Simple Audio Waveform Player

Prime Mover · Post by **Prime Mover** » Tue Jul 20, 2021 4:04 pm

Hey all, I'm looking for a very FAST (to open and use quickly), simple audio player with a waveform readout and sample-accurate timecode display. Another nice feature would be the ability to make markers with notes, and copy them to text (though this is isn't as important). My company needs to evaluate many sounds very quickly to be able to spot check them for revisions. We traditionally used QuickTime, but the time display rounds to nearest second and isn't accurate, it also doesn't show the waveform, and has no possibility of marking points.

This isn't a job for DP. It needs to be able to open raw WAV files in seconds, and be simple enough for non-DAW-using employees. Money isn't an object, could be anywhere from FREE to $300 if it's exactly right for our needs. It could be a destructive editor. I've considered Audacity, but I really HATE it's interface and find it very cumbersome.

Any ideas?

mikehalloran · Post by **mikehalloran** » Tue Jul 20, 2021 4:32 pm

I use TwistedWave. If there's time code info in the audio file, it will display it — not sure if that's what you are looking for. Otherwise, blazing fast, can convert almost anything to anything else, batch processing… regular updates. It even has ZTX for pitch shift and stretch where you can specify the results for both (MOTU, you listening?) Mac only. $99, 30-day demo.
https://twistedwave.com/mac

Here's the User Manual. Note that it knows time code and not timecode when you search.
https://twistedwave.com/doc/index

BobK · Post by **BobK** » Wed Jul 21, 2021 7:52 am

Do you know about Snapper from Audio Ease? I don’t think you can add markers, but you can quickly audition files by simply clicking on them in the Finder - no need to open or import them into the program. Snapper can change the playback speed (with or without pitch change), convert the format, export a selection, spot to the cursor in Pro Tools, and much more.

https://www.audioease.com/snapper/

mikehalloran · Post by **mikehalloran** » Wed Jul 21, 2021 9:56 am

Snapper looks nice and it has a 100 day demo. If I wasn't really happy TwistedWave, I'd be checking it out.

DSP-Q can probably do what you want. Although I own a copy, I wouldn't be considering it for this use. Not certain it meets this requirement like TW and Snapper:

It needs to be able to open raw WAV files in seconds, and be simple enough for non-DAW-using employees.

Otherwise, I'll be curious to see what works for you.

Prime Mover · Post by **Prime Mover** » Wed Jul 21, 2021 11:35 am

Twisted Wave is the answer! Actually, one of our contract employees had already mentioned Snapper before, and I tried it out yesterday. Snapper can ADD markers, but they can't be saved or exported (weird), I reached out to AudioEase and it doesn't seem to be a feature they plan on adding in the future. I think it's just for momentary editing, so you can create selections while you work, but they can't be saved with the file or exported. It's too bad, Snapper is AWESOME otherwise, I may get it anyways, just for it's easy Finder integration.

However... Twisted Wave is EXACTLY what we're looking for! It's fast, the interface is intuitive and snappy. And it can add markers and export them to a number of file formats. I think CSV will do nicely for our needs when opened in a text editor.

Thanks so much Mike for your suggestion. I think you really understood our needs and were able to point me in the right direction. I think we'll do it.

Another solution found, yay! Now only about 947 more!

bayswater · Post by **bayswater** » Wed Jul 21, 2021 5:02 pm

mikehalloran wrote: ↑Wed Jul 21, 2021 9:56 am Snapper looks nice and it has a 100 day demo. If I wasn't really happy TwistedWave, I'd be checking it out.

DSP-Q can probably do what you want.

Snapper looks amazing. Looks like it really fills the gap between the Finder and DSP-Q, and makes a nice alternative to AudioFinder.

Have you tried out markers and regions in DSP-Q? It looked to me like the Markers are an internal thing saves with a project but not a file, and used for things like CD writes and other internal functions.

It seems to be able to create a region between markers, but I don't see the regions it is supposed to be creating showing up in other apps. I didn't pursue it for long, so I might be missing something.

bayswater · Post by **bayswater** » Wed Jul 21, 2021 5:24 pm

Just an aside: isn't AudioEase a curious outfit? They also sell Barbabatch. I recall this as a free shareware sound file conversion app, long superseded by any number of free apps, and any number of paid apps like DSP-Q. They sell it for $US 461.50.

Prime Mover · Post by **Prime Mover** » Thu Jul 22, 2021 12:15 pm

Just as a test I tried DSP-Q to see if it fit our needs. My concern is it just feels too big and complex for a "quick and dirty" previewing player. I couldn't really find Marker commands, and TwistedWave has a fantastic Marker pane right there that does exactly what we need it to. I know DSP-Q is legendary and a fantastic editor, but probably its robustness is a weakness for my companies needs in this particular area. I've recommended we buy a bunch of licenses for TwistedWave.

That said, Snapper is FANTASTIC. I absolutely want to use it for general listening.

frankf · Post by **frankf** » Fri Jul 23, 2021 4:28 am

bayswater wrote:Just an aside: isn't AudioEase a curious outfit? They also sell Barbabatch. I recall this as a free shareware sound file conversion app, long superseded by any number of free apps, and any number of paid apps like DSP-Q. They sell it for $US 461.50.

I’ve used Barabatch for many years with great success. It’s never been free IIRC. It batch coverts and is very fast. I used Snapper a lot but not recently. I want to check compatibility with latest Mac OS.

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bayswater · Post by **bayswater** » Fri Jul 23, 2021 7:43 am

frankf wrote: ↑Fri Jul 23, 2021 4:28 am I’ve used Barabatch for many years with great success. It’s never been free IIRC. It batch coverts and is very fast. I used Snapper a lot but not recently. I want to check compatibility with latest Mac OS.

IIRC, I had it for a while pre-OS X. Maybe it wasn't free then, but it wouldn't have been more than a few $s.

frankf · Post by **frankf** » Fri Jul 23, 2021 9:58 am

bayswater wrote:
frankf wrote: ↑Fri Jul 23, 2021 4:28 am I’ve used Barabatch for many years with great success. It’s never been free IIRC. It batch coverts and is very fast. I used Snapper a lot but not recently. I want to check compatibility with latest Mac OS.
IIRC, I had it for a while pre-OS X. Maybe it wasn't free then, but it wouldn't have been more than a few $s.

I can’t remember you may be right, but I do remember when OSX was introduced, Barbabatch wouldn’t run until there was an update and the update took a, long time to surface. And it cost.

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BobK · Post by **BobK** » Fri Jul 23, 2021 10:10 am

Snapper is compatible with Big Sur.

bayswater · Post by **bayswater** » Fri Jul 23, 2021 10:47 am

An inconvenience I noticed is that if Snapper is running and you press spacebar on a video file, Snapper plays the audio track, but appears to prevent OS X from previewing the video.

frankf · Post by **frankf** » Fri Jul 23, 2021 11:00 am

Thanks for your comments. Very helpful.

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Simple Audio Waveform Player

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