Contents
Contents for Sound Forge 2.0 Help

Sound Forge is a sound file editor which allows you to easily play, record, and edit digitized (sampled) sound files.

Sonic Foundry

How To...

Play and Record

Edit a File

Extend a Selection

Identify a Sound Format

Drag Mix and Paste

Set Magnification

Convert Formats

Commands

The File Menu

The Edit Menu

The View Menu

The Window Menu

Reference

The Tool Bar

The Play Bar

The Status Bar

Sound Formats

Reading Raw Files

Shortcut Keys

Glossary


Introduction

Sound Forge is a Windows 3.1 sound file editor which allows you to play, record, and edit digitized sound files.  Digitized sounds are data files stored on your computer's hard drive which are recorded through a sound card and a microphone.

Sound Forge has been designed to be extremely easy to use while still allowing for complex sound editing operations.  Although some sound editors limit you to editing only files which can fit in memory, Sound Forge edits all files on the hard drive.  This allows you to open multiple sound files for playback and editing at one time.  You are only limited by the amount of space on your hard drive.


Setting Magnification

The vertical scroll bar on each data window allows you to change the magnification of the sample shown in the data window. The current magnification setting is displayed in the last window of the upper status bar.

The magnification defines how many samples of sound data are "squeezed" into each point on the screen.  The setting is shown as a value of 1:XX  where XX is the number of samples represented by each point on the screen. For example if the setting is 1:1 then each point on the screen is one sample.  If the setting is 1:256 then there are 256 samples represented by each point on the screen.


Identifying an Unknown Sound Format

Sound Forge loads a variety of sound formats found on a variety of computers.  A different extension is used by Sound Forge for each of these formats to allow you to easily distinguish between them.  However, even though a file has an extension of one of the sound formats it may not actually contain data of the same format.  For example, a common extension for most computers to use for a sound file is .SND.  This means that even though the file is a Next type sound it may have the extension .SND since a Next user may identify all his sound files as .SND.

Most sound files contain a data block which identifies the format of the file.  Sound Forge knows about many of these formats and can identify them by searching the file for this block.  If Sound Forge recognizes the format of the file it will display the file type along with a variety of other information on the file at the bottom of the Open dialog box.  The information includes, File type, data format, Bits per sample and mono/stereo, sample rate, length of the file in samples and time, and the number of stored data bytes.


Editing a File

When you start Sound Forge no data windows are open.  At this point you can load a sample file, record a new sample, or create a new sample window.  If sample data is too large to fit in a data window you can use the scroll bar at the bottom to move the data within the window.

When you want to change the sample data you must first select the section you want to modify.  To select a section of data hold down the left mouse button within the data window and then move the mouse either left or right selecting a section of data.  To end the selection release the left mouse button.

Once you have selected a section of the sample it will appear in an inverse color.  You may now delete it, copy it for insertion in a new area of the sample, or for adding or mixing to another sample.  You may also perform a variety of effects on sample selections.

Info!

When editing stereo files selecting in the upper 1/4 of the wave window will select the left channel, selecting in the lower 1/4 of the wave window will select the right channel, and selecting within the middle 1/2 will select both channels.  This allows you to perform effects functions on a single channel within a stereo file.

Once a selection is made you can toggle the selection between left, right, and both by using the TAB key.


Extending a Selection

After selecting a section of the data window you will sometimes find that the starting or ending point is not quite what you wanted.  You could just reselect the data but it is often difficult to get the start or end point just right. .

Sound Forge allows you to update the selection via the right mouse button.  Once you have selected an area you can continue to select without losing the previous selection by clicking and dragging with the right mouse button.  This is the "Extend Selection" mode.

Which side of the selection is updated depends on where you click the right mouse button.  If you click to the right of 1/2 the selection length then the selection will drag the right hand side of the selection.  If you click to the left of 1/2 the selection length then the selection will drag the left side of the selection.


Drag Mixing and Pasting

Drag Mixing and Pasting allows you to quickly mix or paste data between two data windows.  This allows you to mix and paste without using the clipboard.

To Drag Mix/Paste:

1	Select a section of data from a window using the left mouse button.

2	Press and hold the left mouse button in the selected area of the data window from which you want to mix or paste.  The cursor will change to an arrow dragging a document with a small waveform.

