on the timeline with a distinct EQ glyph, color-coded to your track or accent preference. Click it later to jump back to that moment and re-inspect the spectral conditions that prompted the note

To create an Analyzer annotation:

1. While playback is running or paused (with cached data), click and drag vertically on the frequency display to select a range—or click once for a point annotation.
2. The Annotation Editor opens, pre-filled with:
   • Frequency start/end values (in Hz)
   • Current time position
   • Optional curve snapshot (the spectral shape at the moment of annotation)
3. Choose an EQ type from the directive menu: Bell, Notch, Shelf, High/Low Pass, Compress, Limit, Saturate, etc.
4. Add descriptive notes and save.

How to Use Frequency Analyzer

Toggle & Resize the Panel

• 1 Open the Frequency Analyzer from the Layout Bar panel controls (bottom right).
• 2 Drag the top edge to resize the panel height—taller for detailed spectral work, shorter to conserve timeline space.
• 3 Collapse it back to the Layout Bar when not in use; your settings persist.

Switch Tilt Mode

• 1 With the Analyzer open, locate the tilt toggle in the Mode Bar.
• 2 Choose Flat, 3dB, or 4.5db.
• 3 The display re-renders instantly; no playback restart needed.

Enable Hold Mode

• 1 Click the Hold toggle (⏸️ icon) in the Analyzer header.
• 2 Stop playback—the spectral display freezes at the last frame.
• 3 Scrub through cached regions to inspect different moments while held.
• 4 Click Hold again or press Play to return to live analysis.

Create an Analyzer Annotation

• 1 Play or scrub to the region of interest.
• 2 Click and drag on the frequency display to select a range (or click for a point).
• 3 In the Annotation Editor, select an EQ type, add notes, and save.
• 4 The annotation appears on the timeline and in the Plan Sidebar for future reference.

When to Use The Meter

Compact Meter

When space is precious or you're focused on timeline work, the Meter condenses to a compact stereo level display embedded in the Layout Bar. It shows:

Click the expand icon on the Compact Meter to open the full Metering Component. Click the collapse arrow in the Metering Component's header to return to the Compact Meter. The transition is instant and non-destructive—your metering mode, annotations, and zoom state are preserved.

Metering Component

When you need deeper analysis, expand the Meter to reveal three coordinated analysis layers.

Main Level Meter

Choose your metering philosophy:

Both modes display stereo channels independently, with a dynamic range indicator showing the spread between peak and average levels over the last 3 seconds.

Numeric Readouts

Beneath the main meter, precise values update in real time:

All values are shown to two decimal places and update continuously during playback.

Phase & Polarity Analysis

How to Use The Meter

  Expand or Collapse the Meter

  Switch Metering Scale

  Create a Meter Annotation

  Recall a Meter Annotation

When to Use The Mixer

Mix Revision Comparison: Quickly A/B new exports against a previous version with loudness matched, so you hear arrangement and balance changes—not level bias.

Mastering Prep: Use the brickwall limiter to catch inter-sample peaks, test ceiling limits, and document limiter settings before opening your DAW chain.

Client Reference Checks: Designate a commercial master as REF, stage your mix to match, and toggle back and forth to identify tonal or dynamic gaps.

Gain Structure Validation: Capture multiple gain/limiter snapshots as annotations to build a clear processing roadmap for your final session.

Per-Track Gain & Auto Staging

Vertical faders on each strip let you adjust gain manually in precise 0.1 dB steps (−24 dB to +24 dB), giving you immediate control over balance and headroom.

When comparing revisions or references, perceived loudness can easily bias your judgment. The STAGE button removes this variable: click it on any non-reference track, and WavePlan automatically calculates and applies the exact gain offset needed to match the reference track’s Integrated LUFS. The button glows blue while matched, and clears if you manually move the fader afterward—giving you instant loudness-neutral A/B comparison.

A/B Comparison Routing

A/B listening is anchored entirely in the Mixer. Click the REF button on any track to designate it as your reference (the B track). The moment you select another track on the timeline, it automatically becomes your target (the A track). The Integrated Player updates to show REF and TARGET pills, and playback toggles instantly between them.

You control how the timeline behaves when switching:

• RST (Restart): Playback jumps back to the position where you originally pressed Play, letting you repeatedly audition the same musical moment from the top.
• CONT (Continue): Playback resumes from the exact current position on the newly selected track, accounting for any visual offset alignment. Ideal for mid-song comparisons.

Your toggle preference persists across sessions and applies to every A/B switch.

