For a list of the most recent updates to the product in recent public builds, visit the updates page.
To read about the history of the Raven project, see the Raven News and Development History page.
This document briefly summarizes the new features that have been added to Raven Pro since the release of Raven 1.1. If you prefer to view PDF files containing most of these descriptions, visit "What's New in Raven 1.3", "What's New in Raven 1.2.1", and "What's New in Raven 1.2".
What's new in Raven Pro 1.3 Release Candidate 2
What's new in Raven Pro 1.3 Release Candidate 1
What's new in Raven Pro 1.3 Beta 3
What's new in Raven Pro 1.3 Beta 2
What was new in Raven Pro 1.3 Beta 1
What's new in Raven Pro 1.3 Release Candidate 2
Increased Performance
We've made further performance enhancements to make Raven's spectrogram builder and energy detector run faster.
More Batch Operations
We've added batch operations for filtering and amplifying collections of sounds.
Usability Features
- Users can now edit their preferences from within Raven.
- Raven can tile windows horizontally or vertically.
- Users can add pad time to selections that they save to files.
- Raven's progress dialogs contain more information to allow you to know how long tasks will take to complete.
- In the Raven correlator, you can now see where the files line up with highest correlation peak because Raven links the positions of the files to the corresponding lag in the correlation view.
- File separator colors are configurable in the color scheme.
- The color of tool tips is configurable.
- The width of the playback cursor is configurable.
New Measurements:
- 1st and 3rd Quartile Frequency
- 1st and 3rd Quartile Time
- Inter-Quartile Range Frequency
- Inter-Quartile Range Time
What's new in Raven Pro 1.3 Release Candidate 1
Increased Performance
We've increased speed signficantly on certain Raven functions including running detectors, opening and saving selection table files, displaying spectrograms, and selection operations.
Improved Printing
We've made improvements on printing precision and offer better support for multiple pages
Localized Presets and Preferences
For non-admin users, Raven can now be customized by storing presets and preferences in the user's directory
Improved Functionality and Reliability of Correlation
Raven now can correlate using log or linear scaling with results consistent with Canary
Improved Workings of Detectors and Selection Tables
Raven now allows copying selections between tables and long detector runs are more reliable
Added Reverse and Looping Play Functions
Raven Pro can now play a sound backwards or repeat it
Progress Dialogs
We added more progress dialogs to track lengthy operations such as copying of thousands of selections
Added Spectrogram Clipping Function
Raven Pro can now clip power values below a threshold - like in Canary
What's new in Raven Pro 1.3 Beta 3
Revised User's Manual
The Raven User's Manual has been extensively revised. Highlights include a more concise Getting Started chapter, new chapters on Correlation and Automatic Detection, and a section on Beamforming.
Java Energy Detector
In addition to our Python-based band-limited energy detector, we've added a Java version with easy to use Presets.
New Batch Correlator
Raven Pro can now cross-correlate two sets of sound files and display the matrix of peak correlation values.
New Amplitude Detector
We've added an amplitude detector, which finds parts of the signal that exceed a threshold amplitude.
Enhanced Tool Bars
Raven Pro now has 5 tool bars with a variety of buttons to make tasks easier to perform.
Ability to Open Audio CD Tracks
Raven Pro can now open tracks from audio CDs on Windows. This is the same feature that is in Raven Lite 1.0. Previously, Raven Pro could open audio CD tracks on Mac OS X, but not on Windows.
Enhancements to other features
We've been adding enhancements to earlier features and fixing bugs.
What's new in Raven Pro 1.3 Beta 2
Correlation
It is now possible to execute quantitative comparisons between spectrograms or waveforms using the correlation feature in Raven 1.3. Correlations are performed by ‘sliding’ two inputs (either two spectrograms or two waveforms) past each other in time. At each time offset, a correlation coefficient between the input files is calculated. These correlation values are then plotted versus time in a correlation plot to show a measure of similarity between the files. See the Tools > Correlator... menu item to get started.
Certain user-selected options and parameters relating to the correlation process are also enabled, although there is no general way to describe how these options will affect specific correlation values and related plots. Since the correlator behavior depends on both the data and the correlation options and parameters, a certain degree of experimentation is advised to achieve the most meaningful results. To read more in-depth material regarding correlation features, please see Chapter 7 in the Canary User’s Manual at: http://www.birds.cornell.edu/brp/software/canary/CanaryUsersManual.pdf.