3	Drag the cursor over the window in which you want to paste or mix the selected data.

4	Let go of the left mouse button which will bring up the following Dialog box.

5	Press either the Mix or Paste buttons to finish the operation or press Cancel to skip the operation.

Modifiers:

Holding down the shift key while dragging a section will skip the Mix/Paste dialog and perform the same operation as the last drag.


Channel Conversions

When converting a file from mono to stereo or stereo to mono via the Data Format dialog you will be prompted for the type of conversion you would like to perform.

When performing mono to stereo conversions the following options are available:

Left Channel	The mono sample is placed in the left channel. The right channel is set to silence.

Right Channel	The mono sample is placed in the right channel. The left channel is set to silence.

Both Channels	The mono sample data is copied into both channels of the stereo sample.

When performing stereo to mono conversions the following options are available:

Left Channel	Mono sample data is taken from the left channel of the stereo file.

Right Channel	Mono sample data is taken from the right channel of the stereo file.

Mix Channels	Mono sample data is created by mixing both channels of the stereo file.


Sound Formats

The file formats recognized by Sound Forge are listed below with the extension used to identify them to the user.  An arbitrary extension has been assigned for each of the formats used by computers other than the PC.  Many of these formats when found on another machine will tend to have the extension .SND used.  Thus even if a file has the .SND extension it may not be a Sounder/ SoundTool file.

Amiga SVX File	(.SVX)

This file type is found on the Amiga and is similar in substance to the Microsoft RIFF Wave format.

Ad Lib Sample	(.SMP)

This format is used by the Ad Lib Gold card, for its sampled instruments.  It supports, 8/12/16 bit, stereo/mono, and 4 bit Yamaha ADPCM compression.

Atari Sound Designer 1	(.DIG)

This format is used by Sound Designer for the Atari.

Covox 8 Bit File	(.V8)

This format is used with Covox software.  It is a standard 8 bit mono uncompressed file format.

Creative Labs VOC File	(.VOC)

This is one of the most commonly found sample sound formats found on PC compatible computers.  The VOC format supports packed data which Sound Forge will unpack prior to importing the file.  The VOC format also supports information for silence, looping, and varying sample rates.  When Sound Forge imports a VOC file it uses the first sample rate found and ignores such info as looping and silence.  Sound Forge will save VOC files as unpacked data with none of the additional information such as looping or silence.

Dialogic VOX File	(.VOX)

This format is used with specialized voice data boards.  It is a 4 bit Mono ADPCM file format which expands to 16 bit data.

Macintosh AIFF	(.AIF; .SND)

This format is used on the Apple Macintosh to save sound data files.  AIFF files are the best when transferring files between the PC and the Mac using a network, since most network software will delete any resource info in a Macintosh file.  Sound Forge can also read an AIFF with a Mac binary header attached but will identify the file as a Macintosh Resource instead.

Macintosh Resource	(.SND)

This format is used on the Apple Macintosh to save sound resources.  When reading a file of this type it must have a Mac-Binary header.  This header is attached to binary files transferred with common Macintosh file transfer programs.  Sound Forge does not save to this file format.

Microsoft  Wave File	(.WAV)

This is a format for sampled sounds defined by Microsoft for use with their Multimedia Extensions for Windows.

NeXT / Sun Sparc File	(.AU; .SND)

This is the standard format of sound files found on the Next and Sun Sparc station computers.  This format has a large number of sub types of file data.  Sound Forge imports the two most common data formats for these files, 16 bit linear and ULaw.  Sound Forge does not export these file types.

SampleVision File	(.SMP)

This format is used with Turtle Beach's SampleVision software.  It is a 16 bit Mono file format.  The SMP format is meant to be used with sampling keyboards.

Sonic Foundry Sample Resource	(.SFR)

This format is an expandable format defined by Sonic Foundry for use with its programs.

Sounder/SoundTool File	(.SND)

This format is used with the Shareware applications Sounder and Sound Tool.  It is very popular on Bulletin Boards and various On-line services.

Raw Files	(.*)

These are files which are not in one of the previous sample sound formats or may not even be a sampled sound.  Using the raw file type you can load in any data file and play it.  You can check out what your text files sound like or even an executable file.