Brickwall Limiter & Safety Checking

Each channel strip includes a dedicated brickwall limiter, essential for mastering prep and quick translation checks. Toggle LIM to engage, then set CEIL (ceiling, −24 to 0 dB) and REL (release, 1–500 ms) to shape transient control. A real-time GR (gain reduction) meter shows exactly how hard the limiter is working.

Use it to catch true peaks, identify comb filtering artifacts, or test how a mix will translate when pushed to streaming loudness targets. The limiter runs independently per track and does not affect the underlying audio file—it’s strictly for monitoring and planning.

Mixer Annotations & Recall

The Mixer isn’t just for listening—it’s for documenting. Click the violet + button on any channel strip to snapshot the current gain, limiter ceiling, release, and engagement state into a time-positioned annotation.

These Mixer annotations appear on the timeline with a distinct icon. Clicking them later instantly recalls the exact processing settings, restoring faders, limiter state, and parameters in one click. It’s a fast way to A/B different gain structures or preserve critical mastering decisions for your DAW session.

How to Use The Mixer

Set Up A/B Comparison

• 1 Open the Mixer panel from the Mode Bar.
• 2 On your reference track, click the REF button (it turns rose).
• 3 Click any other track’s titlebar on the timeline to promote it to TARGET.
• 4 The Player Bar switches to REF/TARGET pills. Click either pill to toggle during playback.

Auto Gain-Match a Target Track

• 1 Ensure a REF track is designated in the Mixer.
• 2 Select the track you want to match.
• 3 Click the STAGE button on its channel strip.
• 4 The fader moves automatically. Toggle between REF and TARGET to hear them at matched loudness.

Configure the Brickwall Limiter

• 1 Open the Mixer panel and locate the target track’s strip.
• 2 Toggle LIM to engage the limiter.
• 3 Set CEIL to your desired output ceiling (e.g., −1.0 dB for streaming prep).
• 4 Adjust REL to taste (shorter for tighter transients, longer for smoother pumping).
• 5 Watch the GR meter to monitor peak reduction in real time.

Capture & Recall Mixer Settings

• 1 Adjust gain and limiter settings to your preferred state.
• 2 Click the violet + button on the track’s channel strip.
• 3 Add optional notes and save. The annotation appears on the timeline.
• 4 To recall, click the annotation marker later—the strip instantly restores all captured values.

When to Use Emerging Ideas

Deep Listening / Mastering: Use the jog surface for relaxed, precise navigation while the stream keeps your planning notes in peripheral awareness.

Pre-Production / Arrangement Review: Let the stream guide you through structural notes and section markers without breaking focus.

Vocal / Lyric Sessions: Switch to Teleprompter mode to read, time-align, and reference lyrics while tracking.

Mix Revision Playback: Watch mixing and mastering notes surface contextually as you A/B compare versions.

The Annotation Stream

Annotations appear in chronological order, anchored to the playback position. As the playhead approaches a marker, the note fades into view, lingers for the duration of the annotated region, and dissolves as playback moves past it. Longer annotations render larger; shorter ones appear as quick flashes. Every annotation type from the Timeline, Analyzer, Meter, and Mixer surfaces here — the stream pulls from the same shared annotation pool used across the Workspace. The Annotations sub-section below covers rendering behavior by type and how the annotation filter affects the stream.

Lyrics & Teleprompter Mode

When you add and manually time-sync lyrics to the active track, Emerging Ideas shifts into Teleprompter mode. Lyrics take visual priority, rendering cleanly and sequentially at a comfortable reading pace, while standard annotations submerge into the background. The Lyrics sub-section below covers Teleprompter mode, adding and syncing lyrics, and the Lyric Edit Mode controlled by the Mode Bar’s Lock/Unlock toggle.

Jog Wheel

Emerging Ideas doubles as a tactile timeline navigation surface with two distinct modes: scroll wheel for super fast seek across the entire track, and pull & drag for a motorized, tape-stop feel when making fine adjustments. The Jog Wheel sub-section below covers both modes in detail, plus how they compare to the Integrated Player’s scrubber.

How to Use Emerging Ideas

  Enable the Emerging Ideas Component

This section orients you with Emerging Ideas as a whole. For deep dives, the Annotations, Lyrics, and Jog Wheel sub-sections below cover every workflow in full detail.

Adding Tracks to a Plan

There are two ways to place audio on your Timeline:

First time?

After adding a track, click its titlebar to select it. The Integrated Player appears at the bottom of the Workspace. Press Play — or hit Spacebar — to start playback. That's the core loop: add a track, click it, listen.

