MANUAL

WAVETRIM Manual

v1.0.2 / macOS 15 or later

WAVETRIM opens a waveform so you can cut it, set its level and export it. If you're stuck, right-click the waveform. Almost every tool is in that menu.

1. Opening files

Drop an audio file on the window, or press ⌘O. WAV, AIFF, MP3 and M4A files open.
You can also right-click a file in Finder and choose Open With → WAVETRIM.
Each sound gets its own window, and you can open as many as you like. ⌘N opens an empty window.
The sample rate and channel count stay as they are in the original file.
To clear the window, choose Close from the File menu at the top left. If you have unsaved changes, you'll be asked first.

2. Listening and moving

Space plays and stops. With a selection, only the selection plays. Without one, playback runs from the playhead to the end.
Loop is on to begin with. Toggle it with the ⟲ button at the bottom.
← → move the playhead by 0.1 seconds, or 1 second with ⇧. Home goes back to the start.
Zoom by scrolling vertically with a mouse wheel or trackpad. It zooms around the pointer. Pinching on a trackpad works too.
Scroll sideways by swiping horizontally on a trackpad, or holding ⇧ while you scroll. You can also drag the waveform while holding ⌘.
⌘0 shows the whole file. The Selection button at the bottom zooms to fill the window with the selection.

3. Selecting

Drag across the waveform to select. You hear the audio under the pointer as you drag.
Grab an edge of the selection to move just that edge. Grab the middle to move the whole selection without changing its length.
Hold ⇧ while you grab to move the nearer edge, wherever you click. Handy when the selection is very narrow.
⌘A selects everything and esc deselects. A click deselects and moves the playhead there.
Processing applies to the selection if there is one, or to the whole file if not. The label next to the processing buttons tells you which.

4. Cutting and joining

Cut ⌘X: Removes the selection and keeps a copy. What comes after moves up.
Copy ⌘C: Keeps a copy of the selection. You can paste it into another window too.
Paste ⌘V: Replaces the selection, or inserts at the playhead if nothing is selected. Audio with a different channel count or sample rate can't be pasted.
Delete delete: Removes the selection. What comes after moves up.
Crop: Keeps only the selection and removes the rest.
Silence: Replaces the selection with silence. The length doesn't change.
Insert Silence: Inserts 0.05 to 10 seconds of silence at the playhead.
To New Window ⌘D: Opens the selection (or the whole file) in a new window. The original window stays as it is.
Undo ⌘Z: Up to 40 steps. Redo is ⇧⌘Z. Opening a file again clears the undo history.

5. Level and processing

Fade In / Out: Raises the level from zero at the start (or lowers it to zero at the end). Choose Linear, Smooth or Logarithmic in Settings.
Gain: Raises or lowers the level between -24 and +24 dB. The right-click menu has quick ±1, ±3 and ±6 dB steps.
Normalize: Sets the level so the loudest peak hits your target (-1.0 dB to begin with). Change the target between -12 and 0 dB in Settings.
Maximize: Makes it louder. Set the Ceiling (the level nothing goes over), the Target Level and the Max Boost. The starting values are -0.4 dB, -12 dB and 18 dB.
Reverse: Turns the selection backwards.
Make Mono / Make Stereo: Mixes stereo down to one channel, or copies mono to both sides. These two always apply to the whole file.

Everything can be undone with ⌘Z.

6. Plug-ins

You can use Audio Unit effects on your Mac. VST, VST3 and instruments aren't supported.
Open Plug-ins and choose Add, then pick by maker. Plug-ins run from top to bottom. Reorder with ↑ ↓, turn one off for now with Bypass, and remove it with ✕. Show Editor opens the plug-in's own window.
Adding a plug-in only changes what you hear. The waveform stays the same.
Export writes the waveform itself. To export the plug-in sound, do one of these first:
- Render — rewrites this window's waveform to match what you hear (the selection, or the whole file). The length stays the same, and you can undo it.
- Resample — brings the processed sound into a new window and leaves this one alone. Half a second is added at the end for reverb tails. You can pick the bit depth (32 / 24 / 16 / 12 / 8 bit), so you can make it rough on purpose.
Some plug-ins won't load, or crash the app when loaded, because of how they're built. We may not be able to fix that on our side, so please check your plug-ins with the trial before you buy, and save often.

7. Recording

Start with the red ● at the bottom and stop with ■. You can pause too. Nothing is recorded while paused, and the two sides join up.
Recording in an empty window makes a new waveform. Recording in a window with audio overdubs from the playhead, extending past the end if needed. ⌘Z undoes an overdub.
Choose what to record from in Settings → Recording Source. You can pick which channels of your audio interface to use, and stereo or mono.
Choose another window as the source to record its sound, including its plug-ins.
The first time you record, your Mac asks for microphone access. If you said no, turn WAVETRIM on in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone.
Recordings aren't saved automatically. Export them or save a project.

8. Exporting

Press ⌘E or the Export button. Choose a format and a range (Whole File / Selection Only), click Export, then choose where to save.
Formats: WAV (24-bit / 16-bit / 32-bit float), AIFF 24-bit, MP3, M4A (AAC) and FLAC (24-bit). MP3 and M4A can be 128, 192, 256 or 320 kbps.
MP3 supports up to two channels. For more, use WAV or FLAC.
The sample rate stays as it is (M4A adjusts it automatically if AAC can't use it).
When you overwrite a file, the new one is written first and then swapped in, so a failure never damages the original.
When it's done, Show in Finder appears at the bottom of the window.

9. Saving projects

To keep work in progress, save it as a project (.wavetrim) with ⌘S. Save As is ⇧⌘S and Open Project is ⇧⌘O.
A project holds the audio itself, the selection, the view, and your plug-ins with their settings. It still opens if you delete the original audio file. The undo history isn't saved.
Only WAVETRIM opens projects. To use the sound in other apps, export it.

10. Settings

Click Settings at the top right.

Language: 日本語 / English. The standard menu bar items follow your Mac's language setting.
Skin: Seven color schemes.
Output: Where the sound plays. This doesn't change your Mac's output.
Recording Source: The input device and channels, stereo or mono, or another window.
Fade Curve: Linear / Smooth / Logarithmic.
Normalize Target: -12 to 0 dB.

The fade curve and normalize target go back to their starting values (Smooth / -1.0 dB) when you open the window again.

11. Keyboard shortcuts

Space: Play / stop
← →: Move 0.1 s (1 s with ⇧)
Home: Back to start
⌘A / esc: Select all / deselect
⌘X ⌘C ⌘V: Cut / copy / paste
delete: Delete the selection
⌘Z / ⇧⌘Z: Undo / redo
⌘D: Selection to a new window
⌘+ ⌘- ⌘0: Zoom in / out / fit
⌘N: New window
⌘O / ⇧⌘O: Open audio / open project
⌘S / ⇧⌘S: Save project / save as
⌘E: Export
⌘?: Open this manual

Mouse: scroll vertically to zoom, ⇧+scroll or ⌘+drag to move sideways, right-click for every tool.

12. Troubleshooting

Paste doesn't work — the copied audio has a different channel count or sample rate. Match them with Make Mono / Make Stereo.
The export doesn't have my plug-in sound — export writes the waveform itself. Render or Resample first.
I can't overdub — the incoming audio has a different sample rate. Record into an empty window, then paste.
The trial adds noise — the 14-day trial has ended. Installing the full version removes it.
If that doesn't help, or you've found a bug, please contact us. Your Mac model, macOS version, app version, and what you did and what happened help us fix it faster.