Reading Raw Files

The raw file dialog allows you to configure how a file's data should be interpreted by Sound Forge.

Dialog Box Options

8 Bit

Files are interpreted as having 8 bit data.

16 Bit

Files are interpreted as having 16 bit data.

Mono

Files are interpreted as having 1 channel of data.

Stereo

Files are interpreted as having 2 channels of interleaved data.

Signed

Data is interpreted with 0 as the silence value with maximum negative amplitude a negative number and maximum positive amplitude a positive number.

Unsigned

Data is interpreted all values as positive numbers with maximum negative amplitude at 0, silence at 1/2 the value range, and maximum positive amplitude at the highest representable number.

Little Endian (Intel)

Used with 16 bit data to specifiy that values are stored in low byte, high byte order, typical of Intel based machines such as the PC.

Big Endian (Motorola)

Used with 16 bit data to specifiy that values are stored in high byte, low byte order, typical of Motorola based machines. (Amiga, Atari, Macintosh, NeXT, Sun)

Odd Byte Offset

Used with 16 bit values to correctly align data when header data is of an odd length.

Rate

Specifies the rate in Hz at which the file is intended to play.


The Play Bar Status Fields

The play bar above the data window displays magnification ratio, information on the rate at which a file was loaded, the number of bits per sample, the number of channels, and the total size of the file.

The first text box on the play bar shows the sample magnification ratio.

The second text box on the play bar shows the sample rate which was stored in the loaded file.

The third text box shows the current bits per sample.

The fourth text box shows whether the file is mono or stereo.

The fifth text box shows the total length of the current sample.

Info!

The play bar values are always displayed for the currently active data window.


The Status Bar

The status bar below the data window displays information on the position of the current insertion point, beginning and ending points of the current selection, and the size of the current selection.

It also shows brief one line help on menu options and the tool bar.

The first text box on the status bar shows the location of the current Insertion Point.

The second text box shows the location of the start of the current selection.

The third text box shows the location of the end of the current selection.

The fourth text box shows the total length of the current selection.

Info!

The status bar values are always displayed for the currently active data window


The Tool Bar

The tool bar gives you a short cut method of using options in the Sound Forge menus.  Clicking on a tool bar button will perform an option from the menu associated with it.  The most commonly used operations can be found on tool bar.


Short Cut Keys

The following is a comprehensive list of short cut keys available in Sound Forge.

Cursor Movement

Press	To move to

Right Arrow	The next screen pixel

Left Arrow	The previous screen pixel

End	The last sample.

Home	The first sample.

Page Up	50 pixels past the current cursor

Page Down	50 pixels previous to the current cursor

Control+Right Arrow	10 pixels past the current cursor

Control+Left Arrow	10 pixels previous to the current cursor

Numpad +	The next sample

Numpad -	The previous sample

Control+Numpad +	10 samples past the current cursor

Control+Numpad -	10 samples previous to the current cursor

Numpad 5	The opposite end of the current selection

Selecting Data

Press	To select/cancel from cursor to

Shift+Right Arrow	The next screen pixel

Shift+Left Arrow	The previous screen pixel

Shift+End	The last sample.

Shift+Home	The first sample.

Shift+Page Up	50 pixels past the current cursor

Shift+Page Down	50 pixels previous to the current cursor

Shift+Control+Right Arrow	10 pixels past the current cursor

Shift+Control+Left Arrow	10 pixels previous to the current cursor

Shift+Numpad +	The next sample

Shift+Numpad -	The previous sample

Shift+Control+Numpad +	10 samples past the current cursor

Shift+Control+Numpad -	10 samples previous to the current cursor

Control+Numpad 5	All data

Alt+A

Tab	Cycle through stereo selection of left channel, right channel, both channels

Shift+Tab	Cycle through stereo selection of left channel, right channel, both channels, in reverse order

Editing Selected Text

Press	To

Control+C	Make a copy of the selected data and place it in the

Control+Insert	clipboard

Control+X	Delete the selected data and place it in the clipboard.

Control+Delete

Delete	Delete the selected data, do not place it in the

Backspace	clipboard.

Control+Y	Delete all but the selected data.

Shift+Insert	Paste data from the clipboard into the active window.

Control+V

Control+M	Mix data from the clipboard into the active window.