Detection
Detection of target signals within a sound is currently implemented in Raven. Included are capabilities for detection processing within the real-time recorder, within large data sets, as well as interactive detection for parameter testing. See the Tools > Detector menu or the Interactive Detectors menu item on the View menu or context-sensitive menus to get started.
Multiple Selection Tables
In conjunction with detection processing, Raven 1.3 will generate multiple selection tables representing detections made with alternate user-specified sets of parameters. Users may also create additional selection tables, useful, for instance, for grouping or categorizing different kinds of signals.
What's new in Raven Pro 1.3 Beta 1
This section of the document briefly summarizes the new features that have been added to Raven since the release of Raven 1.2.1.
Extensible multi-channel audio input device support
Raven 1.3 includes support for multi-channel recording using both NI-DAQ (National Instruments Data Acquisition hardware) and ASIO (Audio Stream In/Out) audio input devices. The NI-DAQ technology provides input capabilities of up to 32 channels with an adjustable voltage range. ASIO devices provide 24-bit audio sample size capabilities. Both of these are Windows platform devices; Raven also supports Java Sound for Windows. Java Sound supports mono and stereo recording. The Macintosh version of Raven supports Java Sound as well as Apple’s Core Audio, which allows for multi-channel recording.
Power Spectra Calculation
Raven 1.3 introduces a slight change in the calculation of power spectra. The new method includes energy in the negative frequency bins of the Discrete Fourier Transform, as well as normalization of the power spectrum by the number of points in the DFT window. Power measurements made using this method will differ from the same measurements performed with previous versions of Raven by a multiplicative factor of 2/Nfft (1/Nfft for the zero frequency component). To use this updated power spectra calculation, check the box on the OPTION screen that appears when Raven 1.3 starts for the first time.
This new Raven 1.3 power spectra calculation should be used in cases where measurements need to be consistent with those made in Canary.
The power spectra calculation method that Raven 1.3 uses can be changed by editing Raven’s preferences file. Also, the performance of the two power spectra calculation methods can be compared by simultaneously opening two instances of Raven, one with the Raven 1.3 method active and the other with the Raven 1.2 method active.
For detailed information about how to make these comparisons, see http://help.RavenSoundSoftware.com/forum/showthread.php?t=63
Clip Exporter within real-time recorder
The Clip Exporter in Raven 1.3 allows sound clips to be saved before the audio data in the real-time recorder leaves the audio buffer. This facilitates making manual selections in a recording while the recording process is in progress. When a selection is committed, the audio data in the selection is saved to a file.
To use the Clip Exporter, open a New Recorder and check the box next to “Export selections to clip files.” Two new tabs appear in the Configure New Recorder dialog box: Clip Format and Clip Names.
The Clip Exporter is an alternative to the Schedule Tab with the “Record To: File” option. (The Schedule Tab appears in the Configure New Recorder dialog box when the “Record To: File” option and the Advanced option are chosen.) The Schedule Tab option allows a recording to be made each time the red record button is pressed, however, the system needs to be configured to do retroactive recording in order to record sounds that are already in the buffer, and the red button needs to be pressed before the end of the retroactive time limit. In contrast, the Clip Exporter allows a selection to be made at any time within the 30-second buffer.
Also, the Clip Exporter is similar to “File>Save Active Selection As,” however, it allows all of the names that will be assigned to the files to be pre-configured, since there isn’t time to fill in this information before the sound leaves the buffer.
For more information regarding the contents of exported text files, see http://help.RavenSoundSoftware.com/forum/showthread.php?t=64, and for more information on exporting multi-channel sounds, see http://help.RavenSoundSoftware.com/forum/showthread.php?t=65.
Exporting samples from various views to text files
A list of the numerical sample values contained in the active view of a sound can be exported to a text file. This facilitates examination and analysis of the data using other software applications. For instance, it might be useful to export spectrographic information from Raven for display as a 3D plot.
For waveform views, spectrogram views, correlation views, and beamogram views, samples are exported from the current page. To export from a segment of sound other than what is represented on the page, update the page size. Samples in spectrum slice views and selection spectrum views are exported from the represented slice or active selection respectively.
