Audio scaling

 

Note: This feature is not available in SONAR Home Studio.

Audio scaling is the increase or decrease in the size (scale) of the waveform in a track or bus. Audio scaling allows you to make detailed edits by zooming in on the parts of the waveform closest to the zero crossing (silence) while preserving the track or bus size. By showing just the quietest parts of a clip, you can make very precise edits. You can also zoom out on the waveform.

You can change the audio scale using keyboard shortcuts or the Audio Scale Ruler.

The Audio Scale Ruler is located in the vertical splitter bar between the Clips pane and the Track pane.

A. Track pane B. Clips pane C. Audio Scale Ruler

 

Note: The Audio Scale Ruler does not appear on multi-layered tracks.

There are three display options in the Audio Scale Ruler:

Percentage. Shows audio scaling by percentage. For example, if the highest percentage in the Audio Scale Ruler reads 2.0%, then only the parts of the waveform which are within 2% of the zero crossing appear in the clip.

dB. Shows audio scaling by dB. For example, if the highest dB in the Audio Scaling Ruler reads -36, then only the parts of the waveform which are 36 dB below 0 dB appear in the clip.

Zoom Factor. Shows audio scaling by a factor. For example, if the Zoom Factor reads 10, then the waveform is zoomed in by a factor of 10.

Note: The Audio Scale Ruler display reflects the type of audio clip directly beneath it. If it is a stereo waveform, the Audio Scale Ruler appears in stereo (one for each channel). If it is a mono clip it appears in mono. Also, the Audio Scale Ruler only displays numbers when it is above a certain height. If you cannot see the Audio Scale Ruler, increase the size of your track or bus.

To change the Audio Scale Display option

1.	Right-click on the Audio Scale Ruler in any track.

A menu appears. The current display option is checked.

2.	Select an option from the menu.

To scale all audio tracks together

To scale all audio tracks together, follow the instructions in the following table.

To do this	Do this
Increase the scale for all tracks	Press ALT+UP ARROW. Or Hold down the CTRL key and click the Vertical Zoom In button. When you hold down the CTRL key and position your cursor over the Vertical Zoom In button, your cursor looks like this:
Decrease the scale for all tracks	Press ALT+DOWN ARROW. Or Hold down the CTRL key and click the Vertical Zoom Out button. When you hold down the CTRL key and position your cursor over the Vertical Zoom Out button, your cursor looks like this:
Increase/Decrease the scale for all tracks using your mouse	Hold down the CTRL key, click the Vertical Zoom fader and drag the fader up or down. When you hold down the CTRL key and position your cursor over the Vertical Zoom fader, your cursor looks like this:
Increase to maximum scale	Hold down the CTRL and SHIFT keys and click the Vertical Zoom In button. When you hold down the SHIFT and CTRL keys and position your cursor over the Vertical Zoom In button, your cursor looks like this:
Decrease to minimum scale	Hold down the CTRL and SHIFT keys and click the Vertical Zoom Out button. When you hold down the SHIFT and CTRL keys and position your cursor over the Vertical Zoom Out button, your cursor looks like this:

To scale a single track or bus

To scale a single audio track, follow the instructions in the following table.

To do this	Do this
Increase/decrease the scale of individual stereo or mono tracks	There are several ways to increase or decrease the size of an individual track’s or bus’s waveform: Press CTRL+ALT+UP/DOWN ARROW keys Click and drag vertically in the track’s Audio Scale Ruler. When you click and drag in the Audio Scale ruler of a track, your cursor looks like this: Select the Zoom tool, hold the SHIFT key and drag around the clip you want to zoom in on.
Restore a track to minimum scale	Double-click in the track’s Audio Scale Ruler.

To undo audio scaling

Press ALT+Z.

To scale a single track or bus using the Audio Scale ruler

In the track in which you want to change the audio scale, click in the Audio Scale Ruler and drag. Drag up to increase the audio scaling. Drag down to decrease the audio scaling.

To show or hide the Audio Scale ruler

Click the Track view View menu, point to Display and choose Show Audio Scale.