Control+F	Crossfade data from the clipboard into the active window.  Fade out clipboard data, Fade in active window data.

Shift+Control+F	Crossfade data from the clipboard into the active window.  Fade in clipboard data, Fade out active window data.

Control+Z	Cancel the previous editing operation.

Control+Backspace

Control+Q	Magnify selected section.

Control+W	Set magnification to minimum and reset data display at start of data.

Up Arrow	Increase Magnification

Down Arrow	Decrease Magnification

File Handling and Window Creation

Press	To

Control+N	Create a new data window.

Shift+Contol+N	Create a new data window using previous settings. (No Dialog Box)

Control+O	Open a sample data window from a file.

Control+F12

Control+Alt+F2

Control+S	Save a sample data window to a file.

Shift+F12

Shift+Alt+F2

Control+A	Save a sample data window to a new file or as a

F12	different format file.

Alt+F2

Control+E	Create a new data window containing the contents of the clipboard.

System and Miscellaneous Commands

Press	To

Control+P	Play the contents of the current data window.

Control+R	Record to a new data window.

Escape	Stop the currently playing data window.

Shift+F4	Tile the data windows horizontally.

Shift+F5	Cascade the data windows.

Alt+F4	Exit Sound Forge.


Glossary

Clipboard

The clipboard is where sample data is saved when you cut it from a sample so that you may past it or mix it into another sample.  Sound Forge maintains it's own clipboard for cutting and pasting sample data allowing you to keep memory usage to a minimum.  However, this does not change the normal operation of the clipboard and you can still cut and paste between Sound Forge and other Windows applications.

Insertion Point

The Insertion Point is like the cursor in a word processor.  It is where pasted data will be placed or other data may be inserted depending on the operation.  The Insertion Point appears as a vertical flashing black line and can be moved by clicking the left mouse button any where in the data window.

Sampled Sound

Sampled sounds are sounds which have been recorded in a digital format and saved on your system for playback through a sound board.

SMPTE

The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers time code.  This code is used to synchronize time between devices.  The time code is calculated in Hours:Minutes:Second:Frames, where Frames are 1/30 of a second.


Sonic Foundry

Sonic Foundry

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Madison, WI 53703

(608) 256 3133

(608) 256 7300 (FAX)

© Copyright 1991-1993 Sonic Foundry.  All rights reserved.  No part of this manual may be copied, reproduced, translated or transmitted in any form by any means for any purpose without the express written permission of Sonic Foundry.

INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS MANUAL IS SUBJECT TO REVISION AND ALTERATION WITHOUT NOTICE AND DOES NOT REPRESENT AN OBLIGATION OF ANY SORT ON THE PART OF SONIC FOUNDRY.

Microsoft®, and MS-DOS® are registered trademarks and Windows is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation.  IBM®, and PC AT® are registered trademarks and Personal System/2 is a trademark of International Business Machines.  All other products are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.


The Edit Menu

The edit menu allows you to peform a variety of editing operations on sound files.

Undo

Cut

Copy

Paste

Mix

Delete

Select All

Special

Apply Envelope

Crop

Crossfade

Replace

Replicate

Clipboard

Info

Play

Create Clip Window

Data Format

Details


Undo

Use this command to undo the last edit operation.  For instance, if you deleted a section of sample by accident, simply choose the Undo option from the edit menu to put the data back.

Shortcut:

Keyboard: Control+Z, Alt+Backspace

Toolbar:


Cut

Use this command to remove selected sample data and put it on the clipboard.  This command has no effect if there is no selected data.

Cutting sample data replaces the previous contents of the  clipboard.

Shortcut:

Keyboard: Control+X, Control+Del

Toolbar:


Copy

Use this command to copy selected sample data to the clipboard.  This command has no effect if there is no selected data.

Shortcut:

Keyboard: Control+C, Control+Insert

Toolbar:

Copying sample data replaces the previous contents of the clipboard.


Paste

Use this command to insert a copy of the clipboard contents at the current insertion point.  This command has no effect if the clipboard is empty.

Pasting data of different sample rates will cause the data in the clipboard to play at the same rate as that in the current sample in which the data is pasted.