In a Sound Window, Click on the narrow, vertical, view selection button to
the left of the view (waveform, spectrogram, etc.) for which you want to export
sample values. The color will change from white to blue when highlighted.
Choose File > Export “Sound
The specific axis values contained in Raven views are not included in the exported text files. That is, only sample power values are exported; the specific values on the x- and y-axes are not included. For 2- dimensional data the sample values are organized in a single column, with reference to the x-axis values of the Raven view (but not the actual values) represented vertically. Multi-dimensional data is exported as power values also, however in this case columns represent the Raven view’s y-axis values, and rows represent the Raven view’s x-axis values.
Saving a subset of channels from an open signal
Use the Channels window of the side panel Layout view to save a subset of channels from an open signal. Click the channel number(s) (to the right of the check box) of the channel(s) that you want to save; the channel number(s) will become highlighted in yellow. (Ctrl-click can be used to select more than one channel.) Then choose File > Save Selected Channels As…. You can choose to Save the new file in a number of different formats: 8-bit, 16-bit, or 24-bit .aiff or 8-bit, 16-bit, or 24-bit .wav. Choose the file type, then click Save.
This new method allows an entire channel or channels of data to be saved and replaces the need to include an entire view within a selection.
Batch Channel Exporter
To export a specific subset of channels from a collection of sound files, put the collection of files (or copies of the files) in one directory. Then choose Tools > Batch > Channel Exporter.... The Batch Channel Exporter dialog box appears. As the Input Folder, enter the name of the directory containing the collection of files you’d like to change, then enter the name of the Output Folder in which you want to store the new files. Choose the channels that you would like to export and click OK.
Selectable look & feel and desktop background color
The color and texture of the Raven application (the “look and feel”) can be selected so that it mimics the appearance of several standard application types, or retains Raven’s unique appearance. Choose Window > Look and Feel, and select Metal, Motif, or Windows. Metal is Raven 1.3’s standard appearance, and is the standard “look and feel” of Java applications. Motif mimics the appearance of Unix and Xwindows traditional applications, while Windows mimics the appearance of Microsoft Windows and Windows Classic applications. On the Mac, choose Aqua to mimic the appearance of Mac OS X applications. Choose Window > Background Color… to open the Background Color Editor panel and set the color of the main Raven screen area (the desktop) through Swatches, HSB, or RGB color definitions.
Beamforming View and Max Bearing Measurement for Multi-channel Bearing Analysis
Beamforming in Raven is useful for determining sound source locations, as bearing lines, relative to a 2- dimensional, multi-channel array of sensors. The result of Raven’s beamforming process is a set of angles, displayed in a beamogram view, that represent potential bearing angles between a reference direction and potential bearing line directions. Raven iteratively tests all possible locations within a range of angles specified in the beamogram configuration. The relative darkness of lines on the beamogram indicates the relative likelihood that specific bearing angles represent actual sound source bearings.
In the beamogram, bearing angles (beams) are represented in degrees on the y-axis, and time is represented in seconds on the x-axis. To find the bearing angle with the maximum power for a specific selection in Raven, choose the measurement Max Bearing (not to be confused with Maximum bearing, which is a parameter in the Beamforming Bearing Grid).
To create a beamogram, open a multi-channel sound file and choose View > New > Beamogram View….
Or choose the 
icon from the New View Buttons. Then enter the information about recording medium,
array geometry, bandpass filtering, and beamforming in each of the tabbed pages. Choose OK to apply the
configuration and close the Configure Beamogram window. Or choose Apply to preview your parameters
without closing the window.
For detailed, preliminary documentation about how to set parameters, see http://help.RavenSoundSoftware.com/forum/showthread.php?t=66.
Measurements added to Raven from Canary:
Average Power
(all view types)
The power in the selection divided by the duration of the selection. Units:
dB
Center Frequency
Center Time
(all view types)
The amplitude-weighted central time of the selected interval. Units: sec
Delta Power
Energy
(all view types)
The total energy in the selection. Units: dB
These measurements from Canary are implemented slightly differently in Raven. However, for an overview of what they represent, see Chapter 6 in the Canary User’s Manual, beginning on page 92, at: http://www.birds.cornell.edu/brp/software/canary/CanaryUsersManual.pdf
What was new in Raven 1.2.1
This section of the document briefly summarizes the new features that have been added to Raven since the release of Raven 1.2.
