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Quick Start

This chapter is the fast path from a fresh install to your first recording and a finished audio file. It is deliberately brief: each step gives you just enough to get going, then links to the full chapter when you want the detail. If you are brand new to Waveform, read it top to bottom. If you are returning, skim the headings and jump to whatever you need.

Waveform runs as a 64-bit application on macOS, Windows, and Linux, and is available in Free, OEM, and Pro editions.

💡 Tip: You can view and customise every keyboard shortcut on the Settings > Keyboard Shortcuts page. If your shortcuts have been changed and you want Waveform's standard set back, click Reset to Defaults there and choose Restore default Waveform key mappings. See Keyboard Shortcuts for the full list.

1. Install and Unlock

  1. Download Waveform from tracktion.com and run the installer.
  2. Launch Waveform. Until it is unlocked it runs in demo mode.
  3. To unlock, go to the Settings tab, choose Licensing, and click Refresh Licenses. Log in with your tracktion.com account and Waveform pulls down and applies any licenses you own.

→ For status badges, expansions, and per-computer licensing, see Reference: Settings > Licensing.

2. First-Run Setup

The first time you launch Waveform, the First Run Setup panel appears on the left. Work through its steps in order — it takes you straight to each setting you need to configure. If you close it, you can reopen it any time from Help > Show First Run Setup.

→ See Audio Device Setup.

3. Set Up Your Audio Device

Open Settings > Audio Devices and choose how Waveform talks to your hardware:

  • Windows: ASIO (recommended) or Windows Audio
  • macOS: Core Audio
  • Linux: JACK (recommended) or ALSA

Set your sample rate (44100 or 48000 Hz is a fine default) and an audio buffer size — start around 256 samples and raise it if you hear clicks or dropouts.

⚠️ Warning: If you plan to overdub (record while listening to existing tracks), you must run Auto-Detect with a hardware loopback so your recordings line up in time. Repeat it whenever you change the sample rate or buffer size. This is the single most important setup step for accurate recording.

→ Full walk-through, including the Auto-Detect loopback procedure, is in Audio Device Setup and Reference: Settings > Audio Devices.

4. Connect MIDI (Optional)

If you have a MIDI keyboard or controller, connect it and check it appears under Settings > MIDI Devices.

→ See MIDI Setup.

5. Hear Something - Open a Demo

The quickest way to confirm everything works is to open a template and play it:

  1. Open the Welcome tab.
  2. Pick a song from the Templates list to open it as a new Edit.
  3. Press the Spacebar to play.

→ See Demo Projects and Templates and Basic Navigation.

6. The Edit Window at a Glance

An Edit is where you record, arrange, and mix. The window has four main areas:

  • The menu bar along the top.
  • The Browser down the left side, which also hosts the Actions panel.
  • The arrangement (and the optional Mixer) in the centre.
  • The transport bar along the bottom, with playback controls, cursor position, tempo, and the master controls.

The Actions panel is central to Waveform: select anything — a clip, a track, a plugin — and it shows the settings and actions for that selection.

→ See The Edit Tab, Basic Navigation, and The Actions Panel.

7. Start a Project

On the Projects tab, click New Project, give it a name and location, and click Create Project. Waveform opens a new Edit ready to work in.

→ See Basic Navigation.

8. Record Audio

  1. Click the input arrow beneath a track name and choose an audio input.
  2. Click the record-arm button (the red dot) on that input.
  3. Check your levels, then press Record in the transport bar.

→ See Recording Audio.

9. Record MIDI / Use an Instrument

  1. Drag the Plugin object onto a track's mixer area and choose a virtual instrument from the menu. Double-click the instrument to open its interface.
  2. Set the track's input to your MIDI device and record-arm it.
  3. Press Record and play.

→ See MIDI Recording and Using Plugins.

10. Add Effects and Mix

Waveform's mixer is inline with each track and fully modular. Every track starts with a Volume & Pan and a Level Meter plugin. To add an effect, drag the Plugin object into the track's mixer area and pick a plugin — you can drop it anywhere in the signal chain and reorder it later by dragging.

→ See The Edit Tab, Using Plugins, and Built-in Effects Plugins.

11. Export Your Song

  1. Set the In-marker at the start of the song and the Out-marker at the end to define the export range.
  2. Choose Export > Render to a file from the menu bar.
  3. Pick a format (WAV or MP3), make sure Only render the marked region is on, and click Render.

→ See Mixing Down.

12. Where to Go Next

You now have the essentials. Waveform has much more to explore — here are some highlights, each covered in its own chapter:

For everything that has changed recently, see What's New.