Shortcut:

Keyboard: Control+V, Shift+Insert

Toolbar:


Mix

Use this command to mix a copy of the clipboard contents with the sample data at the current insertion point.  This command has no effect if the clipboard is empty.

Mixing data of different sample rates will cause the data in the clipboard to play at the same rate as that in the current sample with which the data is mixed.

Shortcut:

Keyboard: Control+M

Toolbar:


Delete

Use this command to remove selected sample data .  This command has no effect if there is no selected data.

Deleting sample data does not copy the data to the clipboard.

Shortcut:

Keyboard: Delete


Select All

Use this command to select all data in the current data window.

Shortcut:

Keyboard: Alt+A, Control + Numpad 5

Mouse: Double clicking the left mouse button in a data window will select all data.


Apply Envelope
Special >> Apply Envelope

Use this command to apply the envelope of the data in the clipboard to the current data window.  The envelope is applied at the current insertion point for the length of the clipboard data.


Crop
Special >> Crop

Use this command to remove all data from the sample except the selected section.  This command has no effect if there is no selected data.

Cropping sample data does not copy data to the clipboard.

Shortcut:

Keyboard: Control+Y

Toolbar:


Crossfade
Special >> Crossfade

Use this command to crossfade a copy of the clipboard contents with the sample data at the current insertion point.  This command has no effect if the clipboard is empty.

The crossfade option fades out the contents of the clipboard while fading in the current sample.

Crossfading data of different sample rates will cause the data in the clipboard to play at the same rate as that in the current sample with which the data is crossfaded.

Modifiers:

Holding the shift key down while selecting crossfade will fade in the clipboard contents while fading out the current sample data.

If no selection is active in the current sample window the fade will take place for the length of the clip board sample.  If a selection is active the fade occurs for the length of the selection or the length of the clipboard sample whichever is less.

Shortcut:

Keyboard: Control+F


Replace
Special >> Replace

Use this command to replace an area of sample data with the contents of the clipboard.

The Replace command replaces data using the following rules:

If there is no selection data to the right of the insertion point is replaced for the length of the clipboard.

If an area is selected which is greater than the length of the clipboard, the data from the beginning of the selection is replaced for the length of the clipboard.

If an area is selected which is less than or equal to the length of the clipboard, the data within the selection is replaced with the clipboard for the length of the selection.


Replicate
Special >> Replicate

Use this command to copy multiple copies of the clipboard to the current data window.

The Replicate command will copy as many copies of the clipboard as will fit to a selected area.  If no selection is currently made in the data window Replicate will do nothing.

Example:

Copy a 1 second sample to the clipboard.

Insert a 5.5 second silence sample in the data wave form.

Select the 5.5 second area and select Replicate.

5 and 1/2 copies of the clipboard will be placed in the area the silence previously occupied.


Clipboard Info
Clipboard >> Info

Use this command to display information on the current contents of the clipboard.  Information includes, size, rate, number of channels, and bits per sample.  If no data is in the clipboard you will be notified with a message box.


Clipboard Play
Clipboard >> Play

Use this command to hear the current contents of the clipboard.  This command has no effect if there is no data in the clipboard.


Create Clip Window
Clipboard >> Create Clip Window

Use this command to create a new sample window which will contain the current contents of the clipboard.

Shortcut:

Keyboard: Control+E


Data Format

Use this command to change the data format of the current data window.  This includes rate, bits per sample, and stereo/mono.

Dialog Box Options

Sample Size

Check 8 or 16 bit for the sample size.

Channels

Check mono or stereo for the number of channels.

Rate

The rate can be set from 5000 Hz to 48000 Hz by entering the rate you wish to use.  You may also select the most common file rates by using the drop down list.

Info!

Sound Forge will store the last two non-standard rates you enter at the end of the list of standard rates.

Shortcut:

You can quickly invoke the data format dialog box by double clicking with the left mouse button on any of the three status boxes for rate, channels, and data size in the play bar.  You can also individually change the rate, channels, or data size by using the right mouse button on the same status boxes to invoke pop up menus.


Details

Use this command to view or edit text fields which can be stored in Microsoft WAVE files.

This option is only available when editing files of type WAV.

Dialog Box Options

Type

Selects the detail field to edit.  The red check appearing to the left of the type tells whether this field is currently enabled for saving to the WAV file.  If the check is not shown then this field will not be written to saved files.  To change the state of the check click with the left mouse button in the area immediately to the left of the type.