Save All Selections
You can now save the sound data in all selections in a sound as a series of separate sound files by choosing File > Save All Selections As.... Raven will display the Save All Selections dialog box, which allows you to specify a file format and a naming scheme for the files to be saved.
Tile / Cascade Windows
When you have multiple sound windows open, Raven can arrange them neatly for you on the desktop. If you choose Window > Tile Windows, Raven resizes and repositions all of the windows so that they are all the same size and fill the desktop (as nearly as possible) without overlapping each other. If you choose Windows > Cascade Windows, Raven resizes and repositions all of the windows so that they are all the same size and as large as possible, overlapping so that their title bars are all visible.
Apply current window layout to all windows
To apply all of the active window's layout to all currently open windows, choose View > Apply To All. Window layout includes all of the information that would be stored in a sound window preset, including window size, view visibility and scale, spectrogram parameters, and spectrogram brightness and contrast. A complete list of window properties affected by the Apply To All command is given in Table 1.1 in the Raven User's Manual.
Resolving workspaces whose files have moved
Earlier versions of Raven could not open workspace files if any of the sound files that they include had been moved. If Raven 1.2.1 cannot find a sound file needed for a workspace that it is opening, the program will present a dialog listing the missing file(s), and allow you to find the file by browsing through the file system.
Filter presets
Raven now allows you to save named presets for bandpass or bandstop filters covering a specified frequency band. To define a new filter, choose Edit > Filter Active Selection With > Other or Edit > Filter All With > Other. In the ensuing dialog box, you can specify Bandpass or Bandstop and the filter limits, and optionally save the filter settings as a preset. To apply a saved filter preset to the active selection or to the entire sound, choose choose Edit > Filter Active Selection With > filterPresetName or Edit > Filter All With > filterPresetName.
Quick access to recently opened files and folders
To open a recently used sound file, choose the file's name from the list of recent files at the bottom of the File menu. By default, Raven displays the four most recent files on the menu. To open a file from a folder that you recently used within Raven, choose File > Open Recent Folder > folderName.
Drag and drop opening of workspaces
You can now open a Raven workspace by dragging the workspace file's icon from the computer's desktop, or from a Windows Explorer or Mac Finder window, and dropping the icon on the Raven desktop.
Open more audio file formats
Raven 1.2.1 enables you to open sound files in .mp3, .mp4, and .aifc formats, as well as the sound tracks of QuickTime movies (.mov file format). In order to access files in these formats, you must have QuickTime (QT) for Java installed on your computer. Raven 1.2.1 does not include the ability to save sound files in these additional formats.
On Mac OS computers, QT for Java is already installed. Users on Mac OS computers can also open CD audio tracks with Raven 1.2.1. Audio CD tracks will be displayed in the /Volumes folder as AIFC files that can be accessed from Raven's Open Files dialog.
On Windows computers, you can check whether QT for Java is installed by looking at the Download QuickTime Installer item on the Help menu in Raven 1.2.1. If QT for Java is already present, the menu item will be disabled. If the menu item is enabled, click on it and follow the instructions that appear in your web browser to install QT for Java. In addition to installing QT for Java, you will also need to update the Java search path by one of the five methods described below.
Updates to Windows computers (choose one):
- Users can download the lasted Raven code from the Raven download site. This code will contain updates to the search path so that Raven can find QT for Java. Note that the QuickTime player must still be installed separately.
- If users installed Raven to the "Raven 1.2" folder, then users can copy an updated RavenLauncher.lax file from this page. Just right-click on the link and choose "Save Target As" or "Save Link As" then save this file to your "Raven 1.2" folder.
- Users can edit the RavenLauncer.lax file contained in the Raven folder on their computers. The modified line is shown below.
- Users who run Raven using the Raven console can copy an updated RavenConsole.bat file from this page. Just right-click on the link and choose "Save Target As" or "Save Link As" then save this file to your "Raven 1.2" folder as RavenConsole.bat rather than RavenConsole.txt as it is named on the server.
