Music Graph:
If a soundtrack is specified for your show, the sound data for the music will be graphed in green.  This sound graph helps give you a visual representation of the sound, making it easier to position cues at the right spot relative to the soundtrack.

Because the sound graph will show peaks  where volume increases, you will be able to visually see where various sound cues occur, such as drum beats or crescendos in a symphony.  This can often help you adjust cues visually without even listening to the music if you are already familiar with the score.

   Time Scale Zoom:
The two buttons shown above allow you to zoom in or out of the time scale. Zooming in will increase the amount of screen space occupied by one second of time, thus you will be able to see the sound graph in more detail. This is useful for zooming in on dense clusters of cues that may be placed very close to each other, as seen in the example below. Each time the + Zoom button is clicked, you will be able to view the time scale in more detail. The disadvantage to working while zoomed in too far is that you can’t see very much of the show at one time. By zooming out with the -Zoom button, you can progressively see a larger and larger segment of time. There is a trade-off between detail and segment length, and the zoom level that works best for you will depend on the cue density and placement accuracy you need. Note that zooming by selecting regions on the navigation window is usually easier than using the + and - zoom buttons to get exactly where you want to be.


A zoomed out section of time showing a dense cue arrangement.


Zooming in on the same show segment allows easier editing of cues.

   Amplification:
During the quieter parts of a score, the volume of sound may be too low to see any noticeable pattern in the music graph.  The amplifier button (left most above) allows you to zoom in on the amplitude of the waveform.  Note that amplification does not zoom in on the time scale being displayed, it only amplifies the peaks and valleys of the sound data so that more detail can be seen.

The samples below show a clip from a music graph before and after the amplifier button is clicked.  The de-amplifier button does the opposite of the amplifier button, thus shrinking the vertical scale of the waveform.


A segment of music where the volume is relatively quiet.


Using amplification on the same show segment to bring out more detail.