Representation Units

As displayed with a Ctrl click, The vertical scale of the waveform representation expresses the linear amplitude of the signal : it refers to infinitly small values, below the audibility threshold, up to the maximum value a device can handle before it saturates.

• Values are scaled between 0 and -∞ : a linear amplitude of zero is smaller than that of any value in dB, so it is given a dB level of −∞.

• Values are expressed in negative dBFS – dB Full Scale –.

This scale cannot be modified.

• 0 indicates a saturation – clipping^[1] – level.

• -6 dB indicates 50% of this level.

Consequently

• the scale on the right displays values between +1 and -1, which corresponds to the positive and negative pressure variations

• the values expressed in the transport window when browsing the waveform are comprised between 0 and -∞. Most of the time though, -120 dB ca.audibility threshold – is the lowest value you will get.

A Ctrl click on the amplitude scale of the instantaneous spectrum shows that the amplitude scale of both sonagram and instantaneous spectrum is a logarithmic scale.

The sonagram represents the sinusoids used for the signal resynthesis. The sinusoids amplitude varies between positive and negative values, but as these oscillations cannot be heard, they are not represented. The perceived amplitude is always positive. The logarithmic scale is used for measures where values close to 0 don't need to be taken into account, and hence don't need to be represented. It also allows to represent low amplitudes of high frequencies, and high amplitudes of low frequencies, which are equally perceived.

This scale cannot be modified.

By default, time is expressed in seconds. It can also be expressed in milliseconds, seconds, ticks, samples, or durations. One second is equal to 60 ticks.

To choose another unit, Ctrl click on the scale and choose and item in the contextual menu.