- Users can edit the RavenConsole.bat file already in their "Raven 1.2" folder by replacing the existing text with the line shown below.
lax.class.path=Raven12WinFixes.jar;Raven12Fixes.jar;Raven12Plus.jar;Raven12Win.jar;Raven12Base.jar;mail.jar;activation.jar;jai_imageio.jar;QTJava.zip;c:\windows\system32\QTJava.zip;c:\windows\system\QTJava.zip;c:\winnt\system32\QTJava.zip;lax.jar
jre\bin\java -Xmx256M -Xbootclasspath/p:AiffFileWriter.jar -cp Raven12WinFixes.jar;Raven12Fixes.jar;Raven12Plus.jar;Raven12Win.jar;Raven12Base.jar;mail.jar;activation.jar;jai_imageio.jar;QTJava.zip;c:\windows\system32\QTJava.zip;c:\windows\system\QTJava.zip;c:\winnt\system32\QTJava.zip clo.brp.raven.Application
What was new in Raven 1.2
4 August 2004
This section of the document briefly summarizes the new features that have been added to Raven since the release of Raven 1.2 Release Candidate 1.
Recording speed correction
When opening a file or recording a new signal, you can specify that the sound is recorded at a speed other than normal speed. Speed corrections are expressed as a speed-up or slow-down factor relative to normal speed. Speed corrections are particularly useful when recordings have been sped up or slowed down to shift infrasonic or ultrasonic signals into the human audible range. To correct the speed for saved sound files, use the Speed tab in the Configure New Sound dialog that appears after you choose a file to open. To set a speed correction factor for a recorder, click the Advanced button in the Configure Recorder dialog box, then click on the Speed tab.
Length measurement
The new Length measurement displays the number of frames contained in a selection. For waveform views, the number of frames equals the number of samples in a single channel. For spectrogram and spectrogram slice views, the number frames equals the number of individual spectra in the selection in one channel. For selection spectrum views, the number of frames always equals 1.
What was new in Raven 1.2 Release Candidate 1
28 July 2004
This section of the document briefly summarizes the new features that have been added to Raven since the release of Raven 1.2 Beta 2.
Selection Spectrum view
Raven now offers a fourth view type, called the selection spectrum view. The selection spectrum view displays the average spectrum of the time interval defined by the active selection. To create a new selection spectrum view, click on the New Selection Spectrum View button in the toolbar, next to the New Spectrogram Slice button (it looks like the New Spectrogram Slice button, but with a red instead of blue icon).
Open Sound Files... opens single files and file sequences
The Open File Sequence command has been merged with the Open Sound Files command. If you choose multiple files in the Open Sound Files dialog box, Raven will ask you in a subsequent dialog whether you want to open them in separate windows or as a file sequence in one window.
Selection tab in side panel
The side panel now has a fourth tab, called "Selection". The Selection tab displays the Begin Time, End Time, Delta Time, Low Frequency, High Frequency, and Delta Frequency for the active selection. All six of these fields are editable, so you can adjust the selection bounds by typing values into these fields. For multi-channel signals, the Selection tab also displays a list of the channels in the signal, with editable checkboxes indicating the channels in which the active selection is defined.
Up and Down buttons in selection table
The selection table now displays Up and Down arrow buttons in its title bar. Clicking on these buttons activates the next selection up or down in the table from the current active selection, given the table's current sort order.
Fill Up and Fill Down in annotation columns
If you select a series of consecutive cells in an annotation column in the selection table, you can have all of the cells filled with the annotation value in the top (Fill Down) or bottom (Fill Up) cell. To perform a Fill Down or Fill Up operation, type Ctrl-D (Windows) or Command-D (Mac OS), or Ctrl-U (Windows) or Command-U (Mac OS), or choose Fill Selected Cells from the selection table's contextual menu.
Export Image and Copy Image
The new Export Image command on the File menu lets you save an image of either (a) the entire Raven window, (b) the active sound window, (c) all views of the active window, or (d) the active view of the active window. Images of any of these can be saved to files in PNG, TIFF, BMP, or JPEG format. Choices (c) and (d) can also be saved in EPS format. Using the Copy Image command on the Edit menu, you can copy an image of any of these four choices to the system clipboard for pasting into any other program that supports pasting graphic images.