If the field for a type currently has no text associated with it the word (Empty) will appear to the right of the type in the list box.

Contents

Shows the text associated with the selected detail type.  The text can be changed by typing in this box.

Save in File

If this box is disabled no detail information is saved to the file during a Save or Save as operation.  This allows you to quickly strip all detail information from a WAV file.  To selectively disable fields use the red check mark next to each detail type.

Save as Default

If this box is enabled the text in the detail fields will be saved as the default fields filled in when creating a new WAV file.  The field ICRD is always filled with the current date for new files and the ISFT is filled with the current version of Sound Forge.

Saving a default setup is handy for saving copyright, and engineer information for new files created at your site.


The File Menu

The file menu allows you to perform various file related commands.

New

Open

Close

Save

Save as

Delete

Temporary Storage

Wave Devices

Exit


New

The New command creates a new sound data window.

Dialog Box Options

Channels

Check the button to select whether the new data will be mono or stereo.

Sample Size

Check the button to select whether the new data will be 8 bit or 16 bit.

Rate

Select a standard sample rate from the drop down list box or type in a custom rate.

Maximum Editing Time

Shows the maximum time currently available for editing a file of the specified type.

Modifiers:

Holding down the shift key while selecting the New menu item will skip the New dialog box and use the previously selected Mono/Stereo, 8 bit/16 bit, and Rate settings.

Shortcut:

Keyboard: Control+N

Toolbar:


Open

Use this command to load a sound file from disk into Sound Forge.

Dialog Box Options

File Name

Type the file name you want to open or a *. and an extension to see a list of files with the corresponding extension in the current directory.

Files

Lists the files in the current directory of the type specified in the File Name box.

Drives

Lists available drives.  Select a new drive from this combo box.

Directories

Lists available directories.  Select a new directory from this list box.

File Types

Select the type of file you want to open.  If you select All Types Forge will auto identify the format of a sound file if it can.

Shortcut:

Keyboard: Control+O, Control+F12

Toolbar:

Info!

Selecting All Types in the File Types combo box will allow you to auto detect the sample file type.


Close

Use this command to close the current sample data window.  If the data has not been saved since the last edit you will be asked if you wish to save your changes.


Save

Use this command to save the current sample data.  If the data is new data which was not retrieved from a specific file or was loaded from a format which is not supported for saving you will be prompted with the Save As dialog box.  Formats which are not supported for saving are the Next and Macintosh formats.

Shortcut:

Keyboard: Control+S, Shift+F12

Toolbar:


Save as

Use this command to save the current sample data in a different file name and/or file format.

Dialog Box Options

File Name

Type the name of the file in which you want to save the current sample.

Drives

Lists available drives.  Select a new drive from this combo box.

Directories

Lists available directories and drives.  Select a new directory or drive from this list box.

File Types

Select the type of file to which you would like to save.

Data Format

Shows the format in which the data will be saved.  Select a new data format from this drop down list box.

Info!

Only data formats supported by the selected File Type are listed in the Data Format drop down list box.

Shortcut:

Keyboard: Control+A, F12


File Delete
Delete

Use this command to delete a sound file from your hard drive.

Dialog Box Options

File Name

Type the file name you want to delete or a *. and an extension to see a list of files with the corresponding extension in the current directory.

Files

Lists the files in the current directory of the type specified in the File Name box.

Drives

Lists available drives.  Select a new drive from this combo box.

Directories

Lists available directories.  Select a new directory from this list box.

File Types

Select the type of file you want to delete.  This provides an easy way of setting the file extension.


Temporary Storage
Preferences >> Temporary Storage

Use this command to specify where the Sound Forge temporary files will be stored and how big your undo files are allowed to be.

Sound Forge stores its temporary working data in a temporary directory on your hard drive or RAM drive.  Sound Forge will run faster if you specify your RAM drive as the home for its temporary files.  Using a temporary file space allows you to edit very large files and keeps Sound Forge from eating up large portions of RAM on your computer  Your temporary directory must have enough space to handle the total size of all files you plan to edit at one time along with space for any clipboard data and undo buffers.

The Undo buffers are also stored in the temporary directory.  You can specify the maximum amount of data that can be placed in each undo file by setting the Undo Buffer Size.