The Track Waveform

Each track on the Timeline is rendered as an interactive waveform with its own titlebar, action controls, and metering. Here is a breakdown of every element:

Track Actions

  Select a Track for Playback

  Change a Track's Waveform Colour

  Upload a New Version

  Switch Between Versions

Settings carry across

Gain, limiter, trim, and visual-offset settings remain attached to the track and carry across version switches.

  Trim & Align a Track

  Read Loudness Metrics

  Download a Track

  Remove a Track

Point vs. Range Annotations

Directives

Every annotation carries a directive that describes its purpose and determines which display category it belongs to in the Planning Sidebar and annotation filters.

Colors

Ten colors are available for annotations, plus white for a monochrome look. The color is displayed on Cue Overlays and Cue Markers, and used in the Emerging Ideas visualization.

Working with Annotations

  Create a Point Annotation

  Create a Range Annotation

  Edit an Annotation

Repositioning

Annotations can be dragged on the Timeline to reposition their timecodes. Drag the marker left or right to move a point annotation, or drag either end handle to adjust a range annotation.

  Delete an Annotation

Analyzer Annotations

Analyzer annotations are created from the Frequency Analyzer panel and carry EQ-specific metadata: frequency range, EQ type, and optionally a curve snapshot. They appear in the Analyzer display category and render as specialized glyphs on the waveform rather than simple markers.

Creating an Analyzer Annotation

• 1 Open the Frequency Analyzer panel while a track is playing
• 2 Select a frequency range on the analyzer display
• 3 Click the annotation button to open the EQ annotation form, pre-filled with the selected frequency range
• 4 Choose an EQ type, add a description, and save

EQ Types

The following EQ types are available when creating an analyzer annotation. Each describes the kind of corrective or creative action to take at the annotated frequency range:

Metadata

Each analyzer annotation stores additional data beyond standard annotations:

• EQ type — The selected processing type (bell, notch, shelf, etc.)
• Frequency start / end — The specific Hz range the annotation applies to
• Curve snapshot — An optional capture of the analyzer’s peak curve at the moment of annotation

Waveform Rendering

Analyzer annotations render differently from standard waveform annotations. Instead of simple triangular markers, they appear as ellipse dots at the start and end positions with a connecting line. Small EQ glyph icons are repeated along the line to indicate the annotation type at a glance.

Two Annotation Surfaces

Working with Meter Annotations

  Annotate a Level Range

  Annotate a Phase Observation

  Recall a Meter Annotation

Meter annotations on the Timeline

Meter annotations share the same Timeline display as waveform annotations — they appear as markers on the relevant track and can be filtered independently using the annotation visibility controls in the Control Bar.

  What You Can Do

Interface

A/B mode introduces controls in two locations: the Mixer panel (where you designate REF) and the Player Bar (where you toggle and control playback behaviour).

REF button Mixer

Each track strip in the Mixer has a REF button. Click it to designate that track as the reference. The button turns rose when active. Only one track can be REF at a time.

REF / TARGET pills Player Bar

Once A/B mode is active, two rounded pills replace the standard track indicator: REF (rose) and TARGET (blue). The currently audible track’s pill is fully opaque; the other is translucent. Click either pill to switch the audible track.

CONT / RST toggle Player Bar

A two-state button that appears next to the REF/TARGET pills. It controls what happens to the playback position when you switch tracks. CONT (continue) and RST (restart) are the two modes — see the detailed action descriptions below.

STAGE button Mixer

Each non-REF track strip has a STAGE button. When clicked, WavePlan automatically adjusts that track’s gain fader so its Integrated LUFS matches the REF track. The button glows blue while gain-matched. Manually moving the fader afterwards clears the matched state.

Gain faders & limiter controls Mixer

Per-track vertical faders (−24 dB to +24 dB in 0.1 dB steps) and per-track limiter controls (LIM toggle, CEIL −24 to 0 dB, REL 1–500 ms). A real-time GR (gain reduction) meter on each strip shows how hard the limiter is working. These settings persist across A/B toggles.

Actions

Mixer Annotations

Mixer annotations capture the current gain-staging and limiter settings from the Mixer panel as a time-positioned annotation. They document exactly what processing was applied at a given moment, and can be recalled later to restore those settings.

Creating a Mixer Annotation

• 1 Open the Mixer panel and adjust gain and limiter settings for a track
• 2 Click the violet + button on the track’s mixer channel strip
• 3 The annotation form opens pre-filled with the current settings
• 4 Add any notes and save — the settings are captured in the annotation’s metadata

Captured Settings

The annotation automatically formats and stores the following values:

Gain (dB)

The gain offset applied to the track in decibels.