Preset Manager
Raven now has a Preset Manager, accessible either from the Window menu, or from any preset menu in Raven. The Preset Manager allows you to delete or rename a preset, and also allows you to create and delete folders, and move presets between folders.
Configure View Axes
Using the new Configure View Axes... command, you can explicitly specify the horizontal and vertical position and scale for a view by typing in exact values. The Configure New Axes... command is available on the contextual menu for any view, and on the View menu (where it refers to the active view).
What was new in Raven 1.2 Beta 2
26 May 2004
This section of the document briefly summarizes the new features that have been added to Raven since the release of Raven 1.2 Beta 1.
New selection behavior
Earlier versions of Raven required you to choose between Single Selection Mode and Multiple Selection mode. These modes have been eliminated in favor of a new protocol in which a selection is considered uncommitted when you first create it. To commit a selection, press the <Enter> key whenever one of the selection's control points is active. An uncommitted selection is cleared the next time you create another selection (thus behaving like selections in the old Single Selection mode). A committed selection persists until you explicitly clear it (as in the old Multiple Selection mode). Uncommitted selections are drawn with dashed rather than solid borders. The selection table displays entries for both uncommitted and committed selections.
Annotations
You can now add annotations to selections. An annotation is a user-defined text string that appears in its own named column in the selection table. To create and name a new annotation column, choose Add Annotation Column... from the selection table's contextual menu. To enter an annotation value for a particular selection, you can either (1) click on the annotation cell in the selection table and then type the annotation value, or (2) choose Annotate Selection from the View menu or the selection's contextual menu. A dialog box will then appear in which you can enter values for each of the named annotation columns. You can also specify whether you want the Annotate Selection dialog box to appear automatically whenever you commit a selection, and you can specify a default value for each annotation column.
Selection text
Selections can now be displayed with an optional selection text overlay. The selection text can display the selection ID number and/or any combination of measurements or annotations that are shown in the selection table. By default, the selection ID is displayed in the selection text. To toggle display of the selection text on and off, use the checkbox in the component list of the side panel's Layout tab. To choose which measurements are included in the selection text, as well as specifying font size and a string to use as a separator between items in the selection text, choose Configure Selection Text from the View menu or any view's contextual menu. You can specify colors for the active and inactive selection text via the color scheme editor (View > Color Scheme > Edit...).
Selection renumbering
Raven can now renumber selections based on the sort order of entries in the selection table. For example, if you have a set of selections that were not created in order of their times in a signal, you can renumber them in order of their Begin Time measurements by clicking on the Begin Time column header to sort the entries in the selection table into ascending time order, then choosing Renumber Selections from the table's contextual menu.
Channel-restricted selections
In earlier Raven versions, a selection made in one channel of a multi-channel signal would be defined in all channels. As of Raven 1.2 Beta 2, a selection will apply only to the channel in which you create it, unless that channel is selected (i.e. it is highlighted in yellow in the side panel channel list), in which case the selection will apply to all selected channels. Destructive edit operations like cut and paste performed on the active selection will still apply to all channels, regardless of the channels to which the selection applies.
Workspaces and named selection tables
The selection table now displays its own title bar, which shows the name of the selection table file, if the table has been saved. Although earlier versions of Raven allowed you to save and retrieve selection files, they did not protect you from inadvertently losing your selections if you closed a window without first saving the selections. Beginning in Raven 1.2 Beta 2, you will be prompted to save selections when you close a sound window if the selection table contains unsaved changes (see below). When saving a previously unsaved selection table for a sound that has been saved, Raven will propose a file name of the form "mySound.selections.txt", where "mySound" is replaced by the name of the sound file. You can either use the proposed name or change it to any file name that is valid under your operating system.
When you save a workspace, if the selection table contains any unsaved changes, you will be prompted to save the selection table before the workspace is saved. Note that if you choose not to save the selection table when saving a workspace, unsaved changes to the table will not be saved in the workspace.Unsaved changes indicators
Raven now uses an asterisk (*) in the title bar of a sound window or selection table to indicate unsaved changes. If a sound has been altered since it was last saved, an asterisk will appear before the window name in the window's title bar. If a selection table has been altered since it was last saved, an asterisk will appear before the words "Selection Table" in the selection table's title bar.