If you change the Temporary Directory you will have to close Sound Forge for the change to take effect.  Changing the Undo Buffer Size is immediate.


Wave Devices
Preferences >> Wave Devices

Use this command to specify what wave devices Sound Forge should use for recording and playback.  Note that the capabilities of these devices may limit you from playing some files.

Dialog Box Options

Output

Select the device to be used when playing sound data.

Input

Select the device to be used when recording sound data.

Selecting a mapper device such as the Wave Mapper or Sound Mapper allows Windows to select an appropriate device to use for the current sound data.

Buffer Alignment

Select the alignment of data buffer blocks passed to the wave driver.  This field should normally be set to 32, but some drivers may be optimized to use smaller blocks.

Memory Buffer Size

Select the amount of RAM you would like to use for pre-buffering sounds during play and record.  Using a large value can optimize performance at high sample rates but may also cause a slight delay on play back.

Preload All

Setting the Preload All option on will cause Forge to load all it's buffer memory before starting the play operation.  Turning this option on can improve performance.

 When using the PC Speaker as a wave output device, the wave alignment should be set at 2kb and the Buffer Size should be set to 4k.  Using large values for the PC Speaker will hinder performance.


Exit

Use this command to exit Sound Forge.  You will be asked whether you would like to save any samples you have modified during the editing session.

Shortcut:

Keyboard: Alt+F4


The View Menu

The view menu allows you to configure how Sound Forge displays its information to you.

Display

Status

Tool Bar

Ruler

Zoom Selection

Zoom Out

Status Format


Display

Use this command to set your display preferences.  These include, draw resolution, maximum zoom on load,and grid lines.

Dialog Box Options

Resolution

Sets the resolution which Sound Forge uses to draw the sample data.  The higher the resolution the more accurate the representation of the sample but the longer it takes to draw the sample.

High 	High sample detail, takes the longest to draw, best for fast machines.

Medium 	Medium sample detail, medium draw, best for intermediate machines.

Low 	Low sample detail, fast draw, best for slower machines.

Grid Lines

Specifies whether the sample data window displays a set of grid lines indicating the volume of the sample.  Grid lines are drawn at volume levels of 0, 1/2 the maximum volume and at the maximum volume.

Max Zoom on Load

Specifies the maximum zoom magnification when loading a new sample file.  This allows you to control the maximum data that should be shown in a data window when a file is loaded from the hard drive.


Status

Use this command to set your status preferences.  These include, SMPTE type, Frames per second value, and updating of the play counter.

Dialog Box Options

SMPTE Format

Sets the SMPTE type used when displaying SMPTE values in the status bars.

SMPTE 30 FPS	Calculates status values using a 30 Frames per second SMPTE code.

Drop 29.97 FPS	Calculates status values using a 29.97 frames per second SMPTE code.  This is accomplished by dropping two frames every minutes except for minutes 00,10,20,30,40, and 50.

Nondrop 29.97 FPS	Calculates status values using a 29.97 frames per second SMPTE code.  Frame counting does not drop frames so no frame compensations are necessary for dropped frames.

EBU 25 FPS	Calculates status values using a 25 Frames per second SMPTE code.  This format is the European Broadcast Union time code.

Film Sync 24 FPS	Calculates status values using a 24 Frames per second SMPTE code.  This format is for standard 24 frames/second film media.

Frames Per Second

Specifies the frame rate used to calculate frame values.

Frame values are useful when trying to synchronize sound with animation.  Most animation players specify a playback frame rate at which video frames are shown to the user.  If you are using an animation that has a frame rate of 15.0 frames per second, you would set the Frame rate to 15.0.  When status values are shown by Forge they will be shown in values of frames.  This allows you to find the frame to which a given point in the sound file corresponds.

Frame rates can be any value between 1.0 and 1000.0 frames per second.

Enable Play Counter

Specifies whether Forge will show a running play counter during play back.  A running play counter may affect performance on slower computers.

Enable Record Counter

Specifies whether Forge will show a running record length on the play bar during record.  A running record length may affect performance on slower computers.


Tool Bar

Use this command to hide or show the tool bar.

The tool bar allows you to access common commands through buttons.