Limiter Ceiling (dB)

The maximum output level the limiter allows. Only recorded when the limiter is engaged.

Limiter Release (ms)

The release time of the limiter in milliseconds.

Max Gain Reduction (dB)

The peak gain reduction observed from the limiter.

Recalling Settings

Click a mixer annotation in the Plan Sidebar or on the waveform to recall the stored settings. The Mixer panel automatically restores the gain, limiter ceiling, limiter release, and engagement state to the values captured at the time of annotation. This lets you quickly A/B different processing approaches by jumping between mixer annotations.

For an introduction to the Emerging Ideas component and its core features, see the Emerging Ideas section above.

How Annotations Appear in the Stream

During playback, each annotation renders as a floating text element anchored to its time position. As the playhead approaches a marker, the note fades into view, lingers for the duration of the annotated region, and dissolves as playback moves past it. Longer annotations render larger; shorter ones appear as quick flashes. Each annotation’s color is preserved from its source component, so you can visually scan the stream the same way you scan markers on the waveform.

Annotation Rendering by Type

All annotation types share the same stream, but they render with subtle visual differences that reflect their origin and purpose.

The Annotation Filter

The annotation filter in the Control Bar determines which annotation types are visible across the Workspace — and Emerging Ideas respects this filter. If you hide a directive category (for example, hiding all Arrangement annotations), those annotations will not appear in the Emerging Ideas stream. Only currently visible annotation types are rendered.

Shared annotation pool

Emerging Ideas does not duplicate or store annotations independently. It reads from the same data that the Planning Sidebar, Timeline, and other Workspace components use. Editing, moving, or deleting an annotation on any component immediately updates the stream.

For an overview of the Emerging Ideas component, see the Emerging Ideas section above.

Teleprompter Mode

Teleprompter mode activates automatically when lyrics annotations are detected on the selected track. The stream re-prioritizes: lyric lines render as prominent, sequentially flowing text at a comfortable reading speed. Standard annotations (mixing notes, arrangement markers, and so on) are still present but rendered with reduced visual weight so they stay in your peripheral awareness without breaking your reading flow.

When no lyrics are present on the track, the stream returns to its default behavior — all annotation types render with equal visual priority.

Adding & Syncing Lyrics

Lyric Edit Mode

The Lock/Unlock toggle on the Mode Bar controls Lyric Edit Mode. This is the same notch described in the Mode Bar section — when unlocked, Emerging Ideas enters an interactive editing state.

Lyrics are annotations too

Lyrics annotations appear in the Planning Sidebar alongside every other annotation type. They can be filtered using the Control Bar's annotation filter just like Timeline, Analyzer, Meter, and Mixer annotations.

For an overview of the Emerging Ideas component, see the Emerging Ideas section above.

Navigation Modes at a Glance

Three navigation methods cover the full spectrum of precision and speed. The Jog Wheel provides the two extremes; the Integrated Player’s scrubber sits in the middle.

  Scroll Wheel — Super Fast Seek

Scrolling your mouse wheel over the Emerging Ideas panel triggers rapid playhead movement. The further you scroll, the faster the seek — making it ideal for jumping between distant sections of a track without reaching for the scrubber or keyboard shortcuts.

This mode turns Emerging Ideas into a fast navigation bar. Many users find it becomes their preferred method for day-to-day track navigation, effectively replacing the scrubber for casual browsing and section jumping.

  Pull & Drag — Motorized Navigation

Click and drag anywhere inside the panel to pull the playhead with a physics-based inertia. Release, and the playhead continues gliding until it naturally decelerates — a motorized, tape-stop effect that feels tactile and deliberate. This mode is better for moving the playhead slightly or making fine adjustments where you want the playhead to coast to a stop rather than snap.

While you’re dragging, the annotation stream pauses so you can focus on positioning. When you release, the stream seamlessly resumes playback flow.

  Integrated Player Scrubber — Precise Seek

The scrubber on the Integrated Player is the middle ground between the Jog Wheel’s two extremes. Use it when you need to scrub to a specific, known position on the timeline — it gives you a linear slider with a clear position readout, rather than the gestural navigation of the Jog Wheel.

Choosing a navigation method

Think of it as a spectrum: Scroll Wheel for speed, Pull & Drag for feel, Scrubber for precision. In practice, most users settle on one primary method and reach for the others only when the situation calls for it.