Drag and drop file opening
When Raven is running, you can now open any WAVE or AIFF sound file by dragging its icon from an Explorer (Windows) or Finder (MacOS) window or from the desktop and "dropping" the icon anywhere in the Raven window.
New keyboard shortcuts for Print and Play
Formerly, Ctrl-P (Windows) or Command-P (MacOS) invoked the Play command. In order to comply with widely used standards, these keys now invoke the Print command. To play, use Ctrl-Shift-P or Command-Shift-P.
What was new in Raven 1.2 Beta 1
25 Feb 2004
This section of the document briefly summarizes the new features that have been added to Raven since the release of Raven 1.1.
Opening Canary files
Raven can now open sound files saved in the Canary file format. Under Mac OS X, Raven 1.2 can open these files directly. In order to open Canary files in Raven on a computer running Windows, you must first convert the files to MacBinary format on a Mac OS computer, then copy the files to the Windows machine. Converting the files to MacBinary format is necessary because Mac files have a two-part structure that is not properly preserved if the file is simply copied from a Mac to a Windows machine. The MacBinary format stores both parts of a Mac file in a single file that can be transferred to a Windows computer with no loss of information. You can convert Canary files to MacBinary by using a conversion program available free here.
New Configure Spectrogram dialog box
Several enhancements have been made to the Configure Spectrogram dialog box, which is used for configuring spectrogram views and spectrogram slice views. You can now choose a window size indirectly by specifying a desired 3 dB bandwidth. Raven will choose the window size that results in the bandwidth that is as close as possible to the value you specify. You can also now choose a DFT size that is any power of 2 greater than the window size, which enables finer frequency grid spacing than was achievable in Raven 1.1 A new window type, the Kaiser window, has been added. The Kaiser window allows you to set an additional parameter, called beta, which can vary between 0 and 20. For a given window size, larger values of beta yield larger bandwidths but lower sidelobes. Finally, the parameter formerly called Time Grid Size is now called Hop Size.
Linkable spectrogram parameters
Spectrogram parameters are now linkable properties of a spectrogram view. If the parameters that you specify when creating a new spectrogram or spectrogram slice view are the same as those of a pre-existing view, the new view will have its parameters linked to those of the pre-existing view. When two views are linked by spectrogram parameters, changing the parameters for one automatically changes the parameters for both. This is particularly useful when using a spectrogram slice view to view a cross-section of a particular spectrogram. Views can be unlinked or linked by spectrogram parameters by the same methods used for other linkable properties.
New selection controls
By default, the active selection now displays nine control points that can be dragged with the mouse or moved with the arrow keys. Control points are displayed as small squares, one on each side and corner of the selection, and one at the center of the selection. Only one control point may be active at any one time. The active control point is displayed as a square filled with the color of the active selection border; inactive control points appear as open squares. To activate a control point, click on it. The active control point can be manipulated by the keyboard arrow keys. The corner or edge control point that is closest to the mouse location will be drawn larger than the other control points to indicate that it is the control point that will move to the mouse position if you shift-click. Control points can be hidden by turning off a checkbox in the Components pane of the side panel's Layout tab.
Copying, pasting, and cloning selection boundaries
Raven 1.2 provides two mechanisms for creating a selection that duplicates another selection in frequency boundaries and duration. To create a selection identical to the active selection, but located at a different time, first choose View > Copy Active Selection. Then position the mouse pointer at the point in time where you want the new selection to be centered, right-click (Windows) or Ctrl-click (Mac OS) to and choose Paste Selection from the contextual menu. To create a duplicate selection that is superimposed upon the active selection choose View > Clone Active Selection. The new selection will be activated and displayed on top of the previously active selection. You can then manipulate the new selection via its control points. You can use cloning to segment a sound into a series of contiguous selections by the following procedure: (1) Create the first selection in a series, either in a waveform or spectrogram view. (2) Clone the selection as described above. (3) Drag the new selection's left edge to the right, past the selection';s right edge to the end time of the second selection in the series. The edge that initially defined the end of the selection now defines its start, which is at the same time as the end of the first selection. The edge that originally defined the start now defines its end. (4) Clone the second selection, and then repeat step 3 as needed.