Steinberg releases WaveLab 11

Steinberg WaveLab11 Studio Use

The highly anticipated eleventh version of Steinberg’s audio mastering software, WaveLab, introduces significant new features for stem mastering, multitrack editing, plug-in parameter automation and podcast production.

WaveLab Pro offers a comprehensive feature set that meets all demands of mixing and mastering studios, post-production facilities, sound designers, musicians, journalists, broadcasters and other audio creatives. The smaller edition, WaveLab Elements, is used by many musicians, radio journalists and podcasters. And with its 11th version, WaveLab Elements has received a further boost with its feature set, inheriting advanced plug-ins from the Pro edition, such as the DeEsser, Expander and PingPong Delay, and the extra metering modules as well as including the complete set of functions from WaveLab Cast to create podcasts and audio for vlogs.

WaveLab Pro now offers extended support for multi-channel interleaved audio files for opening, editing and saving up to 22.2 and Ambisonics surround sound formats, with easier editing and detailed selection options.

Steinberg WaveLab11 Imager

Newly available in the Pro edition, WaveLab now includes track groups for multitrack/stems workflows, allowing for audio tracks to be routed to a group bus with effects plug-ins, gain and pan controls, before the montage output and master sections. Another great addition for stem mastering is that track lanes can now divide an audio track into eight sub lanes for working with mix stems inside an audio montage and assembling, editing and processing sound effects from layered clips.

WaveLab Pro now provides parameter automation with clip envelopes to automate the parameters of VST 3 plug-ins. With the new Automation Panel, clip envelopes as well as volume, panning and effect parameters are easily managed.

Alongside its analysis meter, WaveLab Pro 11 now features the SuperVision analyzer, offering fully customizable, multi-metering audio analysis, with 17 different modules applied in up to nine module slots.

WaveLab Pro 11 comes with brand-new VST 3 effects plug-ins including Frequency 2, Squasher, Imager, Quadrafuzz v2, MixConvert V6 and VST AmbiDecoder. Then there’s DeReverb, a completely new plug-in exclusively available in WaveLab and designed to remove the reverb from the input signal in real time. Another highlight is the new LIN Pro dithering plug-in developed by the mastering specialists at MAAT Audio.

Steinberg WaveLab11 Equalizer small

The Track Inspector comes with two new sections, providing specialized channel strips for real-time audio processing and radically simplifying the enhancement of audio tracks with straightforward “one knob” controls. Alongside the familiar Insert Effects and Gain and Pan sections, the new Clean and Enhance sections provide very quick and easy ways of cleaning up and improving the quality of audio recordings.

Steinberg WaveLab11 Filter small

Another focus in WaveLab 11 (both Pro and Elements) was put on improving its video capabilities, now replacing audio in video for straightforward replacement of parts or all the audio of a video file with the audio from another track, without changing the video quality. WaveLab 11 (both Pro and Elements) also facilitates connecting directly with popular podcast directories, allowing users to upload content from within WaveLab to Spreaker, Podbean, Soundcloud, Buzzsprout and Castos.

WaveLab 11 comes with more than 20 additional new features and enhancements, offering a broad range of new possibilities and thus extending the acclaimed feature set even further.

  • Multi-core processing support for audio montages, increasing the processing performance of montages with multiple tracks, clips, and effects.
  • External FX plug-in window overhaul with level meters for the input and output gain sections to avoid audio clipping. An image of the external device can also be added for reference.
  • Improved VST plug-in handling allows each instance to have its own, independent undo/redo history; switching between two independent plug-in parameter sets for easy comparison of different settings; and further enhancements.
  • Number of insert slots in the Master Section has been increased to 16 and for the Playback Processing section from three to five slots.
  • Batch processor enhancements include search/replace functionality.
  • Plus many more enhancements.

Steinberg’s Marketing Manager, Luis Dongo, commented: “WaveLab 11 is truly a huge step forward. Not only has this version undergone intensive development, but it’s the feature-richest release ever, with over 40 new features and workflow improvements. And with its new functionality and the many tools, WaveLab 11 is able to bridge the gap and cater to the needs of both professionals and aspiring creatives.”

The WaveLab Pro 11 and WaveLab Elements 11 full retail versions are available from resellers and through the Steinberg Online Shop. The suggested retail price for WaveLab Pro 11 is 499 euros or 499.99 US dollars; the download version is 479 euros or 479.99 US dollars. The suggested retail price for WaveLab Elements 11 is 129 euros or 129.99 US dollars.

Various downloadable updates and upgrades are exclusively available through the Steinberg Online Shop.

Customers who have activated WaveLab 10 or earlier versions of WaveLab from August 11, 2021, are eligible for a free, downloadable Grace Period update to the latest corresponding version.

New features in WaveLab Pro 11

  • Multi-channel interleaved support for opening, editing and saving up to 22.2 surround and Ambisonics files, with easier editing and detailed selection options. 
  • Track groups for multitrack/stems workflows for routing audio tracks to a group bus with effects plug-ins, gain and pan controls, before the montage output and master sections.
  • Track lanes for multitrack/stems workflows to divide an audio track into eight sub lanes for working with mix stems inside an audio montage and assembling, editing and processing sound effects from layered clips.
  • Parameter automation with clip envelopes for automating the parameters of VST 3 plug-ins.
  • SuperVision analyzer provides fully-customizable, multi-metering audio analysis, with 17 different modules applied in up to nine module slots.
  • New VST 3 effects plug-ins, including Frequency 2, Squasher, Imager, Quadrafuzz v2, LIN dithering, DeReverb, MixConvert V6 and VST AmbiDecoder.
  • Replacing audio in video for straightforward replacement of part or all the audio of a video file with the audio from another track, without changing the video quality. 
  • Effective, easy to use podcast features including new "clean" and "enhance" track inspector sections, simplified audio ducking and direct upload to the most popular hosts.
  • Audio Montage performance boost supporting multi-core processing and CPU resource conservation.
  • Further improvements including new montage rendering options; a revised external FX plug-in window; improved VST plug-in handling; additional master section playback processing insert slots; custom names for audio ports; batch processor enhancements and more.

www.steinberg.net