Ruler

Use this command to hide or show the ruler.

The ruler is the small section at the top of each data window which displays the current positions of sample data.


Zoom Selection

Use this command to maximize a selected area in the data window.

The Zoom Selection command will calculate the maximum zoom factor for the size of a selection area, redraw the data at this zoom factor, and left justify the data in the data window.

Shortcut:

Keyboard: Control+Q

Toolbar:


Zoom Out

Use this command to minimize the data magnification and if possible, fit the whole sample in the data window.

Shortcut:

Keyboard: Control+W

Toolbar:


Status Format

Use this command to specify whether the status bar displays sample lengths and selection points in terms of number of samples, time in seconds, or frames.

Samples	Status values are displayed in terms of the number of samples.

Shortcut:

Toolbar:

Time	Status values are displayed in terms of seconds and fractions there of.

Shortcut:

Toolbar:

Frames	Status values are displayed in terms of frames and fractions there of.

Shortcut:

Toolbar:

SMPTE	Status values are displayed in terms of seconds and frames.

Shortcut:

Toolbar:


The Windows Menu
The Window Menu

Cascade

Use this command to arrange the data windows so they overlap with the title bar of each window remaining visible.

Tile Horizontally

Use this command to arrange the data windows side by side without them overlapping.

Tile Vertically

Use this command to arrange the data windows top to bottom without them overlapping.

Arrange Icons

Use this command to arrange the minimized data icons in the Forge workspace.

Minimize All

Use this command to minimize all open data windows in the Forge workspace.

Close All

Use this command to close all open data windows in the Forge workspace.


The Play Bar

The play bar consists of 5 buttons and five status fields.  The buttons control play, record, stop, rewind, and fast foward.  The status fields show a variety of status information as well as allowing editing of the rate, channels, and bit size of a data file.

Play Button

Record Button

Stop Button

Rewind Button

Fast Forward Button


Play

The Play button will play the selected section of the sample in the current sample data window.  If no selection is currently active then the full sample will be played.

Note: If the Loop Sample option is turned on Sound Forge will continuously repeat playing the sample selection until the Stop Button is pressed.

Shortcut:

Keyboard: Control+P

Info!

When playing stereo files, if a selection is made with only the left or right channel only the selected channel is played.  This allows you to hear individual channels of a stereo file.

Once a selection is made you can toggle the selection between left, right, and both by using the TAB key.


Record

The Record button is used to record into an existing data window or to record a completely new data window.  If no data windows are currently open or you hold the Control key while pressing the Record button recording to a new window is selected.   If a data window is open the default operation is to record into the selected window starting at the current insertion point.

When recording to a new window you will be prompted with a dialog box which allows you to adjust rate, bits per sample, and channels.  You can also check the level of your recording source.

When recording to an existing window you will be prompted with a dialog box which allows you to check the level of your recording source.

To check your levels press the check button.  The meters will now light up related to the volume of the recording input.  For best results the level should be somewhere in the yellow range.  Once your levels are checked you can immediately begin recording by pressing the OK button or cancel recording with the Cancel button.

While you are recording a percentage meter appears on the main control bar.  As your hard drive fills up with recorded data so does the percentage bar.  This will give you an indicator of how much space you have left during recording.  If the Enable Record Counter option in the Status Options dialog is enabled, Sound Forge will also update the file size on the play bar while recording.

When you have finished recording press the Stop Button to end the record session and display the recorded data.

Modifiers:

Holding down the shift key while selecting the Record button will skip the dialog box and immediately begin recording into the currently selected data window..

Holding down the control key while selecting the Record button will bring up the dialog box for recording into a new data window.

Holding down the shift and control keys while selecting the Record button will skip the dialog box and begin recording immediately into a new data window with the previously selected Mono/Stereo, 8 bit/16 bit, and Rate settings.

Shortcut:

Keyboard: Control+R


Stop

The Stop button will stop the current play or record action.  If the current action is record the recording session will end and the newly recorded data will be displayed in the new sample data window.

Shortcut:

Keyboard: Escape


Rewind

The Rewind button will place the cursor in the current data window at the start of the data.

Shortcut:

Keyboard: Home


Fast Forward

The Fast Forward button will place the cursor in the current data window at the end of the data.

Shortcut:

Keyboard: End