WavTool How-To: Panels

In this beginner tutorial, we'll be going through the basics of the WavTool UI and how to navigate some of its layers.

WavTool's UI is made out of panels. Each panel has a specific function - here are some examples:

• Manipulating tracks in a timeline (Arrangement)
• Editing MIDI clips (Clip editor)
• Routing instruments and effects into each other (Chain editor)
• Editing the source code of devices (Text editor)

When you open up WavTool for the first time, you will be in auto-layout mode. This means that WavTool will make the decision on what panel to open and show you based on what you've selected.

WavTool starts in a state where you can immediately start playing notes with an attached keyboard - the first MIDI track is armed and has a Wavetable synth all set up! To find out more, you can click on the Track Header for the track to open up the Chain Editor panel.

With the Chain Editor panel open on the bottom left, you can now see the devices that are interacting with the MIDI on the track, such as the Wavetable synth device! If you play a few notes while this view is open, you can see the chain visualising audio signal going through the devices.

Click on the Wavetable synth to inspect the device in the Device Editor panel:

Now that there is a device selected, the Device panel shows us the many settings and options that the Wavetable synth has to make sounds! This works similarly for any device - select it on the Chain Editor panel, and the device's settings will show up on the Device panel for you to tweak however you want.

Now that we know how to find a device on a track and edit its settings, let's try and make some MIDI notes for the devices to play. Highlight an empty section of the MIDI track and hit Ctrl/⌘-J to create an empty clip within the selected space, then click on the head of the clip to show the MIDI editor panel.

Clicking on the head of a MIDI clip will highlight the whole clip and open up the MIDI editor panel, which shows the MIDI notes in a clip. Here, you can draw, adjust, and manipulate MIDI notes to play through the track.

Disabling auto-layout mode

Now that you have a better understanding on the main types of panels in WavTool, you have the option to disable auto-layout mode and create your own UI configuration that you're comfortable with! To do this, select Interface > Disable Auto Layout in the toolbar on the top of the UI.

You can see with auto-layout mode disabled, you are free to arrange panels in any way you want! To do this, pay attention to the top right of every panel that you have open:

These buttons allow you to change which panels are displayed, or to open a new space for another panel by splitting the current panel, either vertically or horizontally. It also lets you close a panel to free up space for others. Don't worry about closing panels - Panels are just a window into your project! You won't ever lose progress or adjustments by closing a panel.

Conclusion

Panels are a great way to organise your production workflow and customise the way you want to work. They can help you compartmentalise your tasks and focus on one aspect of your production at a time!