The View Raw Now and View Raw Later plugins appear in Analyze → WaveParse. Their purpose parallels Tools → Sample Data Export, revealing the numerical values of samples from an audio track.
• View Raw Now displays results instantly in a message box for quick inspection. Although any selection size is allowed, it processes only up to about 2,200 samples so the message box does not become unwieldy.
• View Raw Later writes the revealed values to CSV files for later examination in Excel or Sheets. It’s slower but selection size is unlimited. Files are saved to the WaveParse \ Scratch folder alongside Wave Stats output.
Both plugins handle mono and stereo tracks. They answer the same questions as Sample Data Export—just faster, with greater precision and flexibility. The need for such detail is rare, but when the need arises, these tools are indispensable and impose almost no overhead. Together with the Wave Stats output files, these add to the documentation capabilities of WaveParse.
Below are sample outputs from View Raw Now in a message box and from View Raw Later as opened in EditPlus.
To obtain the download link for WaveParse (nine VST3 plugins and about three dozen Nyquist plugins), email info@waveparse.com. Search “WaveParse” on YouTube for the recent tour video.
I agree whole-heartedly. The deep analysis features of WaveParse are not for everyone. But there is use for them, and in my posts and videos, I’ve pointed out that I believe the primary uses are for quality control and for documentation.
For example, in a downloaded professionally-mastered audiobook (I won’t say which), from the Wave Stats extraction of the floor profile it was plain that 5/7 of the recording was done with one setup, and 2/7 with another with very different character. Furthermore, in the 5/7 portion, there were clearly two distinct floor levels, meaning something in that environment was turning on and off during the recording. That’s useful information.
As to documentation, part of my own use is to look at the Wave Stats profiles before engagement to guide the cleanup and compliance workflow. Also (though I haven’t done it yet), I think showing a customer the before and after statistics could be useful in delivery summaries. Lastly, I picture instrumentation engineers finding use, but that’s down the road a way.
With regard to the View Raw plug-ins, the associated video does point out that the same people who now find use for Audacity’s Export Sample Data tool will find View Raw better, and those that have no need ever for Audacity’s export tool will have no use for View Raw, either.
If you would explain to me how you use Audacity, I would be pleased to explain what WaveParse might do for you. Even just the track cleanup plug-ins are useful, even if you have no need for the compliance plug-ins. They allow precise isolation of most track mechanical issues (zeros, noises, bad splices) without listening to the track; that’s been a major advantage for me. You can find my contact information in the YouTube video descriptions. Just search ‘WaveParse’.
Thanks for your comment.
P.S. FIrst edit. A version of View Raw independent of WaveParse is available at
